DON WEST
DON WEST is set to release his highly anticipated debut and self-titled EP, ‘DON WEST’, on the 27th of November.
The 6 song EP features 3 new songs for fans, and follows a break-out year for DON WEST as the artist experienced a meteoric rise in 2024:
• He generated 8 million streams across all streaming platforms, with ’Small Change’ and ‘Rather Be Lonely’ generating 3.4M+ and 2.2M+ Spotify streams each
• He sold out his first Australian tour almost immediately after announcing it, months in advance of the shows.
• His Spotify monthly listeners have grown from ~3,000 to 702K+ (as at 15 November 2024)
• His Spotify followers have grown from 1,520 to 31,895 across the year (up 1,902%)
• His Instagram following has grown from 5,116 to 46,200 across the year
• His YouTube subscriber count has grown from 275 to 5,100 across the year
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The EP was recorded on the South Coast of New South Wales, produced in entirety by Nathan Hawes (who has previously produced for Surely Shirley, Kesmar, Lazywax and more). This marks a continuation of the duo’s creative collaboration, with Nathan producing the entirety of DON WEST’s upcoming debut album, to be released throughout 2025.
The EP borrows influence from classic blues, soul, gospel and mo-town music from the 1960s and 1970s, being recorded entirely on tape and with analogue recording techniques that were utilised in those eras. Together, DON WEST and Nathan Hawes cut no corners — using vintage microphones and pre-amps, a real brass section and choir vocals from twin sisters Jenaya Okpalanze & Anisha Okpalanze (aka Surely Shirley). In doing so, DON WEST is flying the flag within Australia for the current soul music renaissance that is happening globally, as spearheaded internationally by artists such as Jalen Ngonda, Leon Bridges, Thee Sacred Souls and Durand Jones.