Los Angeles-based artist davey (David Ansari) today teams up with Naarm-based pop provocateur ASHWARYA for their collaborative single ‘HONEST’. LISTEN HERE.

Simply put, ‘HONEST’ is about taking control of your own decisions without letting anyone tell you otherwise. Finessing the gap between EDM, pop and rap, the track sonically follows a similar theme by taking a trademark of both sounds and bending it into something beyond a streamlined formula. A powerful boast of energetic “less-is-more” production, ‘HONEST’ is davey and ASHWARYA setting their own agenda and effortlessly going through their own paces. Backed by a strobing, laser-sharp beat and punchline rap vocals, ‘HONEST’ reveals something different with each listen as it extends an invitation into their own motivations and shared production approaches.

Emphasising the nature of their collaboration, davey unveils “ASHWARYA and I met for the first time, got coffee, and made HONEST all in one day. It was so off-the-cuff — we found that we had a shared taste in ultra-spartan, wabi-sabi-esque production, where minimalism is tool to maximize the effect of each element, and “less is more” is pushed to the limit. The whole recording session was a sprint, and no idea was off limits — at one point I was adjusting the drums while she was freestyling into a handheld mic on the couch, when she randomly said, “what if you sped this track up by an insane amount; like 30 bpm?” and I responded with, “what if you rapped instead of singing?” After that ‘HONEST’ was basically done in an hour, and we linked up a few months later in LA to finish it off. It’s a track that’s built for cars and clubs, and I can’t wait to see how it goes at a live show.” ASHWARYA continues, “Our collaborative process, fueled by the notion of no ideas being off limits, is where we thrive and what gives, “HONEST” its own distinctive personality.

Speaking to the inner conflict over self-assurance that often surfaces as an artist, ASHWARYA shares, “Personally, the idea of feeling secure and confident has always been something I’ve worked hard towards achieving and isn’t something that comes easy but If I’m being honest (no pun intended) this track makes me feel like I’m the shit and I think Davey can agree. I think it also reflects the witty synergy between Davey and I, and also the shared belief we have in our own abilities. I hope you feel that energy when you listen to it too.”

‘HONEST’ is a joint effort from start to finish, exemplifying their skills as producers and collaborators. Continuing davey’s momentum as one half of Vallis Alps, the trans-Atlantic electronic music duo as well as his ebullient solo project, ‘HONEST’ follows his latest run of singles that he’s been dropping each month this year including ‘2 Chant’,‘okay o.k. Ok’ and ‘8 Count’ which have garnered support from the likes of triple j, COLORS, Wonderland Magazine, Dork, The Line of Best Fit and Spotify’s Portal playlist among others.

Building on a sound explored in her 2023 EP Why’s It Gotta Hurt, ‘HONEST’ is another preview of ASHWARYA’s ability to genre hop between dark pop and rap. From supporting Dua Lipa to accumulating over 9 million streams on Spotify, ASHWARYA’s back catalogue has also seen placements in Netflix’s Heartbreak High and Gossip Girl as well as land praise internationally from BBC Radio 1, VOGUE India, Hypebeast, PAPER Magazine, Complex UK, The Guardian, Clash Magazine and more.