Max HeyraudA fixture of France’s hardcore underbelly, Creeds spent nearly two decades in the shadows before “Push Up” catapulted him from club backrooms to global festival stages, proving that even on your last legs, one track can rewrite everything.
French-based producer Creeds emerged from the smoke of the French hardcore and Frenchcore scenes in 2022 with his breakout track “Push Up”, and it changed everything. Somewhat of a veteran of France’s hardcore scene, Creeds, real name Willy Taconné, had been in the trenches of the abrasive end of the techno and hardcore circles for quite some time. Making music since the age of 15, he was, up until this point, a respected figure in the culture—by all accounts an explosive DJ and daring producer—but, as he admits in this conversation, he was “ready to go back to work” and believed his “career would never blow.”
How wrong he was. In December 2022, Taconné’s track Push Up was released into the world, a colossal hit by all accounts. The track was everywhere. After nearly two decades of making music and chasing the dream of “making it,” Creeds’ moment had finally arrived. As he puts it, “Sometimes in just 2 days you make a track that will change your life!” TikTok was at the epicentre of this explosion, the track went viral, and as of August 8, 2025, it has been used in approximately 1 million TikTok videos.
Push Up had already been championed by heavyweights like Trym and Charlotte de Witte before its release, creating a pre-launch frenzy—the kind of hype that was sending people into overdrive. But Creed’s career began long before this moment. Willy Taconné is a testament to someone who championed the often uncool, out-of-trend hardcore and hard techno sound long before it reached the main stages of festivals around the globe. He’s proof of an artist who refused to quit. On his last legs, he made the track that changed everything. He could have stopped long ago—but he didn’t.
“Push Up” essentially changed your life. What was that period like when it was blowing up?
It did indeed! It changed everything. Right after the release, I saw many of the artists I love popping into my DMs for remixes or collaboration opportunities. It changed everything on the booking side, too! Before Push Up, I did around 2–3 gigs a month, mainly in French clubs, and after that track, I was requested for festivals all around the world. It felt amazing!
Were you prepared for that level of success so quickly?
Actually, I was not. To be honest, I was about to go back to work, and at a certain level, I was in the acceptance that my career would never blow. It happened at the perfect time!
Did you know “Push Up” was going to be such a colossal hit when you first made it?
Absolutely not, I was not even sure I would release it at first; in my opinion, it felt like a “too easy” track. I guess you never know with this kind of thing, sometimes you spend days or weeks on a track you are sure is going to be something special, and it fails, sometimes in just 2 days you make a track that will change your life!
“Push Up” went viral on TikTok. Was that by accident, or was there a strategy behind how it was made or promoted?
At the time it went viral, I didn’t even have a working TikTok page! The track was released without any promotion plans or whatever. The thing is, the track was ready in February and released in December. In the meantime, it had been sent to many big artists such as Charlotte de Witte and Trym, and played during the summer at major festivals. I think that is what created a kind of hype around the track — many people were looking for it without being able to get their hands on it!
What’s your view on TikTok when it comes to music? It’s helped your success, but some artists argue it fosters shorter attention spans. Where do you stand on that?
Honestly, I don’t care about it. People want to make a 2-minute track? If it bangs, let’s go. Want to make a 7-minute track with a 2-minute intro? Please do! I would prefer that people focus on actual music rather than the way it’s promoted. If TikTok can help good artists to promote their work, I don’t see the problem. In the end, we all end up on Spotify, SoundCloud, or YouTube to listen to the full track.
How did that level of success change your worldview? Things must be moving fast — city to city, new fans everywhere. Has it been overwhelming? Has it changed how you see the world or yourself?
I don’t feel like it has changed my worldview, strictly speaking. It has surely changed my perception of the inside of the job, though — realising it’s way more than only producing music in the studio. It has become a non-stop working journey on every level (promotion, networking, artistic direction, choice of releases…). This is the most overwhelming part of what’s happening to me, but I love the constant flow of work coming in every day!
To many, you’re seen as an overnight success, but that’s far from the truth. How long has it taken to get to this point?
Yes, I know for many I’ve just appeared out of nowhere with what they call a “TikTok hit,” and I get it. This is why I’m more than grateful for all of the audience that have followed me for more than 10 years to still be here! I’ve been making music for almost 17 years now, going from piano lessons to learning software and production, so I have to admit it’s a great feeling to have some recognition from this scene I’ve loved since I was 15 years old.
A lot of your music gets branded as techno, but you’ve traditionally been known for hardstyle and hardcore. How do you feel about that label shift?
Well, it was a choice on my part to go more into hard techno than hardcore, even though now the line is thin between these genres. Like many producers, I don’t care how my music is labelled, it’s coming out of my computer, so it’s my sound, my take on what’s exciting for me in the electronic world! I see many people arguing about “this is/this is not techno,” and I get it. I have to admit it feels strange that our music is labelled as just techno. Tell that to Carl Cox or Laurent Garnier, I think they would laugh at us! We make some rough stuff that is, in my opinion, much closer to hardcore than proper techno, and that’s what I like about our music universe!
Even though your music is abrasive and intense, there’s a strong sense of melody. Where does your love for melody come from?
When I was young, I had this irrepressible attraction for melodic hooks regardless of the music genre. I would find thrilling melodies in tracks by Muse, Offspring, as well as guys like Scooter or even Crazy Frog! As a piano player and a beginner with software, that was the first thing I did when I started producing, putting a melody on top of a kick, and that love never went away! I am fascinated by melodies that haunt you forever, so I try my best to add them whenever I can in my productions.
Your music has also been described as Frenchcore. How would you define that sound?
Frenchcore is a whole genre, a declination of hardcore music. It was something I used to produce with producers such as JKLL, Helen Ka, or Dr Peacock. It’s fast and hard, around 200 BPM, with a distorted kick, far from what I do as a solo project. But I still have a huge love for the genre, and who knows, maybe one day I’ll go back to it!
You recently released a single with Vladimir Cauchemar and Queen Millz, which feels like a new direction. Tell me about that collaboration and how it came together.
Well, it was first a wish I had with my former agent. When asked who I’d like to work with, I said Vladimir Cauchemar, and it happened through a studio session by Ultra Édition, who had Queen Millz with them. We already knew, Vladimir and I, that we were going to work together, and Queen Millz came on top of this; it was the perfect match! She is super talented and came up with the lyrics and hook in 30 minutes, while Vladimir already had the main melody. It was amazing to work with such skilled artists! We have a b2b planned with Vladimir at a huge festival in France — can’t wait to do this one!
You’ve remixed for Calvin Harris, a huge achievement. How did that opportunity come about?
It was indeed! Well, I saw him following me on Instagram, sent him a message to thank him, and he made the offer to remix his last single. It was such an honour considering his album I Created Disco is the very first one I ever bought with my own money when I was a teenager!
Finally, if you had one piece of advice for rising artists, what would it be?
It sounds super common, but seriously, never give up! It can be a matter of time, and it might not be as high as you wish, but whatever it becomes, it’s totally worth it.
