Making their names known through North America, XtraKyd and F51 is a Toronto-based duo making contagious electronic-pop music together. They both bring years of music knowledge and experience to the table. As part of the Ultra Music staple of songwriters, F51 has penned songs for artists including Flo Rida, Benny Benassi, ATB & Marc Benjamin. XtraKyd has also made a substantial mark on the Canadian music industry with his authentic new sound and chemistry with music. Their first single “CABO” was received well by fans worldwide and garnered nothing but success for the up and coming duo. Now back with a brand new second single titled “DRIVE”, XtraKyd and F51 show no signs of slowing down.
“DIVE” was the outcome of a writing session with another Canadian pop music favorite, BRDGS. He lent his amazingly empathetic vocal styling to the demo, and the sound stuck. The song features infectious pop hooks, stunning vocals, and slick production. Groundbreaking and experimental, XtraKyd and F51 are not afraid of the unique. Among this, the melody, lyricism, and the leading voice all draw your focus well. Your attention is on the storyline initially, this deeply personal and honest offering of experience and difficulty. By the time the hook hits you’re completely locked in. At just over three minutes long, the further you get into this session, the more “DIVE” seems to connect. The track is not only relatable and compelling, but it hits hard and truly showcases production and musicianship at its finest. As artists, XtraKyd and F51 bring an important touch of realness to music. “DIVE” is a well written and interesting piece of music. We’re looking forward to hearing more!
Listen to “DIVE” here and read more with XtraKyd and F51 below!
Hello XtraKyd and F51! We're so excited to be featuring you and your latest release "DIVE" on BuzzMusic! What is the music scene like in your area of Toronto?
Toronto has an amazing music scene! It's super diverse and there are loads of talented people to connect with. It is the home for all the major music labels and publishers in Canada and a few of the best studios in North America. In the past few years, we have lost some landmark venues and clubs, but others are still going strong and of course, new venues and events pop up as well. Toronto is also home to a number of great annual music industry events and conferences as well as most of the music industry associations' headquarters. A few huge artists (including Drake) have really put international eyes on the city, which has is really great for the credibility of our artists, producers, and writers. We have both traveled extensively in Canada (and outside) in our careers, writing and producing, and we have seen the struggles of trying to cut out a career in smaller markets... it's tough. We consider ourselves very lucky to call Toronto home.
Can you tell us more about yourselves, your approach to music and how you originally linked up?
We both have been around for a while, F51 as a songwriter (signed to Ultra Music Publishing) and Xtrakyd writing, producing & mixing for loads of indie and major label artists. After many years of knowing each other "by reputation", we ended up getting booked into a writing session together and found out we were neighbors. We literally live less than 1 km apart. BRDGS was the artist that brought us together in that session. He was a mutual friend of both of us and we had both worked with him multiple times. We actually landed a cut out of that session that was released by Warner Music in Europe.
After that session, geography made collaborating very simple. I (Xtrakyd) had the idea for a while that I wanted to create a project-based around positive, fun, upbeat music. I always prefer working with collaborators, so I asked F51 to try a co-write with me. We wrote the first song for the project, "CABO", which feature a great local indie artist named Alexandra Hawse. We released the song, mostly as an experiment, and with essentially no budget or promotion it got several thousand spins. That was enough to make us feel that the project was worth pursuing further. So we hit BRDGS up, told him our plan and asked him to co-write for #XKF51 and we came up with our latest single, DIVE.
What predominant message was integrated within "DIVE" that you hope your listeners take away from it?
For the XtraKyd brand, it is really important that music be positive. As writers, we are often tasked with writing music that is dark, ironic, sarcastic, moody or steeped in swagger or attitude. Don't get us wrong... we LOVE making and listening to music in that direction. But that's not what the XtraKyd brand is about. For this project we just want the messaging to be straight up "feel-good" topics. DIVE is about diving into a relationship, being okay with falling for someone, following your heart instead of your head. We are all really emotionally honest guys that wear our hearts on our sleeves. I think those are important quality for songwriters.
The vocals in "DIVE" are so unique! Have you collaborated with BRDGS before?
YES! We have both collaborated many times with BRDGS both together and separately. We both feel he is always one song away from being a superstar. His songwriting is exceptional and we absolutely love his vocal delivery... it's special, world-class.
Thank you so much for talking with us about your single and creative process. Can you describe how your performances feel? Do you enjoy live shows, or do you prefer the actual songwriting process? Also, any live shows coming up in the near future?!
We are songwriting and studio guys. F51 does do the odd DJ gig and the plan is to eventually have him front the live shows. XtraKyd's home is in the studio, my stage & touring days are in the past. However, I have to say, I am super excited about the idea of seeing F51 rep our music on stage in the near future. I will be his biggest fan!
Be sure to check out F51's Instagram here, as well as XtraKyd's Instagram here for latest updates on the artists' music!