French electronic artist Petit Biscuit will tour Australia in September and October, with the shows preceding the release of his new album, Insomnia, on 21 October.
by Paul Cashmere
French producer, performer and multi-instrumentalist Petit Biscuit, the stage name of Mehdi Benjelloun, will tour Australia in September and October, bringing his electronic and melodic live show to the country ahead of the release of his new album, Insomnia, on 21 October.
The Australian dates come as Benjelloun approaches a significant milestone for his best-known recording, Sunset Lover. Written in his bedroom when he was 15, the track is heading towards one billion streams, extending the international life of a song that first introduced the then teenage producer to a global audience.
Benjelloun recently reflected on the song’s longevity, writing, “I hope the 15 year old that made this in his bedroom is still proud of me.”
The success of Sunset Lover has remained central to Petit Biscuit’s catalogue while his music has developed across electronic, indie and ambient territory. His work combines programmed production with acoustic instrumentation and manipulated vocals, reflecting a musical education that began with classical training.
Benjelloun started playing cello at five and studied at the Conservatoire in France. He also learned piano, bass and guitar before turning increasingly towards electronic production. The combination of acoustic and electronic elements has remained a defining feature of his work.
His early recordings were made privately in his bedroom before he began releasing music through SoundCloud. Sunset Lover was released in 2015 and became the defining recording from his early career. His self-titled debut EP followed in 2016, while his first studio album, Presence, was released in 2017.
Presence established Petit Biscuit as an artist capable of moving between atmospheric electronic production and more conventional song structures. The album included collaborations with Lido, Bipolar Sunshine and Cautious Clay, as well as Sunset Lover and Waterfall.
Petit Biscuit continued developing his sound with Parachute in 2020. The album was released through Écurie, the label through which he has maintained an independent approach to his recorded music. He later released the Discipline album in 2024, continuing a catalogue that has moved beyond the tropical house associations attached to some of his earliest work.
His career has also included performances at major international festivals, including Coachella, as well as headline shows across Europe, North America and elsewhere. In France, his recent headline performances and festival appearances have provided the immediate backdrop for the Australian dates.
The forthcoming Australian shows will also provide an opportunity to hear material within the context of a live performance before the release of Insomnia. The new album is scheduled for 21 October through Écurie and represents another change in emphasis for Benjelloun.
Where the live show is built around the energy of electronic performance, Insomnia is described as a more atmospheric project, placing greater emphasis on texture and ambient sound. The album is positioned as the next stage in the development of an artist who has consistently worked outside strict genre boundaries.
That progression is significant given how early Benjelloun established his identity. He was still a teenager when Sunset Lover became an international streaming success, creating an unusual career trajectory in which a bedroom recording became the foundation for a substantial global audience.
Rather than remaining tied to that early breakthrough, his subsequent releases have expanded the musical palette around it. His use of cello and other acoustic instruments alongside electronic production has remained an important part of that evolution.
The Australian tour therefore sits between two points in Petit Biscuit’s current career. On stage, the emphasis will be on the performance-driven side of his music, while the album that follows is expected to explore a quieter and more textural dimension.
With Sunset Lover approaching the one billion-stream mark, the Australian visit also places a decade-old recording back in focus. For Benjelloun, the song remains a direct link to the teenager who began making music alone in his bedroom.
The Australian dates will take place in September and October, with tickets on sale now. Insomnia will follow on 21 October through Écurie.
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