Crazy Donkey

Following the staggering viral triumph of his debut hit record Morsmordre back in 2020, 16 year-old Chinese breakthrough producer Crazy Donkey now looks to capitalise on his impressive early career success with the announcement of his next official single, Kick and Scream. Out now via Liquid State, Kick and Scream marks Crazy Donkey’s inaugural release on the flourishing Asian imprint, which launched in 2018 as a joint venture between Sony Music and Tencent Music Entertainment. A playful, club-ready cut, underpinned by spoken-word lyrics and an assortment of tongue-in-cheek samples that build across the record’s duration, Kick and Scream showcases the mischievous and multi-faceted production style for which Crazy Donkey is fast becoming renowned, as the in-demand teenager delivers an emphatic three-minute hit and one of the most memorable additions to the label’s catalogue to date. Kick and Scream follows Crazy Donkey’s first official single, Morsmordre, which was released exclusively in China in December 2020. Clocking over 160 million streams in just nine months, the record has since gone viral on social media platform Douyin (TikTok in China), catapulting the youngster to significant renown across the territory. We interviewed Crazy Donkey from his home in Jilin, China to discuss the new single, his influences and plans for the rest of the year…

Hi Crazy Donkey, and a very warm welcome to DMC World. How are you and where are you answering this interview from?

Hi there DMC World, good to speak to you. I’m here at home in Jilin, China

First things first, please may you introduce yourself to our readers?

Hello everyone! I’m Crazy Donkey, Jin Dazhi. I’m 16 years old, a music producer from China. I’m currently still in high school, welcome to have a listen to my songs

How would you best describe your brand of electronic music?

Cool, new, powerful, young, energetic

Congratulations on your upcoming new single ‘Kick and Scream’. What can fans expect from this release?

Thank you all, it’s a tongue in cheek song that I made from donkey samples, to reflect my artist name. There will be more really great ones coming soon.

We understand you had huge success with your breakthrough single ‘Morsmordre’ last year. What was it about the record that resonated with so many people, do you think?

Morsmordre is a bold song with a great groove that could awake the beast inside the audience’s body. Everyone has an inner animal that wants to have fun.

When did you become a DJ / producer, and what inspired you to take this career path?

When I was in primary school, our English teacher introduced some Western EDM songs to us. I was touched and got really into it, so I started to listen to EDM. I watched the documentary about DJ Snake, and his story encouraged me a lot. It inspired me to start producing my EDM sounds.

Are your family supportive of your choice to pursue electronic music?

At first, my family only saw it as my hobby. When they found out that I made my first hit, they realised that I could make a living with music. They didn’t object to me pursuing it as my career.

Who were your biggest musical influences growing up?

Martin Garrix, although he doesn’t know me, I love his songs and his label STMPD Records. Since we both started producing around the same age, I’m extra motivated when watching his documentary.

What else do you have coming up over the course of 2021? Any exciting projects or touring you can talk to us about? 

There will be a big new single with vocals coming out, which I can’t wait for you to hear! I think this one is going to be awesome. And there might be a collaboration single with international DJs with additional artist remixes.

Any final words for our DMC World readers?

Thank you, readers and listeners. I hope you can continue to follow me along my journey. It is just the beginning. I will have more songs coming out to meet and exceed your expectations.

Crazy Donkey – Kick and Scream is out now via Liquid State