Lil Louis

Marvin Louis Burns, born May 13, 1962, known by the stage name Li'l Louis (sometimes extended to Li'l Louis & the World or Li'l Louis & the Party), is a house producer and DJ from Chicago. He placed several tracks at the top of the Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart in the 1980s and 1990s, including three No. 1s.

His best-known track, “French Kiss,” spent two weeks at No. 1 on the US Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart in 1989. Instrumental at first, the track features a long passage in which the tempo gradually slows down to a stop; vocals by Shawn Christopher were later added. The track reached No. 50 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was a huge success in Europe, notably reaching No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart despite being banned on the BBC, as well as in Germany, and No. 1 in the Netherlands.

Lil Louis is cited among the musicians mentioned in Daft Punk's track “Teachers” from the album Homework (1997). In 2013, John Legend released “Made to Love,” which extensively samples his track “Video Clash,” on Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Music label.

On January 24, 2015, Louis suffered permanent hearing loss in his left ear during a soundcheck in Manchester, England, after a fog horn went off nearby.

On April 17, 2026, American singer Madonna unveiled “I Feel So Free” on iHeartRadio's Pride station, the first promotional single from her upcoming fifteenth studio album, Confessions II (2026), released two days later. Written and produced by Madonna and Stuart Price, with co-production by Arca, the track extensively samples Louis's “French Kiss” and has been described as a tribute to the producer and DJ.