Australian singer Dean Lewis and Norwegian DJ Kygo announced the release of their collaboration, a single titled, “Never Really Loved Me,” on June 29. One week later, the duo announced the July 8 release of their second collaboration, “Lost Without You.” Both singles are products of Kygo and Lewis’ growing talents as musicians. 

Lewis, whose fame has grown since the release of popular songs “Be Alright” and “7 Minutes,” was in the midst of an international tour during the release of both collaborative singles. Lewis’ announcement of the song on his Instagram revealed that writing and recording “Never Really Loved Me” was no easy feat. 

Lewis and Kygo met in person for the first time to listen to the final product of the song that they wrote, recorded and produced while being on opposite sides of the globe. While in the studio listening to their first collaboration, the pair unexpectedly wrote a second song, “Lost Without You,” which they performed in Norway for an audience of 31,000 fans. 

In his announcement of the second collaboration on Instagram, Kygo wrote, “We ended up jamming and ‘accidentally’ wrote another song that we both love,” following it with, “Should we release it this Friday?” 

Both songs are a melodious blend of Lewis’ passionate vocals and Kygo’s EDM music style. The two collaborations are simultaneously powerful and moving, yet upbeat and catchy. 

“Never Really Loved Me” starts off slow with a soft piano and vocal introduction, which then turns into a mix of piano, guitar, vocals and some electronic music, transforming the soft, slow tune into a fast-paced and energetic song. 

“Never Really Loved Me” is constructed of lyrics like, “Hold on darling, it’s harder to breathe,” and, “I wasted moments that I can’t get back,” to illustrate the heartbreak, confusion and sadness that arise from a crumbled relationship. The song’s lyrics and music mesh well with Lewis’ writing style and Kygo’s DJ background. 

“Lost Without You” also starts slow with guitar music and quiet echos of the lyric, “a little lost without you,” but quickly turns upbeat to showcase Kygo’s electronic music, which plays a much more prominent role in “Lost Without You” than in “Never Really Loved Me.” The strong presence of electronic music allows for “Lost Without You” to be a song that people can easily dance and sing to. 

With a heavy focus on Kygo’s electronic music, the lyrics to “Lost Without You” are more subdued and repetitive, stressing the lyrics, “I’m a little lost without you,” and, “I don’t want to let you go,” to reflect someone’s feeling of being lost after losing a person and relationship that has kept them grounded for many years. 

Lewis and Kygo’s collaborative efforts are already proving successful as the two songs made the top 10 on Spotify’s Pop Rising playlist. Their success shows that both “Never Really Loved Me” and “Lost Without You” capture both musicians’ strength in Lewis’ compelling, strong voice and Kygo’s specialty in EDM. 

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