Valentin Brunel (; born 17 December 1996), better known by his stage name Kungs (), is a French DJ, record producer and musician. A native of

Toulon Toulon (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Tolon , , ) is a city on the French Riviera and a large port on the Mediterranean coast, with a major naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, and the Provence province, Toulon is th ...

, he released his first album ''

Layers Layer or layered may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Layers'' (Kungs album) * ''Layers'' (Les McCann album) * ''Layers'' (Royce da 5'9" album) *"Layers", the title track of Royce da 5'9"'s sixth studio album *Layer, a female Maveric ...

'' in 2016 after success with " This Girl", a collaboration with

Cookin' on 3 Burners Cookin' on 3 Burners are an Australian funk trio from Melbourne, consisting of Jake Mason, Dan West and Ivan Khatchoyan. Their 2009 song " This Girl" was remixed by French DJ and record producer Kungs and released in February 2016, peaking at ...

that became an international hit for him, and the follow-ups " Don't You Know" featuring

Jamie N Commons James Nicholas Commons (born 22 October 1988) is a British singer and songwriter, based in New Cross, London. Early life and education Commons was born in Bristol, England, but was raised, in part, in Chicago, Illinois, United States. At age ...

and " I Feel So Bad" featuring Ephemerals.

Career

Valentin chose the stage name 'KUNGS' ("Mister" in Latvian) after searching online for the translation of the word 'gentleman' in various languages. He began playing music when he was five, playing a

djembe A djembe or jembe ( ; from Maninka language, Malinke ''jembe'' , N'Ko script, N'Ko: ) is a rope-tuned skin-covered goblet drum played with bare hands, originally from West Africa. According to the Bambara people in Mali, the name of the djembe ...

that was a gift from his parents. He grew up listening to

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from Africa ...

classics with his father, including

The Who The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...

and

The Kooks The Kooks () are an English pop-rock band formed in 2004 in Brighton. The band consists of Luke Pritchard (vocals/rhythm guitar), Hugh Harris (lead guitar/synthesizer/bass) and Alexis Nunez (drums). Their music is primarily influenced by th ...

. He began writing and posting online his own compositions when he was seventeen. His remixes of " Jamming" by

Bob Marley and the Wailers Bob Marley and the Wailers (previously known as The Wailers, and prior to that The Wailing Rudeboys, The Wailing Wailers and The Teenagers) were a Jamaican ska, rocksteady and reggae band. The founding members, in 1963, were Bob Marley (Robert ...

and "

West Coast West Coast or west coast may refer to: Geography Australia * Western Australia *Regions of South Australia#Weather forecasting, West Coast of South Australia * West Coast, Tasmania **West Coast Range, mountain range in the region Canada * Britis ...

" by

Lana Del Rey Elizabeth Woolridge Grant (born June 21, 1985), known professionally as Lana Del Rey, is an American singer-songwriter. Her music is noted for its cinematic quality and exploration of tragic romance, glamour, and melancholia, with frequent ...

featuring new vocals from Molly both reached several million plays on

SoundCloud SoundCloud is an online audio distribution platform and music sharing website that enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is one of the largest music streaming se ...

and

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

. Kungs's remix of

Lost Frequencies Felix De Laet (born 30 November 1993), known by his stage name Lost Frequencies, is a Belgian DJ and record producer. He is best known for his singles "Are You with Me" in 2014, "Reality" in 2015, and " Where Are You Now" with Calum Scott in ...

' "

Are You with Me "Are You with Me" is a song by American country singer Easton Corbin. The song first appeared on Corbin's second studio album, '' All Over the Road'' (2012). It was later included on Corbin's third studio album, '' About to Get Real'' (2015). A ...

" achieved more than 16 million views on YouTube. In January 2016, he was the opener of some performances in Europe on

David Guetta Pierre David Guetta ( , ; born 7 November 1967) is a French DJ and music producer. He has over 10 million album and 65 million single sales globally, with more than 10 billion streams. In 2011, 2020 and 2021, Guetta was voted the number one D ...

's Listen Tour. Kungs released his first

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

''This Girl'' in 2016 following his remix of

" This Girl",Archived a
Ghostarchive
and th
Wayback Machine
which reached number 1 in France, Germany and Switzerland and number 2 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

in 2016.Peaks in the UK: * All except noted: * For "Don't You Know": He has since released the single " Don't You Know" featuring

and "I Feel So Bad" featuring Ephemerals. Kungs' three 2016 singles were released on his debut album ''

'', which was released on 4 November. On 23 March 2018 Kungs played a live set at the Miami Ultra Music Festival. He followed acts from fellow artists Raiden and Kosuke to perform his individual set on the 2018 Ultra Main Stage. On 22 July 2018 he performed at the electronic dance music festival Tomorrowland in Belgium.

Discography

Albums

Singles

Promotional singles

Other charting singles

Awards and nominations

Notes

References

External links

Official website
{{Authority control 1996 births Living people 21st-century French male musicians Electronic dance music DJs French DJs French electronic musicians French house musicians French record producers Musicians from Toulon Remixers Tropical house musicians