Sébastien Tellier turns stolen identity into pop on new album Kiss the Beast

Sébastien Tellier has turned an episode of identity theft into a song on his eighth album, Kiss the Beast, which he discussed from his Paris home. The single Copycat was inspired by an impostor who posed as him at parties, wore his trademark sunglasses and beard, nabbed clothes from Chanel and even met Hollywood executives.

Tellier says the impostor "took a lot of drugs like ketamine in front of a lot of people" and that the deception was only exposed when a woman who had partied with the fake Tellier messaged him after seeing the real musician playing a gig in Belgium. The incident left practical consequences: Tellier says he was briefly forced to show his passport at his children's school gates.

He has alchemised the episode into Copycat, whose chorus he sings as "My name you steal it / Hat and success," backed by a chunky bassline, disco strings and crackling synths. Kiss the Beast explores what Tellier calls a "paradox and deep duality" and mixes playful touches — sheep baaing on Mouton, lounge jazz on Loup disrupted by electronic wig-outs — with collaborations intended to reach a larger audience.

After turning 50 last year he sought bigger songs and worked with Nile Rodgers and Kid Cudi, with production input from Oscar Holter; he said he wanted to "respect my age" in making the record. The album is due 30 January; Tellier plays Koko, London, on 23 March.

Key Topics

Culture, Sébastien Tellier, Copycat, Nile Rodgers, Kid Cudi, Oscar Holter