Bonjour dear listeners, France is home to some of the greatest museums, theatres, and opera houses in the world.

And there's lots of public support for the arts because they're such a vital part of French culture. So for this special

season of the Duolingo French podcast we're going to revisit some of our

favorite episodes featuring singers, dancers, and actors, even a French clown.

They've all taken the stage to pursue and share their creative passions.

Today, we'll hear an episode from February 2021,

featuring Simon Ero.

At an early age, Simon discovered that her voice,

with its warm and mellow tone, had the power to soothe others.

But she never dreamed that her voice would accompany millions of people traveling by train across France.

Keep listening to find out how it all happened, and stay tuned until the end for an update from Simone herself.

Now, on to the episode.

Hi everybody, I'm Martina Castro, the executive producer for the Duolingo

podcasts, and for this episode, I'll be filling in for our host

Kofan Bhutubuela. Growing up near Paris in the early 1960s 13 year-year-old Simun-Ero was a self-conscious girl filled with teenage angst.

She went to an all-girls school and she wasn't a very good student. She thought she had little to contribute.

I was not very good and love

and I was not very sure of my. I met the

the literature and the other French

as my lawyer or my partner

or my person

Mees in, I was suvant silenous.

...