Gims Returns With New Single “Désaccord”

After leaving Sexion d’Assaut and embarking on his solo career, Gims admitted during an Urban Peace press conference in the mid-2010s that he “wasn’t really sure of himself when ‘Subliminal’, his first solo project, came out.” Several diamond records later, Gims released “L’Odyssée : Le Nord se souvient” in 2024, a project now approaching double-diamond status with close to 800,000 units sold across all formats.

But how should we define the sound that made Gims so successful? Even during his Sexion d’Assaut days, French urban audiences began embracing what critics would describe as “urban pop”. R&B singers in the early 2000s had previously faced plenty of hostility from the rap world. In reality, Gims, much like Soprano, regularly returns to his rap roots and has occasionally released projects almost entirely dedicated to the genre, such as “Le Fléau”. But when he sings alongside Sting, or teams up with Sia on “Je te pardonne”, for example, the “urban” label starts to feel completely artificial. This is simply pop music. Sometimes it feels as though, in France, anything made by an artist who originally comes from a “neighborhood” is automatically labelled urban.

Since the release of “L’Odyssée : Le Nord se souvient”, the rapper has been dropping singles at a relentless pace. As he put it during an interview with Loïc Bourget: “I put my belt back on the line every Friday.” So far, the strategy has worked. Several of the singles he has released, including “Parisienne”, “Ninao” and “Appelle ta copine”, have earned diamond certifications. Gims may be less prolific than Jul, but his numbers are even bigger. As for his “urban” identity, it can hardly be defined by his music anymore, as most of his recent releases sit closer to pop, and sometimes even traditional French chanson.

Gims returns with a brand-new single, “Désaccord”!

The track’s instrumental production is handled by Young Bouba. Sharing a name that inevitably recalls one of Gims’ most famous rivals, Young Bouba has actually been working closely with Gims for years and has contributed to numerous tracks. He notably produced “Spider” featuring Dystinct, as well as “Only You”, “Loco” and “Sois pas timide”. Young Bouba also produced “Cypher”, the explosive collaboration between Gims and Alkpote.

The track is driven by a clearly recognizable Baile Funk rhythm. Unsurprisingly, it is a very accessible record, with Gims addressing disagreements within a relationship. Cynics might say that Gims has simply discovered a magic formula for earning diamond records. Others would point out that, if it were really that easy, everyone else would be doing the same thing.

“She doesn’t want a man with no masculinity
She’s had enough of overly refined guys
I fill up her fingers, I fill up her wrists
So much that she needs a physiotherapist
Come on, let’s go, I’m taking her to Saint-Barth”

Gims is therefore continuing the seemingly endless run of singles he began in 2024. Maybe a brand-new full-length project will eventually follow. Could 2026 finally be the year?