Friday, June 13, 2025 - Ahead of the release of his second studio album First Love, coming this September, GRAMMY-nominated artist Audien has unveiled his latest single: ‘Slide Away’, an emotional and explosive house record created in collaboration with American DJ & producer MAKJ and featuring acclaimed South African singer/songwriter Julia Church.
On ‘Slide Away’, Audien says: “We wanted this one to feel like the final page of a chapter – big and emotional, but also freeing. There’s tension in the lyrics, but the production feels like release. It’s melodic, it’s punchy and it feels like the perfect intersection of our sounds.”
“It’s an “I-love-you-but-I-need-to-chase-something-else” song – outgrowing someone but knowing greater love lies ahead,” says Julia Church. “I loved working together on this, it feels like the perfect blend of us all musically.”
“This track feels like a time machine – bringing back the rush of my first festivals, warehouse nights, and that golden era when every drop felt brand new,” adds MAKJ.
The concept behind First Love was sparked by a conversation Audien had while on tour, where he was told that his music perfectly captures the feeling of experiencing your first love: nostalgia, with the constant juxtaposition of high highs and low lows, all wrapped into one. Each of the songs center around relationships, including standout singles ‘Bittersweet’ with Shallou & Rosie Darling and ‘One More Thing’ with ARTY & Sara Davis, and are tied together by a shared emotional ideology rather than one linear narrative.
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 tell stories of romantic relationships, for Audien, they are about his real first love: music.
“‘First Love’ reflects who I am as an artist today,” says Audien. “I think there’s a void in dance music right now, and this album is my way of re-centering the focus around emotion, melody, and honest, heartfelt lyrics.”
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For more information, please contact Mimi via mimi@armadamusic.com.
American DJ, record producer, and musician; Grammy-nominated Audien hails from Mystic, Connecticut, from a musical household where his mother is a jazz aficionado. In 2008, he was introduced to electronic dance music through trance songs in video game soundtracks. Fascinated by the sound of trance, he learned to recreate songs from Armin Van Buuren's A State of Trance podcasts.
Following the release of his first single "Rise & Shine" on Ferry Corsten's Flashover Recordings, Audien continued with a string of releases on Anjunabeats, Armada Music, Spinnin’ Records, and Astralwerks. Audien has established himself as a fixture in the dance community, known for his production prowess and unique propensity for uplifting melodies.
In 2015, Audien signed to Astralwerks and released his debut EP Daydreams featuring standout "Rooms." Later in 2015 he was Grammy-nominated for Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical for his remix of Bastille’s "Pompeii." That remix became a global hit, the most played record during EDC and Coachella that year, and remains a tentpole in A-list DJ sets. That same year, his single "Insomnia" peaked at #1 on the US Dance Charts. His 2015 track "Something Better" featuring Lady A cracked the Billboard Top 40, ultimately reaching #29—his first pop chart entry—after previously going #1 on US Dance Charts.
The following years solidified Audien’s signature sound and earned support from industry veterans. Standout tracks included "Crazy Love" (feat. Deb’s Daughter), "One More Weekend" (feat. MAX), and "Hot Water," a melodic/trap hybrid with 3LAU. He collaborated with Echosmith on "Favorite Sound" and delivered official remixes for Coldplay, Halsey, Nile Rodgers, Jess Glynne, and Calvin Harris.
In September 2017, Audien released the Some Ideas EP via Astralwerks, including "Rampart" with hardstyle producer Gammer and "Message," which echoed his Anjunabeats roots.
In 2018, he returned to Anjunabeats with "Higher," followed by "Never Letting Go" with Arty. In November 2019, he released his LP Escapism, a definitive statement of his style, featuring "Reach" (feat. Jamie Hartman) and "Buzzing" (feat. Nevve).
Audien signed with Armada in 2021 and released three singles that year, including "Wish It Was You" with Cate Downey, which became the #1 Dance Radio record. In 2022, he followed with another #1 Dance Radio record, "One Last Dance" featuring Xira.
That same year, Audien launched his Progressive House Never Died brand, debuting during Miami Music Week. The initiative led to a sold-out North American tour, including a headline at the Hollywood Palladium and one of the most talked-about sets at EDC.
He followed the tour with "Drifting Away"—first featuring Joe Jury (which hit #2 on Dance Radio), and later with Jordan Grace.
In early 2023, he dropped "Antidote" with JT Roach and announced Progressive House Never Died NYC at Avant Gardner, selling 500 tickets in the first 60 seconds. He played the L.A. Memorial Coliseum in July for his debut Stay-True headline show and followed with the release of "Superhero" in the fall.
In 2024, he headlined WaMu Theater, Echostage, Brooklyn Mirage, Mission Ballroom, and more. He also collaborated with Jason Ross and Jeoff Harris, and released his first-ever drum & bass single with Fred V and OAKS. The track climbed from #32 to #15 on Spotify’s Massive Drum & Bass playlist and was featured on Run N’ Bass editorial.
As 2025 begins, Audien is preparing to release his next album and continue expanding Progressive House Never Died on an even bigger scale.
Although MAKJ has spent his career collaborating with some of today’s most talented DJs, few of his peers can claim to have entered that world only after a successful stint abroad as a race car driver. MAKJ—real name Mackenzie Johnson—grew up on California’s Central Coast before moving to China as a teenager, parlaying his childhood fondness for go-karts into an 18-month stint racing professionally. His first meaningful exposure to DJing came at the Macao nightclubs he and his teammates would frequent after races, and when he returned to the United States, he saved money working at a sandwich shop until he could buy a set of used turntables and the cheapest speakers he could find.
From there, Johnson took to YouTube, where he used video tutorials to teach himself to scratch records. He spent as many as 16 hours a day at home tinkering with music, sometimes agreeing to take a break only when his parents would politely ask for some nighttime peace and quiet.
At age 17, he landed his first gig DJing the wedding of a friend’s older sister, and he spent the next few years working his way through the region’s house party, fraternity, and wedding reception circuits. Johnson enrolled in Cal Poly but dropped out after a year and a half, moving to Los Angeles to join the Icon Collective production school. There, he learned to mix records from the late, legendary DJ AM, whom he credits as a major influence on the trajectory of his career.
By the time he arrived in Los Angeles, Johnson had already built a modest following in the Southern California DJ community thanks to the bootlegs and mashups he made and distributed from his home back in San Luis Obispo. As he learned music production, though, his practice of including his own tracks alongside his trademark mashups eventually caught the eye of Hardwell, with whom Johnson recorded “Countdown” in late 2013. Since then, Johnson has released a dozen critically-acclaimed tracks, partnering each time with different labels and artists in an effort to introduce new fan bases to his music. Notable collaborators include Lil Jon (“Let’s Get Fucked Up,” 2014); the Bassjackers (“Derp,” 2014); Andrew W.K. and Timmy Trumpet (“Party Til We Die,” 2016); Steve Aoki, Deorro and Max Styler (“Shakalaka,” 2018); and Deorro and Quintino (“Knockout,” 2018).
Johnson has played at some of the largest and most prestigious music festivals in the world, including Coachella, Voodoo, Electric Zoo, and Ultra. Although he remains passionate about performing live sets as an open-format DJ, Johnson has expanded into producing original tracks for other artists, developing a sound that goes beyond the EDM world in which he first gained recognition. His style focuses heavily on incorporating elements of hip-hop, Latin, and other musical genres, while his next major track, “Comeback,” caters to his core EDM fans.
Based in London by way of Durban, South Africa, Julia Church is a multi-platinum selling singer, songwriter, producer, notorious for her infectious melodies and distinctive soulful honey-like vocals. Julia has solidified herself as a gem in the pop and electronic world, amassing over 500M streams and writing for some of the spaces’ most respected artists and songwriters.
Julia has collaborated alongside current prominent artists like John Summit, Wilkinson, Alok, Diplo, Sub Focus and Sigma to name a handful. She has also performed on some of the worlds’ most celebrated stages such as Ultra Festival, Tomorrowland, Main Stage at SWSX 2025, Kia Forum, O2 Academy alongside Wilkinson, Red Rocks, Forest Hills Stadium, Printworks, and Outernet. Julia is also set to perform at Bonnaroo 2025 and two nights at The Brooklyn Mirage.
Julia Church is building a successful portfolio of songs for other artists, highlighting her standout songwriting prowess and showcasing her talent across genres. Recent cuts include Australian breakthrough artist grentperez, DJ Zinc, Eli & Fur, Subtronics, Dan Whitlam, Joel Corry, Hayden James and more. She has co-written and is currently working with the likes of Bebe Rexha, Rick Boardman, Sarah Blanchard, Eg White, Castle, Bea and Her Business, King Ed, Yami, Cian Ducrot and Jin Jin.
Julia has topped Billboard charts, radio airplay and club charts globally. Her breakout crossover hit ‘Go Back’ with John Summit has taken the global stage by storm, highlighted by a massive moment at the iconic Sphere in Las Vegas – and has now surpassed 100 million streams.
With over 4M monthly listeners, Julia Church continues to write and perform with some of the most recognised names in music, cementing herself as one of the highest in demand songwriters of the moment.
About Armada Music
About Armada Music
Armada Music is the biggest independent dance music label in the world. Founded by Armin van Buuren, Maykel Piron (CEO) and David Lewis, the label manages an ever-growing catalog of over 50,000 tracks built up across twenty-plus years of specialized dance music exploitation.
Representing artists such as Armin van Buuren, ARTY, D.O.D, Eelke Kleijn, Jan Blomqvist, Joris Voorn, KI/KI, Lilly Palmer, Loud Luxury, Sunnery James & Ryan Marciano, THEMBA and Yulia Niko, Armada Music amasses more than one billion streams per month, airplay on leading radio outlets such as BBC Radio 1 and Sirius XM, and top positions in the world’s most notable charts. Significant label milestones include Armin van Buuren's Grammy nomination for 'This Is What It Feels Like' and two tracks surpassing one billion streams on Spotify: Loud Luxury and Brando’s ‘Body’ and Lost Frequencies’ ‘Are You With Me’.
Across offices in Amsterdam (HQ), New York, London and Laren (NL), Armada Music offers a global appeal to its growing roster. The label has its own club, radio studio and multiple production studios, and hosts various live formats. Producer platform Armada University, which offers educational products and opportunities, shows the label’s sustained effort to nurture the next wave of talent. For more information, visit www.armadamusic.com, @armadamusic on Instagram and @armada on X.
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