Music Appreciation
Back in 2011, French DJ and producer Martin Solveig served up Smash, a pop-electro album bursting with charm, dance beats, and...tennis drama? Yep. Released on June 6, Smash was led by the global hit “Hello,” a bubbly collab with Canadian synth-pop band Dragonette. The track became a runaway success, topping charts in five countries and somehow ending up everywhere — from Gossip Girl to Ted Lasso, even a Tim Hortons ad.
But Smash wasn’t just about catchy singles — it came with its own mini music video series that plays like a French rom-com meets sports spoof.
The full-length music video for “Hello” isn’t just a video — it’s the kickoff to an absurdly entertaining mini soap opera set in the high-stakes world of...tennis. Chapter one opens with sportscaster Nelson Monfort narrating the setup: Martin Solveig (as himself) is a hopelessly determined tennis player, while his wildly enthusiastic manager/coach Lafaille (played by DJ Grégory Darsa) is doing everything short of summoning the tennis gods to get him a win.
Chapter two cranks things up. We're suddenly courtside at Roland Garros, watching Martin face off against DJ Bob Sinclar in a match so lopsided it hurts — Martin can’t win a single point. At 6–0, 6–0, 5–0, just as Sinclar is about to serve for the match, “She” (played by Flo Lafaye) enters the stands and inspires Martin to dig deep. One serve, one dramatic line call later (thanks, Mathilde Johansson), Martin is given a lifeline by none other than Novak Djokovic, who storms the court to overturn the decision. Our boy starts clawing his way back. Just when it looks like love might win, Gaël Monfils strolls in and plants a kiss on “She.” Heartbroken, Martin throws in the towel — literally — and the screen teases: to be continued.
Enter episode two: “Initial S.H.E.” This time, Martin's love-struck condition is so severe, he consults a therapist (François Rollin), who solemnly concludes, “Martin irresistibly wants she.” The prescription? “You need a swim.” Lafaille, ever the hype man, hands Martin a new headband and swears it’ll take him to the next level. Martin muses about his fascination with Japan — but Japan, as it turns out, is not fascinated with him. Recuperating in Singapore, Martin dreams of Lafaille hosting a ridiculous dance show called Mambo Jambo. Later, the two find a magical remote that controls the lights of the Marina Bay hotel. Naturally, they hijack it to flash a massive “I ❤️ She” during Martin’s performance of “Ready to Go.” As one does.
Episode three, titled “Ready 2 Go,” kicks off in a recording booth with Dragonette laying down vocals. Lafaille bursts in, announcing the album's title: Smash! Martin, unimpressed, asks, “You thought of this yourself?” Lafaille then has a brainwave: they must debut the song during a football match. He knows a guy who knows a majorette — which, Martin explains to a puzzled Dragonette, is “like a cheerleader… but with a baguette. It’s very French.” What follows is an elaborate seat-card stunt, a stadium sneak-in, and Martin dashing onto the field to perform “Ready 2 Go” with the majorette. The crowd obliges, flipping their cards to spell out the song’s title in glorious splendor.
By episode four, “The Night Out,” Martin is finally prepping for a romantic evening with She. He and Lafaille are seen carefully arranging a theater marquee. The video, which was suppose to display a heartfelt message, ended up as a video of Lafaille. Fortunately, She is unbothered and suggests they grab a beer and make a night of it. Cue a scenic motorbike ride through Paris, a dance club interlude, and a moonlit boat ride on the Seine, complete with Captain Lafaille at the helm. Just as things seem to reach a sweet conclusion, we’re treated to a flash of Martin performing “Hello” on TV before we’re whisked back to him riding off into the Parisian dawn.
Romance, rivalries, remote-controlled light shows — Smash isn’t just an album, it’s a spectacle.
via Martin Solveig
Sources:
Wikipedia
https://www.youtube.com/@spinninrecords
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