Australia’s biggest streaming exports and multi-Platinum ARIA award-winning electronica trio, PNAU have become masters of blockbuster collaborations; from building upon the international smash hit “Cold Heart” with Elton John and Dua Lipa to delivering big moments with Troye Sivan (“You Know What I Need“) and Khalid (“The Hard Way“). This time around, the trio teamed up with two international stars in the shape of the chart-topping and Grammy Award-nominated Bebe Rexha and the Puerto Rican crossover reggaeton sensation Ozuna for the new single “Stars”. The three artists share a huge following on Spotify with a combined total of more than 115 million monthly listeners.
“Stars” is an expression of pure positivity, delivered with PNAU’s alluring cocktail of pop-tinged modern disco, sleek electronica, and pulsating bass. Bebe Rexha’s classy, superstar vocal elevates its feel-good vibe before Ozuna jumps on board, his smooth Latin voice showing why he has become one of the world’s biggest artists. Collectively they ensure that “Stars” has everything it takes to make a global impact.
PNAU’s Nick Littlemore says, “Music has the ultimate power to heal and bring forth energy that’s locked inside each and every one of you.”Stars” is about finding that inner light and letting it shine so that all the world can see. The song is the culmination of magical beings working together. Never in our wildest dreams did we imagine working with Bebe Rexha and Ozuna in 2023.”
Bebe Rexha adds, “When PNAU first played me “Star” it catapulted me to another planet, the disco elements and the concept made me feel like I was floating. I loved collaborating with PNAU and Ozuna, they are both so talented and unique and I am so excited for the world to hear this collab.”
Finally, Ozuna comments “I have been a fan of Bebe Rexha and PNAU’s music for some time, so this is a dream collab in both English and Spanish that feels like a global track.”
The accompanying video for the track was directed by the multidimensional creative studio MELT, who created an eclectic and slightly surreal space opera which blends the kitschy charm of ‘70s sci-fi with psychedelic animation.
MELT’s experiential director Kuba Matyka says, “Directing the ‘Stars’ music video was an awesome adventure. We envisioned Bebe as an extraordinary retro sci-fi heroine, embarking on an interstellar journey interrupted by a weird cosmic anomaly, leading her spaceship to crash on an alien planet. She soon stumbles upon an ever-present cosmic entity Ozuna, who might have something to do with it. Achieving this vision required new methods of directing and controlling AI. Anyone who has dabbled with AI image generation knows the difficulty in getting AI to comply with your exact desires. It’s even harder to get consistent results over a series of images. Now, imagine orchestrating this across all 4200 frames of the video while maintaining a cohesive visual narrative.”
PNAU consisting of Nick Littlemore joined by Peter Mayes and Sam Littlemore has had a lot of success in Asia. Their previous track “You Know What I Need” with fellow Australian pop singer Sivan was picked up for rotation by radio stations across Southeast Asia. Their prior single “The Hard Way” is still on high rotation on the radio, leading to the Philippines and Indonesia as among the top 20 markets for streaming PNAU’s music in the world.
PNAU’s career stems from within Australia’s underground dance scene, but they possess a midas touch for a crossover dance hit which saw them achieve huge domestic success with “Go Bang” and “Chameleon” before delivering a global smash with “Cold Heart”. Now approaching 2 billion streams, “Cold Heart” fired to #1 in the UK and saw PNAU reach the US Top 10 for the first time, resulting in award nominations at the BRITs, the Ivor Novellos, the Billboard Music Awards and the American Music Awards. PNAU have also remixed and/or collaborated with Diana Ross, Tame Impala and Lizzo while simultaneously nurturing a new era of talent with their own record label, Lab 78.