Henri PFR

Aged just 24, Belgian DJ/producer Henri PFR a.k.a “the fresh prince of the turntables”, has made his arrival as the hottest new sensation of the Belgian electro scene. What’s unique about Henri, is that as a composer and producer he is classically trained. From the age of 6, he studied music theory and took classical piano for the next nine years. At around age 14, Henri started taking an interest in electronic music and how it was made. He posted his first mixtape, titled ‘Summer Memories’, on YouTube channel La Belle Music, which quickly drew over 70 million views, attracting the attention of Armin van Buuren’s label Armada Music, where Henri then signed for his first two singles, including the now hit ‘Tarida’. Henri PFR has fast gained a reputation for his strong melodies, further enhanced by arrangements that are as impressive as they are efficient, and which embed themselves in your memory from the very first listen.

Leading on from Armada, Henri went on to work with German producer Robin Schulz for whom he remixed the track ‘Sugar’, which remains supported across Schulz’ radio show. Forming an efficient working relationship, they subsequently produced ‘Wave Goodbye’, a collaboration that went on to feature on Robin Schulz’s 2015 album ‘Sugar’. In 2016, Henri then struck a deal with the prestigious Sony Music label, putting out ‘One People’, ‘Home’ and, ‘Until The End’, placing him at the top of the charts for several months, and earning his first platinum record. The acoustic version of ‘Until The End’ shows the sheer musical quality of the song, delivering a breezy, captivating and radio-ready melody. The follow up single ‘In The Mood’, featuring fellow Belgian Romeo Blanco, also received a #1 position in the charts and is already certified gold, confirming Henri PFR’s ability to churn out consistently catchy music that resonates across the globe.

The clamour of attention from the media, as well as his millions of YouTube subscribers, serve to reflect the esteem in which Henri is held worldwide. In March 2017, Henri filled the iconic Brussels venue The Ancienne, Belgique, and has since further strengthened his position with standout headline slots at some of the world’s biggest festivals, including the mainstage of Tomorrowland, where Henri has returned every year since, Ultra Music Festival, Lollapalooza, and even Disneyland’s Electroland festival, which took place on the fabled Disneyland Paris park. With now great demand in all four corners of the globe, Henri PFR is continuing to deliver electrifying electro sets to increasingly bigger audiences, playing shows in Europe, the United States, Asia, Dubai and Beirut to name a few. Henri’s dizzying rise is testament to the merit of his own tunes, and his ability to amaze audiences on stage with his devilishly heady and hook laden beats.

After debuting in DJ Mag’s Top 100 DJs poll at #_, 2019 also saw Henri put out several releases with massive figures such as the standout hits ‘Wake Up’ (feat. Broken Back), ‘Easy’ (feat. Susan H) and ‘Going On’ (feat. Soran), all of which amassing millions of streams on Spotify, and featuring at his Tomorrowland set for the third year running. What’s more, Henri has been putting out a series of remixes of his most recent single ‘Going On’, released in pairs over the course of 3 weeks, from tastemakers across the board including Siks & Adrien Toma, MOTi & FDVM, and Janee & Felckin, each putting their unique spin on the already impressive track. At the end of October, Henri has a scheduled release on Sony Music with Italian producer ADDAL, as well as another single due out in November.

Discussing the acclaimed single ‘Going On’, Henri explained: “The song ‘Going On’ was written in Amsterdam a few months ago. The vibe in the studio was just incredible and in barely two hours the single was pretty much finished! It’s in this kind of moment that you feel something special is being created. So, I dare to say that it’s by far my best song. I really wanted to try something new – sounds that are different from what we are used to hearing. And I’m really proud of the result! The singer, Soran, is a Canadian artist of whom I’m a big fan, since his song “Emma”. Being able to make a song together with him was incredible. The story of this song is about two young people who meet one evening and tell one another that they don’t care about anyone else, they just want to have fun. And everyone knows what’s going to happen between them, but that’s okay.”

Moreover, this year Henri became a UNICEF goodwill ambassador following a humanitarian mission to the Ivory Coast, in which he helped poverty-stricken children with no means to education. Henri was so moved by the expedition, that afterwards he discussed with UNICEF how he could become more involved with their work in this region, resulting in the inception for his ‘Music For Bricks’ campaign. In April 2020, Henri is planning a charity music event held in his home country Belgium, at Brussels’ largest concert venue, with all the proceeds going towards facilitating education and building schools in the Ivory Coast.