Valentin Brunel (; born 17 December 1996), better known by his stage name Kungs ( ), is a French DJ, record producer and musician. A native of Toulon, he released his first album, Layers, in 2016 after success with "This Girl", a collaboration with Cookin' on 3 Burners that became an international hit for him, and the follow-ups "Don't You Know" featuring Jamie N Commons and "I Feel So Bad" featuring Ephemerals.
Career Valentin chose the stage name 'KUNGS' ("mister" in Latvian) after searching online for the translation of the word 'gentleman' in various languages. He began playing music when he was five, playing a djembe that was a gift from his parents. He grew up listening to rock and roll classics with his father, including The Who and The Kooks. He began writing and posting online his own compositions when he was seventeen. His remixes of "Jamming" by Bob Marley and the Wailers and "West Coast" by Lana Del Rey featuring new vocals from Molly both reached several million plays on SoundCloud and YouTube. Kungs's remix of Lost Frequencies' "Are You with Me" achieved more than 16 million views on YouTube. In January 2016, he was the opener of some performances in Europe on David Guetta's Listen Tour.
Kungs released his first extended play This Girl in 2016 following his remix of Cookin' on 3 Burners "This Girl",Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: which reached number 1 in France, Germany and Switzerland and number 2 on the UK Singles Chart in 2016.Peaks in the UK: All except noted: For "Don't You Know": He has since released the single "Don't You Know" featuring Jamie N Commons and "I Feel So Bad" featuring Ephemerals. Kungs' three 2016 singles were released on his debut album Layers, which was released on 4 November.
On 23 March 2018 Kungs played a live set at the Miami Ultra Music Festival. He followed acts from fellow artists Raiden and Kosuke to perform his individual set on the 2018 Ultra Main Stage.
On 22 July 2018 he performed at the electronic dance music festival Tomorrowland in Belgium.
Discography Albums Title Details Peak chart positions Certifications FRA AUT CAN GER ITA LIT UK Dance US Layers Released: 4 November 2016 Label: House of Barclay Format: CD, LP, digital download 10 74 33 56 — — 4 196 SNEP: 2× Platinum Club Azur Released: 18 March 2022 Label: Island Format: CD, LP, digital download 11 — — — 33 60 — — SNEP: Gold FIMI: Gold Out Loud Release: 13 March 2026 Label: Island Format: CD, digital download, streaming 109 — — — — — — —
Singles Title Year Peak chart positions Certifications Album FRA AUS AUT BEL (Wa) DEN GER ITA SWE SWI UK "This Girl"(Kungs vs. Cookin' on 3 Burners) 2016 1 17 2 1 9 1 6 8 6 2 SNEP: Diamond ARIA: Platinum BPI: 4× Platinum BRMA: 2× Platinum BVMI: Diamond FIMI: 4× Platinum GLF: 3× Platinum IFPI AUT: Gold IFPI DEN: 2× Platinum Layers "Don't You Know"(featuring Jamie N Commons) 5 — 8 15 — 16 — — 17 172 SNEP: Diamond BVMI: Gold "I Feel So Bad" (featuring Ephemerals) 3 — — 18 — 88 — — 52 — SNEP: Diamond "You Remain" (featuring Ritual) 45 — — — — — — — — — "More Mess"(featuring Olly Murs and Coely) 2017 20 — — — — — — — — — rowspan="3" "Be Right Here"(with Stargate featuring Goldn) 2018 15 — — — — — — — — — "Disco Night" (with Throttle) — — — — — — — — — — "Paris" 2019 — — — — — — — — — — Club Azur "Dopamine" (featuring J.Hart) 2020 — — — — — — — — — — "Never Going Home" 2021 5 — — 1 — 47 13 — 16 — SNEP: Diamond BVMI: Gold FIMI: 2× Platinum Club Azur "Regarde-moi" — — — — — — — — — — "Lipstick" 148 — — 38 — — 74 — — — SNEP: Gold FIMI: Gold "Clap Your Hands" 2022 19 — — 4 — — 22 — — — SNEP: Diamond FIMI: 2× Platinum "Substitution" 2023 26 — 23 6 — 18 69 — 29 — SNEP: Diamond BRMA: Platinum BVMI: Gold FIMI: Platinum IFPI AUT: Platinum IFPI SWI: Platinum rowspan="5" "Shadows" — — — — — — — — — — "Need a Hit" — — — — — — — — — — "All Night Long" 2024 118 — — — — — — — — — SNEP: Gold "Please Be Mine" — — — — — — — — — — "Light Me Up" 2025 — — — — — — — — — — Ahhcade "Galaxy" 2026 — — — 8 — — — — — — Out Loud "—" denotes a single that did not chart or was not released in that territory.
Promotional singles Title Year Album "To Describe You"(Mozambo & Kungs featuring Molly) 2015 rowspan="2" "We'll Meet Again"
Other charting singles Title Year Peak chart positions Album FRA "Melody"(featuring Luke Pritchard) 2016 144 Layers
Awards and nominations Year Awards Category Recipient Outcome Ref 2016 NRJ Music Awards Best New DJ Kungs Best Single Dance/Electro "This Girl" LOS40 Music Awards International New Act of the Year Kungs 2017 Electronic Music Awards New Artist of the Year Kungs
Notes
References
External links Official website