AVAION: Breaking Boundaries with ‘Wacuka’ and the 360° Experience
In the ever-evolving world of electronic music, few artists have managed to create such a distinctive fusion of sounds as AVAION. His track “Wacuka,” featuring Kenyan artist Sofiya Nzau, has become a global sensation, catching the attention of industry giants like Calvin Harris while bridging cultural influences with electronic beats.
In this exclusive interview, AVAION takes us behind the scenes of his creative process, discussing how the collaboration with Sofiya Nzau came together almost effortlessly, resulting in a sound that defies traditional genre classifications. He also reveals details about his ambitious “You Are Seen” tour featuring an innovative 360-degree setup that promises to deliver a more intimate and energetic experience for fans.
Your track “Wacuka” has become a massive success. What was the collaborative process like working with Sofiya Nzau and the Kenyan influence she brought to the track, and how did you maintain your signature sound while exploring these new rhythmic elements?
It was actually really easy. I was already familiar with her vocals from a previous song of hers. She had released some vocal packs online that many producers were using, and I had used them before because I’m a big fan of her voice and the Kenyan African vibe.
Her management reached out to us, saying she had some material available, and she sent me the vocal take of ‘Wacuka.’ It was perfectly recorded in one take, everything sounded good, and I immediately knew I could work with it. I think the song was finished after just two days—everything flowed naturally.
It’s a nice combination of her vocals and the emotions she puts into them, paired with the drop I created and the synthesizers that establish the overall vibe. It’s somewhere between Afro house and deep house, but also neither of those genres—it’s many styles combined. I think that’s what makes it something new and refreshing that people can connect with. You can feel melancholic listening to it, but you can also dance to it. And I appreciate the meaningful message of female empowerment that Sofiya brings to the track.”
Artists like Calvin Harris reaching out personally about “Wacuka” must have been validating. Who did you look to for inspiration when you were starting out, and how has their influence shaped your sound?
When I started out around 2012, one of my biggest influences was Tchami—he was like the godfather of deep house. He had these different sounds, and everything he did was unique—I just completely fell in love with it.
These days, I really love The Blaze, Ben Böhmer, and Elderbrook. They’re all amazing artists. I think connecting with many different people and taking small inspirations from here and there to create your own thing is the whole point of being an artist.
Your upcoming “You Are Seen” tour features a 360-degree live setup. What inspired this concept?
I wanted to take a step up from the last tour. We have bigger venues now and a different concept with me in the middle of the space. There’s a platform with lights underneath that can flash, creating more of a visual light show. In the previous tour, we only had the venue’s lighting, but this time we have a specific concept behind it. Having me in the middle with people around me makes it more intimate. It’s going to be insane—still a live show with live vocals and the same setup, but with more energy, more intimacy, and a bigger, better, sweatier experience.
You have a new track that just came out on Sony Music, ‘I Can’t Find You’. Can you share with us and the listeners the story behind the track?
It’s a collaboration with Oscar Matt, a Swedish producer. It started when he released a TikTok with a musical idea he created. People in the comments were tagging me, saying ‘AVAION could fit on this.’ After seeing my name tagged about ten times, I decided to check it out and thought, ‘That’s actually really good.’ So I messaged him to send me the stems so we could make it into a complete song. It’s really nice how it all came together—he was just a guy uploading stuff on TikTok, people thought I would be a good fit, and now we have a song coming out.
To check out the full interview head on over to the 10 Days in Dance podcast:
Recommended Comments