Skaiwater has always rode his own wave. While the eclectic producer-singer reached viral peaks on TikTok with hits like “#miles” and “eyes” — collectively touting over 1.3 million videos on the platform — his come-up is neither unwarranted nor a byproduct of sneaky label promo. Rather, it’s a testament to his jaw-dropping talent — going beyond the confines of “unique” to rave all night.
Dropping his debut mixtape, rave, Nov. 11, the 21-year-old UK artist is a soul searcher at heart, showcasing a refined versatility in the dozens of self-produced singles in his arsenal. From ethereal Jersey Club fusions like “#miles” with Lil Uzi Vert to punk-rock inspired cuts like “boys don’t cry,” rave is in all parts an experimental supernova — much like skaiwater himself.
Featuring XLOVCLO, Prentiss and Lil Uzi Vert — as well as an assortment of producers like Oliver Bassil, Daniel Hartzog, Red Wins and more — Skai is imminently keen on the varying ways he translates the emotive tenderness of his seemingly tragic love life into song. With highlights like “auto,” “ihy” and “bones,” his sound is clearly driven by intuition and conveying the sentiments that he believes in, but maybe can’t find the right words for. Adding his previous self-produced track “two” to the record this past weekend, it fully rounds out Skai’s sub-genre bliss as the album’s latest single.
It feels both fleeting and transcendent, as this balance is where skai’s scholarly attention to detail in differing genres, instruments and stylings really come into play. Folk-esque guitars lead into “a lie” before EDM sounds swoop in and take over the track, before returning back to its acoustic beginnings. It’s like we get abducted by aliens mid-track — being inexplicably returned back to Earth at the start. His refined appreciation of these melodic experimentations is innately tied to Skaiwater’s soon-to-be signature sound.
To go along with the new tape, he set to embark on a number of European tour dates with superstar and close collaborator Lil Nas X later this year, as the “Long Live Montero Tour” sees the two playing in London, Paris, Barcelona, among other international hot spots.
Tearing down genre conventions and inspirations from their respective origins, and reclaiming them as his own, you’ll be hard-pressed to hear something more indicative of skaiwater’s direction. If anything, the skai is the limit for the young star — revealing that his debut tape is worth raving over.
Listen to ‘rave’ below!
