Gryffin

Producer, songwriter, and DJ Dan Griffith makes wide-eyed, emotional dance-pop under the nom de plume Gryffin. His songs blend organic and electronic instrumentation, incorporating pianos and guitars into melodic house and future bass tracks. First making waves with remixes of songs by pop stars Tove Lo and Maroon 5, he began releasing original material in 2016, and scored over a dozen charting hits with singles featuring guests such as Carly Rae Jepsen, Aloe Blacc, and AlunaGeorge. Many of these hits were included on his 2019 full-length debut, Gravity. He has remained a chart favorite with tracks like “Cry” with John Martin and “Safe with Me” featuring Audrey Mika, both in 2020, and collaborated with OneRepublic for 2022′s “You Were Loved.” Several of these singles appeared on his second album, Alive, and he released collaborations with Rita Ora and Armin van Buuren in 2024. A classically trained pianist, Griffith honed his musical abilities playing in bands — he’s also an accomplished guitar player. Upon graduating with an electrical engineering degree from the University of Southern California, he began immersing himself in music production, eventually relocating to Los Angeles. Making his international performing debut in 2015, he released remixes of Tove Lo’s “Talking Body,” Maroon 5′s “Animals,” and Years & Years’ “Desire” during the same year. In 2016, Gryffin released his debut single, “Heading Home,” which featured Aussie singer Josef Salvat and landed on Billboard’s Dance/Electronic Songs chart. The Bipolar Sunshine-assisted “Whole Heart” appeared later that August, and in 2017 he released “Feel Good,” which saw him working with West Coast DJ/producer Illenium and Pittsburgh-based artist Daya. Two more singles, “Love in Ruins” and “Nobody Compares to You,” appeared in 2017, continuing Gryffin’s growing run of Billboard Dance chart successes. A collaboration with Quinn XCII and Daniel Wilson called “Winnebago” arrived in 2018, as did the single “Just for a Moment,” which featured Norwegian singer Iselin. The latter track landed on his EP Gravity, Pt. 1, which also featured appearances by Elley Duhe and Stanaj. The single “Remember” (with Zohara) became Gryffin’s first to make the Billboard Dance Club chart. In 2019, he continued the series of collaborations with Calle Lehmann and Slander (“All You Need to Know”) and Aloe Blacc (“Hurt People”). Additional charting singles such as “OMG” (with Carly Rae Jepsen) and “Baggage” (with Gorgon City and AlunaGeorge) led up to the release of Gravity, Gryffin’s debut full-length. Issued by Geffen in late October 2019, the album featured most of his singles to date as well as collaborations with Marina, Seven Lions, Maia Wright, and others. It reached number one on Billboard’s Dance/Electronic Albums chart. More stand-alone tracks followed, including 2020′s “Cry” with John Martin and 2021 songs like “I Want Love” with Two Feet and “New Blood” with Boy Matthews. “You Were Loved” with OneRepublic and “Caught Up” with Olivia O'Brien arrived in 2022. Alive, primarily consisting of previously issued singles, was released in November. A cover of Gabrielle’s “Dreams” appeared in 2023, followed by “Oceans” with Kid Joi. In 2024, Gryffin released “Last of Us” with Rita Ora, and worked with Armin van Buuren on the single “What Took You So Long.” ~ James Christopher Monger