Joji and his DJ Don Krez just joined forces on “Breathe,” ahead of the 88Rising crew’s upcoming compilation album, Head in the Clouds II.
“I wanted my fans to have a song before the summer ended–one that is fun and free,” Joji said in a statement.
The comedian-turned-musician is back in his thematic comfort zone with this hypnotic track about “love, lust and missed connections,” as he speak-sings:
I can’t stop seein' your face on all these ceilings (Ceilings)
You saved me for the last time, I’m alright (I’m alright, I’m alright)
I’ll find somebody else to watch me die (Watch me die, watch me die)
Somebody I can push away and reel back in
Like the bait that I am, I am
“We started working on this track a year and a half ago,” Don Krez said. “Joji agreed to be apart of a project I was working on and ‘Breathe’ was born. I love this track because the production complements Joji in an amazing way. It’s been a long ride until the release as we worked on different versions, getting the right vocals. ‘Breathe’ is finally here."
The original Head in the Clouds was released in 2018 to accompany the media company’s LA-based music festival under the same name. Last month, the second annual Head in the Clouds festival attracted over 20,000 attendees with stages by iKON, Deb Never, and NIKI. The compilation album’s sequel, which Joji executive produced, will drop on Oct. 11.
Japanese illustrator Hajime Sorayama–who designed Aerosmith’s cover for Just Push Play–is responsible for the artwork on Head in the Clouds II. “Working with 88rising and seeing them reinterpret my work has been inspiring and refreshing,“ the artist previously said in a press release. "I love their creative energy and collaborating on new artwork specifically for their Head in the Clouds II album has been a real joy–it’s nice to see that my robots can surf.”
In June, Joji released “Sanctuary,” which hit No. 80 on the Hot 100. “It feels like a warm jug of honey poured down my back,“ Joji told Billboard about the chart debut. "The warmth made me smile.”
Read all the lyrics to “Breathe” on Genius now.
