With March here, the first signs of spring are starting to show; warmer weather included and earlier this week, PopWrapped caught up with artists danny G, Knox, and Z. Smith to talk about their new collaboration, funnily enough titled “cold.”

Was “cold.” pre-conceived or did the topic sporadically come up in a writing session?

Sporadically is definitely the word. There weren’t even set plans to write that day; we just wanted to get together because we had heard of each other and loved what everyone had going on. One minute we were talking and the next we were working on lyrics and melodies.

Was your friendship built on creating music together or were you friends before collaborating?

We had met briefly a few times before then but aside from that, the night we wrote the song was really the first time we all kicked it together. It all just came together super naturally which is how the best songs are always made. From there, working and hanging just became a regular thing. 

Which bands or artists, past and present, would you say most influence each of your music? 

d: 24kGoldn, The Kid LAROI, Surfaces, Chance the Rapper and Charlie Puth. 

K: Fall Out Boy, Jeremy Zucker, Quinn XCII, All American Rejects and Lauv.

Z: I have to go with Machine Gun Kelly, Joyner Lucas, Blackbear & Iann Dior. Oh, and Tyga.

Is there a particular story behind the new track “cold.”?

Just some dudes talking about a girl.

Is there any specific idea or message you want those who hear the track to take from it?

We really just wanted to write a fun upbeat song that people could relate too and blast through the speakers. We didn’t want anything to get too deep or emotional, just wanted to make a feel-good jam and we definitely feel we accomplished that. 

Were there any other collaborators on the song – producers, writers, etc. – that you want to shout out?

Shoutout to our boy Jay Pichard for helping us write the song and a huge thanks to our producer Austin Shawn, we sent him a super rough demo and he brought the song to life and then some. The record wouldn’t be near what it is without those boys. 

How have you found the last year to be? Has the Covid pandemic and much of the world being shut down affected you negatively in any way or have you found ways to keep motivated?

d: Covid has really given me time to reflect and look inwards at who I am and what I want to accomplish. I’ve been able to grow both musically and personally, and while it’s been tough for all of us there’s also been some silver lining that I’ve found in it. 

K: Covid definitely took its toll for the first couple months because I was really looking forward to playing some shows that summer, but that being said I’m now super grateful because this past year I’ve written the best songs I ever have. 

Z: Like most people, Covid sort of changed everything I had been planning on/looking forward to. It was a bit of a tough pill to swallow at first but looking back on it, I’m pretty grateful to be where I’m at now. I’m feeling like I’m making the music I’ve always wanted to and I’m excited to share it

What’s next for each of you individually? And are there plans to collaborate together more?

d: I’ve got a few more collabs brewing and then a bunch of solo stuff coming throughout the rest of the year. This new music is my favorite I’ve made and I feel like I’m really coming into my sound and direction as an artist. Stoked for the world to hear. 

K: I’m gonna be releasing a bunch of songs this year. February saw the release of my first single, so 2021 is all about gettin’ the ball really rolling. Plans are to have an EP at the end of the year.

Z: I think “cold.” is going to be the last track I’ll solely be rapping on, at least for a little bit. I’ve found myself a lot this past year and I’m excited to use the rest of this one to show what I’ve been working on. I’ve got these guys to thank for that so, yeah I think another collaboration could 100 percent be on the cards. 

Give “cold.” a listen below and be sure to follow danny G, Knox and Z. Smith on Instagram to keep up to date with what they’re up to. Header photo credit: Alondra Flores Photography.