Wejdene joins Le Cercle PXP
Wejdene, a symbol of youth?
No one could ever have predicted that one day, a young girl would burst onto the scene with a single that would top the charts in France. Stories like this would have been completely unthinkable before social media. In the 1990s, record labels would never have agreed to produce such a young artist. But today, anything is possible thanks to social media: just ask Wejdene. With an effective team (including her loyal manager Feuneu, who also became famous thanks to the singer’s rise), she went viral in 2020 with her hit “Anissa,” with a little help from TikTok. It was a real sensation, to the point that the single is now certified diamond, which means 50 million sales or equivalent streams. A score that may never have been reached by any number of established major artists.
But this success is anything but a coincidence. Her father was a musician himself and played several instruments, and she sang with him from a very young age. It can’t be said often enough: giving children the opportunity to make music is wonderful and can inspire them to pursue it. Wejdene, who has clearly been singing since she was little and has been releasing tracks since she was 15, is proof that with talent, determination, and a supportive circle, you can achieve your dreams. Not everything was in her favor, though: judgments are generally harsh on R&B singers, who are criticized for being too sweet and for embracing a “girly” and “sexy” side too openly. But the singer fully embraced her identity as a young woman from the suburbs, telling the story of her life in her songs, with friends, love, and problems, like so many artists before her. Her first real hit, “Anissa,” is about unrequited love.
In it, Wejdene plays a young woman from the suburbs, proud and strong-willed, who is clearly determined not to let her badly behaved boyfriend walk all over her. The hit is a real introduction to the singer, asserting her identity (“My name is Wejdene” in the chorus), her character, and her desire to be respected. Even if she sometimes pushes it a little with “grammatical mistakes” that are actually entirely intentional and become stylistic devices / punchlines. If you think we’re exaggerating, go back and check Booba’s lyrics, where he rapped in “Civilisé” in 2000: “And if you want to test my equals, we’ll f*** you up as if it were legal.” This way of thumbing your nose at the French language has been around since the beginning of urban culture; it’s a way of showing that you don’t care about the rules. In this sense, Wejdene has truly become one of the icons of French urban youth—the middle and high schoolers who are mostly rap fans, proud, full of energy, and eager to take on the world.
Having achieved success with the release of the single “Anissa,” the singer quickly followed it up with “Coco,” another huge hit that remains her biggest success on YouTube to date. The music video is particularly impressive, and you can even spot influencer Just Riadh in it. A natural connection between two true social media phenomena from different fields. She always maintains that very “girly” identity, while sometimes showing a slightly “rebellious” side that works so well. Her debut album, “16,” was released on September 25, 2020, and it was also a great success. Now that she’s made her mark, she’s been making a string of notable appearances, with Jul in particular, but also on “Danse Avec Les Stars,” the show broadcast by TF1. This recognition proves that the Wejdene phenomenon is impossible to ignore, and TF1 got it right in its bid to reach a younger audience by inviting Michou and Wejdene, two icons of French youth today and two social media phenomena. Currently touring across France, she continues to release singles regularly, such as “La Meilleure” recently. We’re no doubt waiting for a new album to drop!
Wejdene & PXP, a perfect match
For all the reasons mentioned above, we’re very proud to be working with Wejdene at Project X Paris. Through our designs, we first and foremost aim to connect with a young, urban, dynamic audience with a genuine passion for fashion and Streetwear, so we’re thrilled when they give us their approval. For the singer, style is essential, as we’ve seen in all her music videos. Whether it’s her or the actresses / friends who appear in her videos, every look is carefully put together, mixing luxury brands with more under-the-radar pieces and color combinations that work really well. Wejdene enjoys playing different roles, as a tennis player, golfer, schoolgirl, or dancer, and her ability to switch up her style naturally caught our attention. Even in her “cosy” music videos, the outfits work well, and it’s clear that fashion matters to the young woman. And if you’re not convinced, take a look at her photos on Instagram—you’ll find exactly the kind of mindset we value at PXP.
As expected, Wejdene gave us a high-quality photoshoot, wearing one of our most iconic pieces of the moment: the black University-style Teddy Jacket. One of the most street-inspired and “old school” pieces in our collection, proof that the singer knows her classics—and even better, she knows how to wear them. She paired it with light-colored, rather loose-fit jeans, a fairly short white top, and a pair of Jordans with colorful laces. It’s girly, it’s street, and it’s a flawless look for the artist. On stage, she sometimes proudly wears a small white Project X Paris crop top, a streetwear piece that works really well for women. Her dancers also wear black PXP outfits, with joggers that reinforce the street-inspired look, and we’re truly grateful to be represented on stage so naturally by artists.
But we also love the photos taken in a “cosy” / “tour bus” setting, featuring pieces we’re less used to seeing in the spotlight. In particular, the two-tone, mixed-material hoodie in blue and white, with a classic hoodie texture on top and a denim-like texture on the bottom. A fairly avant-garde piece in concept, but once again, Wejdene doesn’t disappoint. She even wore the full matching set, with loose-fit, two-tone, mixed-material joggers—perfect for relaxing in her tour bus while still looking stylish. She completed the look with a pair of Jordans, this time with white laces to go better with the bottoms. Another flawless look from the singer. We’re truly delighted to be able to work with Wejdene, an icon for an entire generation of young people in France, and undoubtedly one of the faces of music’s future. We wish her all the best on tour and hope to see her again soon with something new!