Some beautiful things simply happen in the moment. They come together naturally, almost as if they were always meant to belong to each other.
That is the feeling surrounding the latest track by Kid Francescoli, who teamed up with Nigerian artist DEMIGOD for the wonderful City of Gold. And honestly, this song doesn’t need many explanations. It’s a fusion of everything that feels beautiful — the beat, the warmth, the vocals, and that beautiful touch of nostalgia that reminds you once again that music is something that can reach much deeper.
“There were no options. I was going to realise my dream of being a musician, making albums and touring the world. That was the only way.” Born in Paris, raised partly in Corsica and later settling in Marseille, Kid Francescoli has spent years creating his own blend of electronic music infused with emotion and influences gathered through travels and collaborations. His upcoming album A Kind Wave reflects this openness, bringing together voices and stories from different places while remaining deeply personal.
In our conversation below, we speak about City of Gold, the collaborations behind A Kind Wave, the importance of home and Marseille, dreams that started in childhood, football, touring around the world, and why he believes complete dedication is essential when it comes to art.
And perhaps most beautifully, we talk about love — because as Mathieu himself puts it so simply: “Love, obviously.”
photography by Samantha Grenouiller
Dear Mathieu, I am currently listening to your recently released single City of Gold feat. DEMIGOD, from your upcoming album A Kind Wave, and I absolutely love this song. The energy, the vibe, and honestly everything about it really resonates with me. Am I right in thinking that it is sung in Nigerian, since DEMIGOD is from Nigeria? And what is the meaning behind the lyrics and the title of the song?
First, thanks a lot for your kind words. It’s really precious when you’ve just released a new song, and you don’t really know what the reaction is going to be, so it’s very nice when people like it.
Deborah of DEMIGOD is from Nigeria indeed. She sings in English with a Nigerian, Igbo-influenced dialect to stay rooted in her identity and culture. According to her, “The song captures a moment of vulnerability when she felt lost and realized that only God could truly guide and uplift her.”
How did this collaboration between the two of you come about?
Simply by an Instagram DM saying, “I love your sound and I would like to collaborate with you.” Then I sent her an instrumental loop to sing on, and she sent me back her recording, and that was it. The song was almost done in a week — which is rare when you work on an album, so you have to catch it when it happens.
With singer and songwriter Andréa Durand, who appears on five tracks of the album, there is a very special creative partnership. How did you meet, and what inspires you most about her, both as an artist and as a person in your collaboration?
She’s my partner on stage for the last two tours, which represents almost seven years. We’ve played so many shows and visited so many countries, and shared memories around the world, that it creates a strong connection.
Musically, the main thing is that her vocal range is so wide. She can go from very sweet harmonies to strong gospel vibes, soul, even rap material. For a composer, it’s so inspiring because it opens up new territories to explore.
Also, she is a singer, I mean a real one. She sings so well, everywhere, every time, on stage, in the studio, but also in the tour bus, in the green room, in the departure lounge. That’s so nice.
On the song Do Meu Coração, you work with Brazilian artist Samantha Alma Real — also such a beautiful track. It’s really amazing to hear all these different influences and collaborations on your album. Was this a conscious decision from the start, or did it naturally evolve during the album process?
It’s a mix of both, because when I make an album I always start with this desire to make it like a journey, with different rooms and moods. For instance, on this one I’m so happy with the gap between a dancefloor song like The Groove followed right after by this very peaceful one.
But it was not planned like that. To tell you the truth, I was thinking of an instrumental one with a flute, which Samantha plays too, but it ended up as a song.
“Travelling is such a luck because it makes you understand how beautiful home is.”
You said that the song Softskin is “about the feeling of being home when you hold hands with your lover wherever you are, about supporting and finding balance in each other.” Did you write that song about someone special?
Definitely. It’s a song about the same Samantha, who is also my girlfriend. I had the idea when we were on vacation in Cadaqués, a beautiful little Spanish town by the sea. All of the ingredients for the song were there in front of me: the summer shoes, tiny streets, a drink or two, etc. That’s my favorite kind of holiday between lovers, you know, three days by the sea. I was feeling so good that I had to turn it into a song.
What is the core theme and feeling behind A Kind Wave for you? What inspired it overall?
That kind of very intimate thing, that could be love obviously, but also feelings that run deep inside. Also in terms of sound, it’s my widest and most ambitious album. And that mix between something very intimate and something large and strong gave the inspiration for the title, A Kind Wave.
Where is your best place for new song ideas to come to you — in the studio, or for example when you are sitting somewhere by the sea?
It can hit you anywhere, while walking or watching a movie or hearing music coming out of a car. There are definitely no rules about it.
Surprisingly, it often comes when you don’t think about it too much. You could spend the whole day in the studio with nothing happening, then you go out, walk a bit, and an idea about what you did that day comes to you. But in the meantime, if you don’t go to the studio, nothing really comes, so it’s a balance to find.
You have an extensive EU headline tour planned for autumn 2026. Are you still a little nervous before performances?
I used to be nervous weeks before when I started doing shows. You know, when you play a show every two months, that’s so much pressure. Now I’m still nervous, but it only starts when we’re changing in the green room and our tour manager comes in and says, “Five minutes!”
Last year around this time, you toured in LA, Miami, San Francisco, San Diego, Mexico City, Guadalajara — and in March the year before in Australia. What impressions or feelings stay with you the most as an artist after such tours? It sometimes feels like everything is a dream while you’re in it — but what is it that stays with you once it’s over?
That’s a good description, “like everything is a dream” — I guess you must tour too. That’s why I always try to look in the mirror before going on stage, repeating to myself to realize it: “Tonight you play in San Francisco, it’s sold out, can you believe it? It’s amazing.”
I guess once everything is behind you, what stays is a feeling of relief and peace, because when you dream about it since you are 12 years old, and then it happens, you feel more peaceful, with an “I did it, that’s okay” feeling in mind.
You are based in Marseille. Are you originally from there? And as someone who travels a lot, how important are home and “home base” to you?
I was born in Paris, then spent my early childhood in Corsica, then moved to Marseille at 10 years old. From that moment on, I guess I’m from Marseille now. I have more of a Marseille accent than most of my friends here.
Travelling is such a luck because it makes you understand how beautiful home is. Marseille has a beautiful light, and also the sea and sun, and all my loved ones. To me, it’s a city that is so good to come back to. Each time I go on tour, I’m excited by the new shows and adventures, but I also know that I will feel happy and lucky to come back.
“Success is simply being able to do what you love every day.”
I love reading about how you got into music, how it was such a big dream for you since you were a kid, and despite your family not supporting this dream, you still believed in yourself. What made you so confident and made you believe in yourself so strongly, even at such a young age?
The story of the family around music was complicated, so I can understand what my mum was thinking at the time. She basically was scared for her son. But I didn’t take it as an obstacle. In fact, nothing was an obstacle.
Also, I was not feeling especially strong or confident. It was more that there was no option. I was going to realize my dream of being a musician, making albums and touring the world. That was the only way.
What did you study at university back then?
Sciences, especially maths. I loved it, and I’m a little sad today when I find myself using the calculator on my phone, when I used to take it like a game when I was young.
You’re completely self-taught, and when you were younger, you collected instruments over the years that helped shape your own sound. What was your first instrument, and what are the other ones you had or still have?
If I could think about one, it has to be the Korg MS10 synthesizer. I bought it because I saw that the 20, exactly, was mentioned on AIR’s first album Moon Safari, which was a foundation stone for me.
I have bought a lot since, like the mellotron, which is one of my favorites and shaped my sound. But the MS10 that I bought back then, this very one, is still next to me in the studio and on stage. It’s like a companion.
And where did you create your first song — at home or somewhere else?
It was in my bedroom with instruments that were not really instruments, like a box of candies with a rubber band as a string to play like a guitar, or a protractor from school that made this funny sound when you were folding it, etc. I didn’t even have a way to record it all, but I think I already had my album done in my head.
“Surprisingly, ideas often come when you don’t think about them too much.”
Initially, you wanted to become a professional football player. Your artist name is also inspired by a player from Olympique de Marseille, Enzo Francescoli. You once said in an interview that this player felt like an artist with the ball — almost like ballet. In a way, sport and artistry/music have more in common than people think, right? The discipline, the dedication, perfecting something you are passionate about, the adrenaline of performing. What else did you learn from football that later helped you as an artist?
I didn’t make it to OM as a young player — I wish I would have — but football takes a really important place in my life for sure. I’ve had so many emotions thanks to it, and I still have.
What amazes me the most is that after thousands of games watched, the excitement is still the same, like a new song can hit you out of nowhere.
But yes, the main thing in common with all of my idols and geniuses, from Maradona to Brian Wilson, is that you have to be completely dedicated to your art.
Besides that, even though maybe your family didn’t believe in you from the start, what were the biggest challenges in your career so far?
I’m living it right now. Once you’ve reached your goal of making a living out of it, releasing albums and touring the world, the biggest challenge is to work hard, so you can keep going this way. And it’s endless.
How big was the pressure for you after the huge success of your track Moon (And It Went Like) in 2017 when making your next songs? Or are you someone who doesn’t really feel that pressure and just focuses on writing the next one?
I didn’t feel the pressure because I had already written the following album at that time. But mainly, the best way to avoid the pressure is to do your best not to try to do another song like this one.
What does success mean to you?
It gives you the unbelievable luck to do what you love every day.
And finally: what is the most important thing in life to you?
Love, obviously.
Check out City of Gold
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