genre dance

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

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DJ Snake stands relaxed yet alert, his eyes sharp in front of the lens of Nabil Elderkin—a 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.

More 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.

“Paris is my city,” he declares at the start of the interview. He has a visceral connection to the capital that goes beyond simple geographical attachment. “It’s the city that taught me everything, really. Even musically—the strong influence of hip-hop in Paris, African music, Arabic music, French pop… That whole mix is what makes my music sound the way it does today.”

He found himself backed into a corner in the summer of 2012, after several years of DJing in the capital’s 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 “Turn Down for What,” his collaboration with Lil Jon.

A Leading Figure of the French Electronic Music Scene

“With all humility, I don’t claim to represent France,” DJ Snake confides. “I represent a guy from Paris, who’s Franco-Algerian, and I just try my best to do interesting things.”

Yet with 13 billion streams on Spotify and four music videos surpassing one billion views on YouTube, DJ Snake undeniably carries the country’s colors on the international stage. “We have an incredible electronic scene that’s respected worldwide. Our older brothers did an extraordinary job—Daft Punk, Justice, Bob Sinclar, Martin Solveig, David Guetta, Madeon…”

The Stade de France, the largest venue in the country, marks the pinnacle of an unlikely journey: “It’s my destiny—to 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.”

More than just a concert, The Final Show represents a clear ambition for him: “The goal is really to make history.” When ticket sales opened, more than 500,000 people were in the queue at the same time. “We had planned a whole promo run—interviews, TV appearances, billboards in the streets of Paris… We had a full campaign ready, because never, ever, ever did I think I’d fill the Stade de France in three minutes.”

So the artist decided to extend the celebration: “I said to Julie, my manager, ‘Check if the Accor Arena is available.’ If it was, we’d throw the afterparty there. At least we’d have 20,000 people—20,000 lucky ones, 20,000 members of the Snake Army—with whom we could throw a massive event.” It was a winning bet: the Bercy venue also sold out.

DJ Snake

Nabil Elderkin for Billboard France

Supporting the New Generation

“You can come from a small suburb and do big things, with very little—just with drive, ideas, a group of friends, fun, and a lot of ambition,” says DJ Snake. “What I mean is, ‘Go for it, anything is possible.’ You’ve got a passport, you can travel—have fun, do what you need to do, and fight for your vision.”

The artist expresses confidence in the future of the new generation: “There are so many talented people, and I’m really not worried about the industry or the French scene. I think of someone like Trym, who’s bringing his hard techno vibe. His project is going to keep growing—Americans love it—and I think what he represents is really cool.”

The next step after his Stade de France triumph: launching a label dedicated to supporting new talent. “I 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.”

The Nomadic Spirit

While Paris remains his emotional home port, DJ Snake sees himself first and foremost as a citizen of the world. “I strangely feel at home everywhere,” he explains. “And I really have that nomadic thing. The nomadic spirit—it’s something that truly reflects who I am. It’s a rhythm I’ve had since I was young. I’ve always been on the move, I’ve always traveled.

“Now, I’m able to absorb the vibe of a city quickly. It’s crazy what I’ve managed to develop—I’m just realizing it now.” Still, it’s a demanding balance: “Traveling is very inspiring—meeting people, connecting with artists, discovering different cultures… But the travel itself is exhausting. It’s 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.”

With “Disco Maghreb” in 2022, DJ Snake reached a form of personal fulfillment. The instrumental track with Algerian influences came from a deeply intimate place. “The impact of ‘Disco Maghreb’ was huge. It was unprecedented, and I really didn’t expect it. I was the first to be surprised,” he says. “It will still be played at weddings 20 years from now.

“Algeria gives me so much love. It’s really hard for me to walk down the street there, for example. That’s something I don’t experience anywhere else, even though I’m known pretty much worldwide.”

For him, the real victory lies in his ability to make traditional music resonate far beyond its original audience: “When I’m performing in Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Taiwan or Japan, and I see people dancing to Algerian rhythms—that’s a cultural victory.”

DJ Snake

Nabil Elderkin for Billboard France

A New Album After Six Years of Waiting

DJ Snake is preparing to make his return with a new project, with the announcement coinciding with his show at the Stade de France. “It’s true that it went by quickly,” he admits, reflecting on the time since “Carte Blanche.” “I 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, ‘I think we’re going to make a great combo, Stade de France, album. We’re going to have fun.’

“It’s an album where I had fun. I pushed creativity to the max. Of course, it’ll still be DJ Snake, I’m 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’re going to have fun.”

This versatility is one of the artist’s signatures: “I release ‘Let Me Love You’ with Justin Bieber, the next month I drop a dubstep track called ‘Propaganda,’ which is super aggressive. Then I do something like ‘Magenta Riddim’ with Indian influences. After that, I can do a house track, I can do ‘Disco Maghreb’…. I really took people on a journey from left to right. But always with integrity and my vision. That’s why people have never seen me as an opportunist, because my approach has always been sincere.”

He embraces this diversity as an integral part of his identity: “When you’re 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’t 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’d go crazy. That’s why I always need to reinvent myself and offer something different.”

In Search of Authenticity

In an electronic landscape where trends, particularly on social media, often overshadow creative choices, artistic independence is a fundamental principle for DJ Snake. “My vision is what matters the most to me. I’ve done everything to protect it and to maintain this independence, this freedom to navigate.”

For the producer behind global hits like “Let Me Love You” and “Lean On,” he says “the impact of TikTok” has changed electronic music, with consumption becoming increasingly rapid. “The industry has changed. The way entertainment, not just music, is consumed has made it so very little remains,” he observes.

“Since I was young, I’ve always been on the move, I’ve always traveled… We’ve 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.”

This quest for authenticity shows up both in his music and his creative approach: “My music is a reflection of my daily life, my life—it’s me, really. I translate what I feel. For sure, there will be simpler things than what I’ve done before.”

His side project, The Outlaw, under which he will perform at the Accor Arena, also allows him to return to his roots: “It 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’s really a kind of outlet.” He shares that he aims to release an EP under The Outlaw in the coming months.

This article originally appeared on Billboard France.