Demarquis McDanielsAJ Mitchell‘s been keeping busy in quarantine, releasing the single “Burn,” and now a track called “Imagine” with Steve Aoki and Frank Walker. And AJ’s thrilled that the superstar deejay was the one who reached out to him.
“Honestly, it just felt so perfect when I heard it. I was like, ‘This song is amazing!’ I couldn’t stop dancing to it,” AJ tells ABC Audio about the EDM love song. “And as soon as I cut it, it felt so perfect….Steve is so cool. So is Frank…they’re the boys!”
“Imagine” is the latest collab for AJ, who’s also worked with Meghan Trainor and Ricch the Kid. He knows it’s a great way to expand his fan base.
“I’ve never been in the EDM market before,” he says. “So now those fans will know who I am…that’s what’s really cool about collaborating with people.”
AJ is also celebrating his inclusion on the longlist of nominees for MTV VMA PUSH Artists of the Year, along with 15 other rising stars, including his “Slow Dance” partner Ava Max, Benee, Lewis Capaldi, Finneas, Doja Cat and more. Unfortunately, when the full list of VMA nods came out Thursday, the nominees had been cut to six, and AJ wasn’t one of them.
It’s all good, though: the 19-year-old star is hard at work on new music, his debut album Skyview is due this year, and he’s finally getting a handle on cooking for himself…sort of.
“I’ve learned how to make some really good eggs…Gordon Ramsay eggs!” he laughs. “I looked it up on YouTube. And I learned how to make some pasta…some really good sweet potatoes…I’m still working on it!”
By Andrea Dresdale
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