UK cinematic bass duo Koven have released their long-anticipated collaboration with US electronic artist HALIENE, unveiling their new single ‘Orbit’. The track made an immediate impact on release day, named Jack Saunders’ Hottest Record on BBC Radio 1, earning daytime rotation on the station and surging straight into the Shazam UK Dance Chart in its first week.
Appearing on Jack Saunders’ show, Koven spoke about the excitement of joining forces with HALIENE for the first time:
“She is an absolutely incredible vocalist, songwriter. I’ve been following her for a long time, she’s been following Koven for a long time, never thought we’d work together as this is her first venture into Drum & Bass… She approached us with a track she had written at 174, which we all know is Drum & Bass, and asked if we wanted to jump on it, write a second verse together, get Max on production and turn it into a Drum & Bass track. You never know what two voices are going to sound like together until you try it, and we hoped it might sound nice, then we did it and we were like, ‘oh this actually sounds really nice.’”
On what the blend of two vocal identities brought to the record, Koven added:
“I think it just makes it feel even more like storytelling, like we’re singing back and forth to each other. We have very different voices that complement each other, so it adds an extra element of power as well. And it just sounds… nice! It sounds good on the ear.”
Koven are fresh from one of the biggest years of their career so far. Their second studio album ‘Moments In Everglow’ landed in April, generating 11 million streams on Spotify alone and scoring another BBC Radio 1 Hottest Record with ‘The High We Seek’ which has achieved over 40 plays across the station to date. The duo also featured with BBC Radio 1’s Charlie Tee for 60 Second Send It and appeared in the Hero’s Mix on her Drum & Bass show. Koven are currently on an extensive tour across the US, Latin America and Europe until January.
At the same time, HALIENE is rapidly solidifying her status as one of electronic music’s most iconic vocal forces. Her collaboration with ILLENIUM on ‘Fallen Embers’ earned a GRAMMY nomination, while ‘Rush Over Me’, her now-legendary link-up with ILLENIUM, Seven Lions and Said The Sky, continues to soar with over 62M streams. She followed this with her cover of ‘Bring Me To Life’ alongside Da Tweekaz, which hit #1 on Beatport’s Hard Dance chart and has since amassed 28M online streams. HALIENE is currently touring across the US until December.
Over the past few years, HALIENE has been crowned EDMA’s Female Artist of the Year (with nominees including Ellie Goulding, Anabel Englund, Charlotte de Witte, and Hayla) twice in a row, and has grown into one of the most celebrated voices in modern dance music. With nearly 1M monthly listeners, 600k+ social followers, and chart-dominating singles such as ‘Saving Light’, ‘Rush Over Me’, ‘Stars & Moon’, ‘Twilight vs Breathe’ and ‘Long Way Home’, she has become a cornerstone of the global melodic bass and trance community. Her headline shows, including The Fonda Theatre (Los Angeles) and Webster Hall (New York City), as well as festival appearances at EDC, Dreamstate, Lost Lands, Bass Canyon, Ember Shores and more, continue to reinforce her status as a magnetic live performer and a pioneering female force in EDM.
‘Orbit’ marks a milestone for both artists, with HALIENE’s first step into Drum & Bass and a meeting of two of the most recognisable vocal presences in contemporary electronic music.
Speaking about the collaboration, HALIENE shared:
“Orbit marks my first step into drum & bass, and I reached out to Katie of KOVEN because I respect her so much… her voice, her writing, her artistic fire. I love what her and Max are creating! I wanted us to build something new together, something neither of us had heard before. You almost never get two singing women in dance music sharing a duet like this, bridging genres and oceans and creating a sound that feels completely its own. I’m truly in love with what we made, and I can’t wait for everyone to experience it.
‘Orbit’ was written about the one thing or person you can’t escape, the force you keep circling no matter how far you try to run. Caught between love and pain, you know you can’t let it go… but part of you doesn’t want to. For me, that’s music. Art gives me life, even when the industry wears me down. And it’s the love of creating, and love for my fans, that always pulls me back into its orbit.”
With immediate radio support, strong streaming momentum and global touring from both acts, ‘Orbit’ is primed to become one of the definitive Drum & Bass crossover singles closing out the year.