Budiey
New Zealand four-piece Drax Project are back with “Firefly,” a sublime new collaboration with Fetty Wap featuring Aacacia, out now. “Firefly” sees the quartet lean further into their R&B sensibilities and adopt a more mature sound, all while keeping their signature jazz licks and impeccable vibes intact. By fusing the stylings of Drax Project and Fetty Wap, “Firefly” is rich in enticing vocals, instrumentation, and iconic Fetty ad-libs, generating an intoxicating and timeless track. The track arrives alongside a visual that takes viewers on a journey through a magical bonfire party filled with a piano camp-fire, Fetty Wap apparition, love at first sight and incendiary dance moves.
Written in Los Angeles with acclaimed producers Rogét Chahayed (Travis Scott, Drake) and Imad Royal (Panic! At The Disco, The Chainsmokers), the track/video united an all-star team bringing together crew members from renowned films such as The Hobbit Trilogy, Mission Impossible, King Kong, Lord of the Rings Trilogy and more. Singing on the bridge is New Zealand singer/songwriter Aacacia, who landed on the band’s radar after winning a competition to perform “Catching Feelings” with the group at Rhythm and Vines Festival last year.
“Firefly” marks Drax Project’s first new release since the delivery of their self-titled debut album last fall. Since returning to New Zealand due to the Coronavirus pandemic, the boys of Drax Project have done some soul-searching and have honed in on utilizing their platforms for advocacy, such as breast cancer awareness and indigenous language preservation. The personal and artistic growth Drax Project has undergone is evident on “Firefly” and only scratches the surface of what’s to come from the kiwi group.
“We were finishing up a session with our good friends Rogét Chahayed and Imad Royal in Los Angeles. After a day of writing another song, we were basically walking out the door when Ben started playing the guitar line out of nowhere. We were all keen to wrap up as it was getting late, but as soon as Rogét and Imad heard the guitar line, it was all on. Rogét dropped the piano in, we started cooking the beat and within a couple of minutes Shaan had the hook “Hey little Firefly”.
A few months earlier we’d taken a trip to Long Island with a friend of ours; the sun was setting on a mint day when out of the blue, all these fireflies came out, buzzed around and basically said ‘hi’. It was crazy because none of us had ever seen them before. That experience stuck with us and probably played a big part in inspiring the song!
After listening back to the demo, we decided we wanted to add a full brass section and some other voices because we all felt the song suited a big group party vibe. We’ve loved Fetty for ages, so when he wanted to jump on we were absolutely fizzing… Even more so when he sent through the verse he wrote! We wanted to add some feminine energy too, so we asked Aacacia bring the silk to the bridge. We love working with other artists and having the three different voices in there really helped take the song to another level!”
– Drax Project
ABOUT DRAX PROJECT:
Signing to 300 Entertainment stateside as “Woke Up Late” took off everywhere, Drax Project accompanied Famous Dex on the standout single “LIGHT”. The quartet continued to wow both audiences and fellow musicians, resulting in Shaan, Matt, Sam and Ben embarking on tour in Europe. After selling out their own shows in London and Paris, the group returned to Europe alongside pop sensation Christina Aguilera on the European leg of The X Tour, supporting her in major cities such as Paris, Amsterdam, Antwerp and Berlin. As Drax Project continued to make their imprint in the US music scene, they reworked their hit single “Woke Up Late” with a feature from Hailee Steinfeld. As the single climbed to the top of the radio charts, they released a music video featuring YouTube sensation, Liza Koshy. Drax Project added to the momentum with the release of “All This Time,” an eclectic anthem with elements of jazz and pop blended perfectly with a hard saxophone drop. With rich layered harmonies, the EDM hybrid bop combines relatable lyricism and impressive vocal performances from the group. The band unveiled their debut, self-titled record in 2019, which has so far earned 15 Platinums internationally. Drax Project showcases their eclectic influences from jazz to R&B to pop and touches on themes such as love and lust, life on the road, trust and heartbreak. With sharp yet delicate production that blends classic sensibilities with a modern, shimmery touch, the guys of Drax Project are pushing pop to new heights, proving themselves to be an unstoppable musical force.
ABOUT FETTY WAP:
The New Jersey native first made his mark with diamond certified and debut single, “Trap Queen,” and was quickly catapulted to the top of the charts, earning him a number of platinum certifications, nominations and awards. Since then, Fetty has experienced success on a massive scale with “My Way,” “679,” “Again,” “Wake Up” and “RGF Island” all certified
Platinum and debut album Fetty Wap 3X Platinum. Fetty Wap made history as the first artist to simultaneously chart his inaugural four entries in the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot Rap Songs Chart. Other historic “firsts” include becoming the first artist since Eminem to land 3 songs in the Top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100 and the first artist to take 3 spots on the Shazam Global 200 Chart. From there, Fetty was nominated for 11 Billboard Music Awards (winning Top New Artist), two GRAMMY Awards and an iHeartRadio Music Award.
