Creeds Opens Up About His Eclectic Influences and Breakout Hits

Creeds, you’re known and loved for your highly energetic productions. Can you share which artists influenced your early sound?

Well, I come from a rock’n’roll family, so my very first influences in terms of energy and melodies come from bands like Muse, Queen, The Clash, and The Doors. As for the electronic part of my musical tastes, I’ve been influenced by the entire spectrum, from old-school dubstep to hardcore/hardstyle and techno! Artists like Crookers, Bloody Beetroots, Rusko, Noisia, Radium, TNT, DJ Isaac, and everyone on the Omny Lab label have been huge influences for me.

“Push Up” was more than a significant hit for you. When was the moment you realized that this track was going to be huge?

Well, at first, I never expected it to become this big. I think it was when I saw that the track was leaked and remixes were being made months before the release. That made me think, “Oh, maybe something’s happening here!”

How did it feel to start receiving praise and recognition from industry icons when you first got on their radar?

It was amazing! The main memory I have is Calvin Harris popping up in my followers and then offering me to remix his track “Miracle.” His album “I Created Disco” was one of my main influences back in the day, so it was such an honor to be able to remix him! Then, seeing all major artists playing “Push Up” at festivals was such a blast!

Which artists or people are you most proud of who have said they’re a fan or have spun one of your tracks?

Once again, I have to say Calvin Harris, who named me alongside Daft Punk and David Guetta on the radio. Above that, artists like Subtronics, DJ Isaac, Hardwell, Charlotte de Witte, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike!

If you search Soundcloud, there are tons of collabs and tributes to “Push Up.” We premiered the one from Flowdan. Do you have a favourite?

Flowdan’s version is really one of my favorites. I love his work, so it was a pleasure to have him featured on it. My other personal favorites would be the DJ Isaac remix alongside DXPE remix, which are absolute bombs!

When “Push Up” became a viral meme, how did you handle this? And do you now create music with the social media game in mind?

You know, it’s been 16 years as a producer, so when it happened, I was super happy. But my first thought was: “Ok, now the real work begins.” I’m happy it happened to me when I was already “grown up.” It allowed me to deal with it peacefully without the youthful mindset that might have led me to wrong choices! To be honest, I don’t really make my music with social media in mind. Sometimes the structure of the track fits it, sometimes it doesn’t, but I’d never make music just to please TikTok!

What does it mean to you to have achieved multi-platinum status so early on?

I’d never thought this whole “gold/platinum” thing could happen for me and my musical style! For me, it just feels so good to see people enjoying and supporting this kind of music. Besides that, it led to so many huge opportunities for collaborations and exploring new musical genres. I’m really more than happy.

With your plans to expand your live shows, what can fans expect from a Creeds concert experience in the future?

I really want to bring the concert vibe into hard techno. Playing instruments on stage has always been a goal for me in my career, and the live show clearly goes in that direction. People can expect some parts sung by Helen Ka alongside many of my solo tracks, where I play keyboard and synths to deliver new versions of my previous tracks. We also have a special light show for the whole experience, created by an awesome French team. We can’t wait to show it around the globe!

Tell us about the making of “Closer” – what was the inspiration behind it?

“Closer” was created around the same time as “Push Up.” It can be taken as another “friendly” track that everybody can listen to, even if you’re not into the hard techno scene. I found this awesome vocal, and it was just impossible for me not to put a kick on it and see what could happen 😂

Lastly, what’s next for Creeds? Are there any other projects or collaborations on the horizon that you’re particularly excited about?

The release agenda is already full for months, and so far, there are collabs with Ben Nicky, Crystal Fighters, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, Ceres, Zapravka, Devin Wild, and many more! Can’t wait to release it all ❤️