What inspires your sound?

What I do—and how I feel during creation—has everything to do with how I channel my environment, how I build my world, and how I present my art sonically, visually, lyrically, and emotionally. What inspires me is innovation. It’s combining things that have never been combined before. It’s staying in a 12-year old’s mindset—where everything is possible.

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It’s also about collaborating—being around different people with different perspectives, stories, and lived experiences. 

Was there a moment growing up when you realized music was your purpose?

Absolutely. I’m an only child, so a lot of my childhood was spent entertaining myself—finding ways to talk to myself and find meaning without my parents being there. Music became how I understood the world. By listening, emulating, learning—and taking other people’s music to find my own voice. It was my first real tool for communicating with other people…and with myself. I didn’t learn how to process emotions verbally—there wasn’t someone teaching me that. But music did. Like, listening to Eminem taught me how to feel a certain way. Or Nate Dogg, Linkin Park, Deadmau5, Teddy Pendergrass…all of it.

How did leaving L.A. after the wildfires influence writing your new album, Black Midas?

When you’re in motion—especially in survival mode—you have limited time and limited choices. You have to trust your instincts. So on this record, I didn’t overthink. Not many takes, not many revisions—just intuition.

Is it fair to say you’ve returned to your dance roots?

I’m returning to what I naturally do best—bringing soul into dance music. After everything I’ve explored, it feels like the right moment. Dance music needs something more than just the synthetic.

What do you want people to feel from your music?

Confident, but emotionally connected. My music lets you turn up, but also go inward. It’s about feeling something deeply, while sharing that moment with thousands of others.

You’ve been working on a new apparel line, couched as “elevated ravewear.”

Yeah, the NIGHTDAY fashion collection. We pushed merch forward before: better quality, better design. Now it’s full fashion.

What’s next?

Touring Black Midas, bringing it to life on dance floors. Then introducing new collaborators, expanding the world. Eventually bringing back the band, combining live and electronic in a way people haven’t seen before.

To see our running list of the top 100 greatest rock stars of all time, click here.