With “Sirens,” 8Kays steps outside the club walls, crafting a record built for headphones, home, and the road – one that still holds its own on the dancefloor.
8Kays has never been an artist who overthinks. “I didn’t really have a specific concept in mind,” she says of the track’s earliest sketch. “I’ve noticed that some of my best ideas come when I trust the first instinct and just let things happen naturally.” That instinct led her toward something melodic and minimal, a natural continuation of the sound she’d already begun exploring on her track “DOTS.”
But “Sirens” was never meant to live only in a club. “I just wanted to create music that doesn’t feel formulaic,” 8Kays explains. “Something that could exist beyond the dancefloor, music that still carries emotion even outside of a club context. This track was inspired by the idea of making something honest and atmospheric, without chasing trends or trying to fit into a specific template. I wanted it to feel personal, cinematic, and alive on its own.”
‘I wanted to make electronic music that has a life outside of it, while still having enough energy to work when I play it in a set.‘ — 8Kays
That balance became the track’s guiding thread — music her friends could put on at home, in the car, in their headphones, without needing to be at 3 a.m. in a club, while still holding enough power for her to drop it in a set without regret.
The missing piece arrived with Kyozo’s vocal. “I made the first idea in about an hour, then heard Kyozo’s vocal on it and thought, ‘Okay, this is actually something,'” 8Kays recalls. “We synced creatively almost immediately… His vocal basically gave the track its identity.”
For Kyozo, the pull was immediate too. “The track felt super UK and mysterious to me and gave this feeling of it being bigger than itself,” he says. “I loved the space and the production so much; it really felt powerful. I felt the vocal had to feel delicate and vulnerable, almost naked.” The song arrived at a turning point in his own life, as several realizations were falling into place. “8Kays absolutely smashed the way this record moves and expands, and I’m genuinely so proud of it.”
The pair brought “Sirens” to the stage together at Hï Ibiza, closing out 8Kays’ set on her birthday. “It was the last track of my set, it was my birthday, and I allowed myself to be completely free from watching people’s reactions for once,” she says. “I was just in the moment with Kyozo. It was our first time meeting in person, and he has this incredible charisma and energy.”
Kyozo felt it too. “We had a proper moment on stage, full circle. It was really special to be able to celebrate the work together like that, and we really locked in together. 8Kays played an incredible set, built up the vibe perfectly, and to get to close it with her was such a pleasure and honour!”
With “Sirens,” 8Kays and Kyozo offer a track that moves just as freely between the club and the world outside it.