Tag: Amplified

Petit Biscuit Doesn’t Care How You Pronounce His Name—He’s International

May 21, 2018

Spotify has helped cultivate the growth and subsequent cultural explosion of many artists across varied musical genres. In the Amplified on Spotify series, we’ll be interviewing artists who have not only made their names through the platform, but are shaping it as well.

Few artists can say they’ve achieved their dreams by age 18. But French DJ Mehdi Benjelloun—known as Petit Biscuit—recently checked off another musical goal, having played (rain or shine) at this year’s Coachella just a year after graduating from high school. It’s one more in a string of successes: At age 15 he released his first single, “Sunset Lover,” and at 16, he dropped his first LP, Petit Biscuit.

Petit Biscuit started taking the internet by storm in 2015 when he broke through with several standout electro house singles on Soundcloud. His music combines electronica and synth with classical themes and sounds for an ethereal, dreamlike quality. Being classically trained in piano, cello, and guitar has allowed him to adapt from various genres of music as he composes and produces his electronic hits.

With the Coachella performance under his belt, Mehdi is preparing for his upcoming North American tour. Spotify grabbed few minutes with him to learn more about what he’s doing next and where he finds inspiration.

Q: You have skills in both classical and electronic music genres. How did you get your start in classical, and how did you transition to creating electronic music?

At 5 years old, I started practicing cello. My curiosity then pushed me to learn the piano and the guitar, as an autodidact when I was 8 years old. I’ve always loved playing instruments but my wish was to create music from scratch. I knew nothing about DAW and music production; I fed my culture on the internet before trying some software, hardware and synthesizers. The goal was to try to start designing my own sound instead of beginning with a melody. In my humble opinion, that is the definition of electronic music.

Q: What inspired your early hit single, “Sunset Lover?”

“Sunset Lover” is the opposite of the electronic vision that I described, since I found the melody very quickly. I then built the song from that. It’s my most organic track, like a solar ballad. It’s about my way of contemplating every single landscape and trying to find sensitivity to it.

Q: You have more than three million monthly listeners on Spotify. How has Spotify allowed new fans to find your music, and how do you discover new music on the platform?

It’s great to see a company like Spotify working so closely with artists. I don’t have a label; it is basically only me and my guys who are also my management. And for us the playlist DNA is the future. Although each artist has a unique sound, finding the way to connect tastes and moods on playlists and recommendations is beneficial for new artists like me. And that’s my favorite thing on Spotify: to discover new artists in the making, finding something catchy but interesting.

Q: How has Spotify contributed to your success?

We are a new generation of artists; we have never been closer to our fans and listeners. Spotify has a huge community with users eager to find new music to enjoy. Those listeners are potentially new fans.

Q: What have you learned from working with Spotify?

The data tools are really useful. Internally, we have many discussions about making our marketing feel more “real” with some fan pre-sales for my shows through Spotify. Spotify also worked with us on impressive billboards in my biggest markets, Toronto, Paris, and New York.

Q: You added many more stops to your upcoming North American tour. How did you realize you had such a following in the area?

It’s still hard to realize. Cruising oceans and knowing that your music is listened to by a lot of people is a dream come true. I think the only way to realize it is to be on stage and catch the energy of all the people. Seeing such great vibes during my concerts is one of my best memories.

Q: When you announced that you were playing at Coachella, you said it was “a dream come true.” What’s the next dream you hope to accomplish?

I want to travel as far as possible to perform, but also to live new experiences. I want to discover new destinations, like Nepal or New Zealand. I would also love to travel the rest of Asia. Travelling and discovering new places is a great way to find new inspiration.

Q: Now that you have an international audience, you must be getting some funny pronunciations of your name. What’s the funniest you’ve ever heard?

People calling me “Petite” (pah-teet) is one of the funniest. It’s like someone got too lazy to pronounce both words, and still got the only one wrong. In the end, I got used to the name and now I even like it.

Q: Bonus question: How should people actually pronounce your name?

Pronunciation doesn’t matter. Petit Biscuit has to be international!

Amplified on Spotify: Nina Nesbitt

April 2, 2018

Spotify has helped cultivate the growth and subsequent cultural explosion of many artists across varied musical genres. In the “Amplified on Spotify” series, we’ll be interviewing artists who have not only made their names through the platform, but are shaping it as well.

Twenty-three-year-old singer-songwriter Nina Nesbitt has come a long way since writing and recording songs in her childhood bedroom in Edinburgh, Scotland. She experienced some early achievements by posting originally written songs to her YouTube channel and performing in pubs around Edinburgh, but Nesbitt could not have anticipated the success and wide reach of her music.

At only 17, Nesbitt performed in front of Ed Sheeran and asked him for advice—she impressed the fellow UK musician and ultimately landed a spot on his European tour, which launched her music career on the international stage. She’s since toured with artists including Justin Bieber, released her first album and plenty of singles, and is now producing her own songs for her second album, to be released in Spring 2018.

Spotify spoke with Nina to about her creative process, the importance of autonomy and why she loves Spotify—both as a musician and as a listener.

Q: Tell us about your beginnings as a musician.

I started off writing short stories and poems as a kid; I was obsessed with words. Then, I picked up piano at age 10 and put my words to music. When I turned 15 and taught myself guitar, I felt like the songs really took shape. It’s always been about the lyrics for me, and the music kind of accompanies that. I think in the past couple years I’ve taken much more of an interest in melody and chords and it has all come together more.

Q: You were discovered by Ed Sheeran. How did that come about, and how did your life change as a result?

He heard me play a song live [while he was waiting to go on a radio show] and then offered me a support slot [on his 2011 European tour]. It was great experience because I was playing to about 10 people in Edinburgh pubs before that. Playing to thousands of people was terrifying at such a young age and with such little experience, but it was the best thing for me. After the first few tours I did with Ed and [English singer-songwriter] Example, I felt like I could handle any stage. I ended up independently releasing an EP that charted in the UK. Next thing I knew I was signed [by Universal Music Group], so it was quite a turning point.

Q: How did you start producing your own music? How has that changed your creative process?

I’ve always been interested in production. At the time, I had recently left the label I was on because I didn’t like the thought of having to rely on other people to do what I love. I set up a little home [production] setup in my bedroom, and I just started experimenting. I found this massive sample database that I use a lot. It’s an easy way for someone that maybe doesn’t have the luxury of a fancy studio, or expensive equipment, to make music. Then it was just a case of trial and error until I was able to produce my songs. On my upcoming album, [to be released Spring 2018,] I produced some of the songs and had other producers produce some, but I showed them what I wanted in a strong demo. It’s really helpful to be able to create clear demos that you can take to another producer to give them an idea of what you want.

Q: How do new fans typically discover your music?

I’ve found most new fans have come from listening to playlists on Spotify and saving the songs to their libraries. Some people are happy to just listen, while others want to get to know you— which is cool and has been instrumental in promoting my new album. I love how natural the process of discovering new music is; it’s all about whether the song connects. It also gives people from all over the world the opportunity to find my music, which is exciting.

Q: How has the Spotify for Artists platform helped you better understand your fans?

I think the platform has helped me to better understand where the music industry is heading in 2018 and how to prepare for that. The industry has changed so much in the past few years and everyone has quickly had to educate themselves.

Q: How do you discover new music?

I like to put on a lot of chill Spotify playlists and just leave them running until I find something I like. I’m one of those people who likes sticking to the bands and artists I already know and enjoy (which is bad), so it gives me an opportunity to be more open minded and find new music through similar artist recommendations or playlists.

Q: What artists or songs are you obsessed with right now? 

I love “About Time” by Sabrina Claudio. It’s such a beautiful, feminine record. I’ve also been listening to the Peaceful Piano Spotify playlist a lot; it’s so relaxing when I’m cooking or getting into bed.

Q: How has Spotify contributed to your success? 

Spotify has been absolutely instrumental in growing my fan base and kicking off the new album campaign. I think it suits my music because I’m very DIY and I feel like Spotify really clicks with those types of artists. I like that it gives people the option to listen or skip, and gives listeners a real idea of what’s connecting and what’s not. I’m also quite obsessive over the Fan Insights page [now known as Spotify for Artists]—it’s really helpful to see.

Q: What have you learned from working with Spotify?

Spotify is a great indicator of which songs are connecting with the audience. It can also give you an idea of when a song’s life is coming to an end and when to release the next one, thanks to the increases and decreases on the Spotify for Artists audience chart. I was planning on releasing three singles last year but “The Best You Had” just kept escalating, so we just ran with it. Spotify’s insights allow you to be reactive, which is really necessary in 2018. Gone are the days of plans set in stone.