X Ambassadors - TOWNIE: NORTH AMERICAN TOUR

X Ambassadors are a multi-platinum trio formed by brothers Sam Nelson Harris (vocals, guitar, saxophone, bass) and Casey Harris (piano, keys) while the pair were in high school in Ithaca, New York. Later joined by Adam Levin (drums) upon moving to Brooklyn, the trio have gone on to dominate the alternative charts over the last decade.

Forming in 2009, the band exploded with the success of their debut album, VHS (2015). The Platinum-certified album provides an intimate look into the childhood of Sam and Casey, and features massive hit singles “Unsteady” and “Renegades,” which have over 1.3 billion streams on Spotify combined and led the band to a three-year world tour. VHS was followed by ORION (2019), the Belong EP (2020), The Beautiful Liar (2021) and (Eg) (2023), a series of collaborative singles featuring artists such as BRELAND, Teddy Swims & Jac Ross, Medium Build, and PAMÉ.

Most recently, the band unveiled a new song, “Deep End,” which was written for and featured in the much-anticipated movie Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. The track is just the latest contribution the band has made to major films following “Torches” (Transformers), “Great Unknown” (The Call of the Wild) and “Sucker for Pain” (Suicide Squad) among others.

Outside of X Ambassadors, Sam Nelson Harris has had an eclectic career as a songwriter and producer for artists such as D4VD, 21 Savage, Rihanna, Lizzo, Travis Scott, The Weeknd, SZA and Maren Morris. He has also collaborated with artists including Eminem, Jay-Z, Jacob Banks, K.Flay, grandson, The Knocks, Kygo, Illenium and Machine Gun Kelly. Sam has played the world’s biggest music festivals, headlined countless nationwide and world tours, celebrated a #1 song at Alternative radio and multiple songs in the Top 10. He has recently begun releasing his own solo music for the first time under the name of Sam Nelson.

Four individuals. One vision. Endless possibilities. Meet New West. The Toronto-based "collective" comprises four individual artists, namely Kala Wita, Vella, Ben Key, and Noel West. For as different as they respectively may be in terms of where they're from, how they create, and why they're here, they fit together as seamlessly as long-lost puzzle pieces. They rotate between instruments and pass around the mic, morphing in real-time across each and every song with an unabashedly warm nostalgic undercurrent. Tracing an invisible line all the way from the British Invasion to 21st century alternative R&B, they defy genre as they simultaneously define a singular style on their 2023 forthcoming full-length debut for Republic Records and much more to come.

"This isn't a traditional band," observes Noel. "Everyone in the group is an artist. It's not like one guy plays guitar and another guy plays bass in the traditional sense. We all contribute. That's why we call it a collective. I'm the only one who can't sing," he laughs.

Their origins date back to 2017. Childhood friends Noel and Ben began to collaborate with Kala. Eventually, Ben invited Vella to the fold, crystallizing the sound. Raised in the digital music ecosystem, influences spanned Elton John, The Beatles, and Rolling Stones as well as Radiohead, Frank Ocean, and hometown heroes Drake and The Weeknd. They translated a collective passion for music into countless hours writing and recording together.

"We're all speaking the same language, but we have our individual accents and tendencies," notes Kala. "The common bond is we're always searching for inspiration."

They doubled down on this search at the onset of the global pandemic. Coincidentally, the collective had just rented the same house together. Once quarantine happened, the kitchen and living room transformed into a de facto studio. "That's where we really came together as a group by living with each other," says Ben.

Their very first release "Those Eyes" hinted at the potential of their chemistry. Its lush lo-fi acoustic guitar, dreamy piano, lullaby melody, and quotable play-by-play of a relationship in full bloom instantly reacted with listeners worldwide. It initially popped off on TikTok (the guys aren't quite sure where but it's all good), and the success slowly but surely translated to streaming platforms. Between the Original and "Sped Up" version, it clocked nearly 150 million Spotify streams.

"Kala had those lyrics, and we came up with chords they felt good over," adds Ben. "The whole song was born from there. The rest is history."

"That song really brought us closer," Kala continues. "We knew what we could be at that point."

They maintained their momentum with independent singles such as "Next To You," "Call Me When You Hear This Song," "Paris," and more. 2022 saw the band sign to Republic Records as they staunchly maintained a D.I.Y. mindset with Noel producing, mixing, engineering, and mastering everything.

"The entire project is insular," affirms Noel. "We're not going to take some new direction. When we are trying new things, it happens between the four of us. There's no external influence."

In the end, New West conjure a familiar feeling through a fresh perception.

"We want you to be taken back to a place," Kala leaves off. "If you are, we're doing something right."

"It's like saying a new thing, but from an old friend rather than a stranger," Noel offers. "There's a warmth and familiarity, but we're also pushing forward at the same time."

"We're a warm hug from an old friend in new clothes," promises Kala.