Melina Nguyen
Melina Nguyen
The iconic French producer released his third studio album, unveiling his continued musical evolution with punk and electro revival influences.
More than six years after his full-length sophomore album, the trailblazing electropop producer Madeon ushers in a new phase of his musical universe. Victory, promoted by four of its 10 tracks, puts the 32-year-old’s exploration of punk, French electro revival, and high fashion on full display.
Born Hugo Pierre Leclercq, the French artist went viral virtually overnight with his “Pop Culture” mashup in 2011 when he was 17. By the release of his debut album, Adventure, in 2015, Madeon kept fans enraptured with his unique and danceable soundscape, earning production credits for Lady Gaga and Coldplay. As he continued rising in fame, Madeon’s resume has ballooned to unimaginable heights: playing for prominent music festivals, such as Coachella and Lollapalooza, collaborating with acts like Ellie Goulding and Deadmau5, and nabbing a Grammy nomination for Best Electronic Album for Good Faith in 2019, which received overwhelmingly positive feedback.
Victory, released through Mom + Pop Music, features contributions from Erick The Architect, Slayyyter, and Sam Gellaitry. The foundation of the title track, “Hi!,” is set by guitarist Mikey Freedom Hart, selling the energetic, rebellious theme that Madeon builds throughout the album. “Super Platinum” with Erick sonically encapsulates the concept of the future, tinged with nostalgia, retro, and funk. Gellaitry, a SoundCloud legend in his own right, lent his voice to the French producer for “Red Jacket,” doused with crunchy electric guitar synths and satisfyingly airy vocal processing. And Slayyyter’s weighty vocals on the anthemic “Fire Away” fit neatly with the atmospheric, synth-prominent instrumental.
The self-written lyrics throughout Victory paint a moody picture of a Madeon stricken with heartbreak and grief, a juxtaposition to the album’s title. The three singles were accompanied by music videos, littered with cuts of medieval-themed armor, metallic Daft Punk-esque concert outfits, fire and warfare, and chess.
There are only two people credited with production and/or engineering on the album—Tom Norris and TEED—highlighting the strict program Madeon runs as a self-produced artist.
Engineering credits on “Car Crash Baby” and “Fire Away”
Tom Norris, a Grammy Award-winning mixing and mastering engineer as well as producer, is best known for his sound engineering and production work for music industry giants, like Lady Gaga, Charli xcx, Skrillex, Zedd, and Travis Scott, among many others. One of his first claims to fame includes his mixing work on The Weeknd’s debut EP My Dear Melancholy in 2018. Norris later went on to mix for several projects like Porter Robinson’s Nurture, 100 gecs’ 10,000 gecs, and Charli xcx’s internet-shattering Brat, which gave him the Grammy for Best Dance/Electronic Album in 2025. So far this year, Norris has worked on releases by Becky G, North West, horsegirrL, LE SSERAFIM, Marshmello, ILLENIUM, and Luis Fonsi, showing off his breadth across disparate genres.
Production credits on “Super Platinum”
Orlando Tobias Edward Higginbottom is a British electronic music producer, DJ, and singer-songwriter. The son of former Oxford conductor Edward Higginbottom, Orlando assumed the moniker Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs in 2004, which evolved into his current stage name TEED. In 2014, he launched Nice Age, a cross-platform label, under which he released his second album, When the Lights Go, in 2022. TEED has worked extensively with alternative pop and R&B singer BANKS, and has credits on releases by 2hollis, Dillon Francis, and Nelly Furtado.