The uncontested champions of catchy classical-infused dance smash-hits Clean Bandit are back with their latest single ‘Higher‘ featuring guest vocals by the American rapper Iann Dior. The track premiered last Friday 29 January on all digital platforms via Atlantic Records UK, fuelled with uplifting melodies and summer vibes heavily opposed to what seems to be the longest and bleakes January in decades. ‘Higher‘ follows the playful melodies and blissful melodies of the trio’s hugely popular ‘Tick Tock‘ featuring 24Goldn and Mabel from last Summer.
Shortly after the video premiere, Clean Bandit posted the following message on their socials, reminding us of glorious time of free travel and exotic holiday destinations: “We had the best time shooting this video in Jamaica last year, we wish we could be there with you allllll. Love to iann too who is so much fun to work with, you’ll see that in the video!!!”
Clean Bandit chose the perfect time to come back with ‘Higher‘ as the UK is still locked with freezing winter chills, not to mention the traditionally bleak month of January and the fast-approaching dreaded first anniversary since the first lockdown began. The electronic trio, consisting of Grace Chatto and the brothers Jack and Luke Peterson, jumps right back in their comfort zone with a well-produced upliftin dance hit driven by gentle string section and cheerful Summer melodies.
As always, the band have chosen a very suitable guest vocallist in Iann Dior who joins the endless list of brilliant collaborations such as Jess Glynn, Ellie Goulding, Luis Fonsi, Sean Paul, Anne-Marie, Zara Larsson, Louisa Johnson and many more. Clean Bandit are no strangers to chart-topping floorfillers with eight top 10 singles, including the timeless #1 dance anthems ‘Rather Be‘, ‘Rockabye‘, ‘Symphony‘ and ‘Solo‘.
Building on the momentum of ‘Tick Tock‘ that spent 19 weeks in the UK Singles Charts and became a regular radio feature, ‘Higher‘ is steadily gaining popularity with half million views on YouTube since its premiere.
The latest from @cleanbandit ft. @ianndior, a summer style banger for the cold of winter, takes us #Higher. https://t.co/slrbZx9h9a pic.twitter.com/IBu8YyMxLi
— Spotify UK & Ireland (@SpotifyUK) January 29, 2021
Born Michael Ian Olmo in Puerto Rico before moving to the USA as a child, Iann Dior is considered amongst the most promising young talents in the contemporary hip-hop scene. Successfuly blending influences from rap, R&B, trap and even punk and rock, he first rose to fame in 2019 with the singles ‘Emotions‘ and ‘Gone Girl‘. The latest team-up with Clean Bandit for ‘Higher‘ is sure to further enhance his international profile and expand his growing UK fanbase.
A very productive and meticulous singer and songwriter, Iann Dior has already released the two EPs Never Good Enough (2019) and I’m Gone (2020) as well as the critically acclaimed debut studio album Industry Plant that came out in November 2019 via WorldWide Records. The young rapper has already collaborated with contemporary genre tastemakers like Machine Gun Kelly, Travis Barker, 24Goldn, Trippie Red, Gunna and Jxdn amongst many others.
