Halston Dare, the breakthrough pop/dance indie artist that has already taken two singles into the Top 20 on Billboard, will be debuting her latest release Lonely in L.A. on February 11, marking her first collaboration with RECORDS Nashville/Columbia Music Nashville’s Lathan Warlick.
“I wrote this song based off of the trials and tribulations I have faced traveling back-and-forth to L.A. for work and for music,” says Halston. “I find that I feel like a small ant in such a large pile there. I have never felt like I fit in or like I had a group that I could relate to. I got the vibe that I was only supposed to work and never feel happy. I thought there has to be another artist out there or another person out who feels the same way I do.”
Halston continues, “Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on how you want to look at it, I have gotten the opportunity to work there and make the best of it but that still comes with the consequence that I feel like an outcast. L.A. is such a beautiful city with so many beautiful people, but I can’t help expressing the dark vibes I get when I’m there. I know there is someone else who relates to how I feel when I visit the City of Dreams.”
When Michelle Buzz, a writer behind Katy Perry’s Never Really Over, delivered the production on Lonely in L.A., Halston recognized the value that a featured artist could bring to the table to enhance the message of the song. Consequently, she was elated when she heard what Lathan Warlick, a rapper who had previously collaborated with Florida Georgia Line’s Tyler Hubbard, Raelyn and Russell Dickerson, brought to track.
“I’ve always wanted to do a collaboration with another artist, but I never knew who,” says Halston. “My manager proposed the idea that I do a collaboration on Lonely in L.A. and I was so excited! I searched for weeks for the perfect artist. I reached out to a friend in Nashville who is a very successful dancer and she recommended I check out Lathan. When I heard his voice, his releases and saw the impact he was having with his socials, I was like this is the guy! He was so nice, supportive and easy to work with. I cannot express how blown away I believe our two tones and voices mixed together.”
As an emerging pop artist, Halston already has incredible achievements under her belt. Recently, she opened for Rico Nasty in Houston and also performed at Kentuckiana Pride alongside a lineup featuring Todrick Hall and Neon Trees.
Reaching over one million streams on her 2021 summer smash Girls she closed the year with a remix featuring DJ Riddler (Janet Jackson, Britney Spears, Celine Dion, Christina Aguilera, Demi Lovato, Drake, Jason Derulo, Kelly Clarkson, Mariah Carey, P!nk & Pitbull)
Halston notched a new milestone in her career last year when she landed two tracks in the Top 20 on Billboard. Those songs were both featured on the e.l.f. Cosmetics holiday album E.L.F. the Hauls. The project was a monumental streaming success acquiring over 13 million plays on Triller which parlayed these releases onto the Billboard “Top U.S. Triller” Chart.
Halston also directed the social media launch by premiering the project via an Instagram Live to e.l.f Cosmetics’ 5.7 million followers. In addition, her previous releases Girls, Pinnacle and Teach Em have all surpassed over one million streams on Spotify.
American Songwriter Magazine praised Halston for crafting “one of the year’s boldest should-be-smashes.” Debbie Mazella at Magic 98.3 WMGQ-FM (New Jersey) said, “Get ready to be blown away by the infectious sound.”