Peking Duk, Drax Project, and Kita Alexander in one song? That’s impressive musical firepower.
The electronic duo, NZ pop-rock band, and pop star have combined for “Around U”, an Antipodean collaboration that is “all about joy and unity,” according to a press release.
The release comes via Coke Studio, a global music platform that “sparks unexpected collisions,” bringing together “artists who don’t usually collaborate” or “mixing genres that aren’t traditionally fused to create one-of-a-kind collaborations.”
Peking Duk, aka Adam Hyde and Reuben Styles, couldn’t be happier at linking up with their new collaborators: We’re stoked to be part of Coke Studio this year. Creating a song with the incredible Kita Alexander and the Drax boys was pure magic — everyone brought their own flavour, and it just clicked. ‘Around U’ is a banger. Turn it up!”
The trio of acts will perform their single live for the first time at an exclusive live performance on Thursday, October 9th at Sydney’s National Art School. More information is available here.
After featuring in our Future of Music 2025 series earlier this year, Drax Project’s album, Upside (2023), was included in our 80 Best New Zealand Albums of the 2020s So Far list.
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Alexander is another Rolling Stone AU/NZ Future of Music 2025 alum, while her debut album, Young in Love (2024), made it into our countdown of the 100 Best Australian Albums of the 2020s So Far.
“[…] Young in Love showed that Alexander — like her former touring mate [Dua] Lipa — knows how to produce polished pop gems galore,” we praised.
Peking Duk, meanwhile, featured in an exclusive Rolling Stone AU/NZ zine last year, with Hyde opening up about his recent experiences with melanoma. In a collaboration with the Cancer Council Victoria, the zine revealed how Hyde is not an outlier — despite being young and a notable musician — and what readers can do to reduce their cancer risk.
