Interview with HEREN

Interview with HEREN

HEREN is an artist that needs little introduction, as the producer returns hot off the back of a number of recent club & radio cuts – with each picking up a multitude of dancefloor & airwave love along the way.

A former member of dance act YALL, his breakthrough came when the groups single ‘Hundred Miles’ became a viral hit with over 200 million streams worldwide, thanks partly to a TV campaign by fashion brand DESIGUAL, which led to a series of #1 chart positions worldwide.

A producer that’s naturally gifted, HEREN’s talents can be found across releases on world re-nowned & respected labels that include Ultra Music, Universal Music, Sony Music & Yoshitoshi. Having also previously worked with artists including Deep Dish’s Sharam & Dragonette, HEREN has repeatedly displayed raw underlying talent & in recent times, has been fully focused on developing his now trademark sound. In addition, HEREN’s work as a remixer has led to re-edits for artist tracks such as Mord Fustang ‘The Electric Dream’ & rising talent Gelab’s stirring anthem ‘Ready or Not’ – which was released on Aftercluv (Universal Music).

From ‘Here & Now’, through to the more recent ‘One Life’, HEREN’s ability to traverse seamlessly across genres has been clear to see. Securing love from a number of leading DJs, he can also count the likes of Sam Feldt, Oliver Heldens, Kaskade, Thomas Gold & Lost Frequencies as supporters to date – along with picking up a plethora of global radio love, as stations across both the northern & southern hemisphere get firmly behind his musical agenda – including the revered Kiss FM UK & SiriusXM in the US.

Fast forward to the present, HEREN now drops what is quite possibly his strongest work to date. ‘Animals (Raw Love)’ is a record that sounds in the early signs of Spring & Summer & has all the promise of a future sure-fire player. From the trademark HEREN production elements, though to the topline & vocal delivery of Bearoid – one thing’s for sure, ‘Animals (Raw Love)’ is a record that’s set to blow globally in the weeks & months ahead & is the latest chapter in HEREN’s musical journey.

INTERVIEW:

Hi HEREN! Welcome to Artist Rack, how’s it going?

Hey guys! I’m great! Thanks for having me and for your support!

What are your highlights of 2018?

So far I would say the release of my latest single “Animals (Raw Love)” which I am really happy with how it sounds and probably my performance at Daydream Festival in my hometown Barcelona, it was great to play for so many people and friends in my city.

You can listen to ‘Animals (Raw Love)’ here

Where did the inspiration behind Animals (Raw Love) come from?

I was very inspired by the sound of the 80’s for that track. That’s when all the synth craze started and you could hear a lot of electro-ish bass lines on many tracks at that time. I wanted to take a bit of that era and give it a twist with more updated and modern sounds.

How would you describe your sound?

I try to keep it interesting with every single but overall I would say it’s quite fresh and happy. I always try to go for deep and happy melodies. Some people told me my bass lines are quite recognizable. For “Animals” though I wanted to go for something a bit different, a bit more upliftings. Something that would cheer you up and at the same time motivate the listener.

Your artist name is unique sounding, can you describe where it came from?

I was living in Amsterdam a few years ago, and everywhere I went I saw HEREN written, I later found out it means “gentleman” so I decided it would be quite fun to go with it as an artistic name.

You have built quite a fan base since your YALL days, what can you say is your greatest achievement since then?

Starting a solo career is always challenging, specially after producing a track like “ Hundred Miles” who went nº1 in so many countries. I feel very lucky and thankful people have decided to follow and support me as a solo act as well. As per the greatest achievements I would say being able to still do what I love as a solo act which is produce music and perform as a DJ and also working again with Desigual on their Exotic Jeans campaign with my track “One Life”.

Can you tell us what artists are your focal influences?

Many people around me or the people I work with influence me everyday both in big and small things. I learn from them all the time. But when it comes to musical influences, electronic music is so international that it’s hard to think locally. Right now I would say Don Diablo is probably the artist that has had a bigger impact in me. I really like the way he sounds and the melodies he comes up with. His songs challenge me a lot to become a better producer.

Gigs and festivals can play a major part in the electronic music industry, can you tell us your favourite place/event you’ve played at and why?

So many places come to mind right now. Each party or festival has its own vibe and can become a great experience. If I had to pick one I would say a gig I played in Korea just for the fact it was a really crazy night and that Paris Hilton happened to be there as well haha.

Any additional plans for 2018?

Oh yeah! I am producing a lot lately, both for myself and other great artists and singers. I am planning on releasing two more singles this year, work on some remixes and also release a few tracks under my ANJ alias which I use to experiment more and provide more underground racks. This plus the gigs mean that overall my plans are basically to work, work and work a bit more!

 

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