Jax Jones and Calum Scott have joined forces for new high-energy dance track ‘Whistle’, which has been released today via Polydor.
The official video for ‘Whistle’ was shot in London on an old bus that Jones used to ride in Elephant & Castle, his local borough. The lives of the sundry passengers unfold as a special motion control (MoCo) camera follows them on their travels from morning until evening. Jones co-directed the video with Charlie Sarsfield (Stormzy, George Ezra).
Jones says, “2023 will be a busy year for me; Whistle is just the start. I’m pleased I get to kick things off with a collab from Calum. His vocals are outstanding and bring so much class and emotion to ‘Whistle’.
With this run of music, I’m digging into my influences from when I was young and trying to place more of myself, my life, and my inspiration into the creative. That’s why a lot of the songs sound nostalgic and why there are lots of visual nods to my early life. For example, we shot the video for ‘Whistle’ on my local buses, the 176 and the 363. I’d catch those buses nearly every day, either to my music classes or to help my mum with the shopping.
Using those routes allowed me to show my version of London, such as the multicultural aspects that influenced me musically and make up so much of who I am today. The little boy you see in the video is me. I’m travelling to my music class and I’m helping my mum with the shopping.
By showing these influences I’m exploring the idea of taking things that you grew up with and inserting yourself into them. In doing so, you’re taking ownership of those things rather than putting them on a pedestal now that you’re older.
I’m excited to share the new music I’ve written and produced. I hope you enjoy Whistle and remember it’s just the start.”
Scott says, “So happy to be collaborating with Jax on this record! I remember hearing an early demo of ‘Whistle’ and immediately wanted in with the boys to finish the song and record a vocal! Big fan of Jax as an artist but after hanging out with him and his family, I’m a big fan of him as a person too! Excited for everyone to hear ‘Whistle’!”
Jones enjoyed plenty of success if 2022 with his song “Where Did You Go?”, a collaboration with MNEK. The track was the second biggest song of 2022 at UK radio and has amassed over 450 million global streams.
Scott released his second album ‘Bridges’ last year, featuring the singles ‘Biblical’, ‘Heaven’, ‘Rise’ and ‘If You Ever Change Your Mind’. His collaboration with Lost Frequencies, ‘Where Are You Now‘, topped one billion streams.
