Steve Aoki is gearing up to drop his new album, HiROQUEST: Genesis on Friday (Sept. 16), and leading up to the release, he sat down with Billboard‘s Rania Aniftos to discuss his most diverse album yet.
“The core of the album is alternative,” the global DJ and producer said of the upcoming LP. “Bringing it back to guitar and bass, and a lot of that stems from being stuck in my studio and not being on tour, jamming. I’m like, ‘Let’s hit up Taking Back Sunday for a track! Let’s hit up Mod Sun for a track!’”
On working with Mod Sun for the album’s single, “Movie Star,” which also features Global Dan, Aoki shared that the “Rich Kids Ruin Everything” artist was “one of the top people for this project.”
“I want that new energy. Mod Sun is a leader of the space. I’ve been following him so closely. When I sent him that song, I was praying. I was like, ‘He has to like the song. It’s so good,’” Aoki recalled. “He just absolutely murdered the verse. I was like, ‘I need more. I just need more of your DNA all over the song.’”
Aoki went on to rank his four Hot 100 hits from his most to least favorite. The contenders included “Waste It On Me” featuring BTS, “Just Hold On” with Louis Tomlinson, “A Light That Never Comes” with Linkin Park and “Delirious (Boneless)” with Chris Lake and Tujamo featuring Kid Ink.
See how Steve Aoki ranked his collaborations in the full interview above.
