Sunday, September 25, 2016

Calvin Harris: 'Not Trying to Put Out an Album, Just Songs'

At the very beginning of 2016, Grammy-winning producer/DJ Calvin Harris promised fans via social media he had several new singles on the way this year, and so far ... he's delivered. Following the success of his collaboration with Rihanna "This Is What You Came For," which went #1 on charts in Australia, Canada and Ireland along with reaching multi-platinum status in five countries, Calvin released his song "Hype" with Dizzee Rascal (who he has worked with in the past). Now, the 32-year-old Scottish songwriter just released another new song "My Way," which he has been teasing all week on social media. But instead of any of the talented artists he's worked with over the years, his new song features his own vocals, something he's done before on songs like "Feels So Close" and "Summer."

Calvin opened up about his new single when he stopped by iHeartRadio HQ for an exclusive interview. He told us the meaning behind the song, what he's been up to in the studio, and what fans can expect from him for the rest of the year.

On the meaning behind the lyrics for "My Way"

"[The] song's kind of about breaking out of a situation that you thought was a good thing. Then, you're way more comfortable out of it. And it could be anything. It could be a job, or it could be a relationship. I had kind of the idea for the concept for a few years, but I didn't know how to work out how it sounded."

Over the course of his career, Calvin has worked with an impressive list of singers and producers in addition to Rihanna and Dizzee Rascal, including Ellie Goulding, Florence Welch, Ne-Yo, Gwen Stefani, Tinashe, Alesso, Haim, John Newman, Hurts, and more. But he explains that for "My Way," he chose to sing on the song because "the time [was] right." He tells us, "I like to sing on a song every two or three years, or so." He adds, "I just kind of thought it was a bit of a curve ball. I kind of like the idea of just tracking something out without a celebrity guest feature, and I think the vocal works, so why not."

If you've been paying attention to Calvin's social media, then you already know the producer has been in the studio a lot this year. But although he's spending a lot of time there, he tells us, "I've been in the studio a lot. But it doesn't necessarily mean I've been working. I just kind of mess around. Just trying to let the ideas come to me. Just trying to figure out what's going on."

Since these "ideas" are resulting in songs like "This Is What You Came For" and "My Way," we can't wait to hear what else Calvin Harris has up his sleeve. As for what fans can expect for the rest of the year, the DJ says that he's not trying to put an album together, and that he's concentrating on one song at a time.

However, the fandom can expect another collab with Big Sean. Calvin previously teamed up with Big Sean on a track called "Open Wide" from his 2014 album Motion. Now, it looks like the two have collaborated again, and we may just hear this song (hopefully) before the end of the year.

On what new music fans can expect

"This ['My Way'] is probably the last thing I'll put out this year. I did something with Big Sean for him, which he said might be out this year -- which I really hope it is, because I love that. Apart from that, that's it. One song at a time. That's my new mantra. Try to make each song as good as it can possibly be. I'm not trying to do an album. I'm just trying to do good music."

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