TOKiMONSTA Drops Festival-Ready Single “Loved By U” & NFT Collection
This week is slated to be a thrilling ride for DJ-producer TOKiMONSTA. Ahead of her return to the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival this weekend, she released her new single “Loved By U,” featuring singer-songwriter morgxn, accompanied by an NFT collection on Sound.xyz. The collection marks Toki's first music-specific NFT collection. “Loved By U” is set to be a summer sizzler ahead of music festival season! Listen to the song below.
The writing of the song came ahead of the onslaught of the pandemic. Toki and morgxn met at Charli XCX’s Halloween party, and a few months later, morgxn sent Toki some vocals he had written while in London prior to lockdown. “The message and lyrics resonated so deeply that I had to create a song that truly represented how I feel,” Toki said in a press statement. “After two long years of physical separation from our loved ones, this song celebrates togetherness and our love for each other.”
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TOKiMONSTA, born Jennifer Lee, is a California native with a background as a classically trained pianist. Her alias nods to her Korean-American roots (toki means rabbit). She began her career in music during college at the University of California, Irvine, where she worked on electronic music. In 2010, her debut album, Midnight Menu, was released on Flying Lotus’ Brainfeeder imprint and garnered her praise as a burgeoning star in the electronic music scene on the West Coast.
At the end of 2015, Toki was diagnosed with an extremely rare and potentially lethal brain disease called Moyamoya but eventually regained her ability to comprehend music. Moreover, her third studio album, Lune Rouge, consists of songs she wrote post-recovery and received a Grammy nomination in the Best Dance/Electronic category. Previously, Toki collaborated with Anderson .Paak, Grimes, and other A-list talents, along with remixing songs by Beck, Duran Duran, Odesza, and more.
Toki will be performing both weekends this year at Coachella. In addition, she will also host an invite-only Hustling & Healing event at Soho Desert Hous, which will focus on various wellness practices that Toki incorporates into her personal and professional life.
Tags: Music, web-original, Entertainment, music festival, Nicole Choma, TOKiMONSTA,
Photography by: Lizzie Steimer