Alternative pop/soul outfit of Mercury continues their winning streak with the release of ‘New Highs,’ their collaborative single with prolific producer Crazy Donkey.
Incorporating elements of house and Brazilian bass effortlessly alongside Nathan Huang’s vocals, ‘New Highs’ showcases the natural instincts that have made 16-year-old Crazy Donkey one of the most exciting names to come out from China in the last 12 months.
Crazy Donkey worked on the lyrics of ‘New Highs’ with multi-platinum award-winning lyricist, Jesper Borgen, who has been responsible for writing hits from the likes of Alan Walker, Bebe Rexha and many more. Furthermore, there will be an alternate Mandarin language version of the song made available with local rapper, Kaka, on April 1 as well.
Filipino band of Mercury expressed excitement in working with the talented producer despite the difference in sonic approach. “To be able to work with him with this type of sound was a bit of a challenge but at the same time fun because of us exploring the idea,” vocalist and guitarist Nathan Huang said. “We were working remotely away from each other, but it goes to show that we can create music together no matter how far apart we were.”
Adding dimension to the track, of Mercury’s Nathan Huang explores a different sound other than the usual urban-inflected vocals. “We love the melodies that was already laid out and we just added Nathan’s ‘flavor’ to it, you can say,” said the three-piece band in an official statement.
The concept of ‘New Highs’ is all about levelling up and chasing that new “high” and experience and arrives at the perfect moment as many countries open-up globally. The content around the single is set to tie into this very concept across the course of the campaign and will include an official visual centered around the skateboarding scene, shot on location in Los Angeles, that is set for release in mid-April.
In little over three years of Mercury, has established themselves as one of the most electrifying bands to come out of the Philippines, with over 5 million streams in the market and a heralded nomination at the Awit Awards. Composed of Nathan Huang (vocals, guitars), Angelo Sison (bass), and Daniel Monong (drums), the genre-bending act has recently dropped “STRESSES,” an electronic-R&B banger that attempts to showcase an edgier production style. The band is also slated to release CHANGIN’ Vol. 2, along with their full-length album, CHANGIN’ later this year.
With remixes for the likes of Steve Aoki, Lulleaux and milet under his belt, and multiple collaborations and activations set to launch over the coming months, 2022 is shaping up to be Crazy Donkey’s biggest year yet – all before he’s even left school. To date, Crazy Donkey has over 230 million streams under his belt in China.
