# Petit Biscuit
Petit Biscuit is the stage name of Mehdi Benjelloun, a French electronic producer, performer, and multi-instrumentalist from Rouen known for lean, dreamlike dance music and the 2015 instrumental hit "Sunset Lover".[1](https://www.noise11.com/news/petit-biscuit-australian-tour-insomnia-20260813) • [2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/petit-biscuit-mn0003413218) Active since 2015, he grew from a teenage [SoundCloud](https://www.edgepedia.org/soundcloud) upload to more than four billion career streams by April 2025.[3](https://edmidentity.com/2025/04/18/petit-biscuit-movement-i/) He has collaborated with singers including [JP Cooper](https://www.edgepedia.org/jp-cooper), Shallou, and Cub Sport.[4](https://www.deezer.com/en/artist/7912872) • [2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/petit-biscuit-mn0003413218)
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Real name | Mehdi Benjelloun, Rouen, France[1](https://www.noise11.com/news/petit-biscuit-australian-tour-insomnia-20260813) • [2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/petit-biscuit-mn0003413218) |
| Breakthrough | "Sunset Lover", self-released summer 2015 at age 15[5](https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/petit-biscuit-interview-sunset-lover-7767838/) |
| Streams | "Sunset Lover" over 550 million; career total over four billion by April 2025[4](https://www.deezer.com/en/artist/7912872) • [3](https://edmidentity.com/2025/04/18/petit-biscuit-movement-i/) |
| Chart peak | No. 6 in France, 70 weeks on the French chart[6](https://acharts.co/song/101292) |
| Certifications | Diamond in France, double platinum in Canada, gold in the UK and Belgium[7](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/petit-biscuit/978442302) |
| Albums | Presence (2017), Parachute (2020), Discipline (2024), Insomnia (announced for 21 October 2026)[1](https://www.noise11.com/news/petit-biscuit-australian-tour-insomnia-20260813) • [8](https://beat.com.au/petit-biscuit/) |
| Label | Largely self-released; Écurie, his own independent label, for later records[9](https://www.france24.com/en/20180421-petit-biscuit-finds-voice-crowds-electronica) • [8](https://beat.com.au/petit-biscuit/) |
## Early life and the 'Sunset Lover' breakthrough
Benjelloun grew up in Rouen and started music early: cello at age five at the Conservatoire, piano and guitar soon after, and beat-making around age 11 (some references put his first synthesizer experiments at 12).[7](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/petit-biscuit/978442302) • [1](https://www.noise11.com/news/petit-biscuit-australian-tour-insomnia-20260813) • [2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/petit-biscuit-mn0003413218) He made early recordings privately in his bedroom and uploaded them to SoundCloud.[1](https://www.noise11.com/news/petit-biscuit-australian-tour-insomnia-20260813) In 2015, still a schoolboy, he also formed the indie-pop duo Mount Dreams with his friend LUUUL, which released one album, *Début Album*, that year.[7](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/petit-biscuit/978442302)
"Sunset Lover" came together quickly. In a Billboard interview he explained the track's construction: "Friends of mine sent me an a cappella. I chopped and pitched it to make a different melody, and then added guitar." The finished track, built in a day or two from the vocal chop, a mostly single-note guitar line, a hand-clap, and a basic kick, is structured around chorus and verse rather than an electronic drop.[5](https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/petit-biscuit-interview-sunset-lover-7767838/) He put it on SoundCloud in the summer of 2015 at 15; within about a month of uploading to SoundCloud and YouTube it had one or two million streams.[5](https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/petit-biscuit-interview-sunset-lover-7767838/) Streaming exploded after his self-titled EP in May 2016, which paired "Sunset Lover" with tracks like "Once Again".[5](https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/petit-biscuit-interview-sunset-lover-7767838/) • [2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/petit-biscuit-mn0003413218) He later called the song "the frontier between a hobby and a career because it was a worldwide hit (I'm proud of what it became without any lyrics)".[10](https://magneticmag.com/2019/03/interview-petit-biscuit-creative-process-managing-early-success-love-poke/)
## Discography
| Release | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| *Début Album* (as Mount Dreams, with LUUUL) | 2015 | One album from his short-lived indie-pop duo[7](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/petit-biscuit/978442302) |
| *Petit Biscuit* EP | May 2016 | Released at 16; "Sunset Lover", "Once Again"[2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/petit-biscuit-mn0003413218) |
| *Presence* | 2017 | Debut album, released on his 18th birthday; Album Révélation nomination at the Victoires de la Musique; charted in France, Belgium, and Switzerland[4](https://www.deezer.com/en/artist/7912872) • [7](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/petit-biscuit/978442302) • [2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/petit-biscuit-mn0003413218) |
| *Parachute* | 2020 | Composed in Iceland in 2019, finished in California; released on his Écurie label[11](https://exronmusic.com/2024/02/10/10-year-journey-french-dj-petit-biscuit/) • [1](https://www.noise11.com/news/petit-biscuit-australian-tour-insomnia-20260813) |
| *Discipline* | 28 June 2024 | 11 tracks, described as three years of self-reflection and solitary studio work[12](https://petitbiscuit.bandcamp.com/album/discipline) |
| *Movement I* EP | April 2025 | Club-oriented reset[3](https://edmidentity.com/2025/04/18/petit-biscuit-movement-i/) |
| *Movement II* EP | 2025 | Follow-up to Movement I[13](https://edm.com/music-releases/petit-biscuit-new-ep-movement-ii/) |
| *Movement* | 3 June 2026 | Released on Petit Biscuit France[14](https://petitbiscuit.bandcamp.com/album/movement) |
| *Insomnia* | 21 October 2026 (announced) | On Écurie; described as more atmospheric, emphasizing texture and ambient sound[1](https://www.noise11.com/news/petit-biscuit-australian-tour-insomnia-20260813) • [8](https://beat.com.au/petit-biscuit/) |
*Presence* included the Møme collaboration "Gravitation".[2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/petit-biscuit-mn0003413218) *Parachute* yielded "I Leave Again" featuring Shallou, which reached the Top 30 of Billboard's Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart; the single "We Were Young" with UK singer JP Cooper layered his electronic sound with R&B and alternative elements.[7](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/petit-biscuit/978442302) • [4](https://www.deezer.com/en/artist/7912872) The *Discipline* cycle began with singles including "I Forgot What's Love" with Cub Sport and "The Forest" with Amixem.[2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/petit-biscuit-mn0003413218)
## By the numbers
"Sunset Lover" grew steadily across a decade of streaming. It passed 120 million Spotify streams by 2017, when Benjelloun was 17 and touring internationally during school breaks.[15](https://www.papermag.com/petit-biscuit) Later that year Billboard put it above 180 million streams across Spotify and SoundCloud.[5](https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/petit-biscuit-interview-sunset-lover-7767838/) By April 2018 it had been streamed more than 257 million times on Spotify alone,[9](https://www.france24.com/en/20180421-petit-biscuit-finds-voice-crowds-electronica) and The Independent reported 350 million Spotify streams around his debut album.[16](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/music/features/petit-biscuit-interview-real-name-mehdi-benjelloun-music-album-presence-live-shows-tour-france-london-uk-a8215351.html) [Resident Advisor](https://www.edgepedia.org/resident-advisor) cited over 350 million streams when he was still 17,[17](https://ra.co/dj/petitbiscuit/biography) and Deezer's biography now gives the figure as over 550 million.[4](https://www.deezer.com/en/artist/7912872)
On charts, the single peaked at [No. 6](https://www.edgepedia.org/no-6) on the France Singles Top 100, entering at No. 80 in week 34 of 2016 and spending 70 weeks on that chart across 142 total weeks on nine tracked charts.[6](https://acharts.co/song/101292) It reached No. 13 on Billboard's Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart[5](https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/petit-biscuit-interview-sunset-lover-7767838/) and, in the UK, peaked at No. 88 and No. 25 on the Official Charts' two rankings, released on the label PETIT BISCUIT.[18](https://www.officialcharts.com/songs/petit-biscuit-sunset-lover/) Certifications followed: diamond in France, double platinum in Canada, gold in the UK, and Belgium.[7](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/petit-biscuit/978442302) At 20 he won the International Dance Music Award for Best Downtempo Artist.[19](https://www.viberate.com/blog/trending-music/music-needs-no-compromises-exclusive-interview-with-petit-biscuit/)
## Live performances and festivals
His first festival appearances included Festival Panoramas around 2016, and touring the EP brought sold-out dates in the US and Europe while he was still a minor.[2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/petit-biscuit-mn0003413218) • [17](https://ra.co/dj/petitbiscuit/biography) *Presence* spawned a sold-out Zenith tour in France.[11](https://exronmusic.com/2024/02/10/10-year-journey-french-dj-petit-biscuit/) In 2018 he played Coachella, then festivals in Japan, Indonesia, and Malaysia, and [Lollapalooza](https://www.edgepedia.org/lollapalooza) in Chicago; that year he also recorded a triple j "Like a Version" cover of Phoenix's "1901".[9](https://www.france24.com/en/20180421-petit-biscuit-finds-voice-crowds-electronica) • [4](https://www.deezer.com/en/artist/7912872) In April 2025 he opened a summer tour at Lyon's Reperkusound festival on a 360° stage setup.[3](https://edmidentity.com/2025/04/18/petit-biscuit-movement-i/) He returns to Australia in September and October 2026, his first shows there in seven years, with dates from Brisbane and a double-header day in Byron Bay and night at Melbourne's Prince Bandroom to a Frequency Forest sunset set and an Oxford Art Factory show in Sydney.[1](https://www.noise11.com/news/petit-biscuit-australian-tour-insomnia-20260813) • [20](https://www.ausmusicscene.com.au/news/petit-biscuit-australian-tour-2026) • [21](https://beat.com.au/petit-biscuits-first-australian-show-in-seven-years-is-landing-at-the-prince-this-september/)
## Style and place in the French electronic scene
He describes his own sound as "a bit pop, a little bit more chill and a little less techno" than much French electronic music, and self-releases rather than signing to outside record labels.[9](https://www.france24.com/en/20180421-petit-biscuit-finds-voice-crowds-electronica) AllMusic characterizes his music as lean and dreamlike dance music inspired by Bonobo, Shlohmo, and Flume.[2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/petit-biscuit-mn0003413218) In a September 2026 retrospective on French Touch, producer Stéphane Jourdain placed him in the movement's continuing lineage: later artists "such as Thylacine or Petit Biscuit" benefited from what came before, in "a musical lineage, with a slightly polished, effective kind of electro that makes people dance".[22](https://www.euronews.com/culture/2026/09/15/thirty-years-on-what-is-left-of-the-french-touch)
## School, and recent developments
Music and school overlapped for years. PAPER Magazine reported in 2017 that he toured internationally over school breaks while "Sunset Lover" passed 120 million Spotify streams.[15](https://www.papermag.com/petit-biscuit) Shortly after finishing high school he released *Presence* and dropped plans for university to pursue music full-time.[9](https://www.france24.com/en/20180421-petit-biscuit-finds-voice-crowds-electronica)
Since 2023 his output has moved through distinct phases. *Discipline* (28 June 2024) collected three years of solitary studio work into 11 tracks and shed the tropical-house associations of some early material,[12](https://petitbiscuit.bandcamp.com/album/discipline) • [1](https://www.noise11.com/news/petit-biscuit-australian-tour-insomnia-20260813) with collaboration singles alongside Cub Sport and Amixem.[2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/petit-biscuit-mn0003413218) The *Movement I* and *Movement II* EPs of 2025 marked a club-oriented reset, characterized as "club music for the deep feelers, festival anthems with emotional depth".[3](https://edmidentity.com/2025/04/18/petit-biscuit-movement-i/) • [13](https://edm.com/music-releases/petit-biscuit-new-ep-movement-ii/) 2026 brought the *Movement* release on 3 June[14](https://petitbiscuit.bandcamp.com/album/movement) and the announced album *Insomnia*, due 21 October on his own Écurie label and described as a more atmospheric project emphasizing texture and ambient sound, contrasting with his high-energy live show.[1](https://www.noise11.com/news/petit-biscuit-australian-tour-insomnia-20260813) • [8](https://beat.com.au/petit-biscuit/) "Sunset Lover" remains the track by which he is known: it anchors expected fan favorites on his 2026 tour setlists alongside "Problems" and "We Were Young".[21](https://beat.com.au/petit-biscuits-first-australian-show-in-seven-years-is-landing-at-the-prince-this-september/)
## References
1. [Petit Biscuit Announces Australian Tour Ahead Of New Album Insomnia – Noise11](https://www.noise11.com/news/petit-biscuit-australian-tour-insomnia-20260813)
2. [Petit Biscuit – AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/petit-biscuit-mn0003413218)
3. [Petit Biscuit Enters A New Era With 'Movement I' – EDM Identity](https://edmidentity.com/2025/04/18/petit-biscuit-movement-i/)
4. [Petit Biscuit: albums, songs, concerts | Deezer](https://www.deezer.com/en/artist/7912872)
5. [Petit Biscuit on 'Sunset Lover' Success & Learning From Flume | Billboard](https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/petit-biscuit-interview-sunset-lover-7767838/)
6. [Sunset Lover by Petit Biscuit – Music Charts](https://acharts.co/song/101292)
7. [Petit Biscuit – Apple Music](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/petit-biscuit/978442302)
8. [Petit Biscuit – Beat Magazine](https://beat.com.au/petit-biscuit/)
9. [Petit Biscuit finds voice, and crowds, in electronica – France 24](https://www.france24.com/en/20180421-petit-biscuit-finds-voice-crowds-electronica)
10. [Interview: Petit Biscuit Talks Creative Process – Magnetic Magazine](https://magneticmag.com/2019/03/interview-petit-biscuit-creative-process-managing-early-success-love-poke/)
11. [Inside the 10-Year Journey of French DJ and Producer Petit Biscuit – Exron Music](https://exronmusic.com/2024/02/10/10-year-journey-french-dj-petit-biscuit/)
12. [Discipline | Petit Biscuit (Bandcamp)](https://petitbiscuit.bandcamp.com/album/discipline)
13. [Petit Biscuit's Stunning New EP Movement II – EDM](https://edm.com/music-releases/petit-biscuit-new-ep-movement-ii/)
14. [Movement | Petit Biscuit (Bandcamp)](https://petitbiscuit.bandcamp.com/album/movement)
15. [Meet Petit Biscuit – PAPER Magazine](https://www.papermag.com/petit-biscuit)
16. [Petit Biscuit interview | The Independent](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/music/features/petit-biscuit-interview-real-name-mehdi-benjelloun-music-album-presence-live-shows-tour-france-london-uk-a8215351.html)
17. [Petit Biscuit biography, Resident Advisor](https://ra.co/dj/petitbiscuit/biography)
18. [SUNSET LOVER – PETIT BISCUIT | Official Charts](https://www.officialcharts.com/songs/petit-biscuit-sunset-lover/)
19. ["Music Needs No Compromises" – Interview with Petit Biscuit – Viberate](https://www.viberate.com/blog/trending-music/music-needs-no-compromises-exclusive-interview-with-petit-biscuit/)
20. [Petit Biscuit – Australian Tour 2026 – Aus Music Scene](https://www.ausmusicscene.com.au/news/petit-biscuit-australian-tour-2026)
21. [Petit Biscuit's first Australian show in seven years – Beat Magazine](https://beat.com.au/petit-biscuits-first-australian-show-in-seven-years-is-landing-at-the-prince-this-september/)
22. [Thirty years on, what is left of the French Touch? – Euronews](https://www.euronews.com/culture/2026/09/15/thirty-years-on-what-is-left-of-the-french-touch)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Music scenes › Continental European scenes › French-language popular music: chanson, variete, French pop, and yeye › Artists, groups, and people: French-language popular music: chanson, variete, French pop, and yeye › Modern French pop & indie (1996–present)*
*Initially written Sep 19, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026 · Last review: Sep 19, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license