KX5

Kx5 is an American-Canadian house duo comprised of Ryan Raddon and Joel Zimmerman. The group first formed during 2022, who have since released one studio album, seven singles, and one extended play.

History[]

Before forming Kx5, Zimmerman and Raddon had collaborated on tracks like "Move For Me", "I Remember", and "Beneath With Me". The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 prompted them to focus more on their creative endeavors, eventually leading to the formation of the group.^[1] Kx5 had a soft launch in July 2021 during Kaskade’s performance at SoFi Stadium, where deadmau5 surprised the audience with an opening set and later joined Kaskade to perform "I Remember."

Following the SoFi show, discussions began between UTA’s Gimble, Insomniac, and Live Nation about a Kx5 performance at the Coliseum. On 3 January 2022, Zimmerman, Raddon, and their managers met in Los Angeles to plan Kx5. Talks about them working together had started before the pandemic, with an offer for a back-to-back set at HARD Summer 2020, which was later shifted to EDC 2022 where they decided to debut the Kx5 live show.^[2]

However, they were still missing a lead single. Zimmerman's manager, Dean Wilson, provided him with a demo called "Escape" from UK songwriters. Even after Zimmerman tinkered with the song, he was unsure about it because it didn't align with his recent work. However, during a meeting in January 2022, Wilson played it for Raddon, who liked it. Consequently, Zimmerman shared parts of the song with Raddon, who completed it, aiming for a radio-friendly sound reminiscent of their previous hits. Eventually, the song was released on 11 March 2022 to critical acclaim.

The track was positively received by critics and fans for reviving their classic signature style. It garnered 47.7 million US streams and reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Dance Mix Show/Airplay chart in April 2022. This success led to plans for a full Kx5 album, expanding from their initial idea of an EP. ^[3] On 14 April 2022, an official game developed by WOLF72games was released to promote "Escape".^[4] On 25 June 2022, Kx5 won an EDMA award for "Dance Song of The Year (Radio)" with "Escape." Four months after the song's release, an EP of remixes was released on 29 July 2022.

In July 2022, Raddon visited Zimmerman's home studio in Toronto, Canada, to discuss music. Although they typically collaborated digitally prior, Raddon and Zimmerman found that meeting in person streamlined the process compared to recording individually. When asked about their contributions, Zimmerman believed that Raddon excelled with arrangement and structure, while he was better suited for the audio engineering process.

The duo's next single, "Take Me High", was released on 16 September 2022. Following this, Kx5 began releasing singles monthly, with "Alive" releasing on 11 October, "Avalanche" on 11 November, "When I Talk" on 9 December, and "Sacrifice" on 17 February 2023. On 17 March 2023, the duo finally released their self-titled debut album Kx5.

On 14 November 2023, their debut album was nominated for “Best Dance/Electronic Music Album" at the 66th Annual GRAMMY Awards. On 4 April 2024, Kx5 won an EDMA award for "Best Group"

Discography[]

Albums[]

Kx5 (2023)

EPs[]

Escape (Remixes) (2022)

Singles[]

Escape (2022)
Take Me High (2022)
Alive (2022)
Avalanche (2022)
When I Talk (2022)
Sacrifice (2023)
Sacrifice (ST Mix) (2023)

Trivia[]

Before forming Kx5, Zimmerman and Raddon have never made a track in person. All of their collaborations occurred over email.
Zimmerman's favorite track off their debut album is "When I Talk."