"We Looked For Stranger Things...That's Just Who We Are"

As Kygo's new album slowly leaks out one song at a time leading up to the album release on November 3rd. While it's been damn near impossible to keep up with his steady stream of releases, his collaboration with One Republic allows me to cross off a bucket list collaborations. Just the thought of Ryan Tedder and Kygo being in the same room together making music is mind numbing.

It seems merely coincidental, but releasing a song with the title of Stranger Things this weeks takes on a whole new meeting. Those expecting a spooky tropical vibe may be disappointed, but I'm in awe of the Coldplay-esque smoothness of the track. Maybe it skirts dangerously close to adult contemporary, but this is a mellow sandwich with extra chill sauce. The chopped up vocal samples sprinkled throughout make use of Tedder's all-around stellar vocals effort, accentuating the calming vibes on the beat. The releases so far haven't yet reached Cloud 9 hype, but there's plenty we haven't heard off Kids in Love yet, so I'll continue to roll through the tracks that have dripped out until Friday's release...#KidsInLove



Kygo feat One Republic - Stranger Things

"Meet Me at the Sunrise, at the Sunrise"

Another week, another new single from Kygo. This time he linked up with vocalist Jason Walker on a chill, rhythmic ballad. Sunrise gets back to the Trop House sound that Kygo used to win us all over. With every release I gain a deeper appreciation for how he's able to layer traditional piano chords with bubbly, synthesized house chords. There's a lot of craft in what he does, underscoring his unique talent. His new one has the feel of an island anthem with talk of "smoking weed and writing songs", matching the mellow vibe of the track. It's another reason to look forward to his upcoming Kids in Love album, due out next week on November 3rd. Feel free and stream the hell out of the tracks that have emerged from the album while you stay on the look out for the EP in it's entirety...#KidsInLove



Kygo feat Jason Walker - Sunrise

"Won't You Hold Me Close Tonight Like We're Kids in Love?"

Is it me or does it feel like Kygo continues to up the stakes with every new release? Looking at it from afar, the amount of styles he incorporates into his music is becoming impressive. Sure, it all starts with the piano for him, but he's gone from a Tropical House maestro to someone who has the ability to make wide range of pop anthems that will make you cry or rejoice with nostalgia.

Take for example his new one with The Night Game, Kids in Love. It has the feel of an emotional power ballad that has the ability to transport anyone listening back to high school when everything emotional was magnified. The pleading vocals of "we were kids in love and thunderous piano chords find a way to push the nostalgia to the max. It has that end of the night, close down the bar feel where everyone is trying to hit the high notes and sing along. For those of you wondering whether Kygo is getting complacent with his success, this should be the resounding NO you're looking for...#KidsInLove



Kygo feat The Night Game - Kids in Love

Videos of the Week September 29th

This week's top five was interesting in that the most noteworthy music came from late night performances. Led by Chance the Rapper who debuted a powerful new track on Colbert, late night wasn't just a source of comedy this week. Let's just say Chance had a lot on his mind and his stream of consciousness-style song was chalked full of reflection. The hook of "first world problems that people make up, have a dream and then never wake up" stuck with me and his poetic delivery was impactful. Can't wait for the finished version of the track after seeing the song debuted live. Speaking of finished tracks, Tyler, the Creator's performance on Fallon was for an album based track, but it showed a much more polished artist than I'm used to seeing. Over the years my perception of Tyler was more akin to Insane Clown Posse than Wiz Khalifa. But after seeing his more thoughtful side come across performing See You Again with Kali Uchis, I'm willing to rethink my perception of him and give Flower Boy a more dedicated listen.

Outside of late night, the internet was collectively still smitten over Kygo's new five song Stargazing EP. Would you be surprised if I told you the video was less about viewing stars and more about a kid trying to fulfill a dream of building a rocket that could launch into space? Pretty cool story, but also very sad and I won't ruin why that's the case. If you're in need of a quick laugh, the trailer for South Park's The Fractured, But Whole video game should do the trick. If you watched the Kanye gay fish episode, you'll better understand the gist of the game. Outlandish doesn't even scratch the surface on that one. And of course last, but never the worst, is the Blue Planet II: The Prequel trailer. I'm a big nature and subsequently, Blue Planet fan, so seeing that Radiohead and Hans Zimmer got together to add audio to the trailer was icing on the cake. God bless what cameras are able to capture nowadays. Never have we as humans been able to get so up close and personal with forms of life we'd never get the chance to experience if it weren't for documentaries like the one BBC puts together...#BluePlanetII

Chance the Rapper Debuts New Reggae Track on Colbert

Tyler, The Creator & Kali Uchis Perform See You Again on Fallon

Kygo feat Justin Jesso - Stargazing (Video)

South Park: Fractured, But Whole (Game Trailer)

Blue Planet II: The Prequel by Radiohead & Hans Zimmer (Trailer)

Photo Credit: BBC

"Stars Don't Disappear, They Keep Blazing"

Over the past six months Kygo has been doing his best to stay top of mind and relevant. It Ain't Me with Selena Gomez and First Time with Ellie Goulding are two of his best efforts to date, leading us all to believe he has yet to even reach his peak. That ascension continued this week with his surprise release of a new five song Stargazing EP. While the EP contains the aforementioned chart topping singles, it also features his new collabo with U2, as well as two new ones to sink our teeth into.

The title track to the EP, Stargazing, is very similar stylistically to It Ain't Me. I'll put it this way, if you like the choppy, echoing vocal style that he employed on the former, you'll dig this one just the same. Credit to Justin Jesso for being the newest talented vocalist to absolutely shine over another one of Kygo's vibrant piano beats. The new EP may not be as fulfilling as a full-length EP, but beggars can't be choosers, and two new Kygo tracks is still an amazing surprise to anyone willing to listen...#Stargazing



Kygo feat Justin Jesso - Stargazing

"I'm the Kind of Trouble That You Enjoy"

When the internet gets wind of a possible U2/Kygo collaboration, the collective anticipation level is palpable. On first mention, a heavyweight, cross-genre collaboration seems too good to be true. Lord knows I've personally written about countless "can't go wrong" collaborations that I've developed a significant amount of skepticism with these type of tracks. Would U2's contemporary rock style be able to be seamlessly translated to Tropical House? Seems like a novel mash-up of styles, but we're clearly journeying into the unknown with You're The Best Thing About Me.

After a couple listens, I gotta admit, I'm a little underwhelmed. Sure, the novelty is there with Kygo chopping up Bono's vocals throughout the track, but ultimately it's a bit too poppy for me. It's too boiler plate Top 40 for me to really want to listen to it more than a handful of times. Maybe the guitar riffs mixed with tropical vibes will resonate with you more than I, but it's ending up being a too good to be true type of collaboration for me...#YoureTheBestThingAboutMe



U2 vs Kygo - You’re The Best Thing About Me

Videos of the Week July 21st

It's impossible to sugar coat it, this was a sad week due to the loss of Linkin Park lead man Chester Bennington. It's unfortunate that we continue to lose such talented people to depression at a young age. Hopefully one day mental health is taken as serious as physical health.

Regarding videos this week, Linkin Park still let loose new visuals for Talking to Myself the day that Chester passed. The video will serve as a bittersweet bookmark in history, unfortunately. If you're in need of a boost of energy after the previous video's punch to the gut, then RL Grime and Miguel have you covered. Let's just say they brought the energy at EDC in performing Stay For It. In case you haven't gotten enough of the genius that is Kygo, I've got good news. He'll be releasing a documentary soon that will give more of an in-depth look into his life as a rising artist. If a bit of novelty is what you need, then seeing your favorite Game of Thrones characters spliced together singing Smash Mouth's All-Star will provide some much needed humor in a tough week. And last, but most interesting was a behind the scenes look at Odesza's creative process. Let's just say they do a LOT of tinkering to manipulate and bend sound to until they come up with something unique. Such a cool way they go about inventing chords...#Odesza

Linkin Park - Talking to Myself (Video)

RL Grime and Miguel Perform Stay For It at EDC

Kygo's Stole the Show Documentary Teaser

Smash Mouth's All-Star Sung by Game of Thrones Cast

Inside Odesza's Creative Process

Photo Credit: YouTube

"Just Let Me Love You When Your Heart is Tired"

When you think about it, it's kind of amazing that Kygo has found such a huge niche in EDM with his mellow, piano driven style. With the masses in EDM trending toward more tempo and more bass, he chose to slow it down and build off a masterful background as a pianist. I never thought I'd be so enthralled by watching someone perform music on the piano, but that all changed when I first watched a video of him performing a song in studio.

His latest creation is a remix of Alan Walker's Tired. The word beautiful doesn't quite do justice to the amount of emotion he's able to impart on the new version. A steady tempo serves as the heart beat of the track, as Gavin James's vocals are able to shine even brighter on Kygo's version. It's a catchy ballad made even catchier with a mellow post-drop chord progression. This one has the ability to melt the stress off a long Monday, so feel free to use it as such on your ride home today or tomorrow...#TiredRemix



Alan Walker - Tired (Kygo Remix)

"Your Dad's Black Honda Was a Maybach"

After a weekend off the grid, the GWDJ crew is back just in time for 4th of July festivities. And what better way to slide back into the daily music routine than a Gryffin remix of a Kygo track. Admittedly, I was lukewarm on the original version back in late April, but Gryffin's version is a different story. While it still has that chopped up, remix feel to it, the added tempo and dissection of Ellie's vocals as a sample worked really well. Similar to the original, the remix gets off to a quiet start as it gradually builds energy toward the subdued, Chill House drop. The gentle ebb and flow of the chords post-drop was a nice touch too. It's a rare example of an EDM heavyweight doing justice to the original, rather than trying to really hard to out perform the original. Give it added listens on Spotify or iTunes if you feel so inclined...#FirstTime



Kygo feat Ellie Goulding - First Time (Gryffin Remix)

VIdeos of the Week May 27th

Like many weeks, this one was ruled by a slew of new high profile EDM released. My personal favorite of the bunch was Odesza's Late Night video put together by some of their most adventure seeking fans. Whether it's jumping out of planes, dangling feet off of cliffs or scaling mountains, the experience they put together was pretty awesome. Nipping at the heels of #1 was Kygo and Ellie's video for their recent collabo First Time. Plenty of sorrow and memories mixed with fire and ashes, which makes for an emotional video. Rounding out the EDM videos is Martin Garrix and Troye Sivan's new one for There For You. Shot in beautiful San Francisco, they couldn't have picked a better setting for their new track. #ImBiased

Outside of EDM, it was cool to see an updated trailer for Marvel's next money pot, Spiderman: Homecoming. It's going to be hard to continue the roll the franchise, but they've got an optimized formula for making movies that has everyone eating out of the palms of their hand. And round out the top five was a hell of duet from John Legend and Gallant. If you weren't already considering seeing John in concert, you should reconsider that decision because Gallant will be joining him as the opener. Their rendition of In the Room was well worth the price of admission...#DarknessAndLight

Odesza Fan Created Video for Late Night

Kygo feat Ellie Goulding - First Time (Video)

Martin Garrix & Troye Sivan - There For you (Video)

Spiderman: Homecoming (Trailer)

John Legend & Gallant Perform Overload In the Room

Photo Credit: YouTube

"Lovers for the First Time, Running All the Red Lights"

Last week there were rumors of a Kygo and Ellie Goulding collabo. This week those rumors and for a lot of fans, wishes, came to fruition in the form of First Time. It may not have the ceiling that It Ain't Me had, but you really can't go wrong with Ellie's raspy vocals over a smooth Kygo beat. I will admit that I was sucked in more by the repeat-ability of the lyrics than the beat, which isn't normal for a Kygo track. It didn't have quite the tropical flair of past beats, but it probably didn't need to with Ellie steering the ship the right direction. Don't get me wrong, it's a solid track that's sure to make waves due to the sheer star power and novelty of the collaboration, but it's not my favorite. Maybe you'll like it me than me, but I'm on to the next one, staying optimistic that he'll find a way to navigate around anything resembling a sophomore slump...#FirstTime



Kygo feat Ellie Goulding - First Time

Videos of the Week April 28th

This week's top five hit a wide range of emotions from serious to quirky to feel good to funny. Leading the way was Kygo and Selena Gomez's video for It Ain't Me. Neither artist star in the video and to be blunt, the story it told was much deeper and sadder than I imagined when listen to the track. Maybe it's the Trop House vibe or the sultry vocals, but I did not picture that tragic of a tale.

Moving on from the sad to a much more adorable, quirky story from Cashmere Cat. Let's just say the colorful instrumental matched the odd story quite well. If you're as geeked as I am about Big Boi's re-emergence, you'll enjoy his funk filled performance of Mic Jack on Fallon. Sticking with a positive vibe was Jeremih, Chris Brown, and Big Sean's colorful, dance heavy visuals for I Think of You. You had to imagine any video with Chris Brown was going to include some dancing. And last but not least some awkward, yet always on point humor from Jon Oliver. Can't make up some of the stories he tells, which makes it even more awesome that they're usually all true...#JonOliver

Kygo feat Selena Gomez - It Ain't Me (Video)

Cashmere Cat feat MØ & Sophie - 9 (After Coachella) (Video)

Big Boi Performs Mic Jack on Late Night With Fallon

Jeremih feat Chris Brown & Big Sean - I Think of You (Video)

Jon Oliver Interview by Jimmy Fallon on the Tonight Show

Photo Credit: YouTube

"Sipping Whiskey Neat, Highest Floor, The Bowery"

Over the past week it's been one snippet and teaser after another of Kygo and Selena's new single. Today, It Ain't Me was unchained and it wrecked about as much shop as you would expect from two meteoric talents. It's a truly beautiful Trop House ballad that has everything you'd hope for in a Kygo track plus Selena's dramatic vocals. There's the piano lead in, the gentle, but addictingly rhythmic drop and that chopped up vocal sample hook that sticks with you.

After the fourth or fifth full listen, it's really hard not to gush about it. There's this painfully nostalgic undercurrent that really amplifies the emotion of the track. Something about that whiskey neat and Bowery Ballroom reference that opens up a treasure trove of memories for me at least. Sure, it's tempting to try and read between the lines to figure out if there's some subliminal shots being directed toward Selena's former loves (Bieber or Zedd), but that's not for me to speculate on. What I can speculate on is Kygo's upcoming sophomore album and how this new one and his latest release off the 50 Shades Darker Soundtrack are doing everything possible to get me pumped for it's release. If it's anywhere close to as stacked as Cloud 9, then we have a lot of great music to look forward to...#ItAintMe



Kygo feat Selena Gomez - It Ain't Me

Kygo Goes 50 Shades Darker on Cruise

It's safe to say, the majority of the female population on earth are sorely disappointed that the 50 Shades of Grey story isn't coming to fruition like it did in the series of books. The first movie received a robust 25% approval rating from critics and that somehow found a way to decrease to 10% on Fifty Shades Darker.

So what does the train wreck of a movie series have to do with music you ask? Well, if it weren't for the movies coming to life, we wouldn't have another star studded soundtrack to fawn over. In all honesty, the first soundtrack was average, but the Fifty Shades Darker is full of potential with new tracks from John Legend, Sia, The Dream, Halsey, and Tove Lo to name a few. That list of artists above doesn't even mention the one I'm most excited about, Kygo. His new one, Cruise, features some $20 bill vocals and a characteristically mellow Trop House vibe to boot. It's not going to be your favorite Kygo track by any means, but it fits in nicely with a lot of his other chill singles. At this rate, I'm really looking forward to the next 50 Shades movie because as the movies keep getting worse, the soundtracks keep getting better...https://twitter.com/hashtag/cruise?src=hash&lang=en

Kygo feat Andrew Jackson - Cruise

Starboy Goes Trop House Thanks to Kygo

It's been a minute since we've been privy to some newness from Kygo, so his new remix for The Weeknd's Starboy was a welcome surprise. It's hard to mess with the original version, but Kygo amplified the sexy by layering his piano and Trop House chords on top of the original. One thing that fell a bit flat on the remix is the edginess of the lyrics. The force and gravitas that Weeknd's vocals brought on the original weren't quite as emotion packed over the gentle chords. Nonetheless, it's an interesting take on a track that everyone seems to have fallen in love with, which gives plenty of room for it to live a second life on the remix circuit after the original eventually fizzles out...#StarboyRemix

The Weeknd feat Daft Punk - Starboy (Kygo Remix)

Videos of the Week October 7th

Out of all weeks, this was the week for awe inspiring performances. That's not to discount the two buzz worthy music videos in this week's top five, but the live acts were on point like a decimal this week. Led by Chance the Rapper's stunning all-star collabo turned reprise performance of Blessings on Fallon there was a clear pecking order of the top three live acts. Following close behind was Big K.R.I.T., dressed as a police officer, delivering an incredibly passionate spoken word performance of Kenneth Whalum's Might Not Be Ok. There have been many Black Lives Matter protests, but this one seemed to strike a chord with me and all that were watching. Rounding out the performances was everyone's favorite new pop song from The Weeknd. Performing on SNL, he truly stole the show, balancing swagger with harmony like a champ.

If you're able to sneak past the live videos, then have no fear, Kygo has you covered with his new video with Julia Michaels for Carry Me. It was good enough to close out the Olympics, so you better believe the video came correct. And in case you were living under a rock the past 24 hours, you may have missed Bruno Mars' new single. It's filled with as much dancing and funk as you'd hope for in a Bruno single. I wouldn't go as far as calling it Uptown Funk part two, but the similarities exist. Either way it's a fun watch and you'd better get used to hearing it because Top 40 radio isn't going to get tired of 24K Magic for a while...#24KMagic

Chance the Rapper Performs Blessings (Reprise) on Fallon with Anthony Hamilton, Ty Dolla $ign, Chano, Raury, and D.R.A.M

Big K.R.I.T.'s Spoken Word Performance for Black Lives Matter at BET Awards

The Weeknd Performs Starboy with Daft Punk on SNL

Kygo feat Julia Michaels - Carry Me (Video)

Bruno Mars - 24K Magic (Video)

Photo Credit: YouTube

Videos of the Week September 9th

Variety is the name of the game in this week's top five. There was some music, a cross-genre cover, a lyric video, and a premiere of a much awaited show. Normally novelty and comedy lead the way, but this past week was the Drake and Beyonce show. Let me ask you this, how many time are you going to get to see Tyra Banks shove cheesecake in Drake's face and then douse him with red wine? And how many times are you going to see Beyonce's sexy self in a frilly dress taking a baseball bat to a chevy? Yep, that's why they led the way.

Then, there was that time Usher did a live cover of The Chainsmokers Don't Let Me Down. Didn't see that coming, but it speaks to how multi-talented Mr. Raymond is and how big The Chainsmokers are now. In an effort to keep up with the new trend of creative, lower budget videos, Kygo and Julia Michaels put together a fun video for Carry Me. Picture an in-studio performance with a live orchestra and lots of fun, whimsical lyrics painted on the screen narrating the entire thing. And then there's the premiere of Donald Glover's new show Atlanta. I've posted a few trailers for the show and now y'all get the full 26 minutes in all it's glory...#Atlanta

Drake - Childs Play (feat Tyra Banks) (Video)

Beyonce - Hold Up (Video)

Usher Covers The Chainsmokers Don't Let Me Down

Kygo feat Julia Michaels - Carry Me (Lyric Video)

Atlanta Full Episode 1

Videos of the Week September 2nd

Keeping it 100, this was one of the tougher weeks to narrow down a top five videos list. That was mostly there were so many stellar performances at MTV's Video Music Awards (VMAs). There were many more performances deserving to be posted like Rihanna and Ariana Grande's, but my personal favorites were The Chainsmokers/Halsey and Britney Spears/G-Eazy. Chalked full of sexual tension and energy, there were a lot of similarities between the two that made them an entertaining watch. Can we give it up for minute for Drew of The Chainsmokers for his effort as a vocalist? At this point, it's abundantly clear that there is little the duo can't accomplish.

In the land of real music videos, Lupe Fiasco was a clear standout with his video for Pick Up the Phone. The song was already powerful, but when you add visuals to it, the story gets even more vivid. Addiction is a terrible thing and the video shows exactly why it can be such a sad story. If you've been itching for some new Kygo, I don't have anything fresh to offer except that he's got a new clothing line called Kygo Life now. For the debut of the clothing line, he put on a fifteen minute, piano only concert where he weaved in and out of many of your favorite instrumentals from his new album. I almost list my sh*t when he led off with my personal favorite, Piano Jam. And rounding out the stacked top five was a really in-depth deconstruction of Kanye's vocals by Vox. As someone who loves the in-between the lines stuff, I ate up all nine minutes worth of that. Hate on him if you will, but there's plenty of craft to what he does...#Kanye
The Chainsmokers and Halsey Perform Closer at the VMAs

Britney Spears & G-Eazy Perform Make Me Move and Me, Myself, and I at The VMAs

Lupe Fiasco - Pick Up the Phone (Video)

Kygo Performs Solo on Piano to Launch His Own Clothing Line

Kanye Deconstructed: The Human Voice as the Ultimate Instrument (by Vox)

Video Credit: YouTube

Videos of the Week May 27th

Storytelling and comedy are two words I'd use to describe this week's top five. Led by Lil Dicky's instigation session with Gronk, Antonio Brown and Von Miller, this week had it's laughs. The sad thing about that video is that I kept waiting for it to break into a music video and it never happened. Not complaining, just caught me off guard and kept me watching.

Kygo dominated the storytelling aspect of this week's top five by creating an up and down love story across two tracks. Although I'm in Love and Raging have two very different vibes, I was impressed with how well they helped augment the plot. If catchy covers and beautiful women are what you're in the mood for, you'll enjoy Pitbull and Enrique's Messin' Around video. Pitbull has flipped so many classic tracks it's getting to the point of ridiculousness, but we kept listening. And to cap off the week Fallon and Adam Sandler did an exemplary job of celebrating Fleet Week in NY with their cover of Garth's I've Got Friends in Low Places. Judging by the audience reaction, their entertaining cover might just become an armed forces anthem...#FriendsOnAllBases
Lil Dicky - Mean Guys (Video)

Kygo feat James Vincent Morrow - I'm in Love (Video)

Kygo feat Kodaline - Raging (Video)

Pitbull feat Enrique Iglesias - Messin' Around (Video)

Jimmy Fallon & Adam Sandler Sing Friends on All Bases

Photo Credit: YouTube

Kygo's Cloud Nine is All You'd Hoped For and More

After months of waiting and having the release pushed back a few times, Kygo's Cloud Nine finally landed in its entirety this week. On the full length debut, you'll find plenty of known favorites, as well as a handful of new gems. A few of my new favorites include Oasis, Happy Birthday and For What It's Worth. The first two feature world class vocals from Foxes and John Legend, so it shouldn't be a big surprise to hear that those stood out. If you've read any of my posts about Kygo, you already know how smitten I was for his original Piano Jam. It was only a matter of time before it was blessed with vocals, but I gotta admit, I wasn't blown away by how the brother/sister duo of Angus and Julia Stone's vocals meshed with the original instrumental.

In terms of ranking it with some of my favorite debut albums over the years, I won't go as far to say it's as good as Avicii's debut True. What I will say is that it will undoubtedly go down as one of the most influential debuts over time as Kygo single handedly carved his own path in a genre that is starved for originality. As decades pass, I don't see myself ever getting tired of hearing Firestone, Stay, or Stole the Show. There have been many albums that I've had high hopes for that haven't had a single track as good as the past three I mentioned, which should say a lot about how impactful the album is in its entirety. If you haven't had a chance to catch Kygo in concert, check yourself because you're missing out on a really talented artist put on an amazing show...#CloudNine