Montreal's Osheaga Music Festival line-up featured a star-studded for its first full edition in two years. Headliners Polo & Pan closed out Saturday night's festivities with an energetic pop and electro house set played to a full crowd.

Before hitting the stage, the French DJ duo sat down with MTL Blog to talk about why they love playing in Montreal, what's planned for their next hit, and where you might find them when they're in town.

"We always love coming to Montreal. A lot of our shows have a musical component, but we also speak to the crowd, so being able to talk and sing to our fans in French changes the energy of a show," said Paul Armand-Delille (aka. Polo).

"We adapt every set depending on where we are, what time of day we're playing, and who's in our audience. No two shows are the same. Some are more electronic or more instrumental to fit the vibe. Our shows aren't only about music, it's about creating a vibe," said Alexandre Grynszpan (aka. Pan).

For Osheaga, they crafted a unique multi-genre setlist to match the setting sun.

"It's our favourite time slot. We can have pop at the beginning and then go electronic as night falls. We created specific transitions for this set, so we were able to kind of rediscover all of our songs through the transitions we created," said Armand-Delille.

Pan & Polo perform on-stage at Osheaga to a packed audience.Tim Snow, Courtesy of Osheaga.

Known for their tropical-infused musical creations, Polo & Pan pull inspiration from all around the globe.

Their biggest hit "Ani Kuni," released in 2021 as part of Cyclorama, features lyrics from an Indigenous hymn that was popularized after the release of a recording by Canadian artist Madeleine Chatelard (1973) and became a well-known children's lullaby.

"Alex and I learned the song as kids and it's popular in France and Europe. We've always been connected to our childhoods and a lot of our inspiration comes from cartoons and other things from our youth. During the pandemic, that lullaby popped into our heads and it resonated with us," said Armand-Delille.

"You'll notice a playfulness in Cyclorama, so it made sense to make our own adaptation of the song for the album," added Grynszpan.

The duo said they learned a lot about the history of the song and its different translations, while making their cover. They even got in touch with a Native American association in the U.S. to give back some proceeds. Their next song will involve traveling to Oaxaca, Mexico to work with and record a children's choir.

Close-up of Polo & Pan on-stage.Tim Snow, Courtesy of Osheaga.

It was the pair's first time performing in Quebec since the onset of the pandemic. They were supposed to play Le Festif! de Baie-Saint-Paul, a music festival just north of Quebec City in late July, but a storm hit just a few minutes before they were scheduled to go on and their set got cancelled.

"It was really frustrating that that happened. My dream is to get back there to play at some point," said Grynszpan.

While in Montreal, the pair have hit up their go-to spots. Among them is the Bota-Bota waterfront spa, Foufounes Electriques bar and Le Pois Penché restaurant.

It's no surprise that the stylish Parisian bistro made such an impact on the French duo, after ranking in the top 100 Canadian restaurants according to OpenTable's 2022 list.

A smoke and light show on stage for Polo & Pan's performance.Tim Snow, Courtesy of Osheaga.

Polo & Pan are coming up on 10 years performing together. They said fans should keep an eye out for special anniversary releases coming out in 2023!