August 19, 2026
Provided Image/Kory Aversa PR
Social media star Plumes is visiting the Philadelphia Zoo this week to play music for the animals. Above, he performs for one of the zoo's giant tortoises.
After failing to feel fulfilled playing his guitar for passersby on the subway in France, Loris Assadian took a break from busking to visit his grandmother in the countryside. He had just read an article about how cows respond to music and decided to play for them instead.
"They were super receptive, they came running to listen to me and to the music for almost an hour, and I found that connection that I was missing again," he said.
Four years later, Assadian has developed a massive social media following under the name Plumes after posting his performances at zoos and animal sanctuaries around the world. His journey led him to the Philadelphia Zoo this week.
With his camerawoman (who's also his mom) and a pink guitar, Plumes performs in animal enclosures or behind a fence and posts videos online for his millions of followers on Instagram and TikTok. He said he primarily sings tracks about love because he thinks the animals can feel the positivity of them.
He's played tunes for dangerous animals including hippos and big cats, and always speaks to the caretakers beforehand to understand each animal's traits and personality. So far in Philly, he's already sung to flamingoes, gorillas, tortoises and rats, and he's hoping to serenade fruit bats later this week.
In most cases, he thinks the performances offer the animals a chance to show their more sensitive and gentle sides with head nods or cuddles. He tries to keep neutral body language so he doesn't scare them away and just lets the animals do their thing.
"I think it's something enriching and something new that they're not used to, but also they are super curious," Plumes said. "And just like for human beings, music is a feel-good, soothing thing, and I think they feel the same."
As an artist, Plumes started drumming when he was 7 and took up guitar a few years later. He attended a school for jazz, but didn't like the competitive nature of it. Instead, he started playing at restaurants and busking, before building his social media following.
Plumes said the animal performances have changed his lifestyle. He went vegan the day he first sang for the cows, and he hopes his songs can shed some light on the impacts of meat, leather and other industries.
After years of meet-and-greets, cows are still one of his favorite animals to play for — although he said he also loves horses and big cats. His next goal is to sing for whales, and he dreams of one day collaborating with some of his favorite artists like Green Day, Mumford & Sons and the Lumineers. He's also recording his first album next week and has released three singles so far.
While he loves seeing new places — he was recently in Alaska and New Zealand — Plumes said he also enjoys returning to some of the animals he's met along the way.
"What I do love to do is visit animals that I've seen again, so that it's just not a once-in-a-lifetime thing for them," Plumes said.
