Yelle

French band

Yelle

Yelle performing in 2011

Background information
Origin| France
Genres| Electropop
Years active| 2005–present
Labels|

* Source Etc
* Recreation Center
* Barclay
* Caroline
* Kemosabe
* Because

Members|

* Yelle
* GrandMarnier
* Franck Richard (touring member)[1][2]

Past members|

* Tepr[3]

Website| yelle.fr

Yelle is a French band founded by lead singer and namesake Yelle (Julie Budet) and GrandMarnier (Jean-François Perrier). A third member, Tepr (Tanguy Destable), joined the band before the recording of their debut album. Yelle and GrandMarnier began working on music together in 2000. The band came to prominence when it posted an early version of the song "Je veux te voir" on MySpace in September 2005, which later reached the top five in France. The success of the song on MySpace attracted the attention of a record label, which set them to work on their debut album, Pop Up, which was released in 2007. The group's second album, Safari Disco Club, was released in 2011, their third, Complètement fou, in 2014, and their fourth, L'Ère du Verseau in 2020.

They have enjoyed a significant following overseas in non-French-speaking countries as well. They toured internationally in support of each of their album releases and have played at Coachella three times.

## History

[edit]

Yelle performing live in 2011

Budet met and became good friends with producer GrandMarnier in 2000, and in 2005, they began making music together when both wanted to start an electropop band.[4][5][6][7][8] The name of the band, Yelle, began as an acronym of the phrase "You Enjoy Life", "YEL", but was later feminised to "Yelle" because a Belgian band had the name already.[4][6] Yelle rose to fame on MySpace when they posted a song titled "Short Dick Cuizi", which later became "Je veux te voir", in late 2005.[7][8][9] The song's original title refers to Cuizinier of French alternative hip-hop band TTC and was released as a mock diss track. It received a positive response and soon attracted the attention of record label Source Etc.[5][8] The song later charted at No. 4 in France. Yelle then began working on and recording their debut album, Pop Up, in 2006. While performing at night,[7] producer Tepr had been roped into the band in 2007 after meeting GrandMarnier while working as a journalist.[4] They were in need of a keyboard player on tour.[10]

Pop Up was released in September 2007. AllMusic called it "a perfect storm of glossy production values, smart songwriting, and Budet's sparkling delivery."[11] The album produced another single, "A cause des garçons", which reached number eleven on the French Singles Chart. Yelle was featured on Fatal Bazooka's French number-one song "Parle à ma main" in 2007.[12] The band has enjoyed success outside France despite making songs exclusively in French and have toured extensively overseas in non-French-speaking countries.[4][5][7][8][9] In the US, they were featured as MTV's Artist of the Week at the end of March 2008.[13] After touring for three years, Yelle took three months off - until September 2009, when they began working on their next album.[14][15] By February 2010, they had started their own record label, Recreation Center, overseen by GrandMarnier.[15][16]

Yelle's second album, Safari Disco Club, was released in March 2011. Budet explained that unlike their debut, there was no deadline for the album because they were on their own label, thus allowing them to focus more on the harmonies and melodies and Budet's singing voice.[17][18] They were also able to focus on writing and recording the album for a year as opposed to having to perform at night like for Pop Up. The album received generally favourable reviews, with the Independent declaring that the album was "essential for anyone who appreciates dancefloor-friendly European synth pop."[19] The title track was released for free on their website in January 2011 and was released as a double single with "Que veux-tu". Katy Perry asked them to open for her on her 2011 California Dreams Tour in the UK.[17] They embarked on their own tour afterwards, returning to the US in the fall.[20] On 11 February 2013, the band released the single "L'amour parfait".[21]

In July 2014, it was announced that Yelle's third studio album, Complètement fou, was planned for release in late September 2014. The album was co-produced by Dr. Luke and his team of producers (Kojak, AC, Billboard Mat, Oliver, Cirkut, Jmike, Madmax), who discovered Yelle through their remix of Katy Perry's "Hot n Cold" and a live show in Los Angeles. Dr. Luke eventually signed Yelle to his vanity label, Kemosabe Records.[22] The album was preceded by the single "Bouquet final", for which a lyric video premiered on 30 June 2014.[23] Complètement fou was released on 29 September 2014 through Kemosabe and followed by an extensive international tour that saw the band play at Coachella for the third time in their career as well as all over Europe, the Americas, and China.[24] The band released a song titled "OMG!!!" on 21 August 2018[25] and a song titled "Je t'aime encore" on 28 April 2020.

## Artistry

[edit]

For their first two albums, GrandMarnier and Tepr produced the music, while Budet co-wrote the lyrics[26] with GrandMarnier.[27] While working on their second album and meeting with American labels, they were repeatedly queried about singing in English in the future. However, Yelle maintain that they would not be able to express themselves in a language that they were not familiar with.[18] Singing French songs to many non-francophone audiences all over the world led Yelle to launch her own Yelle Translator companion app (developed by Pomp & Clout) in 2014. The app works to decode lyric videos from the album Complètement fou by letting the user choose whether they'd like to view the original French lyrics or the English translation by holding their phone up to the music video screen and selecting a language. The user is also able to toggle between the languages in real time. Their debut album Pop Up, is of the electropop genre with 1980s influences.[18] Their lyrics are playful and sarcastic. The debut single "Je veux te voir" was a humorous reply to the misogynist lyrics of some French rappers, especially Cuizinier of TTC.[28] For Safari Disco Club, they retained the sound of Pop Up while incorporating more rhythmic drums into the production, such as Caribbean influences and new wave influences in the synthesizers.[18] Budet described it as a marriage between "hotter rhythms and cooler synthesizer", highlighting the sense of humor and melancholy coexisting in the lyrics as well.[18][28] The melancholy was attributed to Yelle having toured for three years for their first album and having that experience abruptly end to begin work on their next album.[14]

For their third album, Completement fou, the band collaborated with American music producer, Dr. Luke. Luke and his team of producers brought a new focus on melody rather than the beats-driven approach that Yelle previously had to songwriting.[22]

Budet's colorful stage outfits are influenced by designers such as Jeremy Scott, Andrea Crews, Jean-Paul Lespagnard and Jean-Charles de Castelbajac.[29]

## Discography

[edit]

### Studio albums

[edit]

List of studio albums, with selected chart positions, sales figures and certifications  Title  | Album details  | Peak chart positions  | Certifications

|
|
|

FRA
[12] | BEL
(WA)
[30] | SPA
[31] | US
Dance
[32]
Pop Up |

* Released: 3 September 2007
* Label: Source Etc.
* Formats: CD, LP, digital download

| 61 | — | — | 8  |

* SNEP: Silver

Safari Disco Club |

* Released: 14 March 2011
* Label: Recreation Center, Cooperative Music/PIAS, Barclay/Universal
* Formats: CD, LP, digital download

| 77 | 76 | 92 | 9  |
Complètement fou |

* Released: 29 September 2014
* Label: Kemosabe, Because Music
* Formats: CD, LP, digital download

| 52 | 157 | — | 9  |
L'Ère du Verseau |

* Released: 4 September 2020
* Label: Recreation Center
* Formats: CD, LP, digital download

| 74
[33] | 138 | — | —  |
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

### Extended plays

[edit]

Title  | Album details

|

iTunes Festival: London 2008 |

* Released: 18 July 2008[34]
* Label: Source etc.
* Format: Digital download

The Contest Pack |

* Released: 20 February 2012[35]
* Label: Recreation Center
* Format: Digital download

Complètement fou (Remix) |

* Released: 24 July 2015[36]
* Label: Kemosabe Records, Because Music
* Format: Digital download

### Singles

[edit]

#### As lead artist

[edit]

List of singles as lead artist, with selected chart positions, showing year released and album name  Title  | Year  | Peak chart positions  | Album

|
|
|

FRA
[12] | BEL
(FL)
[37] | BEL
(WA)
[30] | SWI
[38]
"Je veux te voir"  | 2006  | 4 | — | —[A] | —  | Pop Up
"A cause des garçons"  | 2007  | 11 | —[B] | 40 | 95
"Ce jeu"[39] | 2008  | — | — | — | —
"La musique"[40] | 2010  | — | — | — | —  | Safari Disco Club
"Safari Disco Club"[41] | 2011  | — | — | — | —
"Que veux-tu"[42] | — | — | —[C] | —
"Comme un enfant"[43] | — | — | — | —
"L'amour parfait"[21] | 2013  | — | — | — | —  | —
"Bouquet final"[44] | 2014  | — | — | — | —  | Complètement fou
"Complètement fou"[45] | 113 | — | — | —
"Ba$$in"[46] | 2015  | — | — | — | —
"Un million"[47] | 2016  | —  | —  | —  | —  | L'Ère du Verseau
"Ici & Maintenant"[48] | —  | —  | —  | —  | Bops EP
"Interpassion"[49] | 2017  | —  | —  | —  | —
"Romeo"[50] | —  | —  | —  | —
"OMG!!!"[51] | 2018  | —  | —  | —  | —
"Je t'aime encore"[52] | 2020  | —  | —  | —  | —  | L'Ère du Verseau
"Noir"[53] | 2021  | —  | —  | —  | —
"Top Fan"  | 2023  | —  | —  | —  | —  | TBA
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

#### As featured artist

[edit]

List of singles as featured artist, with selected chart positions, showing year released and album name  Title  | Year  | Peak chart positions  | Album

|
|
|

FRA
[12] | BEL
(FL)
[37] | BEL
(WA)
[30] | SWI
[38]
"Parle à ma main"
(Fatal Bazooka featuring Yelle) | 2007  | 1 | — | 1 | 31  | T'as vu
"Cooler couleur"
(Crookers featuring Yelle) | 2010  | — | 32 | — | —  | Tons of Friends

### Music videos

[edit]

List of music videos, showing year released and directors  Title  | Year  | Director(s)

|
|

"À cause des garçons"  | 2007  | Nima Nourizadeh[54]
"À cause des garçons" (Tepr Remix)  | Bastien Lattanzio and Guillaume Berg[55]
"Je veux te voir"  | 2008  | Nicolas Benamou[56]
"Ce jeu"  | Yoann Lemoine[5]
"La musique"  | 2010  | We Are from L.A[57]
"Safari Disco Club"/"Que veux-tu"  | 2011  | Jérémie Saindon[58][59]
"Comme un enfant"
"Complètement fou"  | 2014  | Milord and L'Étiquette[60]
"Ba$$in"  | 2015  | Diane Martel and Geoffrey Lillemon[61]
"Moteur Action"  | Aleksandra Kingo and Dmitry Yermolayev
"Ici & Maintenant (Here & Now)"  | 2016  | Paul B. Cummings & Jean-François Perrier
"Interpassion"  | 2017  | Thibault Maîtrejean & Jean-François Perrier

### Guest appearances

[edit]

List of non-single guest appearances, with other performing artists, showing year released and album name  Title  | Year  | Other artist  | Album

|
|
|

"Hot n Cold" (Yelle Remix)[62] | 2008  | Katy Perry | —
"Who's That Girl? (Qui est cette fille?)"[63] | 2009  | Robyn | iTunes Foreign Exchange #2
"Ophélie"[64] | 2010  | Nouvelle Vague | Couleurs sur Paris
"Emmène-moi au Futur"[65] | 2011  | Tomoya Ohtani | Girls Make the World Go 'Round:
Sega Vocal Traxx
"Heterotopia"[66] | 2017  | Oliver | Full Circle
"Diane"  | 2019  | Dad | Music
"Box of Stars Pt. 1"  | 2024  | Jacob Collier | Djesse Vol. 4

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ "Je veux te voir" did not enter the Ultratop 50, but peaked at number 10 on the Walloon Ultratip chart.[37]
2. ^ "À cause des garçons" did not enter the Ultratop 50, but peaked at number two on the Flemish Ultratip chart.[37]
3. ^ "Que veux-tu" did not enter the Ultratop 50, but peaked at number 14 on the Walloon Ultratip chart.[37]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Yelle @ U Street Music Hall – 9/26/2017 — ChunkyGlasses". Chunkyglasses.com. 26 September 2017. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
2. ^ YELLE. "YELLE on Twitter: "The Yelle boys"". Twitter.com. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
3. ^ Jiménez, Miguel Angel (5 November 2014). "Try My Banana Split". Flaunt. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
4. ^ a b c d "Yelle: interview with a French pop artiste". Virgin. 2 March 2009. Retrieved 2 December 2009.
5. ^ a b c d Szeto, Greg (10 October 2008). "Interview: Yelle". Aural States. Retrieved 3 December 2009.
6. ^ a b "The rebel Yelle". Metro International. 14 October 2008. Retrieved 4 December 2009. [dead link]
7. ^ a b c d Gilchrist, Todd (15 May 2008). "Yelle Interview". IGN. Archived from the original on 13 February 2012. Retrieved 3 December 2009.
8. ^ a b c d "YELLE: LOVE AND FRENCH CHANSONS". Laptop Rockers. 6 November 2008.
9. ^ a b Ship, Jesse (17 August 2008). "Yelle". FORMATMAG.COM. Retrieved 2 December 2009.
10. ^ "Interview with Tepr of YELLE". Flash Flood Media. 21 February 2011. Retrieved 17 February 2012.
11. ^ Reges, Margaret (31 August 2007). "Pop-Up – Yelle". AllMusic. Retrieved 17 February 2012.
12. ^ a b c d "Discographie Yelle" (in French). lescharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 December 2009.
13. ^ Anitai, Tamar (24 March 2008). "Artist of the Week: Yelle". MTV Buzzworthy. Archived from the original on 25 March 2008. Retrieved 3 December 2009.
14. ^ a b Apollo, Chris (22 April 2011). "Is French electro-pop group Yelle moving to Austin? [INTERVIEW + Safari Disco Club ALBUM REVIEW] | Life Music and Culture Blog in Austin Texas – Republic of Austin". Retrieved 17 February 2012.
15. ^ a b "INTERVIEW: YELLE | Rocket Magazine – contemporary culture magazine". Rocket Magazine. 28 March 2011. Retrieved 17 February 2012.
16. ^ "RECREATION CENTER – RECREATION CENTER?". Recreation Center. 27 February 2010. Archived from the original on 8 April 2014. Retrieved 28 September 2014. "The RECREATION CENTER is YELLE's own microlabel."
17. ^ a b melissa (1 July 2011). "Yelle Interview". T-Squat.Com. Retrieved 17 February 2012.
18. ^ a b c d e "OĂ LES ANIMAUX DANSENT: An Interview with Yelle". GUTFIRE! Magazine. 2 May 2011. Retrieved 17 February 2012.
19. ^ Simon Price (17 April 2011). "Album: Yelle, Safari Disco Club (Barclay) – Reviews – Music". The Independent. UK. Archived from the original on 7 May 2022. Retrieved 17 February 2012.
20. ^ "Yelle Announces 'Safari Disco Club Remixes' for 11/2 Release; | Altsounds.com News". Hangout.altsounds.com. Retrieved 17 February 2012.
21. ^ a b "L'amour parfait (Remixes) – EP by Yelle". iTunes Store (FR). Apple. Retrieved 6 February 2013.
22. ^ a b Payne, Chris (9 July 2014). "Yelle Announces New Dr. Luke-Produced LP 'Completement Fou,' Shares New Song & Tour Dates". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
23. ^ Hudson, Alex (30 June 2014). "Yelle – "Bouquet Final" (lyric video)". Exclaim!. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
24. ^ "Complètement fou – Yelle – CD album" (in French). Fnac. Retrieved 14 October 2014.
25. ^ Yelle (13 August 2018). "New song called "OMG!!!" will be out August 21st and it will come with a music video". Archived from the original on 24 December 2021. Retrieved 14 August 2018 - via Instagram.
26. ^ Klein, Josh (16 October 2008). "Yelle". Time Out Chicago. Retrieved 3 December 2009.
27. ^ Patrick (16 May 2011). "Bright & Shiny Music: Exclusive B&S Interview with Yelle". Brightshinymusic.com. Archived from the original on 26 March 2012. Retrieved 17 February 2012.
28. ^ a b "Interview: Yelle". Spectrum Culture. 1 June 2011. Retrieved 17 February 2012.
29. ^ "Yelle, An Interview with a French Pop Artiste". Speakerboxxx. 1 March 2009. Retrieved 17 February 2012.
30. ^ a b c "Discographie Yelle" (in French). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 13 February 2014.
31. ^ "Album Top 100 – 08/05/2011". spanishcharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 13 February 2014.
32. ^ "Yelle – Chart history: Dance/Electronic Albums". Billboard. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
33. ^ "Top Albums (Week 37, 2020)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
34. ^ "iTunes Festival: London 2008 – EP by Yelle". iTunes Store (FR). Apple. Retrieved 13 February 2014.
35. ^ "The Contest Pack by Yelle".
36. ^ "iTunes Festival: Complètement fou (Remix) [EP] by Yelle". iTunes Store. Apple. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
37. ^ a b c d e "Discografie Yelle" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 13 February 2014.
38. ^ a b "Yelle" (select "Charts" tab). lescharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 13 February 2014.
39. ^ "Ce jeu – EP by Yelle". iTunes Store (FR). Apple. Retrieved 10 April 2015.
40. ^ "La Musique – EP by Yelle". iTunes Store (FR). Apple. Retrieved 10 April 2015.
41. ^ "Safari Disco Club – Single by Yelle". iTunes Store (FR). Apple. Retrieved 10 April 2015.
42. ^ "Que Veux-Tu (Radio Edit) – Single by Yelle". iTunes Store (FR). Apple. Retrieved 10 April 2015.
43. ^ "Comme Un Enfant – Single by Yelle". iTunes Store (FR). Apple. Retrieved 10 April 2015.
44. ^ "Bouquet final – Single by Yelle". iTunes Store (GB). Apple. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
45. ^ "Complètement fou (2014) | Yelle". 7digital (UK). Archived from the original on 15 April 2015. Retrieved 10 April 2015.
46. ^ "Ba$$in (ThE KoOoL kOjAk A.D.D Ba$$iN MeGaMiX) – Single by Yelle". iTunes Store (GB). Apple. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
47. ^ "Un million, by YELLE". YELLE. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
48. ^ "Ici & Maintenant (Here & Now) – Single by Yelle on Apple Music". iTunes. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
49. ^ "Interpassion – Single by Yelle on Apple Music". iTunes. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
50. ^ "Romeo" from Romeo – Single by Yelle on iTunes, 22 September 2017, retrieved 29 September 2017
51. ^ OMG!!! by Yelle on Apple Music, 30 August 2018, retrieved 30 August 2018
52. ^ "Je t'aime encore – Single". iTunes. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
53. ^ "Noir (Radio Edit & Remixes) – Single". iTunes. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
54. ^ "Music Videos – Nima Nourizadeh". Partizan. Archived from the original on 20 October 2007. Retrieved 31 August 2010.
55. ^ Lindsay, Cam (2 October 2007). "Yelle "Je Veux Te Voir"". Exclaim!. Retrieved 10 April 2015.
56. ^ "Yelle | Je Veux Te Voir | Music Video". MTV. Viacom. Archived from the original on 27 December 2008. Retrieved 4 January 2010.
57. ^ Pini, Gary (14 October 2010). "Yelle's "La Musique" Is Our Music Video of the Day". Paper. Retrieved 10 April 2015.
58. ^ "Yelle – Safari Disco Club / Que veux-tu (exclusive full length edit)". 1 March 2011. Retrieved 10 April 2015 - via Vimeo.
59. ^ "'Comme Un Enfant' – Video". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. 30 November 2011. Retrieved 13 February 2014.
60. ^ Gottlieb, Steven (26 September 2014). "Yelle "Complètement Fou" (Milord and L'Etiquette, dir.)". VideoStatic. Retrieved 10 April 2015.
61. ^ Velez, Cat (22 May 2015). "Yelle 'Ba$$in' by Diane Martel & Geoffrey Lillemon". Promo News. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
62. ^ "Hot N Cold (Remixes) – EP by Katy Perry". iTunes Store (US). Apple. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
63. ^ "iTunes Foreign Exchange #2 – Single by Yelle". iTunes Store (FR). Apple. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
64. ^ "Couleurs Sur Paris – Nouvelle Vague". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
65. ^ "Girls Make The World Go 'Round – SEGA Vocal Traxx -" (in Japanese). Wave Master. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
66. ^ "Heterotopia ft. Yelle – Oliver" (in French). Interscope Records (Pulse Recordings). Retrieved 7 September 2017.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Yelle.

* Official website
* Yelle at AllMusic
* Yelle discography at Discogs
* Yelle discography at MusicBrainz

* v
* t
* e

Yelle

Studio albums|

* Pop Up
* Safari Disco Club
* Complètement fou
* L'Ère du Verseau

Extended plays|

* Complètement fou (Remix)

Singles|

* "Je veux te voir"
* "A cause des garçons"

Other songs|

* "Parle à ma main"
* "Qui est cette fille?"

Authority control databases

International|

* ISNI
* VIAF

National|

* France
* BnF data

Artists|

* MusicBrainz

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template