Coordinates: 47°37′23″N 6°09′21″E / 47.6231°N 06.1558°E / 47.6231; 06.1558

Vesoul is a commune in the Haute-Saône department in the region of Franche-Comté in eastern France.

The town is the capital of the department, its inhabitants are known in French as Vésuliens.

Vesoul was the birthplace of Jean-Léon Gérôme (1824–1904), painter and sculptor who produced many works in a historical, Orientalist style.

Vesoul is also the name of a song by Jacques Brel from 1968, a fast paced waltz during the recording of which Brel famously yelled «Chauffe, Marcel, chauffe!» ("heat up, Marcel, heat up!") at his accordionist, Marcel Azzola.

The town is also mentioned facetiously in the satirical rap Fous ta cagoule by Michael Youn.

Media related to Vesoul at Wikimedia Commons

Jacques Brel (French pronunciation: [ʒak bʁɛl]; 8 April 1929 – 9 October 1978) was a Belgian singer-songwriter who composed and performed literate, thoughtful, and theatrical songs that generated a large, devoted following in France initially, and later throughout the world. He was widely considered a master of the modern chanson. Although he recorded most of his songs in French, he became a major influence on English-speaking songwriters and performers such as David Bowie, Leonard Cohen, and Rod McKuen. English translations of his songs were recorded by many top performers in the United States, including Ray Charles, Judy Collins, John Denver, the Kingston Trio, Nina Simone, Frank Sinatra, Scott Walker, and Andy Williams. In French-speaking countries, Brel was also a successful actor, appearing in ten films. He also directed two films, one of which, Le Far West, was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 1973. Jacques Brel has sold over 25 million records worldwide, and is the third best-selling Belgian recording artist of all time.

Pharrell Williams (born April 5, 1973), commonly known simply as Pharrell, is an American rapper, singer, record producer, composer, and fashion designer. Williams and Chad Hugo make up the record production duo The Neptunes, producing hip hop and R&B music. He is also the lead vocalist and drummer of hip-hop band N.E.R.D, which he formed with Hugo and childhood friend Shay Haley. He released his first single "Frontin'" in 2003 and followed up with his first album In My Mind in 2006.

As part of The Neptunes, Williams has produced numerous hit singles for various musicians. The two have earned three Grammy Awards amongst ten nominations. He is also the co-founder of the clothing brands Billionaire Boys Club and Ice Cream Clothing. He is a member of the supergroup V.A. Playaz with Fam-Lay, Clipse, Skillz, Missy Elliott, and Timbaland & Magoo.

Pharrell Williams was born on April 5, 1973, in Virginia Beach, Virginia, the eldest of three sons of Carolyn, a teacher, and Pharaoh Williams, a handyman. He met Chad Hugo in a seventh-grade summer band camp where Williams played the keyboards and drums and Hugo played tenor saxophone. They were also both members of a marching band; Williams played the snare drum while Chad was student conductor. With Hugo, Williams attended Princess Anne High School where they played in the school band; there he got the name Skateboard P.

Jeanne Cherhal (born 28 February 1978 in Nantes) is a French singer-songwriter.

After spending her younger years in Erbray near Châteaubriant, Cherhal studied philosophy before moving to Paris. She started her singing career playing piano – solo, or accompanied by her guitarist Éric Löhrer in small concert venues. At the time she sported long, plaîtted hair. After a six-title CD (edited by Madame Suzie), she released an album entitled "Jeanne Cherhal" with the independent label Tôt ou tard.

Little by little, her renown increased. At the beginning she sang Georges Moustaki, Jacques Higelin, Thomas Fersen and Emir Kusturica; she was invited on by the group les Têtes Raides, sang as a double act with Vincent Delerm and sometimes as a trio with d'Albin de La Simone. She also performed in a series of concerts with Matthieu Bouchet, which culminated in the production of the CD-booklet [en même temps...] (produced in a limited edition of 1500 copies).

Cherhal's second album Douze fois par an (Twelve times a year), released in 2004; was a huge success. Along with this she received not only recognition from the music world, but also from a large and ever-increasing fan base.

Florent Pagny (b. 6 November 1961 in Chalon-sur-Saône, Saône-et-Loire) is a French musician. He has also acted in many French films. He records work in French, Italian, Spanish and English, and his greatest hits include "N'importe quoi", "Savoir aimer", "Ma Liberté de penser" (all three were #1 in France) and "Caruso" (#2 in France).

As of 2008, he has sold 4,268,980 copies of singles, 7,273,606 copies of albums and total over 11,542,586 copies of records in France, he was the 25th best selling artist in France from 1955 to 2008.

Pagny began his artistic career as an actor in popular films and television dramas. He appeared in La Balance, L'As des as, A Captain's Honor or Fort Saganne.

In 1987, he wrote his first song : "N'importe quoi." Pagny's first album, Merci, was released in 1990. The album's songs, mainly written by himself, began to attract controversy, with the press eventually boycotting some of them. This led to a decline in sales, culminating in personal problems. His follow-up album, Réaliste, was also not as successful.