Behind this summer’s favorite musical sensation lies a story of displacement, dreams, and Mediterranean redemption.
The votes are unanimous: the 2025 summer hit was “I Love Nice,” and it is still echoing all over France. The catchy pop tune with an undercurrent of rap, the picture postcard perfect glamour shots of the city’s iconic sights, and of course the handsome singer/dancer with his surfer dude flair… it all goes down like a bottle of rosé on a Niçois beach at sunset. There is a certain je-ne-sais-quoi to EDwin’s style that feels unmistakably Mediterranean – warm, expansive, and flowing with the easy rhythm of life by the sea. What’s not to love about it? RIVIERA BUZZ set out to meet the newly minted star, and discovered an unexpected backstory.
The spelling EDwin is not a typo, it is by design. He likes to be called ED but for the purposes of this article, we will go with Ed. And Ed really does love Nice. Now, there are two ways that you can acquire such a profound sentiment for a place: either you were born here, like the five generations preceding you, or you come from a place that makes Nice look like paradise on earth. In Ed’s case, it is the latter.
Let us step back in time and look at the world through Ed’s eyes. And we may even see our Azurean capital in a new light:
1990, Beirut, Lebanon: the tail end of a long and brutal Civil War. Bombs are exploding all over town, and Ed’s earliest childhood memories are of that sound and of the family leaving home for a safer location. Once peace is installed and Lebanon is getting back on its feet in the early 1990s, the family returns to the capital city. They have a business to take care of – Lattouf is an internationally renowned manufacturer of rubber and rubber products… a business that Ed’s grandfather had built from the ground up. It provides for five different offspring families within the Lattouf clan alone.
As with every well-to-do Lebanese family, an excellent education is very important. This philosophy is rooted in the country’s history of unrest, displacement, and forced emigration. “The only thing you can take with you is your education,” so the tune goes. To keep his family happy, Ed enrolls, willy-nilly, in the studies of medicine but drops it after one semester. It really is not for him! He dreams of being a singer, dancer, and actor, but his family won’t hear of Ed’s wishes to become an artist. He finally pursues studies of graphic design as a compromise but he never abandons his desire of going to music school. But he never quite gives up on performing.
His chance to strike it big would unexpectedly arrive after a life-changing tragedy.
On 4 August 2020, a major explosion occurs in the port of Beirut. 2,750 metric tonnes of highly flammable chemicals had been inadequately stored and detonated when a fire broke out in a nearby warehouse. The explosion results in 218 fatalities, 7,000 injuries, and approximately 300,000 displaced individuals, alongside property damage to the tune of US$15 billion.
Among the businesses affected: the Lattouf family’s rubber factory.
Ed witnesses the work of three generations crumble to ashes in a matter of moments. And he takes the decision right then and there to leave all of this behind him… his family, his city, and an illustrious career with a big fanbase that he had cultivated since 2009… and start all over in Paris.
Paris, or France in general, is linked to Beirut by deep-running emotional ties. The Lebanese capital models itself after its French counterpart — a cosmopolitan city at the intersection of many different cultures, where style, fashion, and cuisine reign supreme. During the 19th and early 20th centuries, both countries entertained close relations and cultural exchange, to the point where Beirut was dubbed The Paris of the Middle East. During World War II, Lebanon was under French mandate, and in the aftermath of the war, many Lebanese emigrated to France and fitted in seamlessly. It is often said that Paris is the actual capital of Lebanon, based on the number of Lebanese living there.
So, when looking at the pile of ashes and rubble that’s left of the thriving port district after that fateful day, and at how the work of generations could be wiped out in one single moment, there no longer is the question of staying. Going to Paris seems the natural thing to do for Ed. Besides, being perfectly trilingual French, English, and Arabic is an excellent base for international work.
But he doesn’t just stop at buying a one-way ticket. He also enrolls in the music school he has always dreamed of: The renowned Académie Internationale de Comédie Musicale (AICOM) School of Arts, the one that his idol Lara Fabian is associated with. He pursues a rigorous education in singing, dancing, and acting, and it won’t be long until his tremendous talent lands him a lead role in Le Fantôme de l’Opéra, the first ever French version in France of the world-renowned musical. He is incidentally also the first Lebanese ever to be cast in that role.
While professionally he becomes an immediate high-flyer, he is taken aback at the human side of things. He suddenly encounters attitudes that defy the simple explanation of rivalry or jealousy, and even veers into the territory of xenophobia. One coach in particular has him on his radar and bullies the sensitive student under the pretext of pushing him ever further. After one especially aggressive incident, which lands Ed in hospital in a pretty worrisome state, he is left wondering, “can I, or should I, endure any more of this?” His surname “Lattouf” translates to “gentleman” or more generally “kindness”, and nomen est omen, as the Latin saying goes – he is a kind and gentle soul, and he has been badly hurt, physically and psychologically. So much so that he doesn’t even want to sing anymore. His creative spirit seems snuffed out. All he knows is that he needs to leave hostile, unwelcoming Paris. And that he wants to keep his faith in God.
So once again, in 2021, he packs his bag and hops on a train, because overcoming hardships is what the Lebanese do. It runs in their genes. He opts for going south. There is no particular reason other than that the Mediterranean Sea is the fragile bond that still connects him with his family on the other side. He had never even been to Nice, and yet, he gets off the train there, and he feels, “Aaah! I can breathe!”
As it sometimes happens in tragic stories with a happy end, Ed crosses paths with two extraordinary women, Valérie and Katia, who together run VComK, a communications agency in Nice, who offer him an art director job. He jumps at the chance and works for them, loyally and devotedly, for two years. And ever so slowly, he feels his creativity and artistic calling stir again.
Naturally, such a unique life path provokes questions — questions that no one is better placed to answer than Ed himself.
You said “I can breathe!” when you got off the train in Nice. What did you feel in that exact moment? Was it the air, the light, the energy of the place?
It was the sea. It was the sun. I was no longer trapped in the underground metros.
You mentioned the Mediterranean as “the fragile bond” that connects you to your family. How does the Niçois coastline speak to you differently from other Mediterranean cities you might have known?
In its geography, Nice and the Niçois countryside resemble Lebanon. The Promenade des Anglais looks like the bay of Jounieh back home. The proximity of mountains to sea – skiing and swimming in the same day – is also something we have in Lebanon between the ski stations and the beaches. The flora of the countryside is also similar to that of Lebanon. So there are places that give me flashbacks to places where I grew up, and Nice came to complete the puzzle of my life on the Mediterranean by opening me to the future.
Does Nice remind you more of Beirut or another Lebanese city?
I’d say that Nice resembles Jounieh more than Beirut.
What seems different about the people of Nice compared to what you experienced elsewhere? How do the Niçois welcome newcomers?
I experienced racism in Paris, something I didn’t feel when I arrived in Nice. Especially since I fell into good hands with Valérie and Katia, who showed me quite the opposite. Meeting them really changed my life. These two entrepreneurs put 100% of their trust in me and hired me at the agency, investing in the ‘wealth’ of having someone foreign with new ideas and a fresh perspective on the world of art direction.
Apart from Valérie and Katia, who helped me tremendously on a human level to regain my stability and recover from my post-Parisian syndrome, I spent most of my time in Old Nice meeting shopkeepers, getting to know passersby, and I always had wonderful encounters and interesting moments of sharing. People are helpful, they guide you, they like to help. Since the region welcomes thousands of tourists, the Niçois have a warm side.
People often say that the Niçois are grumpy and bad-tempered. Did you experience that? Or does Nice just seem more open and pleasant compared to Paris?
Honestly and in all honesty, no, I haven’t experienced that. And since the release of my single, this is the comment I receive most on social media – that the Niçois are unpleasant. I say it loud and clear: We sometimes attract what we are.
Apart from your family and old friends, what do you miss about Lebanon that you can’t find in Nice? The food? A certain way of living?
Without thinking too much about it and without giving ‘the ideal answer,” what I miss is my house. My kingdom that I built myself with my own hands, in which I designed the furniture, created it, and where every corner tells a story and holds a memory.
Having lived in Beirut (the Paris of the Middle East) and in Paris itself, what makes Nice unique? How does it combine the best of both worlds, or does it offer something entirely different?
Actually, Nice is a vacation and relaxation destination. And that’s what makes the difference. Even when I was working at the agency, I was in vacation mode. I don’t know how to explain it. But the fact of always having tourists around, people strolling, people at the beach even in autumn – it’s still the vacation mood.
You said your creativity came back to life in Nice “slowly, slowly.” What in this city specifically nourished this artistic awakening? The stability of your job and friendship with Valérie and Katia, the pace of life, the beauty, the freedom?
The fact that I bought a car changed a lot in my feeling of being free. I couldn’t stand the Parisian metros anymore. Financial stability also played a big role since in Paris I was living below the poverty threshold (being a student without significant income). Meeting V and K, my work colleagues, other friends in Nice and Lucéram, I felt that I had a family again, people who worry about me, who think of me. I was no longer a number with a metro pass.
Do you remember the precise moment when you felt this creative energy return to you in Nice?
It’s a bit paradoxical, but here’s the story. The first two years served as a healing catharsis for me to get back on my feet, not as creative energy. But it was after these two years, when I left my job and was about to create my own design and communication company, that I realized all the effort I wanted to put into this business. And I said NO. All this energy I want to put into my music, into my career. And BAM! I felt like I had lost two years of my life. And I understood that I had deviated from my path and that my goal was not just to find stability and make a living. No, it was to continue walking toward my goal: to be an international singer.
The Mediterranean appears as a guiding thread in your journey, from Beirut to Nice. How does the sea inspire or anchor your creativity?
It happened that around the age of 20, I became interested in the sea. This mystery impressed me. I contemplated how the waves never stop, how the sea is always in motion, and I draw from there my strength and energy to persevere and never stop.
Coming from a city that is no stranger to violence do you sometimes think about the 2016 terrorist attack in Nice, and do you draw comparisons with your hometown?
A lot. No need to say more. I’m the first to be present during the July 14th commemoration even though I wasn’t in Nice on that fateful night and didn’t experience it. But this same moment of respect and tribute to the victims is of the same magnitude for all the victims in my country and around the world. We’re all concerned. Now that Nice is my city, the attack moves me even more.
What are the small daily moments in Nice that fill your heart? A particular café, a sunset on the Prom’, the morning light on the buildings?
First, I don’t drink coffee! Hahaha. The cannon firing at noon in Nice is the worst thing that can happen to me – it daily reminds me of my experiences filled with bombing and war in Lebanon.
On the other hand, my cherished little moments are getting an ice cream at Fenocchio’s, lying on the pebbles at night contemplating the sky, sitting in the evening in my spot next to the I LOVE NICE sign contemplating the sea, walking on the Prom.
Do you have a “go-to” place in Nice that appeals to you more than others?
Prom, Prom, Prom, and then the Prom. The people, the energy, the skateboarding, the jogging, the artists, the children, the bikes… phew, it’s life!
When you were writing “I Love Nice,” what specific images, feelings, or experiences inspired you?
It happened while I was sitting next to the I LOVE NICE sculpture. And I read the phrase slowly and realized that I really love Nice. And in less than an hour, it was written!
The places that appear in your video – are they among your favorite places?
Yessssssssss. I also love the Tête Carrée but there’s currently ongoing construction around it.
When you wrote this song, did you feel it was going to be a hit, or did its success rather surprise you?
I didn’t expect to take off like that, not at all, lol. Today when I see everything that’s happening to me thanks to ‘I Love Nice,’ I tell myself it’s crazy. Sure, I put a lot of thought and effort into releasing it and shooting the video, etc. But I always put the same effort, even more, during my career. But this time I’m surprised!
Tell us a bit about your collaboration with rapper Hedi on this track.
I discovered Hedi, this young rapper, one winter evening at the bar Les Folies d’Edmonde’s during an open mic. I must say that rap didn’t interest me at all. I emphasize: NOT AT ALL. Because I come from an old-school (classical) background where melody and chords are very important. But this guy overwhelmed me that night during his performance and made me change my opinion in a second. His performance was so charged with emotions that he pierced many hearts with his words, and I understood at that instant what rap is. So I followed him on social media and kept in mind that if one day I wanted to do a collaboration, I would contact him again. (I should mention that when I composed ‘I Love Nice,’ I hadn’t thought of rap at the beginning.)
What did he bring to your vision of Nice? How did your two universes blend?
He brought a lot of youth and freshness to the song. He also reminded me of myself as a young artist who wanted to express himself and break through, and I wanted to extend the helping hand that was never extended to me, to help him grow even just a little bit faster.
Your family initially didn’t support your artistic dreams. Are they proud today of your journey and success?
Enormously. Actually, I sometimes wonder if the views I have on YouTube don’t all come from my family! For them, it’s as if there are no more artists in the world and no more songs than EDwin and ‘I Love Nice!’ (chuckles).
Do you maintain close ties even at a distance? Do you see each other from time to time?
Yes, I maintain my ties with all my family, all my friends, and even all my Lebanese fans. It’s my past and it’s thanks to them that I’m here. I try to see my parents once or twice a year, even though I would have liked nothing to separate us and to see them daily like in the past. But well, it’s the destiny of the emigrant, the “curse” of being Lebanese … or rather of being a dreamer.
Nice has given you back your artistic voice. How do you want to give back to this city that welcomed you?
I think I’ve already given back a little to my city with this return to the music scene, with my biggest success so far, with this title dedicated to Nice… but this is just the beginning 😉
What do you hope people discover about Nice through your music?
What Nice really is.
You are a very versatile artist who can go from pop to musical or even Arabic ballads in a flash. What are your projects after this success? An album? A tour? New collaborators?
I’ve composed fifteen songs that I’d like to release as an album. I’m looking for a label, or rather I’d say in an attitude of ‘look at me, I’m here! Believe in me!’ While waiting for the moment when I sign with a label, I’ll continue to compose and release songs. What’s next is my second single, which will see the light in September, titled ‘La Dolce Vita’ and for which I’ve just shot the video.
After “I Love Nice,” what scene do you most aspire to conquer?
I have one goal and one goal only: EUROVISION.
Emotionally, Nice represents home, healing, and the promise for an artistic future. What is your greatest takeaway from this journey of the past five years?
The promise of a future as an artist, yes. But also the lesson learned to never give up my dream again, to believe in myself again, and to never let anyone put me down again.
In Nice, EDwin found the space to untangle the weight of years, to move without expectation, and to let his instincts lead him. The city offered textures and rhythms he had never noticed before: the hum of the Prom, sunlight tilting across rooftops, the hidden corners where music seemed to linger in the air. Here, living became inseparable from creating, and the Mediterranean’s presence became a quiet guide.
Eurovision remains a dream on the horizon, a stage he aspires to reach one day. Each note carries the patience he has learned, the conversations he has had with the sea, and the lessons of resilience from a life that has tested him at every turn. He no longer sings only for applause or recognition; he sings to translate his journey into sound, to make visible the life that shaped him into the artist he is becoming.
I Love Nice is EDwin’s declaration to the city that restored him. It celebrates the laughter, the light, the everyday moments that sparked his creativity, and the clarity he found after hardship. It is a tribute to simple pleasures and human kindness, and to someone who has faced displacement, loss, and discouragement yet remains strong and positive. Every chord and lyric affirms that some cities, and some moments, can transform a life – giving an artist not only a voice but the courage to keep dreaming.
Follow EDwin on social media:
YouTube | Instagram | TikTok | Spotify | Apple Music | Soundcloud
Download the lyrics to I LOVE NICE – French | English
All photos courtesy EDwin, unless otherwise credited
Please share on your social channels
Leave a Reply