The neo-electronic French duo Pogo x Pogo are no strangers to success. The pair is composed of two artists, Ruben Navarro and Nicholas Perez, who have carefully coined their own unique brand of music highlighted by pop-dance elements. Their rise to fame occurred quickly in 2016 with their hit single “Romance,” which recently hit over one million streams and this year saw the continuation of their success.
They recently released their EP, Memories, accompanied by a brand new music video for “Walk Into Your Soul,” which released on Sony Music France last week. You can watch the video in full below:
We had an opportunity to speak with Pogo x Pogo on their future plans and success in the past year.
First things first, congratulations on your new music video! Can you tell us a little bit about the inspiration and process behind making it?
Thanks a lot, we wanted to do a music video about the nightlife in Paris around two characters. Since the beginning, we wanted to work with Olivier Barthelemy. He is a great actor who inspires us from all his movies and music videos.
The music video director is a great friend of ours, and we all had input on the vision of the music video.
Thanks again to everyone who made this video possible!
How did the two of you meet and decide to start making music together?
In the beginning, we both had our own solo projects. We did some sessions together for fun and we realized we had the same artistic direction for our future. So Pogo x Pogo was born!
Why the name Pogo x Pogo?
Ruben: I had a big gig from my old project, the place was retro and atypical and there was a jukebox with a track called “Pogo.” In my head, when I remember this night, I think about this word and all everything it came out of.
Nicolas: I was literally a big fan of Digitalism and their track called “Pogo.” It was the first time I heard big pop music with an electro influence. So pogo is a word that represents a period for the both of us.
Did you both know you always wanted to make music?
We have been making music since we were children.
Ruben: I attended a music conservatory when I was eight years old. I studied classical piano and clarinet. For me, the music drives my life. My father has a great influence on my taste of music. He is a musician too, who played in a famous old Peruvian band.
Nicolas: Ever since I was a child, music was all I loved and all I wanted to do.
What would you do if you weren’t a musician?
I don’t know what I would do if I weren’t a musician.
How would you describe your sound?
Actually, it’s a pretty hard question, we think our sound it’s a mix between pop, romantic emotions, and electronic.
Where in France are you based?
Right now we live in a French city in the southwest called Bordeaux. For us, Bordeaux wins the best destination in Europe. We hope you will come visit us soon!
What do you do when you’re not making music?
We both work at the FNAC. It’s a big cultural shop in France. You can find vinyls, speakers, computers, among other things.
Do you have any dream collaborations?
Ruben: I would love to work with some artists from Ed Banger Records like Breakbot or Justice. They have been such an inspiration for me.
Nicolas: For me, I think it would be the band Jungle.
What’s in store for 2018?
We have a lot of things planned for 2018. One of the things we are working on is a new live show that incorporates scenography and visuals to go with all the instruments we play live. We are currently finishing up our next EP so expect a lot more music from us in 2018. You might even get a free gift from us for Christmas.
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