Wow. Should have come across this thread earlier; great topic.
I'm very much a pop guy, with some exceptions. That being said, don't mock me too much when I reveal some favorites:
Zazie (France)
A Dutch friend of mine turned me on to her several years ago, and I am now officially in love with her music. CAN NOT play these songs enough:
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Toc Toc Toc
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Rue de la Paix (which is also a pretty cool video, too)
De Palmas (France)
Same friend turned me on to Gerard De Palmas and his band, too. Personal favorite (though there are several other good songs out there):
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J'en rêve encore
Amr Diab (Egypt)
Ever since my first couple of (vacation) trips to the middle east pre- and post-9/11, I can't get his music off my top-rated list. He's sort of an Arabic-singing Enrique Iglesias.
I'm totally NOT his target audience, but I still shell out for his music and smile while I'm doing it. Here's a decent sample, though not his best:
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Amarain
There are a few other artists that I've gotten to on my own or by a friend's tip, but I will freely admit that most of my new music - all of it international artists, oddly - has come from the FIFA video game soundtrack for the past 8 or 9 years. Love the game, and really love the music. Here's some highlights:
Tribalistas (Brazil) - Ja Sei Namorar
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K'naan (Somalia) - Soobax
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Dover (Spain) - Do Ya (My earworm of the frickin' YEAR)
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Them's just the highlights for now. I'm really resisting the urge to monopolize the topic.
And lastly, for those who like 99 Luftballons, I present to you a must-listen (if you haven't already) -
99 Luftproblems.
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First heard that mashup about five years ago, and I STILL play it to pieces.