Though he grew up singing in the church choir and studying classical music, by age 13 French DJ
Martin Solveig (born Martin Picandet) had his first pair of turntables and was showing off his skills to his friends. At 18, while working in a local record store, he further discovered the complexity of electronic music, and shortly thereafter was spinning at some of the most prestigious clubs in Paris. In 2001,
Solveig worked with
Bob Sinclar on Africanism, contributing his track "Edony" to the album. The single went on to be a hit, and after graduating from college, the DJ decided to release a full-length record. Sur la Terre -- which came out in 2002 on his own label, Mixture, and was made using both live and electronic instrumentation -- was also inspired by African rhythms, leading to a remix of Malian singer
Salif Keita's song "Malan." In 2004
Solveig decided to move toward American funk and rock, releasing "Rocking Music," sung by
Jay Sebag, followed by another full-length,
Hedonist, in 2005. A third album, C'est la Vie, was issued in 2008, but it was only with his fourth effort, 2011's aptly titled
Smash, that he finally broke through into the mainstream. Home to a number of singles featuring
Dragonette,
Smash included
Solveig's chart-topping hit song "Hello" with the Canadian band, the success of which attracted the interest of
Madonna. The singer chose him to work on her album
MDNA, and the pair developed a mutual respect and a close working relationship in the studio. Post-
MDNA,
Solveig continued collaborating, releasing
The Night Out EP in 2012; the 2013 single "Hey Now" with
the Cataracs, and "Blow" featuring
Laidback Luke in 2014. In 2015,
Solveig returned with "Intoxicated" with the production duo
GTA, as well as the house music-infused "+1," with vocals by
Sam White. "Do It Right" with
Tkay Maidza and "Places" with
Ina Wroldsen arrived the next year, with the
Alma-featuring "All Stars" landing in 2017. The following year, he issued "My Love." ~ Marisa Brown & Neil Z. Yeung