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It's safe to say alt-country maverick Sturgill Simpson has been relatively quiet since he released his concept album, The Ballad of Dood and Juanita, back in 2021.
The Kentucky native has made a few sporadic appearances on tracks such as Angel Olsen's 2022 single, ‘Big Time’, with Sturgill also having produced Brit Taylor's celebrated 2023 album, Kentucky Blue.
However, it seems Sturgill Simpson might be dipping his toes a little deeper into the waters of new music, as chart-topping EDM DJ, Diplo, announced that Sturgill would be appearing on his upcoming single, ‘Use Me‘, alongside singer-songwriter and TV star, Dove Cameron.
The genre-hopping song is set to be released on Friday, April 14, and will feature Sturgill under the moniker of ‘Johnny Blue Skies’, an apparent reference to a character that appears on the Grammy-winning artist's 2016 album, A Sailor's Guide to Earth.
‘Use Me’ is due to appear on Diplo's country-inspired sequel to Thomas Wesley: Chapter 1 - Snake Oil, which featured crossover collaborations with the likes of Morgan Wallen, Ernest, Thomas Rhett, Zac Brown, Orville Peck, Danielle Bradbery and more.
Diplo will be reprising his role as ‘Thomas Wesley’ on his new project, Thomas Wesley: Chapter 2 - Swamp Savant, which will also include ‘Wasted’, the Mississippi DJ's recent single with rapper, Kodak Black, and one of country's fast-emerging artists, Koe Wetzel. Diplo's Thomas Wesley sequel will drop on April 28.
From the snippet he's released, it seems Diplo will keep one foot planted firmly in his EDM-inspired world on the new Sturgill Simpson and Dove Cameron collaboration.
Nonetheless, it'll be fascinating to hear how Sturgill fits into the hotly anticipated song, with the country star being renowned for his experimental, boundary-pushing sound.
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