We sometimes hear that it takes ten years to become famous overnight.
At Carbonne, the maturation process may not have been as long. But one thing is certain: before being a hit a few months ago with Imaginea summer hit that has now exceeded 105 million streams on Spotify and held first place in the Top Singles in France for seven weeks, Pierrot Onofrio Carbonne had done well.
Ascension continue
Initially very interested in hip-hop and Diam's pen, spotted during a “Planète Rap” on Skyrock radio, invited to open for Youssoupha, Lorenzo and Dosseh, the native of Montpellier gradually took his Music towards a more pop register. After the Covid period, he shifted gears by presenting two EPs (At dawn et Under the downpour).
Boosted by social networks, and in particular TikTok, the singer of Spanish origins, raised by parents who juggled between the piano, the guitar or the accordion during family celebrations, Carbonne definitely does not intend to stop there.
Nominated in the “French-speaking revelation of the year” category at the NRJ Music Awards, he will compete for the trophy against Helena, Jeck, Jungeli and Pierre Garnier, on November 1 at the Palais des Festivals in Cannes (live on TF1 and NRJ from 9:10 p.m.).
Welcome to Miami
Three weeks later, we will be able to listen to it at Frigo 16, in Nice. The room at 109, the cultural third place installed in the former slaughterhouses of Nice, is far from having the capacity of a Zénith. And that suits the 27-year-old artist very well.
“It’s really my desire to do a tour close to people, to take them into my world and make them remember that evening,” he explains to us on the phone from Miami.
Has vacation time come? Missed. “With Rodolphe Babignan, my guitarist, and NiD, who is a composer, we went to Florida to make sound, to do sessions with artists based there, just to look for inspiration, other sounds. We I don't know what it will be like, but it's positive to work like this.”
“By ourselves”, life after the hit
While continuing his experiments, Carbonne already gives the impression of having defined his desires.
“I want to mix acoustic elements like cajon [un instrument péruvien dont le son se rapproche d’une caisse claire, ndlr] guitar, you see the guitar, palmas [des claquements de mains typiques du flamenco, ndlr] with more electronic elements produced in the studio. And above all, I want to make music that I can be proud of in ten years. For that, I have to be as authentic as possible.”
These orientations can be clearly seen on “Par nous-ourselves”, his third EP released last July in digital version, soon to be released on CD and vinyl, with some previously unreleased bonus tracks. Without hesitation, after the tidal wave caused by “Imagine”, Carbonne wanted to continue with this project.
“At least 90% of the people who listen to me discovered me with this track, that's for sure. But I also wanted them to understand that I didn't just release it like that, on a crazy note. has a real prawn”affirms the Héraultais.
“Not just a social media phenomenon”
If his songs make you want to sit back in a deckchair and watch the waves dance, we can say that Carbonne's daily life has been moving at a different pace lately.
“It's true, everything is coming together, it's going quickly. What's cool is being able to go on tour. It was one of my dreams. There, we saw that the date at La Cigale [le 12 avril 2025, à Paris, ndlr] is already complete. Proves that there's really something going on, that we're not just a social media phenomenon. And then it's nice to get there with a hard core who has been with me from the start. We started by doing studio sessions in a cellar and ended up bringing back a diamond single…”
The “By Ourselves Tour”, which will end at La Cigale, includes around fifteen dates across France, but also five forays abroad, between Switzerland, Belgium, England, the Bas and Spain. “I would like to develop my music internationally”, explains Carbonne. “And it will be done by feeling, but it’s true that while being in Miami, I really wanted to slip in some sentences in Spanish.”
>> Carbonne in concert on Friday November 22 at 8 p.m. at Frigo 16 in Nice. 20 euros. Information: panda-events.com
Well supported by the Toulouse residents Bigflo and Oli
Like Bigflo and Oli, but in another register, Carbonne has the potential to appeal to the greatest number of people. “I'm not doing this to please everyone, but it's true that their trajectory is very inspiring”notes the person concerned.
Last year, he emerged among 3,000 candidates from Occitania and won the Rose Festival springboard. The Montpellier resident had thus won the right to perform in the festival created by the two brothers.
Last June, their paths crossed again, through an invitation from Bigflo and Oli. The rappers had asked Carbonne to open for them over two evenings at the Toulouse Stadium, in front of 30,000 spectators each time. Memorable, of course.
“I had a great time on stage. It was the first time I played with ears [les ears monitors sont des oreillettes servant à avoir un retour audio en concert, ndlr]. It was special, because I almost couldn't hear the audience. But when I raised my hands in the air, everyone reacted fully and I saw very expressive faces. »
