{"id":90454,"date":"2025-05-10T16:16:12","date_gmt":"2025-05-10T16:16:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/90454\/"},"modified":"2025-05-10T16:16:12","modified_gmt":"2025-05-10T16:16:12","slug":"the-goal-is-to-make-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/90454\/","title":{"rendered":"‘The Goal Is to Make History’"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tOn May 10, DJ Snake is set to perform consecutively in two of the largest concert venues in France<\/a>: the Stade de France (80,000 people) and then the Accor Arena (20,000 people). It\u2019s an unprecedented feat for an artist accustomed to breaking records as he prepares to release his third studio album.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tExplore\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\tExplore\t<\/p>\n

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See latest videos, charts and news<\/p>\n

See latest videos, charts and news<\/p>\n

\n\tDJ Snake<\/a> stands relaxed yet alert, his eyes sharp in front of the lens of Nabil Elderkin\u2014a renowned director and photographer known, among other things, for his work with Travis Scott and The Weeknd. The artist is about to give a landmark concert at the Stade de France, titled The Final Show, followed by an after-party at the Accor Arena. An unprecedented feat for a DJ in France and a testament to his popularity in his home country, the event sold out in just three minutes.<\/p>\n

\n\tMore than a decade after his rise began, he is now one of the most influential ambassadors of the French electronic scene and ranks among the 100 most popular artists in the world on Spotify. Four of his singles have made it into the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cParis is my city,\u201d he declares at the start of the interview. He has a visceral connection to the capital that goes beyond simple geographical attachment. \u201cIt\u2019s the city that taught me everything, really. Even musically\u2014the strong influence of hip-hop in Paris, African music, Arabic music, French pop\u2026 That whole mix is what makes my music sound the way it does today.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tHe found himself backed into a corner in the summer of 2012, after several years of DJing in the capital\u2019s upscale clubs. Having already worked behind the scenes for artists like Lady Gaga (earning him a Grammy nomination), he felt limited in his artistic expression. So, he invested his savings into renting a recording studio and gave himself two months to make it as a solo artist. That risky bet turned out to be the launching point for a meteoric rise, beginning in 2013 with \u201cTurn Down for What,\u201d his collaboration with Lil Jon.<\/p>\n

\t\tA Leading Figure of the French Electronic Music Scene<\/strong>\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWith all humility, I don\u2019t claim to represent France,\u201d DJ Snake confides. \u201cI represent a guy from Paris, who\u2019s Franco-Algerian, and I just try my best to do interesting things.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tYet with 13 billion streams on Spotify and four music videos surpassing one billion views on YouTube, DJ Snake undeniably carries the country\u2019s colors on the international<\/a> stage. \u201cWe have an incredible electronic scene that\u2019s respected worldwide. Our older brothers did an extraordinary job\u2014Daft Punk, Justice, Bob Sinclar, Martin Solveig, David Guetta, Madeon\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe Stade de France, the largest venue in the country, marks the pinnacle of an unlikely journey: \u201cIt\u2019s my destiny\u2014to come from the very bottom, have an unconventional path, be a guy no one believed in at first, and end up at the top, at the Stade de France.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tMore than just a concert, The Final Show represents a clear ambition for him: \u201cThe goal is really to make history.\u201d When ticket sales opened, more than 500,000 people were in the queue at the same time. \u201cWe had planned a whole promo run\u2014interviews, TV appearances, billboards in the streets of Paris\u2026 We had a full campaign ready, because never, ever, ever did I think I\u2019d fill the Stade de France in three minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tSo the artist decided to extend the celebration: \u201cI said to Julie, my manager, \u2018Check if the Accor Arena is available.\u2019 If it was, we\u2019d throw the afterparty there. At least we\u2019d have 20,000 people\u201420,000 lucky ones, 20,000 members of the Snake Army\u2014with whom we could throw a massive event.\u201d It was a winning bet: the Bercy venue also sold out.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"DJ<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tDJ Snake<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNabil Elderkin\u00a0for Billboard France<\/p>\n

\t\tSupporting the New Generation<\/strong>\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cYou can come from a small suburb and do big things, with very little\u2014just with drive, ideas, a group of friends, fun, and a lot of ambition,\u201d says DJ Snake. \u201cWhat I mean is, \u2018Go for it, anything is possible.\u2019 You\u2019ve got a passport, you can travel\u2014have fun, do what you need to do, and fight for your vision.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe artist expresses confidence in the future of the new generation: \u201cThere are so many talented people, and I\u2019m really not worried about the industry or the French scene. I think of someone like Trym, who\u2019s bringing his hard techno vibe. His project is going to keep growing\u2014Americans love it\u2014and I think what he represents is really cool.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe next step after his Stade de France triumph: launching a label dedicated to supporting new talent. \u201cI think after my album, the goal is to start a new label and sign a lot of young artists. I want to give them a platform to express themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\tThe Nomadic Spirit<\/strong>\t<\/p>\n

\n\tWhile Paris remains his emotional home port, DJ Snake sees himself first and foremost as a citizen of the world. \u201cI strangely feel at home everywhere,\u201d he explains. \u201cAnd I really have that nomadic thing. The nomadic spirit\u2014it\u2019s something that truly reflects who I am. It\u2019s a rhythm I\u2019ve had since I was young. I\u2019ve always been on the move, I\u2019ve always traveled.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cNow, I\u2019m able to absorb the vibe of a city quickly. It\u2019s crazy what I\u2019ve managed to develop\u2014I\u2019m just realizing it now.\u201d Still, it\u2019s a demanding balance: \u201cTraveling is very inspiring\u2014meeting people, connecting with artists, discovering different cultures\u2026 But the travel itself is exhausting. It\u2019s a lot of pressure. I have a hard time creating while on tour. I need to stop and settle somewhere. I stepped back a bit from social media when I was touring more, because I was finishing my album and needed not to be constantly on the move.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tWith \u201cDisco Maghreb\u201d in 2022, DJ Snake reached a form of personal fulfillment. The instrumental track with Algerian influences came from a deeply intimate place. \u201cThe impact of \u2018Disco Maghreb\u2019 was huge. It was unprecedented, and I really didn\u2019t expect it. I was the first to be surprised,\u201d he says. \u201cIt will still be played at weddings 20 years from now.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cAlgeria gives me so much love. It\u2019s really hard for me to walk down the street there, for example. That\u2019s something I don\u2019t experience anywhere else, even though I\u2019m known pretty much worldwide.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tFor him, the real victory lies in his ability to make traditional music resonate far beyond its original audience: \u201cWhen I\u2019m performing in Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Taiwan or Japan, and I see people dancing to Algerian rhythms\u2014that\u2019s a cultural victory.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"DJ<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tDJ Snake<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNabil Elderkin\u00a0for Billboard France<\/p>\n

\t\tA New Album After Six Years of Waiting<\/strong>\t<\/p>\n

\n\tDJ Snake is preparing to make his return with a new project, with the announcement coinciding with his show at the Stade de France. \u201cIt\u2019s true that it went by quickly,\u201d he admits, reflecting on the time since \u201cCarte Blanche.\u201d \u201cI felt the need to offer a new chapter in my career. I had things to say, things to offer. With the Stade de France, I thought, \u2018I think we\u2019re going to make a great combo, Stade de France, album. We\u2019re going to have fun.\u2019<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIt\u2019s an album where I had fun. I pushed creativity to the max. Of course, it\u2019ll still be DJ Snake, I\u2019m not coming back with a funk album or a drum and bass album. There will be electronic sounds, there will be touching moments, and we\u2019re going to have fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThis versatility is one of the artist\u2019s signatures: \u201cI release \u2018Let Me Love You\u2019 with Justin Bieber, the next month I drop a dubstep track called \u2018Propaganda,\u2019 which is super aggressive. Then I do something like \u2018Magenta Riddim\u2019 with Indian influences. After that, I can do a house track, I can do \u2018Disco Maghreb\u2019\u2026. I really took people on a journey from left to right. But always with integrity and my vision. That\u2019s why people have never seen me as an opportunist, because my approach has always been sincere.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tHe embraces this diversity as an integral part of his identity: \u201cWhen you\u2019re in music, your art has to be solid, and it has to touch people. There has to be emotion, but it has to connect with the audience. I don\u2019t understand artists who make the same song every time. They have a hit with something, and then they make five follow-ups with the same rhythm, the same guitar. I\u2019d go crazy. That\u2019s why I always need to reinvent myself and offer something different.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\tIn Search of Authenticity<\/strong>\t<\/p>\n

\n\tIn an electronic landscape where trends, particularly on social media, often overshadow creative choices, artistic independence is a fundamental principle for DJ Snake. \u201cMy vision is what matters the most to me. I\u2019ve done everything to protect it and to maintain this independence, this freedom to navigate.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tFor the producer behind global<\/a> hits like \u201cLet Me Love You\u201d and \u201cLean On,\u201d he says \u201cthe impact of TikTok\u201d has changed electronic music, with consumption becoming increasingly rapid. \u201cThe industry has changed. The way entertainment, not just music, is consumed has made it so very little remains,\u201d he observes.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cSince I was young, I\u2019ve always been on the move, I\u2019ve always traveled\u2026 We\u2019ve met the biggest artists in the world, the biggest celebrities, visited the most beautiful places on the planet. But at some point, you go through all of that and you start to appreciate the simplest things.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThis quest for authenticity shows up both in his music and his creative approach: \u201cMy music is a reflection of my daily life, my life\u2014it\u2019s me, really. I translate what I feel. For sure, there will be simpler things than what I\u2019ve done before.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tHis side project, The Outlaw, under which he will perform at the Accor Arena, also allows him to return to his roots: \u201cIt was really about having total creative freedom, not worrying about my image, my status, or having to play all my pop hits all the time. It\u2019s really a kind of outlet.\u201d He shares that he aims to release an EP under The Outlaw in the coming months.<\/p>\n

\n\tThis article originally appeared on Billboard France.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"On May 10, DJ Snake is set to perform consecutively in two of the largest concert venues in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":90455,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5309],"tags":[20905,2000,299,36,42876,2848,522],"class_list":{"0":"post-90454","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-france","8":"tag-dance","9":"tag-eu","10":"tag-europe","11":"tag-france","12":"tag-genre-dance","13":"tag-global","14":"tag-international"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114484437593052680","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90454","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=90454"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90454\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/90455"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=90454"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=90454"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=90454"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}