Brittany-bred Julie Budet is justifiably excited about her recent coups, which include “Safari Disco Club” — her second French-language electro-pop album under the alias of Yelle — and a cover, with synth-programming partners Tepr and GrandMarnier, of Robyn’s “Who’s That Girl” for iTunes’ International Exchange program, reciprocated by Robyn’s take on the trio’s “A Cause Garcons.”
Another was a Yelle remix of Katy Perry’s “Hot N Cold,” which landed her an opening-act gig on Perry’s monthlong UK tour last month.
“It was an amazing experience, playing in front of 10,000 people every night, like — wow, this is huge,” she says.
But she’s not sure about her next act. She has toyed with the idea of tracking an all-English third disc, or returning to a more traditional Breton sound, like her famous folk-singer father Francois Budet.
“Right now, I just want to enjoy everything, so I don’t want to plan anything,” says the animated performer, who plays the Regency in San Francisco today. “For the moment, it’s really important for me to be on tour, to express myself with music. But I don’t know if we will have a third album. I want to do it, but I don’t know.”
The reason for the trepidation is that she’s caught the acting bug.
Having recently portrayed a kooky character in a short movie, what she calls “a really good experience,” she’s thinking of doing it again. Directed by Clement Michel, the French flick’s title translates to “A Whore and a Chick.”
“I played the hooker ... a girl who’s lost on the road at 6 a.m., and the only guy who stops to help is coming from a party on a bicycle, so he’s wearing a chicken costume,” Yelle says proudly.
The project came out of France’s thriving short-film culture; a TV network-commissioned a “Write for a Singer” series in which directors chose one musician and penned them an exclusive script.
“So it was a really good way to start out, because they have a real budget,” she says of the shoot. “The movie is shown on the channel several times, and then presented to the Cannes Film Festival. It was a big deal.”
Now, as “Safari” takes off, scripts are rolling in. “People have tried to cast me in more movies, but it’s been too complicated, planning-wise,” Yelle says. “So I think I have to wait for the right thing, you know? I want to film something that I can really be proud of.”
IF YOU GO
Yelle
Where: The Regency Ballroom, 1290 Sutter St., San Francisco
When: 8 p.m. today
Tickets: $22
Contact: (800) 745-3000, www.ticketmaster.com
