William Sami Étienne Grigahcine (born 13 June 1986), known by his stage name DJ Snake, is an Algerian French music producer and DJ, first achieving international recognition in 2013 by releasing an instrumentation-oriented single called " Turn Down for What" (featuring

Lil Jon Jonathan H. Smith (born January 17, 1971) better known by his stage name Lil Jon, is an American rapper, producer and former frontman of the rap group Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz. He was instrumental in the emergence of the hip hop subgenre cr ...

). He made his international debut with the singles "Bird Machine" and "Turn Down for What" in 2013. "Bird Machine" is a collaboration with fellow French musician Alesia. The single was picked up by

Mad Decent Mad Decent is an American record label founded by Diplo. The label has helped introduce Brazilian baile funk and Angolan kuduro to clubs around the world. Recently, it has popularized moombahton, a genre of electronic dance music created by D ...

, a Los Angeles-based record label run by Diplo. DJ Snake was announced to be working on a collaboration with Diplo, originally slated to debut in 2014; it released in 2015 as the single " Lean On" in collaboration with MØ and Diplo's Major Lazer. In 2014, DJ Snake was labelled as an "Artist to Watch" by FoxWeekly. He and

Dillon Francis Dillon Hart Francis (born October 5, 1987), also known by the stage name DJ Hanzel, is an American electronic music producer and DJ. Early life Francis was born in Los AngelesAhmed, Insanul (March 13, 2012Who Is Dillon Francis?Complex. Retri ...

were announced as alternating supporting artists for the summer Mothership Tour 2014 with

Skrillex Sonny John Moore (born January 15, 1988), known professionally as Skrillex, is an American DJ and music producer. Growing up in Northeast Los Angeles and Northern California, he joined the post-hardcore band From First to Last as the lead si ...

. In March 2018, '' Billboard'' named DJ Snake as number nine on their 2018 ranking of dance musicians titled ''Billboard'' Dance 100.

Early life

Grigahcine was born in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

to a French father and an Algerian mother and grew up in Ermont, a banlieue district outside Paris, which he describes as a

ghetto A ghetto, often called ''the'' ghetto, is a part of a city in which members of a minority group live, especially as a result of political, social, legal, environmental or economic pressure. Ghettos are often known for being more impoverished t ...

. He cites a scene with Cut Killer in the French film '' La Haine'' as well as hip-hop artists KRS-One and Cypress Hill as early influences. In his youth, Grigahcine produced

graffiti Graffiti (plural; singular ''graffiti'' or ''graffito'', the latter rarely used except in archeology) is art that is written, painted or drawn on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from s ...

art, earning him the moniker "Snake" because he was able to consistently evade the police. Of his name, Grigahcine says "When I started DJing, everyone called me 'Snake' in my city first, I was like 'DJ Snake, OK let's go for it.' The name sucks, but it's too late now." He started DJing at age 14, and later producing at 19. In his early career, Grigahcine performed at clubs including Les Bains Douches in Paris. In 2005, he met his manager Steve Goncalves, who encouraged Grigahcine to begin creating his own music.

Career

In 2011, DJ Snake produced for

Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta ( ; born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenag ...

's album '' Born This Way''. This earned him a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year in February 2012. DJ Snake was co-producer for the song " Government Hooker", which was voted best song by Lady Gaga fans after the release of the album. This song was supposed to be released as a single before Interscope Records decided to stop the marketing of the album after its release. He remixed

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...

's " New Slaves",

AlunaGeorge AlunaGeorge are an English electronic music duo from London, consisting of singer-songwriter Aluna Francis and producer George Reid. Career 2009: Formation The duo first met in June 2009, when Reid remixed Francis' band My Toys Like Me's trac ...

's " You Know You Like It", Duck Sauce's "It's You", Major Lazer's " Bubble Butt" and Junior Senior's " Move Your Feet". In 2013, DJ Snake produced three songs with Paul "DJ White Shadow" Blair on Lady Gaga's album ''

Artpop ''Artpop'' (stylized in all caps) is the third studio album by American singer Lady Gaga. It was released on November 6, 2013, by Streamline and Interscope Records. Gaga began planning the project in 2011, shortly after the launch of her second ...

'' including " Applause", " Sexxx Dreams", and "

Do What U Want "Do What U Want" is a song by American singer Lady Gaga, featuring guest vocals from R. Kelly. The song was released on October 21, 2013, as the second single from Gaga's third studio album ''Artpop'' (2013). The singers wrote the song with DJ ...

DJ Snake and Dillon Francis were alternating supporting artists on the Mothership Tour 2014 with Skrillex. He performed at the 2015

Coachella Music Festival The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival (commonly called the Coachella Festival or simply Coachella) is an annual music festival, music and arts festival held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Coachella Valley in the Col ...

with guest appearances by AlunaGeorge and MØ, who did vocals on " Lean On" with Major Lazer. "Lean On" and DJ Snake's remix of AlunaGeorge's "You Know You Like It" were both top 10 Shazamed songs from Coachella 2015. In October 2015, DJ Snake and fellow electronic producer

Tchami Martin Joseph Léonard Bresso (; born 12 May 1985), better known by his stage name Tchami (), is a French record producer and DJ from Paris. A founding member of the Pardon My French collective, he is best known for his solo work and regarded a ...

were injured in a car crash, causing them both to miss a scheduled stop at Toronto's Monster Mash festival. In January 2016,

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also r ...

named him one of their "30 Under 30 In Music" for the year.

Standalone singles (2013–2015)

In December 2013, " Turn Down for What", DJ Snake's collaboration with

, was released on Columbia Records. The song was featured in a commercial for the Sol Republic DECK, a wireless speaker, which aired in October 2013. "Turn Down for What" entered the top ten of the ''Billboard'' Dance/Electronic chart during the last week of December. In January 2014, the single entered the top 5 on the Dance/Electronic chart and debuted No. 38 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The song was certified gold in February 2014 and platinum in March 2014. The song reached the top ten of the Hot 100 in April 2014. The music video for the single was released in March 2014. "Turn Down for What" was nominated for

MTV Video Music Award The MTV Video Music Awards (commonly abbreviated as the VMAs) is an award show presented by the cable channel MTV to honour the best in the music video medium. Originally conceived as an alternative to the Grammy Awards (in the video categor ...

s for Best Direction, Best Art Direction, Best Visual Effects, and the MTV Clubland Award. In February 2014, DJ Snake and

released " Get Low" on their official

SoundCloud SoundCloud is an online audio distribution platform and music sharing website that enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is one of the largest music streaming s ...

and

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...

pages, as the lead single from Francis's debut studio album '' Money Sucks, Friends Rule''. Both "Get Low" and "Turn Down for What" were featured on the ''Furious 7'' motion picture soundtrack. Along with the exposure gained from commercials for Dodge and

Taco Bell Taco Bell is an American-based chain of fast food restaurants founded in 1962 by Glen Bell (1923–2010) in Downey, California. Taco Bell is a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc. The restaurants serve a variety of Mexican-inspired foods, includin ...

featuring the song, the inclusion of "Get Low" on the soundtrack helped the song re-enter the Billboard Hot Dance/Electronic chart while DJ Snake re-entered the Billboard Artist 100. In December 2014, DJ Snake's remix of the

song " You Know You Like It" was released on Island Records. "You Know You Like It" reached number one on ''Billboard's''

Dance/Mix Show Airplay Dance/Mix Show Airplay (formerly Hot Dance Airplay) is a monitored electronic dance music radio chart that is published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. History The chart came about as a result of the small but influential impact of electronic ...

chart and

Rhythmic Songs The Rhythmic chart (also called Rhythmic Airplay, and previously named Rhythmic Songs, Rhythmic Top 40 and CHR/Rhythmic) is an airplay chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. The chart tracks and measures the airplay of songs played on ...

chart in June 2015. It peaked at 13 on the

Billboard Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streamin ...

. In November 2015, the song received RIAA double-platinum certification. For the remix, DJ Snake used a fusion of European dance music and hip hop beats. It took him about four hours to write. The collaboration was done via the Internet, with the vocals emailed to DJ Snake, who worked in Paris. In March 2015, " Lean On", DJ Snake's collaborative track with Major Lazer featuring MØ, was released on

, as the lead single from Major Lazer's third studio album '' Peace Is the Mission''. It made it on ''Billboard's''

, Mainstream Top 40,

Latin Pop Songs Latin Pop Airplay (also referred to as Latin Pop Songs) is a record chart published on ''Billboard'' magazine and a subchart of the Latin Airplay chart. The chart focuses on Latin pop music, namely Spanish-language pop music. It was established ...

, Dance Club Songs, Hot Dance/Electric Songs and

Adult Top 40 The Adult Pop Airplay (formerly known as Adult Pop Songs and Adult Top 40) chart is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and ranks "the most popular adult top 40 as based on radio airplay detections measured by Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems ...

charts. It peaked at 4 on the

. In June, ''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, ...

'' magazine named it one of the "Best Songs of 2015 So Far" In September 2015, "Lean On" was named Spotify's global song of the summer. In November 2015, the song surpassed 526 million Spotify plays, making it the service's most streamed song ever. The video for "Lean On" was released in March 2015. It was shot in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

and directed by Tim Erem. ''Amplify'' magazine named "Lean On" one of "The Best Videos of 2015". In January 2016, the "Lean On" video reached 1 billion views on

, and has since reached over 3 billion.

''Encore'' (2015–2017)

DJ Snake released his next single " Middle" on 16 October 2015. The song was released by Interscope Records,

and

Spinnin' Records Spinnin' Records is a Dutch electronic music record label founded in 1999 by Eelko van Kooten and Roger de Graaf. In September 2017, Warner Music Group acquired Spinnin' Records for over $100 million. Background Van Kooten is the son of former ...

. It features the vocals from English singer

Bipolar Sunshine Adio Marchant (born 24 September 1987), known professionally as Bipolar Sunshine, is an English singer and songwriter from Manchester, England. Previously the co-vocalist with the band Kid British, he embarked on a solo career in 2013. Career ...

. The song's accompanying music video premiered on 16 March 2016 on DJ Snake's YouTube account on

Vevo Vevo ( , an abbreviation for "Video Evolution", stylized as VEVO until 2013) is an American multinational video hosting service, best known for providing music videos to YouTube. The service is also available as an app on selected smart TVs, ...

. On 2 June 2016, the single " Talk" was released. DJ Snake had hinted the possibility of releasing new music via Twitter a few days before the single's release. It features vocals from George Maple's song "Talk Talk" that was released in December 2014. The track infuses tropical house sounds and was released by Interscope Records and made available for purchase on iTunes on 10 June 2016. The music video for the song was released on DJ Snake's YouTube account on 11 July 2016. In July 2016, he announced the release of his debut studio album, titled ''

Encore An encore is an additional performance given by performers after the planned show has ended, usually in response to extended applause from the audience.Lalange Cochrane, in ''Oxford Companion to Music'', Alison Latham, ed., Oxford University Pre ...

'', released on 5 August 2016. "Middle" and "Talk" serve as singles from the album. On 5 August 2016, with the release of ''Encore'', DJ Snake released the album's third single, " Let Me Love You", featuring the vocals of Canadian singer

Justin Bieber Justin Drew Bieber ( ; born March 1, 1994) is a Canadian singer. Bieber is recognized for his genre-melding musicianship and has played an influential role in modern-day popular music. He was discovered by American record executive Scooter ...

. On 2 January 2017, DJ Snake started promoting the album's fourth single "The Half", featuring

Jeremih Jeremy Phillip Felton (born July 17, 1987), known professionally as Jeremih ( ), is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. In 2009, he signed a record deal with Def Jam Recordings. Jeremih's commercial debut single, "Birthday Sex", ...

Young Thug Jeffery Lamar Williams (born August 16, 1991), known professionally as Young Thug, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He is considered to be an influential figure of his generation, with his music impacting the modern sound of hip ...

and

Swizz Beatz Kasseem Daoud Dean (born September 13, 1978), known professionally as Swizz Beatz, is an American record producer, rapper, disc jockey (DJ) and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, Dean embarked on his musical career as a DJ. At the ag ...

. In fall 2017, DJ Snake performed at the Arc de Triomphe to promote

' bid for the

2024 Summer Olympics ) , nations = TBA , athletes = 10,500 ''(quota limit)'' , events = 329 in 32 sports (48 disciplines) , opening = 26 July 2024 , closing = 11 August 2024 , opened_by = , stadium = Stade de France Jardins du Trocadéro and River Seine , summe ...

''Carte Blanche'' (2018–present)

On 23 February 2018, his single " Magenta Riddim" was released. In late August 2018, DJ Snake announced via his social media platforms that he would be releasing a new song later that year. The following month, he confirmed the song would be called " Taki Taki" and it would feature

Selena Gomez Selena Marie Gomez ( ; born July 22, 1992) is an American singer, actress and producer. Gomez began her acting career on the children's television series ''Barney & Friends'' (2002–2004). As a teenager, she rose to prominence for starring a ...

, Cardi B and

Ozuna Juan Carlos Ozuna Rosado (; born March 13, 1992), known simply by his surname Ozuna, is a Puerto Rican singer. Five of his studio albums have topped the ''Billboard'' Top Latin Albums chart, with ''Aura'' (2018) charting at number seven on ...

. The track was released on 28 September 2018. On 16 July 2019, DJ Snake revealed his second album, ''

Carte Blanche A blank cheque in the literal sense is a cheque that has no monetary value written in, but is already signed. In the figurative sense, it is used to describe a situation in which an agreement has been made that is open-ended or vague, and therefo ...

'' would be released on 26 July 2019. It includes his singles "Magenta Riddim", "Taki Taki", "

Enzo Enzo is an Italian given name derivative of the German name Heinz. It can be used also as the short form for Lorenzo, Vincenzo, Innocenzo, or Fiorenzo. It is most common in the Romance-speaking world, particularly in Italy and Latin Americ ...

" (with Sheck Wes featuring Offset,

21 Savage Shéyaa Bin Abraham-Joseph (born October 22, 1992), known professionally as 21 Savage, is a rapper based in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Born in London, he moved to Atlanta with his mother at age seven. He became known after releasing two m ...

and

Gucci Mane Radric Delantic Davis (born February 12, 1980), known professionally as Gucci Mane, is an American rapper and record executive. He helped pioneer the hip hop subgenre of trap music alongside fellow Atlanta-based rappers T.I. and Young Jeezy, ...

), and "

Loco Contigo "Loco Contigo" (; English: "Crazy for You") is a song by French DJ and record producer DJ Snake, Colombian singer J Balvin and American rapper Tyga. It was released on 14 June 2019 by DJ Snake Music Productions and Geffen Records as the sixth singl ...

" (with

J Balvin José Álvaro Osorio Balvín (born 7 May 1985), known professionally as J Balvin, is a Colombian singer and songwriter. He has been referred to as the " Prince of Reggaeton" (from Spanish: "Príncipe del Reggaetón"), and is one of the best-sell ...

featuring

Tyga Michael Ray Nguyen-StevensonMicheal Ray Stevenson ...

), on 10 October 2019 Snake released his new single " Fuego" (Featuring Sean Paul,

Anitta Anitta may refer to: * Anitta (king), Hittite king *Anitta (singer) Larissa de Macedo Machado (born March 30, 1993), known professionally as Anitta, is a Brazilian singer, songwriter and television host. She is regarded as one of biggest Brazi ...

Tainy Marcos Efraín Masís Fernández (born August 9, 1989), known professionally as Tainy, is a Puerto Rican record producer and songwriter. Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, he entered the world of reggaeton with his work on '' Mas Flow 2 ...

Other ventures

Pardon My French

DJ Snake is currently part of the Pardon My French team, a collective of four French DJs composed of

, Mercer, Malaa and himself. Throughout the year 2016 and into early 2017, DJ Snake was part of the Pardon My French Tour with Tchami and Mercer. For his special venue at the Accor Hotel Arena (Paris), in 2018 DJ Snake had an exclusive collaboration between his own trademark Pardon My French and the denim brand Levi's. It was composed by the emblematic Levi's trucker jacket sprayed with the DJ's brand. The very limited edition was available as a world exclusive at the Champs-Elysées Levis flagship the day of the venue (24 February 2018) and encountered a huge success.

Premiere Classe Records

In March 2018, he established his own record label named Premiere Classe. List of Premiere Classe released tracks: * 4B & Teez – "Whistle" * Aazar & Bellecour – "Da Vinci" * Chace – "Never" * Masayoshi Iimori – "Flow" * SAYMYNAME – "Burn" *

Gammer Matthew Lee (born 1985 in Northampton), known professionally by his stage name Gammer, is an English music producer and DJ. He is best known for his association with UK hardcore, of which he is described as an icon. He is also the co-founder of ...

featuring Sam King – "Out with the Old" * Mercer – "Boss" * Plastic Toy & DJ Snake – "Try Me" * Malaa featuring Jacknife – "Revolt" * SQWAD – "Big Ting Vibe" * Plastic Toy – "Escape"

Personal life

DJ Snake is a fan of French football club

Paris Saint Germain Paris Saint-Germain Football Club (), commonly referred to as Paris Saint-Germain, Paris, Paris SG or simply PSG is a professional football club based in Paris, France. They compete in Ligue 1, the top division of French football. As ...

Discography

Albums

* ''

'' (2016) * ''

'' (2019)

Awards and nominations

Grammy Awards

!Ref , - ,

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...

, '' Born This Way'' (as producer) , Album of the Year , , , - , 2015 , " Turn Down for What" (with

) , Best Music Video , ,

''Billboard'' Music Awards

!Ref , - , 2015 , " Turn Down for What" (with

) , rowspan="3", Top Dance/Electronic Song , , , - , rowspan="3",

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...

, " You Know You Like It" (with

) , , rowspan=3, , - , " Lean On" (with Major Lazer featuring MØ) , , - , DJ Snake , Top Dance/Electronic Artist , , - , rowspan=2, 2017 , DJ Snake , Top Dance/Electronic Artist , , rowspan=2, , - , "Let Me Love You" (featuring

) , Top Dance/Electronic Song ,

Denmark ''GAFFA'' Awards

Delivered since 1991, the ''GAFFA'' Awards are a Danish award that rewards popular music by the magazine of the same name. ! , - , 2015 , Lean On , Best Foreign Song , , style="text-align:center;" , , -

iHeartRadio Music Awards The iHeartRadio Music Awards is a music awards show that celebrates music heard throughout the year across iHeartMedia radio stations nationwide and on iHeartRadio, iHeartMedia's digital music platform. Founded by iHeartRadio in 2014, the ev ...

!Ref , - , rowspan=2, 2017 , DJ Snake , Dance Artist of the Year , , rowspan=2, , - , "Let Me Love You" (featuring

) , Dance Song of the Year ,

Joox Thailand Music Awards Joox (stylised as JOOX) is a music streaming service owned by Tencent, launched in January 2015. Joox is the biggest music streaming app in Asian markets such as Hong Kong, Macau, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand and also the South African ...

!Ref , - , 2022 , " SG" (with

, Megan Thee Stallion and

Lisa Lisa or LISA may refer to: People People with the mononym * Lisa Lisa (born 1967), American actress and lead singer of the Cult Jam * Lisa (Japanese musician, born 1974), stylized "LISA", Japanese singer and producer * Lisa Komine (born 1978), J ...

) , International Song of the Year , ,

Kids' Choice Awards

!Ref , - , 2017 , DJ Snake , Favorite DJ/EDM Artist , ,

MTV Video Music Awards

!Ref , - , rowspan="4",

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

, rowspan="4", " Turn Down for What" (with

) , MTV Clubland Award , , rowspan="4", , - , Best Direction , , - , Best Visual Effects , , - , Best Art Direction , , -

NRJ Music Award An NRJ Music Award (commonly abbreviated as an NMA) is an award presented by the French radio station NRJ to honor the best in the French and worldwide music industry. The awards ceremony, created in 2000 by NRJ in partnership with the televisio ...
s

!Ref , - , 2018 , DJ Snake , Best French DJ , ,

Teen Choice Awards The Teen Choice Awards is an annual awards show that airs on the Fox television network. The awards honor the year's biggest achievements in music, film, sports, television, fashion, social media, and more, voted by viewers living in the United ...

!Ref , - , rowspan="1" , 2014 , rowspan="1" , " Turn Down for What" (with

) , Choice Music: R&B/Hip-Hop Song , ,

Electronic Music Awards The Electronic Music Awards is a music award show focused on electronic music genres that debuted on September 21, 2017 in Los Angeles. It was created by Paul Oakenfold and entertainment company Hunt & Crest and produced by Live L!ve Media. The sh ...

! Ref , - , 2017 , " Let Me Love You" , Single of the Year , , , -

''
DJ Magazine ''DJ Magazine'' (also known as ''DJ Mag'') is a British monthly magazine dedicated to electronic dance music and DJs. Founded in 1991, the magazine is adapted for distribution in the United Kingdom, the United States, Spain, France, Italy, Lat ...
'' Top 100 DJs

References

External links

*
Djsnake
- Instagram
DJSnake
-

Spotify Spotify (; ) is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 456 million monthly active us ...

DJSnake
-

twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...