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Kavinsky

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Kavinsky
Kavinsky in 2007 in Paris, France
Kavinsky in 2007 in Paris, France
Background information
Born
Vincent Pierre Claude Belorgey

(1975-07-31)31 July 1975
Seine-Saint-Denis, France
Diedc. 28 July 2026(2026-07-28) (aged 50)
Paris, France
Genres
Years active2005–2026
Labels
Websitekavinsky.com Edit this at Wikidata

Vincent Belorgey (31 July 1975 – c. 28 July 2026), known professionally as Kavinsky, was a French musician, record producer, DJ, and actor.[2] His production style is reminiscent of the electropop film soundtracks of the 1980s.[3] Kavinsky said that his music was inspired by thousands of movies he watched as a young boy and that he had cherry-picked the best parts from them, consolidating them into one concept.[4]

Kavinsky has been compared to many similar French house artists, including Danger and French duo Daft Punk. He achieved greater mainstream recognition after his song "Nightcall" was featured in the 2011 film Drive.[5] His debut studio album, OutRun, was released in 2013; it was followed by Reborn in 2022.

Background

[edit]

Vincent Belorgey was born in Seine-Saint-Denis, France on 31 July 1975.[6] After years as an actor, Kavinsky's musical career started in 2005 after he was inspired by his close friends Jackson Fourgeaud and Quentin Dupieux. He acted in Dupieux's 2007 film Steak [fr]; the film also included Kavinsky's music. During this period, Kavinsky produced his first single "Testarossa Autodrive", which was inspired by the Ferrari Testarossa (one of which Belorgey drove in real life).[4] Kavinsky presented the single to Dupieux, who in turn presented it to a record label he had access to because of his filming career, and Kavinsky signed with Record Makers.[7][4]

Kavinsky went on to release three EPs on the Record Makers label: Teddy Boy in 2006, 1986 a year later, and Nightcall with Lovefoxxx of CSS in 2010.[4] Kavinsky toured alongside Daft Punk, The Rapture, Justice, and SebastiAn in 2007.[8]

The SebastiAn remix of "Testarossa Autodrive" off the 1986 EP is featured in the video games Grand Theft Auto IV and Gran Turismo 5 Prologue.[9] Kavinsky's single "Nightcall" was featured in the opening credits of the film Drive, and became a major hit soon after.[8] In December 2012, he released "ProtoVision".[10] On 25 February 2013, he released his debut studio album, OutRun.[11]

In November 2021, he returned from a seven year hiatus with the lead single "Renegade" from his second studio album Reborn.[12] The song is produced by Gaspard Augé and Victor Le Masne. In March 2022, he released "Zenith", another single from Reborn which features vocals from Prudence and Morgan Phalen.[13][14] In 2024, Kavinsky performed Nightcall alongside Phoenix and Angèle at the 2024 Summer Olympics closing ceremony in Paris.[15]

The performance triggered a significant global resurgence for "Nightcall," leading to a new official studio version featuring Angèle and Phoenix released in September 2024. This version achieved a diamond certification from SNEP and reached number 3 on the French singles chart. The track's enduring status in popular culture was further solidified in 2025 when the Irish rock band Inhaler released a guitar-driven cover of the song for Triple J's Like A Version, which was subsequently released as a physical seven-inch single.[16]

Persona

[edit]
Belorgey in character as Kavinsky, 2012

Kavinsky was a stage persona used by Belorgey. The character had red eyes and blue skin. The fictional back story is that Kavinsky crashed his Testarossa in 1986, then reappeared in 2006 as a zombie that makes electronic music.[7] Kavinsky's songs are intended to tell the character's story. Belorgey explained "'Night Call' is just about the zombie guy [who] goes to his girlfriend's house and says okay I'm not the same, we need to talk", referring to the resurrected Kavinsky going to find his former girlfriend, who has already moved on with her life.[4] "Kavinsky is a character I created because just putting my face on a record sleeve isn't something that suits me. [...] Showing my own face holds absolutely no interest for me. I'd much rather make music and tell a story, because for me music is linked to images. When I'm making music, I have images in my head of films and television shows I liked when I was little. So I created this story that mixes all those memories together."[17]

Equipment

[edit]

In an interview, Kavinsky stated that the entirety of Teddy Boy was written and recorded on a Yamaha DX7, which is associated with the synth-pop sound of the 1980s.[18] Kavinsky originally started making music on an old Apple computer given to him by his friend and fellow musician Quentin Dupieux.[4]

Death

[edit]

Belorgey was found dead in his home in Paris, on 28 July 2026, at the age of 50.[19] He had reportedly been complaining of headaches in the days that preceded his death.[20][21] President of France Emmanuel Macron posted a tribute, saying he was "a source of French pride forever".[20] Additionally, others such as The Weeknd, and the mayor of Paris Emmanuel Grégoire also wrote tributes to him after his death.[22] The cause of death has not been officially announced, but police suspect a stroke.[23][24]

Discography

[edit]

Studio albums

[edit]
List of studio albums, with selected chart positions
Title Album details Peak chart positions
FRA
[25]		 BEL
(FL)
[26]		 BEL
(WA)
[27]		 GER
[28]		 SCO
[29]		 SWI
[30]		 UK
[31]		 UK
Dance
[29]		 US
[32]		 US
Dance
[33]
OutRun 2 37 28 — — 38 159 8 156 5
Reborn
  • Released: 25 March 2022
  • Label: Record Makers
  • Formats: CD, digital download, vinyl
 13 172 20 56 64 32 —[A] 3 — —
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Extended plays

[edit]
Year Title Release date Label
2006 Teddy Boy 16 January 2006 Record Makers
2007 1986 20 February 2007
2008 Blazer 1 July 2008 Fool's Gold Records
2010 Nightcall 26 March 2010 Record Makers
2011 Nightcall (Anniversary Edition) 11 November 2011
2013 ProtoVision 11 February 2013
Odd Look 22 February 2013

Singles

[edit]
Title Year Peak chart positions Certifications Album
FRA
[25]		 BEL
(FL)
[26]		 BEL
(WA)
[27]		 SCO
[34]		 SWI
[30]		 UK
[29]		 UK
Dance
[29]		 UK
Indie
[29]		 US
Dance
[35]
"Nightcall"
(featuring Lovefoxxx)		 2010 1028167237603729—[B] OutRun
"Roadgame" 2012 12——[C]—74————
"ProtoVision" 52————————
"Odd Look"
(featuring SebastiAn)		 2013 46—————[D]———
"Blizzard" 167————————
"Odd Look"
(featuring The Weeknd)		 —1810—————46 Odd Look and Kiss Land
"Renegade"[39]
(featuring Cautious Clay)		 2021 ————————— Reborn
"Zenith" 2022 —————————
"Nightcall"[40]
(with Angèle and Phoenix)		 2024 3
[41]		184—————— Non-album single
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released.

Remixes

[edit]
Year Artist Title
2007Klaxons"Gravity's Rainbow"
M.I.A."Roder" (A-Trak Re-work)
2008Sébastien Tellier"Roche"
2011SebastiAn"Embody"

Music videos

[edit]
Year Title Director Release date Label
2006 "Testarossa Autodrive" Jonas & François 23 June 2006 Record Makers
2009 "Dead Cruiser" — February 2009
2012 "ProtoVision"[42] Marcus Herring 12 December 2012
2013 "Odd Look" 6 August 2013
2021 "Renegade" Alexandre Courtès 19 November 2021
2022 "Cameo" Filip Nilsson 25 March 2022

Filmography

[edit]
Year Title Director Role
2001NonfilmQuentin DupieuxPattt
2003AaltraGustave Kervern and Benoît DelépineAgent SNCF
2004Atomik Circus, le retour de James BatailleDidier Poiraud and Thierry PoiraudBoon / Ricardo Bello-Radio Skotlett
2005UltranovaBouli LannersVerbrugghe
2007SteakQuentin DupieuxDan

Notes

[edit]
  1. ↑ Reborn did not enter the UK Albums Chart, but peaked at number 45 on the UK Album Sales Chart.[29]
  2. ↑ "Nightcall" did not enter the Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart, but peaked at number 5 on the Dance Single Sales chart.[36]
  3. ↑ "Roadgame" did not enter the Wallonie Ultratop 50, but peaked at number 32 on the Ultratip chart.[27]
  4. ↑ "Odd Look" did not enter the UK Single Sales Chart, but peaked at number 84 on the UK Physical Singles Chart.[29]

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ Christopher Higgins (29 July 2014). "The 7 Most Essential Synthwave Artists". Nerdglow.com. Archived from the original on 25 September 2016. Retrieved 18 May 2015.
  2. ↑ "Kavinsky Game Lands on Google Play, French House Music and Ferraris Forever". www.droid-life.com. 8 July 2013. Archived from the original on 9 August 2020. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  3. ↑ "Portishead's Geoff Barrow to release 'Drive' soundtrack on vinyl | News". Nme.Com. 2 March 2012. Archived from the original on 15 June 2012. Retrieved 20 January 2013.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Kavinsky on BIGSTEREO". This.bigstereo.net. 5 October 2011. Archived from the original on 28 January 2013. Retrieved 20 January 2013.
  5. ↑ Buyanovsky, Dan (6 March 2013). "Kavinsky Makes a Run for It". Interview Magazine. Archived from the original on 19 January 2026. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  6. ↑ Keslassy, Elsa (29 July 2026). "Kavinsky, French Producer and DJ Behind 'Drive' Opening Song 'Nightcall,' Dies at 50". Variety. Retrieved 29 July 2026.
  7. 1 2 Rhoads, Celeste. "Kavinsky – Music Biography, Credits and Discography". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 30 January 2013. Retrieved 20 January 2013.
  8. 1 2 Linkedin, & Slideshare. (28 January 2012). Kavinsky (Speech transcript). Retrieved 12 December 2012, from Slideshare website
  9. ↑ McDermott, News Thomas (29 April 2008). "Full GTA IV radio music listing revealed". DarkZero. Archived from the original on 18 November 2025. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  10. ↑ "Staff. (10 December 2012). Kavinsky: "ProtoVision" (Steam/Official Video) Editorial. Retrieved 14 December 2012, from Prefixmag website". Archived from the original on 13 December 2012. Retrieved 14 December 2012.
  11. ↑ "Timeline Photos". Facebook. Retrieved 20 January 2013.
  12. ↑ Middleton, Ryan (19 October 2021). "Kavinsky Announces New Album 'Reborn,' Single Arriving Next Month". Magnetic Magazine. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  13. ↑ Ross, Gemma (15 March 2022). "Kavinsky: "I want people to talk to me about something other than 'Nightcall' now"". Mixmag. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  14. ↑ Yopko, Nick (4 February 2022). "Kavinsky Releases Sequel to Iconic 2010 Song "Nightcall": Listen to "Zenith"". EDM. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  15. ↑ Zemler, Emily (20 September 2024). "Phoenix, Kavinsky, Angèle Share New Version of 'Drive' Track 'Nightcall'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 20 January 2026.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  16. ↑ Interviews, Clash Magazine Music News, Reviews &; Murray, Robin (28 November 2025). "Inhaler Release Their Take On Kavinsky's 'Nightcall' | News". Clash Magazine Music News, Reviews & Interviews. Archived from the original on 29 November 2025. Retrieved 19 March 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  17. ↑ "Cop-show themes sparked Kavinsky's arresting electro". The Georgia Straight. 17 October 2007. Archived from the original on 29 October 2025. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  18. ↑ "Kavinsky Interview". YouTube. May 2007. Archived from the original on 15 December 2021. Retrieved 20 January 2013.
  19. ↑ "French DJ Kavinsky found dead in Paris, BFM TV reports". WDEZ 101.9 FM Great Country. Thomson Reuters. 28 July 2026. Retrieved 29 July 2026.
  20. 1 2 Glynn, Paul (29 July 2026). "French DJ and Electropop musician Kavinsky dead at 50". BBC. Archived from the original on 29 July 2026. Retrieved 29 July 2026.
  21. ↑ "French DJ Kavinsky found dead in Paris home, local media reports". France 24. 29 July 2026. Archived from the original on 29 July 2026. Retrieved 29 July 2026.
  22. ↑ Brunner, Raven (29 July 2026). "French DJ Kavinsky, known for "Drive" soundtrack hit 'Nightcall', dies at 50". People.
  23. ↑ Guy, Jack (29 July 2026). "Kavinsky, French DJ behind hit track 'Nightcall,' found dead at home in Paris | CNN". CNN. Retrieved 29 July 2026.
  24. ↑ Beaumont-Thomas, Ben (29 July 2026). "French music producer Kavinsky, known for Drive soundtrack hit Nightcall, dies aged 50". The Guardian.
  25. 1 2 "lescharts.com – Discographie Kavinsky". lescharts.com. Archived from the original on 19 November 2021. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  26. 1 2 "Kavinsky page". Ultratop.be/nl/. Archived from the original on 29 September 2015. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
  27. 1 2 3 "Kavinsky page". Ultratop.be/fr/. Archived from the original on 27 November 2024. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
  28. ↑ "Discographie Kavinsky". GfK Entertainment. Archived from the original on 1 April 2022. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  29. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Kavinsky: full Official Chart history". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 20 September 2024. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  30. 1 2 "Discographie Kavinsky". hitparade.ch. Archived from the original on 1 January 2026. Retrieved 29 January 2026.
  31. ↑ "Chart Log UK – Weekly Updates Sales 2013". Zobbel.de. Archived from the original on 9 November 2015. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  32. ↑ "Kavinsky Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard. Archived from the original on 20 September 2024. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  33. ↑ "Kavinsky Chart History: Top Dance/Electronic Albums". Billboard. Archived from the original on 20 September 2024. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  34. ↑ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart on 4/12/2020 Official Charts". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 24 September 2024. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  35. ↑ "Kavinsky Chart History: Hot Dance/Electronic Songs". Billboard. Archived from the original on 20 September 2024. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  36. ↑ "Kavinsky Chart History: Dance Single Sales". Billboard. Archived from the original on 20 September 2024. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  37. 1 2 "French certifications – Kavinsky" (in French). SNEP. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  38. ↑ "British certifications – Kavinsky". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 29 August 2025. Type Kavinsky in the "Search:" field.
  39. ↑ Aubrey, Elizabeth (19 November 2021). "Kavinsky shares first new music in over eight years with 'Renegade'". NME. Archived from the original on 21 November 2021. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  40. ↑ "Phoenix Join Forces With Angèle and Kavinsky to Release Viral Cover of "Nightcall": Listen". Pitchfork. 20 September 2024. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  41. ↑ "Top Singles (Week 39, 2024)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Archived from the original on 7 October 2024. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
  42. ↑ "Kavinsky – Protovision". YouTube. 10 December 2012. Archived from the original on 15 December 2021. Retrieved 27 February 2013.
[edit]
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