The esoteric touches found in the music of Kungs can be traced back to the French producer's unlikely first instrument, a djembe given him by his parents. Born Valentin Brunel and raised in Aix-en-Provence, Kungs grew up with a rock & roll-loving father who often ventured into other genres. The young producer absorbed it all, then discovered electronic music on his own in his teen years, preferring house with its up-front vocals and luxurious melodies. He began recording and uploading his own bootleg mixes around 2014, hitting with his edits of Bob Marley's "Jammin'," Lana Del Rey's "West Coast," Serge Gainsbourg's "Bonnie & Clyde," and Coldplay's "Clocks." The official remix requests came in 2015 with the producer getting a crack at Axwell & Ingrosso's "On My Way," while his collaboration with Mozambo, "To Describe You," landed that same year and earned a spot on the Hed Kandi: Tropical House compilation. A tour of Europe as opener for David Guetta followed in 2016, along with his hit single "This Girl," which was recorded in collaboration with Australian trio Cookin' on 3 Burners. "This Girl" hit number one in France and Germany, number two in the U.K. and Austria, and number eight in Canada, and entered the Top 30 on the Billboard charts. His debut LP, Layers, arrived late that year and featured Jamie N Commons, Ephemerals, and Luke Pritchard of the Kooks.
