French electronic music producer and DJ Christophe Le Friant built a career under the
Bob Sinclar moniker, spreading the sounds of French house to international ears from the late '90s into the 2000s. In the midst of a mid-2000s chart run -- with his trio of
Western Dream,
Soundz of Freedom, and Born in '69 all certified gold in his native France -- his song "Love Generation" topped charts across the globe in 2005 and he received a Grammy nomination the year after for another chart-topper, "World, Hold On (Children of the Sky)" featuring
Steve Edwards. He continued to release charting singles into the 2010s, including 2016's "Someone Who Needs Me." He is also the head of the French label Yellow Productions, which he founded in 1993 with
Alain Ho.
Le Friant made his debut as
Chris the French Kiss in the '80s, creating downtempo hip-hop project
the Mighty Bop and his acid jazz
Réminiscence Quartet. In the late '90s, he started performing as
Bob Sinclar (named after a character in the well-known French film Le Magnifique), issuing his debut effort
Paradise in 1998. The set charted in France, New Zealand, and the U.K.
Sinclar followed in 2000 with Champs Elysees, which was certified gold in France. After 2003's
III, he stormed charts across Europe with 2006's
Western Dream, home to hit singles "Love Generation," "World, Hold On," "Rock This Party," and "Tennessee." He quickly followed with
Soundz of Freedom in 2007, his first Top Ten release. His mid-2000s chart success continued on 2009's Born in '69, which featured appearances by
the Sugarhill Gang,
Shabba Ranks,
Axwell, and
Kevin Lyttle.
Sinclar kicked off the 2010s with remix effort Made in Jamaica, which spun his greatest hits with a distinct island twist. Reggae artists
Shaggy,
Gary Pine,
Queen Ifrica,
Tony Rebel, and
Dollarman all made appearances on the
Sly & Robbie-produced set. Recruiting
Pitbull,
Fatman Scoop,
Sophie Ellis-Bextor,
Snoop Dogg, and
Sean Paul,
Sinclar took a page from
David Guetta's high-profile collaboration handbook with 2012's
Disco Crash, which landed in the French Top 20. He followed with the sleek Paris by Night mix in 2013.
Sinclar continued with non-album single releases, including 2015's "Feel the Vibe" with Dawn Tillman, 2016's Top 50 "Someone Who Needs Me," and 2017's "Til the Sun Rise Up" with
Akon. In 2018 he issued "I Believe." ~ Neil Z. Yeung