It’s shaping up to be the summer of the sad dance ballad, with Kygo’s new tune ‘Without You’ featuring HAYLA out now. A refreshingly longer track at over four minutes, HAYLA’s bluesy singing is juxtaposed by Kygo’s signature melodic piano riffs. And while there’s not much of the Tropical House sound that launched Kygo into mainstream popularity, the uplifting progressive beats will have you belting along to the melancholy lyrics.Â
‘Without You’ gives us a taste of what’s to come from Kygo’s fifth studio album, releasing on June 21. Simply titled KYGO, the EP seems to be shaping up as a reflective of the Norwegian’s storied career, which began in 2013 after uploading his remix of Ed Sheeran’s ‘I See Fire’ and the 2014 single ‘Firestone’ featuring Conrad Sewell. 2024 has seen releases like ‘Whatever’ featuring Ava Max, which samples Shakira’s hit ‘Whenever, Wherever’ and ‘For Life’ featuring Zak Abel and Nile Rodgers.
Kygo, whose real name is Kyrre Gørvell-Dahll, became the fastest artist to reach 1 billion streams on Spotify in 2015. He released his debut album Cloud Nine in 2016 and has since collaborated with major artists like Selena Gomez and Imagine Dragons. His accessible blend of pop and tropical house music made him a pioneer of the genre and his notable achievements include being the first house music producer to perform at an Olympic closing ceremony (Rio 2016), ranking 3rd on Billboard’s Dance 100 in 2018, and consistently placing in DJ Mag’s top 100 DJs.
As the summer sun blazes on, Kygo’s latest track ‘Without You’ promises to be an anthem for the season, blending heartache with danceable beats. Listen below.
