Mans Zelmerlow Releases French Version of Holding on to Nothing

Last year Eurovision winner Måns Zelmerlöw released a French language version of his popular single “Should Have Gone Home“, retitled “Je ne suis qu’un homme“.

And now he hopes to repeat his success in la Francophonie by reworking his latest track “Hanging on to Nothing“, which has been reborn as the soulful French language single: “Rien que nous deux” (“Only the two of us” in English).

“Rien que nous deux” tells the story of relationship in turmoil. His bae is in love with him, but he’s a bad boy who “can’t be tamed”.

Despite all the drama and with all signs pointing to a break-up, Måns is still hanging on. Quelle surprise!

Most of the lyrics are in French, but as in his previous single, the new version does keep a few English lines for emphasis.

French speakers tell us that Måns’ pronunciation is pretty good and that he’s working his tongue in all the right places. Roll those Rs, honey!

Outside of his music, Måns remains very active with the Zelmerlöw Björkman Foundation, the organisation he founded in 2013.

The organisation, which he now runs with Swedish tennis player Jonas Lars Björkman, works to improve the live of vulnerable children and young people in Ethiopia and Kenya.

It currently funds four schools (with a fifth in the pipeline), paying for teachers, school meals, school uniforms and wells to provide the pupils with clean water.

A singer with deep pockets and a heart. Fabuleux!

Read more music news from Sweden

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Fred
Fred
7 years ago

His pronunciation is spotless, but I noticed something funny in the videoclip : we actually never see him sing in french, only in english :))

lily
lily
7 years ago

@mtrb Oh, it wasn’t me who said it. Just a bunch of french people on the SHGH video. But otherwise I do agree with you; I love it too!!

mtrb
mtrb
7 years ago

@lily : Yes, there are few words that aren’t clear, ’cause of his pronunciation, his accent. But you can’t say, if you’re not French, that he sing better than French singers… But I LOVE his song and his accent, that is so SEXY <3

GG
GG
7 years ago

Good song, good pronunciation.Though he doesn’t speak French, I have to admit that his accent brings some sexiness to the song.I love it when people speak my language with a foreign accent! Continue comme ça Måns!Btw, I have understood all the lyrics…

lily
lily
7 years ago

Also, though maybe of no importance, his schools are in Ethiopia and Kenya. Not South Africa?

lily
lily
7 years ago

@mtrb You don’t understand some of the lyrics? After what I read – and myself understood – he has a better prononciation than many french artist. Maybe that’s also why he get invited to french tv-shows and has been 44 weeks in the absolut top and at least one week in the top spot of the french radioplay. And let’s not forget that he has yet another top 100 single in France with ‘Stayin Alive’. Bravo to him! ????????

Racal
Racal
7 years ago

His French is actually quite good (I’m Swiss, French is my mother tongue)! Not a big fan of the song itself though…

@Avstriya: “Personne que nous deux” is not grammatically correct, “Rien que nous deux” is indeed right (it means “only the two of us” or “nothing but the two of us”).

Charles
Charles
7 years ago

@Azotman: Pardon, mais je trouve franchement très difficile a y croire que toi un francophone ne peut pas comprendre les paroles de une chanson chanté para Måns, surtout quand la qualité de son français est sublime … Moi, je ne suis pas francophone, mais je comprend ce qu’il chanté sans difficulté et je trouve son français incroyable surtout pour un scandinave dont l’anglais reste toujours la langue étrangère la plus parlé … il faut vraiment donner un compliment a Måns pour cette belle qualité qu’il démontre de façon parfaite.

mtrb
mtrb
7 years ago

Hi!
As a French, I can say that Måns sing very well in French. I don’t understand all of the lyrics, but most of them. His last single “Je ne suis qu’un homme” (Should Have Gone Home) works pretty well in France. So I hope he will continues to sing in French 🙂

khm
khm
7 years ago

@Koka
Just so you know, Jacques is currently jobless and now he’s sending press releases to several Croatian media (and I think to ESCtoday) about him going to ESC. That’s not true, since HRT has different plans for ESC2017, but currently is on stand by because they don’t have a Head of Broadcaster. Bye from Croatia!

Koka
Koka
7 years ago
Avstriya
Avstriya
7 years ago

“Rien que nous deux” does not sound correct to me, unless Mans refers to him and his lover as “things” and not persons.

Shouldn’t it be “Personne que nous deux”?

Azotman
Azotman
7 years ago

Bonsoir Kiev,

Il chante très bien en Français mais il peut encore progresser davantage. D’ailleurs c’est bizarre, on ne comprends pas la moitié des paroles de sa chanson.

Bisous,
Maxime

Charles
Charles
7 years ago

And it’s fair to say he sounds remarkable in french … he really shows proficiency when singing in french working that intonation and pronunciation so perfectly like a native french singer …