Steve Aoki says fans should "expect the unexpected" with his upcoming collaboration with Fifth Harmony’s Lauren Jauregui.
The DJ-and-producer – who, in December, released ‘Just Hold On’ with One Direction’s Louis Tomlinson – has been busy in the studio with Lauren and he has been very impressed with her pop ideas.
Speaking about to Billboard about their musical hook-up, he teased: "It’s going to be something people won’t expect.
"We’re definitely working on stuff in the studio and I want to nail it. She’s one of my favourite singers, so for me it’s really exciting to work with her because I really love her ideas and we’re on the same page about so many different things that it’s going to be an exciting record that we do together … Expect the unexpected."
Steve and Louis’ tune – the 1D hunk’s debut solo single – has become a global hit, but the EDM star admits he was surprised by just how well the track did in the charts.
Steve, 39, said: "I knew it was a great song but you just don’t know. I always feel like whenever I finish a song it’s a great song but what song is really going to connect with people, there is so many different reasons why it connects with people, lyrically it’s a song everyone goes through – when you go through a hard time, just hold on and move forward in life. And I think the unexpected collaboration was pretty exciting for a lot of people … Louis’ a really creative guy who’s got a lot of ideas up his sleeve, he brings a lot to the table and he’s just a really good guy. He became a really good friend and one of my favourite collaborations."
Steve said the most unexpected thing about that collaboration was getting all the attention from the ‘Directioners’ as he’s not used to such hardcore fandom.
He said: "When we’re two guys in the studio trying to finish music, you forget about the past and what was happening … then you’re in the motion, on a moving train that’s moving so fast and it’s like how do you process – like, ‘Woah’, there’s all this happening – especially me – he’s used to all the fans because that’s his world but I was like, ‘Wow’, I couldn’t believe what was going on."
Steve – who has a new album coming out later this year – now feels as though he is an ‘adopted’ member of 1D and an honorary ‘Directioner’ thanks to ‘Just Hold On’.
He explained: "They adopted me, I’m part of their gang now, I’m accepted. It means a lot because there’s a lot of them and they all work together so well in really propping up songs and being the best street team in the world – there’s nothing stronger than all of them combined in pushing to get this song charted and it’s incredible."
Steve Aoki says ‘expect the unexpected’ with Lauren Jauregui collaboration
