# Madeon
**Madeon** is the stage name of **Hugo Pierre Leclercq** (born 1994, Nantes, France), a French electronic music producer, singer, and songwriter who first went viral at age 17 with his live mashup "Pop Culture" and went on to release three studio albums: *Adventure* (2015), *Good Faith* (2019), and *[Victory](https://www.edgepedia.org/victory-madeon-album)* (2026).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Real name / origin | Hugo Pierre Leclercq, born 1994 in Nantes, France; producing dance music before his teens, releasing as Madeon from about 2010[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/madeon-mn0002857943) |
| Breakout | "Pop Culture" (2011), a mashup of 39 hit songs mixed live on a Novation Launchpad; it reached millions of views within days of being uploaded to YouTube[2](https://ra.co/dj/madeon/biography) |
| Studio albums | *Adventure* (March 30, 2015, Columbia), *Good Faith* (November 15, 2019), *Victory* (June 26, 2026, Mom+Pop)[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/madeon-mn0002857943) • [3](https://edm.com/music-releases/madeon-punctuates-victory-rollout-with-sam-gellaitry-collaboration-red-jacket/) |
| Chart and awards | *Adventure* and *Good Faith* both reached number one on Billboard's Top Dance/Electronic Albums chart; *Good Faith* was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Electronic Album[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/madeon-mn0002857943) |
| Notable collaboration | "Shelter" (2016) with Porter Robinson, which generated its own tour, ending at Coachella[4](https://edm.com/events/watch-madeon-full-surprise-la-performance/) • [5](https://themusic.com.au/features/talking-shelter-with-porter-robinson-and-madeon/rUQToaCjoqU/17-01-17) |
| Production credits | Three tracks on Lady Gaga's *Artpop* album, plus work with Coldplay, Ellie Goulding, and Muse[6](https://www.teenvogue.com/gallery/madeon-adventure-debut-album-interview) • [2](https://ra.co/dj/madeon/biography) |
| Third album | *Victory*, a ten-track album featuring Slayyyter, Erick the Architect, and Sam Gellaitry, promoted by a 31-date Victory Live Tour from September 24 to November 21, 2026[3](https://edm.com/music-releases/madeon-punctuates-victory-rollout-with-sam-gellaitry-collaboration-red-jacket/) • [7](https://www.sonymusic.co.jp/artist/madeon/info/585646) |
## "Pop Culture" and the early career
The video that made Leclercq known outside electronic-music circles shows only his hands. In "Pop Culture", uploaded to YouTube in 2011, the then-17-year-old triggers samples of 39 different pop songs, from [Daft Punk](https://www.edgepedia.org/daft-punk) to Solange, in real time on a Novation Launchpad, weaving them into a single three-minute composition[2](https://ra.co/dj/madeon/biography) • [8](https://djmag.com/content/made-adventure). AllMusic describes the track as jamming over three dozen songs into three minutes, and notes that it went viral immediately, reaching millions of views[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/madeon-mn0002857943). The upload itself was timed deliberately: Leclercq had experimentally posted earlier videos to test public reaction and optimize the release[8](https://djmag.com/content/made-adventure). By the 2020s the video remained the most popular on his YouTube channel, with almost 70 million views[9](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/madeon-victory/).
The mashup opened doors quickly. Within about a year of its release he was producing for [Lady Gaga](https://www.edgepedia.org/lady-gaga), Coldplay, and [Two Door Cinema Club](https://www.edgepedia.org/two-door-cinema-club), and Lady Gaga invited him to open a series of arena shows[10](https://www.papermag.com/madeon-good-faith?rebelltitem=2) • [2](https://ra.co/dj/madeon/biography). His remix of deadmau5's "Raise Your Weapon" and original singles such as "Icarus", "For You", and "Shuriken" built on that momentum[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/madeon-mn0002857943) • [11](https://www.image-line.com/artists/madeon).
## Tools and production style
Madeon is closely identified with **FL Studio**, the digital audio workstation made by Image-Line. The company noticed him when he entered one of its remix competitions and placed him on the [FL Studio](https://www.edgepedia.org/fl-studio) alpha testing team[11](https://www.image-line.com/artists/madeon). In an early Image-Line interview he described a minimal, PC-centric studio of a MIDI keyboard and a pair of M Audio BX8a Deluxe speakers, rejecting what he called the hardware or analog myth, while on stage he called himself "a controller nerd"[11](https://www.image-line.com/artists/madeon). In a later interview he called FL Studio "objectively the most advanced" DAW, saying his early music alternated between MIDI and audio several times within a single bar because the interface made that workflow natural[12](https://www.musicradar.com/news/madeon-fl-studio-is-objectively-the-most-advanced-daw).
His stated musical aim has been consistent since early in his career: combining a contemporary electronic production style with the emotional appeal of pop music[11](https://www.image-line.com/artists/madeon). *Adventure* followed that formula with what Pitchfork called a balance between a pop record and a dance record, deploying guests such as [Passion Pit](https://www.edgepedia.org/passion-pit), Kyan, and Bastille's Dan Smith, and borrowing from 8-bit video-game soundtracks on tracks like "OK" and "Pixel Empire"[13](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/20379-adventure/).
## Albums and the Shelter project
**Adventure (2015).** The debut album, released March 30, 2015 on Columbia, drew on his mix of colorful, sample-heavy EDM; the instrumental "Imperium" first appeared on the *FIFA 15* soundtrack[13](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/20379-adventure/). It reached number one on Billboard's Top Dance/Electronic Albums chart[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/madeon-mn0002857943).
**Shelter (2016).** With Porter Robinson, Leclercq released the single "Shelter", a collaboration whose animated music video, scripted by Robinson with animation by A-1 Pictures, tells of a father who places his daughter in an escape pod with a virtual reality machine as the world ends[14](https://girl.houyhnhnm.jp/en/culture/daoko_interviewed_with_porterrobinson_and_madeon.php). The one-song project generated its own tour, and both artists framed it as a way to mark their long friendship before moving in separate directions[5](https://themusic.com.au/features/talking-shelter-with-porter-robinson-and-madeon/rUQToaCjoqU/17-01-17).
**Good Faith (2019).** The second album, released November 15, 2019, was described by Leclercq as very summery; its ideas came from a burst of inspiration in a New York studio at the end of 2015, though executing the vision took years[15](https://edm.com/interviews/madeon-good-faith-interview/) • [16](https://www.nprillinois.org/generationlisten/2019-12-07/french-dj-madeon-on-good-faith). Singles included "All My Friends", which reached number one on Dance Radio[15](https://edm.com/interviews/madeon-good-faith-interview/). The album debuted at number one on the Billboard Dance/Electronic chart and earned a Grammy nomination for Best Electronic Album[2](https://ra.co/dj/madeon/biography) • [17](https://time.com/5946106/grammy-winners-2021/).
**Victory (2026).** After nearly seven years, the third album arrived on June 26, 2026 via Mom+Pop[3](https://edm.com/music-releases/madeon-punctuates-victory-rollout-with-sam-gellaitry-collaboration-red-jacket/). Leclercq has said he intentionally moved away from the sounds associated with *Good Faith*, leaning into distorted vocals, funky guitars, and a higher-energy style, with the album and live show developed together[18](https://dancingastronaut.com/2026/07/madeon-embraces-creative-risk-on-victory-the-one-sin-of-an-artist-is-to-be-boring/). The ten-track record opens with "Hi!", whose distorted guitar is played by Mikey Freedom Hart of Bleachers, and features [Slayyyter](https://www.edgepedia.org/slayyyter) on "Fire Away" and Erick the [Architect](https://www.edgepedia.org/architect) on "Super Platinum"[9](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/madeon-victory/) • [7](https://www.sonymusic.co.jp/artist/madeon/info/585646).
## Live performance
Madeon's live work has evolved through several distinct productions. He was the first electronic artist to perform a full production show on the floor of the [New York Stock Exchange](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-york-stock-exchange)[6](https://www.teenvogue.com/gallery/madeon-adventure-debut-album-interview). The *Good Faith* era produced two versions of the show, Good Faith Live and the later Good Faith Forever tour, built with a team of four visual artists, Shinichiro Fujita, OSEAN, Mollie Tarlow, and Mike Kluge, alongside producers Gordon Droitcour and Erik Anderson of Cour Design and Cour Content; the finale lifts Leclercq about 20 feet above the stage on a giant cylindrical structure[19](https://edm.com/features/madeon-interview-good-faith-forever-visuals-stage-production/) • [20](https://www.melodicmag.com/reviews/live-events/madeon-brings-good-faith-forever-to-washington-d-c/). In DJ contexts he works from an unprepared, improvisational stance, contrasting with the fully rehearsed live show[21](https://www.grammy.com/news/ultra-music-festival-2024-madeon-san-holo-interview-b2b-set-headliner/).
A recurring format is the **back-to-back set**. On November 5, 2023, after the scheduled headliner of the Vision & Colour Music Festival in Wuhan, China fell ill, Madeon and Dutch DJ San Holo assembled an unplanned joint closing set in about 24 hours, building a black-and-white visual show and alternating 15-minute sections intended to impress each other; they ran 40 minutes overtime[21](https://www.grammy.com/news/ultra-music-festival-2024-madeon-san-holo-interview-b2b-set-headliner/). The pair repeated the format as headliners of [Ultra Music Festival](https://www.edgepedia.org/ultra-music-festival)'s Live Stage in Miami on March 23, 2024[21](https://www.grammy.com/news/ultra-music-festival-2024-madeon-san-holo-interview-b2b-set-headliner/).
## References
1. [Madeon, Biography, Discography, Albums & Expert Reviews, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/madeon-mn0002857943)
2. [Madeon, Biography, Resident Advisor](https://ra.co/dj/madeon/biography)
3. [Madeon Punctuates 'Victory' Album Rollout With Sam Gellaitry Collaboration, 'Red Jacket', EDM.com](https://edm.com/music-releases/madeon-punctuates-victory-rollout-with-sam-gellaitry-collaboration-red-jacket/)
4. [Watch Madeon's Full Surprise LA Performance With Guest Appearance by Porter Robinson, EDM.com](https://edm.com/events/watch-madeon-full-surprise-la-performance/)
5. [Talking Shelter with Porter Robinson and Madeon, The Music](https://themusic.com.au/features/talking-shelter-with-porter-robinson-and-madeon/rUQToaCjoqU/17-01-17)
6. [Madeon Teen Vogue Interview, Teen Vogue](https://www.teenvogue.com/gallery/madeon-adventure-debut-album-interview)
7. [Madeon, 『Victory』東京・京都スペシャルDJセット公演, Sony Music Japan](https://www.sonymusic.co.jp/artist/madeon/info/585646)
8. [MADE ON ADVENTURE, DJ Mag](https://djmag.com/content/made-adventure)
9. [Madeon: Victory Album Review, Pitchfork](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/madeon-victory/)
10. [Madeon Keeps the Faith, PAPER Magazine](https://www.papermag.com/madeon-good-faith?rebelltitem=2)
11. [Madeon, FL Studio artist page, Image-Line](https://www.image-line.com/artists/madeon)
12. [Madeon: "FL Studio is objectively the most advanced DAW", MusicRadar](https://www.musicradar.com/news/madeon-fl-studio-is-objectively-the-most-advanced-daw)
13. [Madeon: Adventure Album Review, Pitchfork](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/20379-adventure/)
14. [DAOKO interviewed with Porter Robinson & MADEON, GIRL HOUYHNHNM](https://girl.houyhnhnm.jp/en/culture/daoko_interviewed_with_porterrobinson_and_madeon.php)
15. [Madeon on Good Faith, Moving to Los Angeles and More, EDM.com](https://edm.com/interviews/madeon-good-faith-interview/)
16. [French Entertainer Madeon On 'Good Faith', NPR Illinois](https://www.nprillinois.org/generationlisten/2019-12-07/french-dj-madeon-on-good-faith)
17. [See All the Winners of the 2021 Grammy Awards, TIME](https://time.com/5946106/grammy-winners-2021/)
18. [Madeon Embraces Creative Risk on Victory, Dancing Astronaut](https://dancingastronaut.com/2026/07/madeon-embraces-creative-risk-on-victory-the-one-sin-of-an-artist-is-to-be-boring/)
19. [How Madeon and a Team of Creatives Designed the Dreamlike 'Good Faith' Experience, EDM.com](https://edm.com/features/madeon-interview-good-faith-forever-visuals-stage-production/)
20. [Madeon Brings Good Faith Forever to Washington, D.C., MELODIC Magazine](https://www.melodicmag.com/reviews/live-events/madeon-brings-good-faith-forever-to-washington-d-c/)
21. [2024 Ultra Music Festival: Madeon & San Holo Interview, GRAMMY.com](https://www.grammy.com/news/ultra-music-festival-2024-madeon-san-holo-interview-b2b-set-headliner/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Music scenes › Transnational genre scenes › Electronic dance music (EDM) and rave culture*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license