Bob Sinclar

French electronic music producer and DJ Christophe Le Friant has built a career under the Bob Sinclar moniker, spreading the sounds of French house to international ears from the late '90s and beyond. 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 the gold-certified chart hits "Feel the Vibe" and "I Believe." In the 2022, "World, Hold On" was reworked by Fisher and became a hit in Australia and the U.K. In addition to making music, 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 the 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 gold-certified "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," another gold-certified single. Kicking off the 2020s, he released a steady stream of single, notably 2021's "We Could Be Dancing" with Molly Hammar and a Fisher remix of "World, Hold On" that received gold certification in Australia and the U.K. Through 2023, Sinclar teamed with Salome de Bahia, QUINZE, Riva Starr, A-Trak, and others on various tracks and remixes. ~ Neil Z. Yeung, Rovi