Florent Hugel grew up in the backstreets of Marseille, raised on his mother’s soul and funk, before falling for vinyl at 16. Since then, the numbers have been dizzying: 3.9 billion streams on Spotify, the 3rd most-streamed French artist in the platform’s history. And yet,…
Florent Hugel grew up in the backstreets of Marseille, raised on his mother’s soul and funk, before falling for vinyl at 16. Since then, the numbers have been dizzying: 3.9 billion streams on Spotify, the 3rd most-streamed French artist in the platform’s history. And yet, until yesterday, one box was still unticked on his record. The album.
Twenty One comes out on 26 June on Make The Girls Dance Records: 21 tracks, as many collaborations, and the ambition of a man who knew how to wait for the right moment to give it everything. Snoop Dogg lends his voice to the intro. David Guetta, French Montana and Aidan Martin join forces on Shine. Ultra Naté lights up Movin’ To The Sun. And then there’s Jamaican (Bam Bam), already at 200 million plays, the unshakeable hit that serves as the lead single. Between sun-drenched melodies and beats built for the most demanding clubs, this is no best-of in disguise. It is a statement of intent.
At 38, HUGEL is also owning a personal turning point: he is turning his back on late-night touring to protect his health, saving his performances for summer residencies, including the one at Hï Ibiza. Ten years for a debut album. Patience, clearly, pays off.
