Other forms: chanteuses
A chanteuse is a singer, especially a woman who performs in a nightclub. The femme fatale in an old black and white movie is often a chanteuse.
While the chanteuse became a stock character in the film noir genre — a woman singing sultry songs in a smoky nightclub or cabaret — the word simply means "female singer" in French. It is derived from the verb chanter, "to sing." Edith Piaf is France's most famous chanteuse, a singer of popular songs who began her career in Parisian cabarets. You can use this word for contemporary singers too: "Taylor Swift is my favorite chanteuse."