On ecoute…Gims

French rap sensation was 2025 streaming king…

The undisputed king of the French streaming charts for 2025 was Gims, real name Gandhi Djuna, who was born in 1986 in Kinshasa, Congo, and moved to France aged two. When Spotify released their Wrapped summary of the year’s most streamed songs, Gims had four tunes in the top 10, with Ciel topping the list with a remarkable 144 million plays.

What is so impressive and unusual about Gims is his broad appeal with the French public across all age brackets and social classes-children and grown-ups alike love his super-catchy, polished pop-rap. France Today can attest to this, having fallen for the singer in Stockholm syndrome style after being forced to play Gims on repeat by their children! Our own favourites? Game Over and Parisienne.

Passionate about hip-hop from an early age and formerly a member of rap group Sexion d’Assaut, Gims cites the likes of Nate Dogg, Marvin Gaye, Michael Jackson, 50 Cent and Eminem as his main musical inspirations. His trademark look features sunglasses at all times for professional public appearances – which, he says, means when he takes them off he can walk down the street without being recognised!

Sounds similar to…

From France Today Magazine

Lead photo credit : Photo: By Selbymay - Own work, CC BY 4.0/Wikimedia Commons