Following years of anticipation since his debut album Escapism in 2019, GRAMMY-nominated dance music superstar Audien has unveiled his long-awaited sophomore studio album, First Love. Audien’s most personal and vulnerable journey he’s taken his fans on is now complete and features collaborations with Skylar Grey, MAKJ, ARTY, TELYKAST, Shallou, Julia Church & more. Led by standout single, “Make Me Forget” featuring American singer/songwriter superstar Skylar Grey.
“First Love is a collection of songs that helped me through the last few years of my life. It’s wild to create something that ends up healing you in the process. This album is a love letter to everyone who’s stuck with me and to my first love, dance music. I’d be nothing without you.” – Audien
Popularly known for songs like the Billboard Top 40 hit “Something Better” with Lady Antebellum and his GRAMMY-nominated remix of Bastille’s “Pompeii,” Audien has been a household name in the dance music community for over a decade, regularly selling out venues around the world. A consistent champion and now leader of the Progressive House genre, Audien established his Progressive House Never Died event brand in 2022 and has hosted many events in major venues across the country including Brooklyn Mirage and The Torch at LA Coliseum.
First Love features a blend of euphoric dancefloor energy and intimate lyricism, weaving together themes of romance, nostalgia, heartbreak, and the enduring bond Audien has always had with music itself. Across the album’s twelve tracks, listeners are taken on an emotional journey defined by soaring vocals, lush production, and Audien’s signature progressive house sound. Tied together by a shared emotional ideology rather than a linear narrative, First Love is set to capture the feelings of first love–nostalgia, with the constant juxtaposition of high highs and low lows. This is Audien’s most personal and connective work to date, rooted in his own lived experience but crafted to resonate universally. While the collection of tracks tells stories of relationships, for Audien, they are about his real first love: music.
To celebrate his sophomore album, Audien took over Times Square in New York City for a surprise concert in one of the world’s most iconic locations. Joined by thousands of fans, Audien performed a collection of fan favorite classics and new songs from First Love, all while a massive billboard of the iconic producer decorated the backdrop of the concert.
First Love is led by the new, standout single, “Make Me Forget” featuring American singer/songwriter superstar Skylar Grey, famously known for songs like “I Need A Doctor” with Dr. Dre & Eminem, “Shot Me Down” with David Guetta, and “Glorious” with Macklemore. Ahead of the album’s release, Audien shared several singles in a waterfall fashion building anticipation for the full project. First, he released “Bittersweet” (with Shallou & Rosie Darling), a soulful melodic house anthem showcasing Audien’s signature emotive soundscapes. That was followed by “One More Thing” (with ARTY & Sara Davis), another intense emotional tune about love and longing. To kick off the summer, he dropped “Slide Away” (with MAKJ & Julia Church) blending his signature emotive tones with electro-pop beats. In July, he released the dancefloor anthem “Lose It All” with Rory Hope and in August, he teamed up with Mike Wiliams and RYVM for their collaboration and one of fans’ most highly-anticipated IDs for over two years, “It’s Okay.” Most recently, Audien shared “Love Again” with American dance pop duo TELYKAST and singer Lilly Ahlberg, offering fans a glimpse into the album’s heartfelt, melodic core.
Audien is currently on tour in the US and you can see him at upcoming shows in Portland, Houston, Costa Mesa, Seattle, New York, San Bernardino, Chicago, and more. Tickets and more information can be found at www.audiendj.com.
