DJ Snake

A Grammy-nominated producer, France’s DJ Snake is at the forefront of the electronic trap music movement, having taken the genre to the charts with his 2013 single “Turn Down for What” featuring Lil Jon. He scored an additional mainstream hit with 2015′s “Lean On,” a multi-platinum, global chart-topper that featured Major Lazer and vocalist MØ, before topping that song’s success with 2016′s Justin Bieber collaboration “Let Me Love You,” off Snake’s Top Ten Billboard 200-charting debut, Encore. He has remained a chart regular, landing at number one on Billboard’s Dance/Electronic Albums list with 2019′s Carte Blanche. The record also spawned the dance hits “Taki Taki” with Selena Gomez, Cardi B, and Ozuna, and “Fuego” with Sean Paul, Anitta, and Tainy. In 2021, he again joined Gomez for her song “Selfish Love” before reuniting with Ozuna (as well as Megan Thee Stallion and BlackPink’s Lisa) for the Top Ten dance single “SG.”
Born William Grigahcine, Snake’s production work on Lady Gaga’s 2011 effort Born This Way earned him a Grammy nod when it was nominated for Album of the Year in 2012. He signed with Diplo’s imprint Mad Decent that year and released the single “Bird Machine” on the label in 2013. The singles “Slow Down” and “Together” also arrived in 2013, along with more work for Gaga on her ARTPOP album. Snake’s big break as a solo artist came late in the year when “Turn Down for What,” featuring Lil Jon, arrived and became the most popular crossover trap hit since Baauer’s “Harlem Shake.” In 2014, he collaborated with Dillon Francis on the single “Get Low,” while 2015 saw him join MØ and Major Lazer on the worldwide hit “Lean On.”
In 2016, DJ Snake delivered his debut album, Encore, which appeared at number eight on the Billboard 200 chart. Included on the record were the singles “Middle” featuring guest vocalist Bipolar Sunshine and “Let Me Love You” with Justin Bieber. The latter track topped the charts and was certified multi-platinum across the globe. More singles followed, including 2017′s “A Different Way” featuring vocalist Lauv.
The following year, Snake landed hits first with his solo track “Magenta Riddim,” followed by “Taki Taki,” a collaboration with Selena Gomez, Cardi B, and Ozuna that charted across the globe, including a number two placement in France. “Try Me” with Plastic Toy and “SouthSide” with Eptic followed in early 2019. All of these singles were included on Snake’s sophomore full-length, Carte Blanche, which arrived in July 2019 and hit number four on the Billboard Top Dance/Electronic Albums chart. Also featured on the album were appearances by J Balvin, Anitta, Majid Jordan, Bryson Tiller, Zomboy, and others. A stand-alone track, “Trust Nobody,” appeared in June 2020. The following year, he collaborated with Selena Gomez on her song “Selfish Love,” and with Rick Ross and Rich Brian on “Run It.” Another single, “SG” with Ozuna, Megan Thee Stallion, and BlackPink’s Lisa, appeared in 2021 and hit the Top Ten of Billboard’s Dance chart. ~ David Jeffries