Clinton Kane: Get to know the rising star working with Martin Garrix

Phonebooks likely don’t come more star-studded than Martin Garrix’s. Since 2012, the Dutch producer has boasted collaborations with R&B legend Usher, rap star Macklemore and fellow superstar DJs like Tiesto on his array of chart-dominating tracks – utilising their flashy vocals and names to elevate his brand of EDM.

But he’s on the side of the little guy, too. Garrix has embraced young and emerging artists just as much as the big names in that timeframe. In 2017, he featured Dua Lipa pre-breakout on ‘Scared To Be Lonely’, now-pop star Bebe Rexha on ‘In The Name of Love’ and then Australian rising star, Troye Sivan for ‘There For You’. All three have gone on to have done pretty well for themselves, haven’t they? 

So who has Garrix tipped for success next time round? Clinton Kane, is the name. The rising singer-songwriter has provided his vocals for his new track ‘Drown’. Here’s some key information about Kane…

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Who is Clinton Kane?

Clinton Kane is a 20-year-old musician with Filipino-Norweigan heritage. During his childhood, Kane spent time living in Perth, Australia and the UK and has taught himself an extensive army of instruments including guitar, piano, and drums. He rose to prominence in 2016 when he started uploading covers to his YouTube channel, his first being of a James Arthur song.

Since amassing an army of fans, Kane has continued to document these heartrending diary entries in songs. Last year, he signed to Columbia Records (Tyler, The Creator, Harry Styles) and released his emotional debut EP, ‘this is what it feels like’.

What’s the song about?

Upon announcement, Garrix praised Kane’s “crazy voice” via his Twitter, and he’s not wrong. Opening with pained confessions about avoiding a negative influence (“I’ve been tryna keep my distance/but in an instant you break me down”), Kane finds himself back where he started and back in choppy water; “pull me under the way you do/tonight I wanna drown in an ocean of you”.

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What have the pair said about each other?

Martin Garrix said that Kane’s voice made the track. “He is crazy talented, and we get along very well making the studio sessions loads of fun,” he says. “I’m really happy with the end result.”

Clinton Kane said that despite writing the song from different places across the globe, it was an easy process. “It was heaps of fun writing and working with him on this track. We actually only met after the song was fully finished due to logistical issues and volcanic eruptions,” he says.

What else has Kane released?

Bloody loads. For the last three years, Kane’s been steadily uploading home-shot videos of your fav heroes straight to his YouTube channel. There’s a spindly take on Drake’s ‘Summer Games’ to dive into, or perhaps even his stripped-back versions of songs from The Weeknd, Jorja Smith and more.

But if you want something truly fresh, his latest solo single ‘So I Don’t Let Me Down’ is the perfect place to start. Upon its release, Kane said that song is about having to accept the fact that life is constantly changing – for better or worse. “I like to be in control of everything that happens and wanna be in the know,” he says about his creative process and life. The way he’s learnt to deal with it? “Cry in a corner,” he says. We hear you.

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