Words by Keane Fletcher

French producer, composer, songwriter and all round wunderkind Petit Biscuit is back with a new album! Hot off the heels of his latest single ‘Drivin Thru The Night’, Petit Biscuit has just dropped his highly anticipated second LP Parachute, a multi-instrumental tour-de-force that explores such topics as love, war, and death with all the shimmering production and exquisite detail that we’ve come to expect from this fascinating artist.

‘Everything has changed over the past three years,’ says Petit. ‘My vision of the world, my vision of the industry. My vision of my own self.’

And it shows. With recording sessions spanning multiple countries, as well as a stint isolating in Iceland, Parachute finds Petit Biscuit with a wealth of new life experiences to extract from, and sees him coming into his own as a introspective and highly-attuned lyricist.

On the creative evolution that took place while recording Parachute, Petit says:

‘You’re waking up, you’re thinking about your project. You’re going to sleep, you’re thinking about your project. It’s taken all my life and I realised I needed to think about other things for my mental health, to feel a bit more normal. I focused on other activities and I took time to see my friends more, to talk with people and have real conversations. It was a time to question myself, what I believed in, and what I wanted. It was a long road, but I think I came out on the other side a better person and more comfortable with who I was.’

With Parachute out today on all streaming platforms, as well as the release of the video for his latest single ‘Burning’, we sat with Petit Biscuit to talk all things music, inspo and what being an international sensation means to him. Check it out below.

 1- Parachute comes almost three years after the release of your last full length album, Presence. How does it feel to be releasing new music? Has much changed for you over the past three years?

Everything has changed over the past three years. My vision of the world, my vision of the industry. My vision of my own self.

2- Can you tell us a little bit about the story behind Parachute? What were your inspirations in writing this album? How do you know when you’ve stumbled across an idea for a great song?

When I was touring, I felt like I put my brain off for 2 or 3 years long. And when I came back home to produce that second album, I had so many introspective periods. I travelled by myself around Iceland and the US and I’ve learnt so much about the world and about myself. I’ve learnt about all the traumas that I had, all the pressure that I used to minimize. ‘Parachute’ was born.

3- The first single from the album, ‘Drivin Thru The Night’ has you taking lead vocals for the first time! Not only that but you’ve also released an acoustic version of the song as well, putting your singing well and truly up front. What’s taken you so long to make this leap?

I’ve always loved singing anywhere I was. It was just that I’ve never felt comfortable and legitimate to tell stories, write lyrics and be behind the mic. The 2nd album writing process was so much different that I’ve forgotten all those former issues to make something just very personal.

4- Has the success of your previous releases changed the way you approach music? Do you feel more pressure or is it exciting to know you have so many listeners out there waiting to see what you drop next?

I love to get some feedback from my fans and all the people on socials but I’ve learnt to not let that influence my music in any way. I’ve been taking a break from social media when I was composing the album. Also, I haven’t listened to a lot of music while composing to get something that is more personal than ever. 

5- Not only are you a DJ and music producer, you’re also a classically trained musician. How has this classical training influenced your music? Does one style help inform the other?

Technically, I’m not a DJ. I’ve never learnt DJ-ing. I’m a producer and I’m doing live performances. Having learned classical music has helped me a lot because when I started composing, I already had that musical logic that you need to acquire (and it can take a lot of time). But you know, I had to unlearn many things to be able to get 100% free on the way I’m creating. 

6- A lot of artists are out of work at the moment due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its ramifications. How has it affected you and your creativity? Have you enjoyed having more time to create, or are you dying to get back on the road? 

Creating music is even easiest during that period because I have more time to spend in the studio. Less promos and less concerts help a lot. But I miss touring a lot!

7- Once again Parachute features some fantastic collaborations, including songs with both Diplo and Shallou. How do these collaborations usually work for you? Does one of you approach the other with an idea ready to go, or does it happen more organically?

I feel like any collaboration is well done when there’s a kind of human approach before. We both connected before working on some stuff with Diplo and with Shallou. I met Shalou a long time ago as he was supporting me through my first US tour. Diplo sent me a message on Instagram while I was crossing Iceland to connect when I’m planning to go to the US. I spent 2 months in Los Angeles and I’ve been hanging with Diplo there. There’s always a time in the process when we’re working remotely, sending each other some mails with some different versions of the song we’re working on.

9- With travel restrictions looking to ease slightly over the coming months, are there any tours or live shows in the works?

I’m working on a 2021 show and hopefully we’ll be good to go! Anyway we’ll get the information at the last moment so I prefer to prepare to be ready whenever it’s good.

10- How does the future look for Petit Biscuit?

You know, I’m not dreaming of something precise. I want to make more music, becoming prouder of the art I’m making. Becoming better at practising instruments, at singing as well. Be on tour again...

Catch Parachute now on all music streaming platforms.

Thanks for stopping by Hipland!