We met Aupinard and his bossa nova tunes in the land of electro in Cannes

Friday, mid-afternoon at Plages électronique. The sand was already rocking. On the sun side and on the turntables with the duo Asdek and Ava Mind.

On the Terrace stage, it was something else. A sort of gentle introduction, quite atypical in this temple of DJs.

Wearing a long-sleeved (!) striped shirt, baggy jeans and elegant loafers, 23-year-old Aupinard arrived with his tracks mixing bossa nova, pop and R'n'B.

Brazil, still a fantasy

At the microphone, he encouraged the audience to mentally transport themselves to Brazil, to Bahia. This immense country, the one where his favorite genre took root in the late 1950s, he did not yet know, as he would explain to us a little later.

"I'm actually procrastinating. Because I know it's going to be crazy. I don't want to go just to say I went. I want this trip to be a life-changing experience."

On July 8th, it was already a bit like Brazil for Aupinard (his real name is Frédéric Opina, he comes from Bordeaux, his nickname was obvious).

In Toulouse, he opened for Seu Jorge, an Auriverde icon. "Even in my dreams, I wouldn't have imagined this. He inspires me a lot, as a singer or as an actor, in City of God . My manager exchanged his contact details with his. If I ever go to his country one day, maybe we can catch up."

In Cannes, Aupinard gave the audience a little treat by singing On peut y aller , a piece he reserves for his live performances .

"For me, during a concert, it's important to offer something other than what you could find on Spotify, by making different arrangements and lots of little things."

Popular on TikTok, supported in the flesh

During this passage, the Girondin asked the spectators to put away their phones, "as if we were in the 1990s" .

The smartphone is, however, a choice ally for the man whose videos have millions of views on TikTok, a network where he is approaching 300,000 subscribers.

From virtual to real, he feels just as good in his shoes.

"All of this isn't very important to me. When people talk about TikTok artists, I don't hear anything pejorative. But for some, it's a way of denigrating the public. This public isn't just on their screens. They come to concerts, they buy merchandise, they send us strength."

After taking full advantage of his three days at Plages électronique, to fill up on discoveries and encourage his friends (the rapper Luidji on Saturday, August 9 and the singer Dali this Sunday, the 10), Aupinard is already planning his next visit to the Côte d'Azur. It will be on March 14, 2026 in Nice, at the Lino-Ventura Theater.