Rhye

Advancing a uniquely organic/synthetic hybrid sound mixing sophisticated pop and sensual R&B, Rhye is further distinguished by the soft soprano vocals and candidly intimate songwriting of Mike Milosh. The project began as a collaboration between Milosh and Robin Hannibal, whose first and only album together, Woman (2013), reached number 55 in the U.S. Since then, Milosh has continued Rhye as a solo outlet, touring extensively and releasing Blood (2018), Spirit (2019), and Home (2021), releases that have subtly refined the ballad-oriented nature of the debut. In 2010, after he had released three albums on Plug Research under his last name, Toronto native Mike Milosh was contacted by fellow producer, multi-instrumentalist, and onetime labelmate Robin Hannibal (Boom Clap Bachelors, Owusu & Hannibal, Quadron) about working on a remix. The meeting was more productive than anticipated and developed into the initially secretive Rhye. Milosh and Hannibal connected with the Innovative Leisure label, where they released their first two singles, “Open” and “The Fall,” in 2012. The former was licensed for a Victoria’s Secret commercial. Rhye’s full-length debut, Woman, followed in March 2013 on Polydor in the U.K. and Loma Vista/Republic in the U.S. It charted in Denmark and Belgium, as well as in the U.S., where it reached number 55 on the Billboard 200. Over the next few years, Milosh took Rhye on the road, touring and hitting the festival circuits in Europe, North and South America, Asia, and Australia. Minus Hannibal, Rhye returned in recorded form in mid-2017 with the slow and seductive “Please,” the first of several singles issued through the end of the year. Rhye-assisted songs by Bonobo (“Break Apart”) and King Henry (“Moment”) were released during the same period. Blood, the second Rhye album, followed on Loma Vista in February 2018. It debuted at number 118 in the U.S. (and reached number ten in Belgium) and was followed later in the year by the compilation Blood Remixed, featuring submissions from the varied likes of Jeff Samuel, Illangelo, and Poolside. After another concentrated burst of touring, Milosh recorded Spirit, a brief and lean set with contributions from Ólafur Arnalds (“Patience”) and Dan Wilson (“Needed”). A trio of singles, “Beautiful,” “Helpless,” and “Black Rain,” appeared in 2020. All three songs appeared the following January on the full-length Home, recorded at Miloshi’s place in Topanga and at multiple historic studios in Los Angeles. ~ Andy Kellman & Marcy Donelson