French electronic musician Julien Granel chatted about his new single “BB Danse,” music inspirations, and being a part of the digital age.
How did the new single “BB Danse” come about?
“BB Danse” was born in New York a few months ago. I had this demo set aside, and one night, I met Theophilus London in a club. The chemistry was instant, we left the club and went to the house where I was staying.
I played him some demos, and he got hooked on that one. This track was born from the desire to bring together electronic music / French touch and Brooklyn rap.
It’s Paris making New York dance, New York dreaming of Paris and vice versa.
What was it like working with Theophilus London?
The sessions with Theophilus were very different. I remember on the first day, he asked me to replace the usual studio microphone on a stand with one he could hold in his hand, he wanted to move and dance around the room, to really feel the music.
He’s an artist who’s always been ahead of his time, and we have a lot in common in our journeys and our tastes, both in fashion and music. So it was exciting and inspiring.
What inspires your music and songwriting?
My music is always inspired by my life, my encounters, and my experiences. Touring for years was an incredible accelerator of intense emotions and experiences.
I needed to reconnect with that in my new productions, and to rediscover the sound I grew up with, the sound of the French touch from the ’90s, while bringing my own vision to it.
It was also really interesting to add French lyrics to that kind of track, which is something you rarely hear on this type of club song.
What do your plans for the future include?
I’m already thinking about going back to New York to reconnect with that magical energy I experienced there. I met so many people, local artists who are incredibly innovative and talented. It was a real breath of fresh air.
I want to keep exploring that intersection between French music and club music, and keep pushing the boundaries even further.
I was lucky to play my first sold-out show in London recently, it was amazing to meet my audience there.
This summer, I’m playing at the Sziget Festival, the biggest festival in Europe, in Hungary, alongside artists like Charli XCX and Empire of the Sun. It’s such a joy to see that French music can reach so far beyond its borders.
How does it feel to be an artist in the digital age? (Now with streaming, technology and social media being so prevalent)
I think I’ve always been attached to real life. My journey proves that it’s still possible to start from nothing and build a true community through concerts and festivals. For me, it’s the last place where there’s no room for cheating, it’s live, it’s all about feeling, it’s organic.
Concerts are also one of the last places in the world where people come together, even without knowing each other, to share the same energy and experience a moment of celebration together.
In this all-digital era, I believe it brings a lot of meaning back to everything. Then the magic of the internet can take over, removing borders and limits, just like I mentioned earlier, so I’m truly glad to be living in this time.
What is your advice for young and emerging artists?
Real life. Nothing will ever replace the experience of real life. You have to play as much as possible, get out of the house, even if it means starting by performing in front of just a few people, like I did for years.
Your project will only get better, and you’ll inevitably meet people who will enrich your journey.
And above all, be genuine. When you’re sincere in your music, it often brings together all your different influences, which usually makes it hard to categorize.
The industry struggles to understand projects that don’t fit neatly into boxes, and the media too, when something can’t be easily labelled.
In the long run, it’s the audience that decides, and the audience always feels sincerity and emotion.
So be sincere, keep playing and above all: have fun, because after all, it’s just music
Where do you see electronic music in the next five years?
Music always moves in cycles, but each era brings its own interpretation, and that’s what makes it interesting. Electronic music is reaching a wider and wider audience, and over the years, we’ve seen things that were once considered niche step into the spotlight.
The explosive comeback of UK garage, bass music, even dubstep or hardstyle, even techno parties have become more mainstream and, as a result, they’ve evolved. But I find that exciting.
From my own experience, I felt a real fascination for French touch when I was in clubs in New York. You can feel a kind of return to those emotional, warm grooves.
So, I think the future of electronic music will be shaped between all those lines. It’s like how pop became hyperpop, the boundaries between genres are dissolving, creating new creative spaces.
In general, mainstream audiences have become more accustomed to “harsher, sharper” sounds, which I think is a good thing, because it will inevitably lead to even more interesting blends in electronic music.
What would you like to say to your fans about the new music?
I’m really happy with the way people have welcomed “BB Danse.” I wasn’t too worried about whether they’d like it, though a lot of people asked me, “Aren’t you afraid of losing part of your audience with this more club-oriented sound?”
For me, it was obvious. That energy had always been part of my projects, so my audience was already familiar with those sounds.
More importantly, after over 200 shows, many of them at festivals, a big part of that audience had already experienced my live set, which was very electronic, uncompromising, and full of energy.
I’m lucky to have an audience that describes my music with words like “sunny,” “danceable,” and “high-energy” rather than labeling it by genre, which I’ve noticed, is actually quite rare. It gives me a precious and total freedom to explore.
To learn more about Julien Granel, follow him on Instagram.
