October 6, 2025 • 9 mins
HUGEL joins us for the first time on America's Dance 30, celebrating his FIRST #1 on the U.S. dance charts! He shares how "Loosen Up" was born w Dawty & Preston Harris, how long ago they started working on it, and how many Vs there were of the smash before its release.
He also answers a question he has never been asked before, and we get to know HUGEL better w #FinkysFirsts!
Find out about:
Follow: @AmericasDance30 on all socials!
Count down the biggest dance songs in the country every week with Brian Fink on America’s Dance 30; listen on stations around the world!
He also answers a question he has never been asked before, and we get to know HUGEL better w #FinkysFirsts!
Find out about:
- if music was the first thing he wanted to get into growing up
- the first thing to see if you're visiting Paris
- if 'HUGEL' was his first choice for an artist project name
- his first time playing for a crowd
- the first dance song that made him fall in love w EDM
- the first track he made that blew up that he didn't think would blow up
Follow: @AmericasDance30 on all socials!
Count down the biggest dance songs in the country every week with Brian Fink on America’s Dance 30; listen on stations around the world!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
This chat cannot properly start until we get this out
of the way. For one last time. Is it hugh
Guel or is it Hugelle? How do you want it pronounced.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
However you want as long? Guys, you know people understand
who you're talking about.
Speaker 1 (00:18):
Well, I think I told you in Miami how stupid
I felt because we were in Amsterdam going to your
party and I turned to my friend, I'm like, yeah,
we're heading to the Hugole party and he's like, ah,
he's French. I think it's Hugelle.
Speaker 3 (00:31):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, I.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
Should know that because I'm French, are you. Yeah, I
was actually born in Montreal. In Montreal, we're going to
be talking all about your smash loosen Up. We're going
to get to know Hugel a little better with Thinky's
first and possibly ask you a question that you have
never been asked before. Hugelle, Welcome to America's Dans thirty
(00:57):
for the first time.
Speaker 3 (00:58):
Thank you dance counting down the biggest dance songs in
the country.
Speaker 4 (01:16):
This is America's Dance thirty.
Speaker 1 (01:19):
Congratulations on Loosen Up going number one.
Speaker 4 (01:22):
That is so incredible. That's amazing, great news.
Speaker 1 (01:25):
I know adore you had huge success and a bunch
of your other songs have But is this your first
number one on the US dance charts.
Speaker 3 (01:32):
Yeah? I think it is. Yet, wow, these.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
Before you, well, congratulations on that. Can't wait to talk
about how this smash was born with Dottie and Preston Harris.
But first, let's get to know Hugh Jella a little
better with Thinky's first.
Speaker 3 (01:46):
Alight, let's go.
Speaker 1 (01:52):
I know you started djaying when you were like sixteen, right,
that's right. Yet, I always love finding out the origin
story of artists, did I? I also see that you
worked a McDonald's. You were an insurance salesman and a
real estate agent.
Speaker 3 (02:06):
Yeah, and the truck driver too.
Speaker 4 (02:08):
No crap.
Speaker 1 (02:10):
When you were growing up, was music the first thing
that you wanted to get into or was there something
else you wanted to be when you grew up?
Speaker 2 (02:17):
Now, when I grew up, I wanted to be a
football player, but like like real football. I'm not the
American football you called that soccer. And then by the
age of fourteen, they told me like that, I'm not
going to make it professional and it was the end
of the world for me.
Speaker 3 (02:35):
I was like super sad, I was like.
Speaker 2 (02:37):
Depressed, but I was also a good thing because then
they made me realize that I was more an artist
more than like a storms guy, you know.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
And I gotta be honest, thank god they did, because
we wouldn't have you if they didn't.
Speaker 3 (02:48):
That's right.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
So it was like a bad thing at a time,
but a bad thing for a bed thing, you know
what I'm saying.
Speaker 4 (02:53):
Absolutely well.
Speaker 1 (02:54):
I mentioned Paris, and speaking of Paris, you know, I'm
thinking about going for my first time next year. For
me and anybody else that has never visited Paris before,
what would be the first thing that we have to
see when we get to Paris? Is the Eiffel Tower it?
Or is there something else? You suggest?
Speaker 3 (03:14):
Bro, I'm like you, I'm like a tourist.
Speaker 2 (03:15):
I don't know Paris much, and I'm saying, like, for me, like,
when you go to Paris, then the Fel Tower is
the thing, because that's what the tourists go to see.
Speaker 3 (03:23):
You can also watch.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
Lassen, you know, the Riva thing and experience the best
restaurants in the world. But like I said, it's not
my city, so every time I go, I'm also like
a tourist.
Speaker 4 (03:34):
Yeah, gotcha, now, huge yell. Is your real last name correct?
Speaker 3 (03:38):
Yes, my last name my family name.
Speaker 1 (03:39):
Yet, when you were trying to decide on an artist
project name, was using your real name your first choice
or were there other names you were considering.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
No, I'm gonna be honest with you, Like, so, back then,
I was not really speaking English, and my artist's name
was heap Shaker. And when I met my manager and
I signed with them, the guy was.
Speaker 3 (03:59):
Like, yo, I'm going to I knew.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
We're going to start working together, but you can't know
be called Heapshaker. It sounds like a farmer name. And
I was like oh, And I was like and I
was like, so, what's going to be my name? And
he was like, well, what's your name? And I was
like florent Uzel and he was like, Jail, it's great,
let's do that. It sounds like Chanelle. And I was
like cool, And that's how we started.
Speaker 4 (04:18):
Well, I'm so glad your manager stepped in.
Speaker 1 (04:22):
Now you've been playing all over the world and you're
going to be playing Coachella next year, which is so incredible.
But do you remember the first time you ever played
for a crowd?
Speaker 3 (04:32):
Yeah? Yeah, when I was sixteen and a half.
Speaker 2 (04:34):
I played in Marseille in my hometown, a club called
the Metal Cafe. It was like a small club but
very iconic, and they paid me like a thirty year
old to play, like you know, the all night was
six hours and I had to bring the equipment. And yeah,
I was super happy because I was like, oh my god,
(04:55):
look someone is giving me money for doing the love.
Speaker 4 (04:57):
It's crazy and how did it go?
Speaker 3 (04:59):
Super good?
Speaker 2 (05:00):
They put me back, asked me to do it again
and again, and that's how I pretty much like started in.
Speaker 3 (05:04):
Marseille to you know, play some little parties here and there.
Speaker 2 (05:07):
They were like student people from uh they were the
guys who organized the parties for university, and yeah, I
got plugged with them, and that's how I started playing
my fossils.
Speaker 4 (05:18):
That's so awesome.
Speaker 1 (05:28):
Looking back to the beginning, do you remember the first
dance song that made you fall in love with d M?
Speaker 3 (05:34):
Yeah? I think it's a Daft Spent One More Time?
Speaker 4 (05:37):
Wow, such a classic.
Speaker 1 (05:39):
Now this might possibly be a stupid question, but we're
daft punk as big in France as they were here
in the US.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
They were probably bigger because that's French, right, So you know,
they're they are like heroes of the country.
Speaker 4 (05:52):
So gotcha.
Speaker 1 (05:53):
Now, finally, in Finkey's first in honor of loosing up
going number one, what was the first song viewers that
you didn't think was gonna blow up and it ended
up blowing up?
Speaker 2 (06:06):
I don't know, man, I always you know, I always
made music thinking that like people would love it. So,
you know, like if I do something and I love it,
I expect the people to love it. So I would
lie if I was saying, like, oh, I did the truck,
and you know, I was thinking everybody gonna hate it,
but certainly everybody love it.
Speaker 3 (06:24):
No, that's not true, you know.
Speaker 4 (06:25):
I gotta be honest. I kind of live by the
same way.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
I kind of do stuff to entertain myself or make
myself happy, and I hope that that's going to translate
to everybody else being happy about it.
Speaker 3 (06:37):
Yeah. I mean, you know, like when you do art,
you do it for yourself first.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
But like, like if I create something, I don't I
don't think it's name, you know, I think it's like
you know, so I expecting the people to connect with it.
Of course, sometimes they connect more or less with it.
But I never create something thinking like that I wouldn't
connect at all. And then my god, he connected with
the people that.
Speaker 1 (07:01):
Would That would be like, you know, totally makes sense. Well,
let's talk about this smash that has connected with people.
How was loosen up born with Dottie and Preston Harris.
Speaker 3 (07:11):
So, Godi and.
Speaker 2 (07:11):
Preston are my friends for like, uh, I know, I'd
say like eight years. We met in San Diego back
then in California.
Speaker 3 (07:21):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (07:22):
Doddie is French as well. He's living in California since forever.
But he's a French guy and he's an amazing songwriter.
So he wrote the song with Preston and if he
shoted me and he was like, hey, like, we wrote
that song. We're looking for a producer. What what do
(07:45):
you think of the track? And I was like, let
me let me give you a try, and yeah, I
produced it and the.
Speaker 3 (07:52):
First version was the was the one.
Speaker 4 (07:54):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (07:55):
I directly like posted it on my TikTok. He was
in March doing Miami Music Week. I posted it on
my TikTok on my Instagram with a little video on
my balcony in my apartment in Miami, and he directly
connected with the with the audience.
Speaker 3 (08:08):
People were like, well this so on, sire, when he is
coming out, when he is coming out. Then he went
out in June and that's it. Man. People loved it.
Speaker 2 (08:18):
They were spending the entire summer with it, which is,
you know, one of the reasons why I do this
music and fascinating.
Speaker 1 (08:26):
Now do you remember when he actually sent it to you,
when you guys first started working on it.
Speaker 2 (08:30):
Yeah, I think it was a beginning of the year,
probably like January February.
Speaker 3 (08:34):
Run like January.
Speaker 1 (08:35):
Februaryota gotcha, Well, congratulations on it going number one. It
is such an amazing song.
Speaker 3 (08:40):
Yeah, thank you, mart.
Speaker 1 (08:41):
Before I let you go, I asked chat GPT to
give me a question that hughes l has never been
asked before. So I got to test this out, all right,
would you rather DJ on the moon or under the
ocean with a waterproof setup?
Speaker 4 (08:58):
Of course, that's.
Speaker 3 (09:00):
A tough question.
Speaker 2 (09:02):
But if I'm honest, I was born at the beach,
so I'm a beach boy, so I will choose the scene.
Speaker 4 (09:07):
You know, it totally makes sense.
Speaker 2 (09:10):
Even though I love the idea of going to the moon,
like you know, going there, I might be a little
tricky and I might be a little bit like you
not comfortable.
Speaker 1 (09:18):
It was the flight, you know, absolutely, Hu's l congratulations
on everything going on for you. Thank you so much
for your time with us on America's Dance thirty.
Speaker 3 (09:28):
Thanks for having me.
Speaker 4 (09:29):
Man America's answer, counting down the biggest dance songs in
the country AM America's Dance thirty
This chat cannot properly start until we get this out
of the way. For one last time. Is it hugh
Guel or is it Hugelle? How do you want it pronounced.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
However you want as long? Guys, you know people understand
who you're talking about.
Speaker 1 (00:18):
Well, I think I told you in Miami how stupid
I felt because we were in Amsterdam going to your
party and I turned to my friend, I'm like, yeah,
we're heading to the Hugole party and he's like, ah,
he's French. I think it's Hugelle.
Speaker 3 (00:31):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, I.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
Should know that because I'm French, are you. Yeah, I
was actually born in Montreal. In Montreal, we're going to
be talking all about your smash loosen Up. We're going
to get to know Hugel a little better with Thinky's
first and possibly ask you a question that you have
never been asked before. Hugelle, Welcome to America's Dans thirty
(00:57):
for the first time.
Speaker 3 (00:58):
Thank you dance counting down the biggest dance songs in
the country.
Speaker 4 (01:16):
This is America's Dance thirty.
Speaker 1 (01:19):
Congratulations on Loosen Up going number one.
Speaker 4 (01:22):
That is so incredible. That's amazing, great news.
Speaker 1 (01:25):
I know adore you had huge success and a bunch
of your other songs have But is this your first
number one on the US dance charts.
Speaker 3 (01:32):
Yeah? I think it is. Yet, wow, these.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
Before you, well, congratulations on that. Can't wait to talk
about how this smash was born with Dottie and Preston Harris.
But first, let's get to know Hugh Jella a little
better with Thinky's first.
Speaker 3 (01:46):
Alight, let's go.
Speaker 1 (01:52):
I know you started djaying when you were like sixteen, right,
that's right. Yet, I always love finding out the origin
story of artists, did I? I also see that you
worked a McDonald's. You were an insurance salesman and a
real estate agent.
Speaker 3 (02:06):
Yeah, and the truck driver too.
Speaker 4 (02:08):
No crap.
Speaker 1 (02:10):
When you were growing up, was music the first thing
that you wanted to get into or was there something
else you wanted to be when you grew up?
Speaker 2 (02:17):
Now, when I grew up, I wanted to be a
football player, but like like real football. I'm not the
American football you called that soccer. And then by the
age of fourteen, they told me like that, I'm not
going to make it professional and it was the end
of the world for me.
Speaker 3 (02:35):
I was like super sad, I was like.
Speaker 2 (02:37):
Depressed, but I was also a good thing because then
they made me realize that I was more an artist
more than like a storms guy, you know.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
And I gotta be honest, thank god they did, because
we wouldn't have you if they didn't.
Speaker 3 (02:48):
That's right.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
So it was like a bad thing at a time,
but a bad thing for a bed thing, you know
what I'm saying.
Speaker 4 (02:53):
Absolutely well.
Speaker 1 (02:54):
I mentioned Paris, and speaking of Paris, you know, I'm
thinking about going for my first time next year. For
me and anybody else that has never visited Paris before,
what would be the first thing that we have to
see when we get to Paris? Is the Eiffel Tower it?
Or is there something else? You suggest?
Speaker 3 (03:14):
Bro, I'm like you, I'm like a tourist.
Speaker 2 (03:15):
I don't know Paris much, and I'm saying, like, for me, like,
when you go to Paris, then the Fel Tower is
the thing, because that's what the tourists go to see.
Speaker 3 (03:23):
You can also watch.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
Lassen, you know, the Riva thing and experience the best
restaurants in the world. But like I said, it's not
my city, so every time I go, I'm also like
a tourist.
Speaker 4 (03:34):
Yeah, gotcha, now, huge yell. Is your real last name correct?
Speaker 3 (03:38):
Yes, my last name my family name.
Speaker 1 (03:39):
Yet, when you were trying to decide on an artist
project name, was using your real name your first choice
or were there other names you were considering.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
No, I'm gonna be honest with you, Like, so, back then,
I was not really speaking English, and my artist's name
was heap Shaker. And when I met my manager and
I signed with them, the guy was.
Speaker 3 (03:59):
Like, yo, I'm going to I knew.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
We're going to start working together, but you can't know
be called Heapshaker. It sounds like a farmer name. And
I was like oh, And I was like and I
was like, so, what's going to be my name? And
he was like, well, what's your name? And I was
like florent Uzel and he was like, Jail, it's great,
let's do that. It sounds like Chanelle. And I was
like cool, And that's how we started.
Speaker 4 (04:18):
Well, I'm so glad your manager stepped in.
Speaker 1 (04:22):
Now you've been playing all over the world and you're
going to be playing Coachella next year, which is so incredible.
But do you remember the first time you ever played
for a crowd?
Speaker 3 (04:32):
Yeah? Yeah, when I was sixteen and a half.
Speaker 2 (04:34):
I played in Marseille in my hometown, a club called
the Metal Cafe. It was like a small club but
very iconic, and they paid me like a thirty year
old to play, like you know, the all night was
six hours and I had to bring the equipment. And yeah,
I was super happy because I was like, oh my god,
(04:55):
look someone is giving me money for doing the love.
Speaker 4 (04:57):
It's crazy and how did it go?
Speaker 3 (04:59):
Super good?
Speaker 2 (05:00):
They put me back, asked me to do it again
and again, and that's how I pretty much like started in.
Speaker 3 (05:04):
Marseille to you know, play some little parties here and there.
Speaker 2 (05:07):
They were like student people from uh they were the
guys who organized the parties for university, and yeah, I
got plugged with them, and that's how I started playing
my fossils.
Speaker 4 (05:18):
That's so awesome.
Speaker 1 (05:28):
Looking back to the beginning, do you remember the first
dance song that made you fall in love with d M?
Speaker 3 (05:34):
Yeah? I think it's a Daft Spent One More Time?
Speaker 4 (05:37):
Wow, such a classic.
Speaker 1 (05:39):
Now this might possibly be a stupid question, but we're
daft punk as big in France as they were here
in the US.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
They were probably bigger because that's French, right, So you know,
they're they are like heroes of the country.
Speaker 4 (05:52):
So gotcha.
Speaker 1 (05:53):
Now, finally, in Finkey's first in honor of loosing up
going number one, what was the first song viewers that
you didn't think was gonna blow up and it ended
up blowing up?
Speaker 2 (06:06):
I don't know, man, I always you know, I always
made music thinking that like people would love it. So,
you know, like if I do something and I love it,
I expect the people to love it. So I would
lie if I was saying, like, oh, I did the truck,
and you know, I was thinking everybody gonna hate it,
but certainly everybody love it.
Speaker 3 (06:24):
No, that's not true, you know.
Speaker 4 (06:25):
I gotta be honest. I kind of live by the
same way.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
I kind of do stuff to entertain myself or make
myself happy, and I hope that that's going to translate
to everybody else being happy about it.
Speaker 3 (06:37):
Yeah. I mean, you know, like when you do art,
you do it for yourself first.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
But like, like if I create something, I don't I
don't think it's name, you know, I think it's like
you know, so I expecting the people to connect with it.
Of course, sometimes they connect more or less with it.
But I never create something thinking like that I wouldn't
connect at all. And then my god, he connected with
the people that.
Speaker 1 (07:01):
Would That would be like, you know, totally makes sense. Well,
let's talk about this smash that has connected with people.
How was loosen up born with Dottie and Preston Harris.
Speaker 3 (07:11):
So, Godi and.
Speaker 2 (07:11):
Preston are my friends for like, uh, I know, I'd
say like eight years. We met in San Diego back
then in California.
Speaker 3 (07:21):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (07:22):
Doddie is French as well. He's living in California since forever.
But he's a French guy and he's an amazing songwriter.
So he wrote the song with Preston and if he
shoted me and he was like, hey, like, we wrote
that song. We're looking for a producer. What what do
(07:45):
you think of the track? And I was like, let
me let me give you a try, and yeah, I
produced it and the.
Speaker 3 (07:52):
First version was the was the one.
Speaker 4 (07:54):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (07:55):
I directly like posted it on my TikTok. He was
in March doing Miami Music Week. I posted it on
my TikTok on my Instagram with a little video on
my balcony in my apartment in Miami, and he directly
connected with the with the audience.
Speaker 3 (08:08):
People were like, well this so on, sire, when he is
coming out, when he is coming out. Then he went
out in June and that's it. Man. People loved it.
Speaker 2 (08:18):
They were spending the entire summer with it, which is,
you know, one of the reasons why I do this
music and fascinating.
Speaker 1 (08:26):
Now do you remember when he actually sent it to you,
when you guys first started working on it.
Speaker 2 (08:30):
Yeah, I think it was a beginning of the year,
probably like January February.
Speaker 3 (08:34):
Run like January.
Speaker 1 (08:35):
Februaryota gotcha, Well, congratulations on it going number one. It
is such an amazing song.
Speaker 3 (08:40):
Yeah, thank you, mart.
Speaker 1 (08:41):
Before I let you go, I asked chat GPT to
give me a question that hughes l has never been
asked before. So I got to test this out, all right,
would you rather DJ on the moon or under the
ocean with a waterproof setup?
Speaker 4 (08:58):
Of course, that's.
Speaker 3 (09:00):
A tough question.
Speaker 2 (09:02):
But if I'm honest, I was born at the beach,
so I'm a beach boy, so I will choose the scene.
Speaker 4 (09:07):
You know, it totally makes sense.
Speaker 2 (09:10):
Even though I love the idea of going to the moon,
like you know, going there, I might be a little
tricky and I might be a little bit like you
not comfortable.
Speaker 1 (09:18):
It was the flight, you know, absolutely, Hu's l congratulations
on everything going on for you. Thank you so much
for your time with us on America's Dance thirty.
Speaker 3 (09:28):
Thanks for having me.
Speaker 4 (09:29):
Man America's answer, counting down the biggest dance songs in
the country AM America's Dance thirty
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