Earlier this year, multi-talented musician and international superstar Lay Zhang (LAY) announced the creation of the D.N.A music alliance, a collective of exceptional Chinese musicians set to take the world by storm as they create music for global audiences. Without missing a beat, the alliance has released their latest single, “Break My Heart” with LAY, Vinida Weng, and GALI, now available for streaming.
In March, the members of this fully stacked line up consisting of 7 talented artists, all of whom are wildly popular musicians based in China, released a full group project called “Cypher”. Continuing to grow in global recognition, this ensemble made their mark with a production team consisting of global hitmakers, including GRAMMY® award-winning heavyweight producers such as Murda Beatz. Led by LAY, this long-awaited next release sets the tone with a new subunit of the alliance that showcases a new distinct style.
With a flow that listeners have grown to love and expect from LAY, “Break My Heart” masterfully fuses Chinese instrumentation with a Western production bassline to create a complex, rich, and aurally engaging sound space. LAY’s breathy, feather-light vocals in the chorus sit atop a constant, heavy bass reminiscent of classic American hip-hop. GALI’s husky rap verses provide for another layer of auditory contrast against Vinida’s more lyrical bars, all the while acoustic guitar plucks and whistle tones scatter in the background. Only D.N.A., the music collective full of multi-talented artists, can make a song so simultaneously melancholic, grimy, and groovy, no doubt a new staple for dance playlists across the world.
LAY has been and continues to be a household name in Asia, and his career his been a whirlwind the last three years after joining forces with Steve Aoki and will.i.am for the 2020 hit cross-cultural collaboration Love You More, reaching #1 on the QQ Music China chart. He then released a string of hits with an album, two EP’s, cross-genre collaborations and solo singles overseas further propelling his international star power. The Chinese icon is one of the most beloved stars in the region with a loyal and highly engaged 51 million followers on Weibo and over 14.2 million followers on Instagram. As a solo artist, the entrepreneur’s career has skyrocketed to tremendous success, becoming the highest-ranked Mando-pop star on Billboard 200 chart and the first Chinese artist to enter the iTunes Top 60 in the U.S.; with his third solo album NAMANANA. Outside of music, he routinely showcases his skills for acting in TV and film roles, hosted multiple top-rated reality shows in Asia and is one of the most awarded artists in China. Now, LAY is working
with a multitude of established and emerging artists to help bring their star power overseas with this project close to his heart.
