Artist Spotlight- Kygo

Kyrre Gørvell-Dahll, better known by his stage name Kygo, is a Norwegian DJ, songwriter and record producer. Recently the DJ Mag top 100 DJ’s list came out which featured Kygo on the 52nd position which according to me is preposterous. An artist with kygo’s capabilities can’t be placed at such a low rating. After this was announced I went back to his music and saw how he has improved as an artist and made the tropical house genre grow from strength to strength, which baffled me as to why he was at such a low ranking. Anyway here’s me talking about one of my favorite artists in the dance music scene right now, Kygo. Kygo rose to fame from his chart topping single ‘Firestone’ after which he got a gig in tomorrowland replacing Avicii as he had to opt out due to health issues. Kygo is one of the people who is to be credited for the rise of tropical house as a mainstream genre in the electronic circuit. I heard his music for the first time when I heard a remix of a song called ‘I see fire’ by Ed Sheeran. The calmness that kygo’s song have makes me go back to his music again and again. His music is perfect to kick back with a chilled beverage and enjoy the light breeze blowing.

Here are my favorite songs from him-

• First Time ft Ellie Goulding– this song features one of the most beautiful voices in the music industry i.e Ellie Goulding. She’s a seasoned artist who’s featured on many edm bangers like Outside by Calvin Harris. This song takes you back to Kygo’s tropical roots with steel drums and synthesized flutes perfectly balanced out on a beautiful track.

• Stranger Things ft OneRepublic–  OneRepublic vocalist Ryan Tedder features heavily on the song. Tedder sings about a couple that decides to leave their boring lives behind to find adventure in the world beyond their hometown. This song has Kygo starting off with a piano which slowly builds up to  the drop with heavy drums. Tedder’s  vocal-chops form the song’s drop which give this song a unique vibe.

• This Town ft Sasha Sloan– this is a melodramatic track about breakup and moving on from your everyday life which is perfectly captured by Sasha as she sings this song beautifully. This song  has a very trap style beat and features an acoustic guitar with a set of drums giving it a different vibe from every other Kygo song that I had heard.

• Higher Love ft Whitney Houston– yes you’ve read that right! This song features vocals by the legendary Whitney Houston. Houston originally covered the track in 1990, but the song was only included on the Japanese edition of her third studio album, ‘I,m Your Baby Tonight’. It’s a very uptempo song and you’ll not be able to resist from tapping your feet and bobbing your head to the beat and the drums.

• Not Ok ft Chelsea Cutler– let me start out by saying that Chelsea Cutler has a mesmerizing voice and she captures the vibe of the song perfectly. The song is a typical Kygo style song with the synths building up to a heavy drop and this one has a bouncy drum set on it to accompany the synths.

• Stole The Show ft Parson James– Vocalist Parson James wrote the original version of the song. The song uses the a show at a theater as a metaphor for a relationship coming to an end. James has a very different voice from what Kygo is used to working it but then also he gives it a tropical treatment and the mixture makes up for a perfect cocktail.

• Firestone Ft Conrad Sewell– saving the best for the last, my favorite song by Kygo is Firestone. This is the song that took the world by a storm and made Kygo the chart topping genuis that he’s right now. The song features a simple beat and a beautiful chorus which is followed by a very calm and soothing drop which is bound to make you want to dance and shake a leg everytime you hear it.

Kygo has grown tremendously from the time he started doing remixes of song and given them a tropical vibe to now making chart topping singles and working with the biggest names in the industry. I love kygo’s music because it provides me with a sense of calmness and composure which relaxes me. Sometimes music should just do this, make you want to sit down and enjoy the intricate details of life and find beauty in the smallest things that life has to offer. If you haven’t already I’d urge you guys to sit back, take a chilled drink and enjoy a sunset with firstone playing the background and you’ll thank me later for that.

Do check out these songs, the link to each song is attached to the name of the song. If you like my music choice and want to listen to the songs that I’m listening to currently, here’s a link to my very own playlist. Do check it out.