In 2025, Gims reaches a career high, establishing himself as the most listened-to artist in France—well beyond the confines of rap alone. His project “Le Nord se souvient: L’odyssée” crosses the symbolic milestone of 500,000 copies sold, earning him another diamond certification to add to a collection that began with “Subliminal”. Before stepping out on his own, Gims was the vocal leader of Sexion d’Assaut. At the “Urban Peace” press conference, he admitted to journalists that he “wasn’t all that confident before going solo”, even stepping outside the cinema to take a simple phone call without drawing any attention. A nearly ordinary moment—worlds apart from today’s reality, where every public appearance now triggers massive crowd reactions.
With each release, the artist sets his sights on diamond—and delivers. Less prolific than Jul, he nonetheless posts consistently stronger commercial results. His popularity has long since outgrown the increasingly blurry label of urban music, a tag he rightly rejects for lumping together afro, urban pop, and rap. Is coming from a neighborhood enough to be branded “urban”? The question remains wide open.
Gims sings for “Monica”!
The instrumental is once again produced by Maximum Beats. The producer is behind all of Gims’ recent hits, including “Parisienne”, “Contact”, “Piano”, “Diana et Ninao”, “Carré OK”, and “Spider”. While the self-proclaimed king of urban pop continues to rack up undeniable successes, some critics point to a sense of repetition in his rhythmic structures. Still, the production remains sleek, effective, and instantly recognizable—pure Gims, both in substance and in style.
On “Monica”, the artist delivers a heartfelt love declaration, blending sensitivity with melancholy:
“Just a few sweet words, then I forget your flaws
For the echo of a moment (echo)”
“Between a couple of arguments, your scent on the fabric
My passion burns away, oh no”
No visuals have been released yet. For comparison, the music video for “Parisienne” dropped several weeks after the track’s release, suggesting a similar rollout strategy this time around.
