Few artists in dance music blend emotion and energy quite like Gryffin. Known for his signature mix of electronic production and live instrumentation, he’s built a loyal global fanbase through soaring melodies, immersive performances, and a sound that sits at the intersection of festival anthems and heartfelt songwriting. He did exactly that at Ultra Miami, and we had the pleasure of chatting with him following his performance. From his ILLENIUM collaboration to his set almost being cancelled, we touch on a lot of aspects of his world. Dive in below.
You played Ultra Miami today, and there were a few issues with rain and flooding and ultimately your set being pushed back. What does this look like behind the scenes as an artist?
Honestly, it’s extremely stressful, especially something like Ultra. You plan weeks ahead of time. You have a lot of new music that you want to play, you and your team have worked so hard on the set. So when you look outside and see torrential downpour in Miami – it’s terrifying in the moment because also when it comes to Miami, usually the rain comes and goes, and today it just lingered for hours and hours. It was flooding everywhere. So it was really stressful and I’m texting, I’m texting Martin [Garrix] – trying to figure out what is happening, we’re talking about the set times and we don’t even know if we’re going to play. But thankfully, it all worked out. You can’t help but be stressed because you want to get out there, you want to perform and do well, but at the same time, it’s out of your control. You have to roll with the punches no matter what.
I got word as I was driving to site; “it’s a go, your set time’s pushed an hour, curfew has been pushed an hour”. Only then did I start breathing a sigh of relief. And then I started getting nervous, thinking ”alright, well, now the sets actually happening. Now I got to kill it”. It’s always stressful in the moment, but I’m glad it all worked out for sure.
Your sound is distinct for its fusion of melodic elements and electronic production. How do you approach blending organic instruments like guitar and piano with electronic beats in your tracks?
I wouldn’t say it’s a challenge necessarily, but it’s something that I like to have always be a unique part of my music. I just grew up playing the piano as a kid and also playing the guitar since I was 12 years old – so I’ve always been really musically inclined. I discovered and fell in love with electronic music a little bit later in my life, as I got to university. It’s interesting because I was able to take my childhood background playing piano and guitar and translate that into the electronic world.
When I’m writing in the studio with writers, making the music, it usually starts with the piano and guitar. It’s actually pretty easy to incorporate those into the shows. It starts there and then it’s about electrifying, creating drops around it. It starts pretty organically in the beginning.
What track or collaboration are you most proud of?
For EDM collabs recently, the Armin van Buuren one was one of my favourites, just because Armin is one of the guys I look up to most in the industry. I really admire his longevity, the fact that he’s been like a king in the scene for so long and he’s still on top. Even more than that, we wrote that song in the same room together with other writers, all in the same day. I’m not calling out anybody, but not everybody makes their music in dance music. I can’t say enough good things about him. He’s an amazing producer, great ear for melody, songwriting, everything. You never know how a session’s going to go when you meet someone for the first time, but he’s the real deal. Super impressive.
But in terms of my whole catalog, the ILLENIUM collab was a big one too. We were both coming up at the same time, and it was such a fun period. That track taking off really meant a lot.
Speaking of, your collaboration with ILLENIUM and Daya; it’s one of your biggest tracks, how did that come to be, so early in the Gryffin project?
It was interesting because Daya had just hopped on the Chainsmokers’ record ‘Don’t Let Me Down’ and I knew her from her other discography too – she’s an incredible voice. My management got sent ‘Feel Good’, which was originally a ballad. It was just her on the piano and it was incredible. It’s like one of the best songs I’ve ever heard as a demo – it blew my mind. I wasn’t exactly sure where I wanted to take it, and I ended up having a show in Denver, literally at the time I got sent that song. I thought maybe Nick (ILLENIUM), whom I had been following for a while, would want to jump in on the track with me. I sent it to him. He’s said “dude, this is amazing – come to my house in Denver and let’s work on it”. It was just perfect timing. I was there in Denver. He was there in Denver, so I went to his house and we started working on the record and there was instant magic. We were so pumped in the studio making the record and it just kind of happened like that. It’s cool to see how both of our careers really went after that record and it still has the staying power after all these years.
It’s funny because at the time, I wanted the label I was with to push it to radio because that whole sound was getting really big and then they didn’t end up doing that. Looking back on it, I’m kind of glad that that never happened because it didn’t get oversaturated and overexposed and it just kind of became… a culture’s hit. So it’s lasted over the years where it’s not just “oh, it’s like a radio song”, you know? It ended up being a good thing in the long term.
Depending on the type of show, your sets differ – how do you approach the show and choose which songs to play?
Yeah, for Ultra, or any huge festival like this, you definitely got to bring a certain energy and vibe. Anywhere where I’m playing, I’m curating a different set for that environment. Obviously, you don’t know how it’s going to go sometimes. When I do club sets – where I have a little bit more flexibility, I’ve got folders based on the vibe. I’ve got like afters, commercial festival, headline, all these kind of folders, and I can pivot between those if I’m feeling like I need to go a certain direction. I can usually tell pretty early on during the set, but if I’m thinking ahead in terms of the environment I’m going into, especially for a festival, like Ultra or a Coachella or something like that – there’s a clear direction I want to go in and curate and it’s usually about executing that, but there are many times when I go off the fly.
How do you feel about the current state of electronic music in the US and beyond?
Honestly, I feel like it’s in a great spot. I don’t want to say it’s gone more underground necessarily, but I think it’s getting more cultural, I guess. Some of the sub-genres are really taking off, which is really exciting. Tech House obviously had a huge explosion, but techno and genres like hard house, hard techno, drum and bass, all these sub-genres are having these huge moments in the scenes, and they’re thriving. So I think it’s in a great spot.
You’re not hearing dance records on the radio as much. But I don’t think that’s an indicator at all of how the scene is doing. I actually believe the scene is really thriving and you see things like Ultra sold out this year – a lot of dance music festivals globally are selling really well because people are really excited to see electronic music and go to raves. There’s kind of a generational shift happening. Gen Z and people who are in their teens and early 20s are falling in love with dance music right now. There’s a whole new wave coming in. So I think it’s in a great spot!
You have released three albums in five years, how do you approach an album rollout in the modern streaming era?
It’s definitely challenging trying to adjust to the constantly changing climate, especially with streaming. I’m working on another album, I haven’t announced that, but I guess I can say that here… I’ll probably roll it out over a longer period instead of doing a surprise drop. I want to give each song its own lane and space. Which is the way it seems to be heading in now. It might disappoint some fans, but I really believe in this new music and want each track to have the best chance to be heard.
What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned about the business side of being an artist, from label deals to touring logistics?
Label deals? I’ve personally felt to avoid overcommitting to a label. Some artists sign huge advances that seem like a great short-term win but become long-term setbacks. I’ve always tried to stay flexible and avoid long-term commitments with releases, and that’s given me a lot of freedom in my career. In terms of team, it’s crucial to find people who genuinely believe in you and are committed to the long-term success of the project and want to stick around for the journey. Also, you never know how shits going to go. How songs will perform, how shows will be received. It’s the great unknown. There have been songs my team and I have been obsessed and we put out and it just doesn’t connect with an audience. Then sometimes you’ll put out a song and that you’re just okay with, such as the ‘Desire’ remix I put out. I didn’t even like it when I finished it, but the label said you’ve got to put this out. The diractor of the We Are Your Friends movie, said he loves the song, and knew exactly which scene in the movie he wanted to put it in. I was unsure, though, I didn’t even like it. Now it’s literally become one of the biggest songs in my entire career, which is crazy! You just don’t know how people are going to react to things, but you need to do your best and put the stuff out and see how it reacts.
You premiered a new single with Julia Church today during your Ultra set. Can you tell me about that collaboration? Is it your next release?
It’s coming this summer, I have a couple of records dropping before. We played it tonight because I believe in it so much and I love Julia. Julia is one of my favourite vocalists and writers right now, we’ve worked together before. She sent me the song last summer, and I finished it while touring in Asia. I’ve been obsessed with it ever since. It took some time to get the production right, but I finally wrapped it up a couple weeks ago and thought, “Why not play it now?” She’s an incredible artist, super talented. It’s been a fun record to do and I can’t wait to see what people think of the record! We’ll see.
Gryffin just released his new collaboration with Excision and Julia Michaels, listen below on Spotify and within his amazing Ultra Miami set.
