The new single & video are available now
Global superstar, producer, and DJ Kygo joins forces with acclaimed pop artist Ava Max for their new single, “Whatever,” out now via RCA Records.
A playful take on Shakira’s multi-platinum smash hit “Whenever, Wherever,” “Whatever” starts with a rush of guitar strums and Ava’s powerhouse vocals as she reckons with the end of a relationship. As she finds the strength to move forward, the instantly iconic chorus kicks in, ushered by a flurry of synths and house-infused production.
Accompanying the single is its music video, directed by Dano Cerny (The Chainsmokers, Halsey, Elle King). Introducing the first chapter of visuals to come from Kygo this year, the “Whatever” video follows Ava Max across a desolate desert highway.
His first release of 2024, “Whatever” follows Kygo’s official remake of Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson’s legendary chart-topping song “Say Say Say” last year, as well as the release of his fourth studio album, Thrill Of The Chase, in 2022, which featured collaborations with X Ambassadors, DNCE, Lukas Graham, Gryffin, Sam Feldt, Dean Lewis, and more.
Whether behind the piano in his studio or headlining a sold-out festival, Kygo quietly reaffirms his status as a prodigious talent, forward-thinking producer, dynamic DJ, and influential global superstar. The Norwegian musician born Kyrre Gørvell-Dahll first introduced himself in 2013 and quietly became one of the most ubiquitous hitmakers in the world. Amassing 23 billion cumulative global audio and video streams by 2022, he has broken numerous streaming records. Kygo earned one of his biggest hits with the multi-platinum “It Ain’t Me” featuring Selena Gomez, going Top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and clocking over 2.9 billion streams worldwide. In 2019, Kygo unleashed “Higher Love” with Whitney Houston and generated another 1.4 billion combined streams/views worldwide and peaked at No. 1 on dance radio, in addition to leaving his imprint on a classic.
He heralded his 2020 critically acclaimed third full-length album Golden Hour with the anthems “Like It Is” featuring Zara Larsson & Tyga, “Lose Somebody” with OneRepublic, and “I’ll Wait” featuring Sasha Alex Sloan. The album has garnered over 2.5 billion streams worldwide. Following Golden Hour, Kygo released his remix of Tina Turner’s “What’s Love Got To Do With It” and Donna Summer’s “Hot Stuff” to rave reviews. After headlining Lollapalooza and Life Is Beautiful, along with sold-out headlining shows at Madison Square Garden and Oslo’s Ullevaal Stadion, this past November Kygo surprised fans with the release of his fourth album Thrill Of The Chase. The album featured notable singles including “Dancing Feet” featuring DNCE, “Woke Up In Love” with Gryffin featuring Calum Scott, and “Never Really Loved Me” featuring Dean Lewis, amassing over 900 million streams worldwide and debuting in the Top 5 on the Billboard Top Dance/Electronic Albums Chart.
With over 15.6 billion worldwide streams, an array of smash collaborations, and multiple RIAA gold and platinum certifications in the US alone, the first-generation Albanian American artist has fast proven a true pop superstar, hailed for her seismic voice, idiosyncratic high fashion mindset, and undeniable knack for cinematic, theatrical pop craft. 2018 saw Max make her explosive arrival with the blockbuster success of the RIAA four-time platinum-certified hit, “Sweet but Psycho.” Currently boasting more than 4.6 billion global streams, the track took the world by storm, spending three weeks in the top 10 on Billboard’s “Hot 100” while reaching No. 1 in more than 20 countries around the world and earning diamond certification in Brazil, France, Poland, as well as multi-platinum certification around the world.
Joined by an official video that has now garnered over 910 million views, “Sweet But Psycho” further earned Max a long string of international honors, including the 2019 MTV Europe Music Awards’ coveted Best Push Artist award, Best New Artist nominations at both the 2019 MTV Video Music Awards and the 2019 MTV Europe Music Awards, and an iHeartRadio Titanium Award marking over one billion spins in 2020 alone.
Max kept up the pace with a series of smash singles, including the RIAA gold-certified “So Am I,” “Salt,” and the platinum “My Head & My Heart,” as well as the platinum-certified title track to her acclaimed full-length debut, Heaven & Hell. The newly RIAA platinum-certified album made spectacular chart debuts around the globe, earning over 13 billion worldwide streams and gold, platinum, and multi-platinum certifications in over a dozen countries. 2021 saw Max unveil “Every Time I Cry,” joined by an official music video, co-directed by Max and Charlotte Rutherford, currently boasting over 32 million views via YouTube. What’s more, Tiësto & Ava Max’s worldwide hit anthem, “The Motto,” has proven an undeniable international blockbuster since its November 2021 release, reaching the top 5 on Billboard’s Dance/Electronic Songs’ chart while earning over 1.4 billion worldwide streams thus far. Her latest album, Diamonds & Dancefloors, includes the hit single “Million Dollar Baby,” which now boasts over 210 million global streams after garnering ten million streams and eight million music video views in just two weeks after release. Max recently released “Choose Your Fighter” from the Grammy-nominated Barbie The Album, with the track amassing over 104 million streams and counting.
