On the Avicii compilation album Avicii Forever, which releases today, there’s something unexpected: a new song. We speak with American vocalist Elle King about featuring on the new Avicii track “Let’s Ride Away”
There is a timelessness to Avicii’s music – an ability to get a dance floor going even seven years after his tragic passing. Now, a new compilation album, Avicii Forever, is the latest project to carry on the legacy of the late Swedish DJ. Releasing today on Universal Music, the album includes all of Avicii’s most beloved bangers including 'Wake Me Up', 'Levels' and 'Hey Brother'. There’s also something unexpected in the mix: a brand new song. Entitled 'Let’s Ride Away', the track finds Avicii’s later-career signature blend of folk and electronic coupled with an unmissable vocal performance, this time by American singer Elle King.
Photo: Robby Klein
Though King and Avicii never met in person, there is a connection between the two artists. “I love dance music but I never had the honour to meet Avicii,” says King. “Years ago, very early on in my career, he did a remix of one of my songs, which was so cool” (she’s speaking of her 2015 hit, “Where the Devil Don’t Go”). King, who is known for her signature blend of pop, blues and country and her otherworldly stunning voice, does feel a certain kinship with the late DJ and producer. “What I do know is that he really respected and honoured a lot of the co-creators that brought music to him. And he just loved songwriters, like acoustic guitar songwriters,” says King. “I felt like this was to honour him and what a freaking gift to find music that is unreleased.”
The track marks the completion of an unreleased Avicii demo, which originally featured vocals by Kacey Musgraves. When King got the call to step in on vocals, she immediately connected to the track, which speaks of longing and loneliness. Luckily, she wasn’t especially busy at the time. “I got called just to see what it would sound like if I sang on the Avicii track, and I really liked the song,” she says. “I was pregnant, and I was like, ‘I’m not doing anything, sure, I’ll come in and sing it’. And then I found out more about everything that it is tied to and what it means, and I felt really excited to be a part of it. I think it’s a great song.”
The album artwork.
When she first stepped into the studio, King attempted to mimic Musgraves’ vocals, despite the fact they “couldn’t be more different kinds of vocalists”. “I wanted to honour Avicii, and thought, ‘Do they want me to sound like her?’,” says King. Ultimately, however, she found her own voice on the song – a daunting task given that Musgraves co-wrote the track and is so well-known. “When it comes to putting your own spin on things, I tend to have a panic attack, black out, and put a lot of pressure on myself,” admits King. Recently, however, she’s found solace in a quote from none other than Walton Goggins (she’s a big The White Lotus fan). “It was Walt Goggins talking to the Schwarzenegger kid. And he asked, ‘Do you get nervous?’ And he said, ‘Of course I get nervous. But I know that I’m the man for the job’,” says King. “I think that that is so much of what it is - you have to build up your own confidence.”
As for King’s favourite Avicii song, it’s impossible to choose just one. “I do think that you have to be some kind of a genius to make all of the things that he made, all the songs, all the music, and to be so young and to have such a crazy impact on the world,” she says. "I know that he’s missed and I’m glad that I got to be a part of a song that he left for us. He’s still here with us, you know, still creating in a really beautiful way. I feel very, very honoured that that I got to sing on this song.”