Yelle: Sassy French Electro Pop

By Admin, Published on November 13th, 2011, Updated on July 25th, 2020

Yelle has captured fans around the world with a winning formula of danceable music, sassy French lyrics (for the “exotic” factor), and a swagger reminiscent of M.I.A.

Both the name of the band and the stage name of its lead singer (née Julie Budet), Yelle is rounded out by drummer GrandMarnier and keyboardist Tepr. The trio got its start under the name YEL, when it posted a brutal diss song about a misogynistic French rapper on MySpace.

The NSFW song was renamed and became the hit song now known as “Je veux te voir.”

Debut Album

Pop Up

Surprisingly, the sound of a high-pitched girl ‘talking slick’ over Electro Pop struck a chord in France — a country that usually likes its Pop tamer and more mature, and prefers its Electronic music mostly free of lyrics, or in English. (See Daft Punk, Air, Justice, etc.) Nonetheless, the group’s 2007 debut album, Pop Up was a smash, with “Je veux te voir” reaching the top 5 and “À Cause Des Garçons” reaching #11 on the charts.

SNL

In 2011, the song “A Cause des Garcons” (because of boys) was featured in the popular Les Jeunes de Paris French dance skit on Saturday Night Live. Taran Killam (Francois) and Juliet (Emma Stone) break up and make up during a sketch that portrays a flurry of French stereotypes: Juliet’s hairy armpits, the children’s movie ‘The Red Balloon’, a baguette used as a weapon, the Tour de France, and cameos by Napoleon and Quasimodo from ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame’. My guess is someone in the writer’s room said, “Yell out French stuff,” and they found a way to wedge it all into one skit.

My favorite track of all from Pop Up is the super catchy song, “Ce Jeu.”

Sophomore Album

After their initial success at home, Yelle set their sights on the U.S. Having intially been discovered online, they continued to use the internet to create buzz through online marketing and DJ remix contests.

Safari Disco Club

When their single La Musique (and its numerous remixes) arrived in Fall 2010, it was picked up widely by American music bloggers.

When they released their sophomore album Safari Disco Club in 2011, the U.S. was already in the midst of a full-on Synth Pop revival, and Yelle’s music was right on trend. They promoted the album with a successful U.S. tour that fall — which is a feat in itself for a French artist.

The jungle-themed title track and the song “Que veux-tu” were released as a double single. Check out the combination video for both:

I personally liked the single “Comme un Enfant,” with all its video weirdness: