“Smoke The Pain Away” Represents a New Era for Calvin Harris, Celebrating Artistic Freedom.
Is Calvin Harris experiencing a midlife crisis? Last year, the acclaimed EDM artist revealed he couldn’t envision himself DJing beyond the next decade. Now, he’s unveiled a clip of himself singing and strumming an acoustic guitar for a country music track titled “Smoke The Pain Away,” scheduled for release on Friday, March 14.
Harris, who gained fame during the EDM boom from 2010 to 2015 with crossover anthems like “We Found Love” featuring Rihanna and “Let’s Go” featuring Ne-Yo, showcases a fresh perspective on “Smoke The Pain Away.” The Scottish producer shared a snippet of his performance on Instagram, where he plays a catchy acoustic melody while expressing the challenges of tour life. However, dedicated fans might notice a resemblance between his vocals and those from his dance hits like “Feel So Close” and “Summer.”
In a follow-up Instagram post the next day, Harris confirmed the single’s release date, hinting at harmonica samples that will feature in the final version.
Calvin Harris isn’t the first EDM artist to venture into country music. Pioneers like Rednex, who released the 1994 Eurodance hit “Cotton Eye Joe,” paved the way, while the late Avicii made waves with “Wake Me Up” featuring Aloe Blacc at Ultra Music Festival in 2013. Even Diplo has explored country influences following the success of Lil Nas X’s crossover hit, “Old Town Road.”
Pre-save “Smoke The Pain Away” by Calvin Harris through Sony Music, and anticipate the full single release on Friday, March 14.
