November 3, 2025 • 10 mins
Celebrating the upcoming release of his album "Asleep In The Garden Of Infernal Stars", Seven Lions joins us again on America's Dance 30! In this exclusive interview, he shares how his latest song "So Far Away" was born w Lilly Ahlberg, how long ago they started working on it, and how many Vs there were of the song before its final release!!
He also shares what fans can expect from the new album, and where the name of it came from.
Seven Lions also answers a question he's never been asked before, and we get to know him better w #FinkysFavorites!
Find out about:
Follow: @AmericasDance30 on all socials!
Count down the biggest dance songs in the country every week with Brian Fink on America’s Dance 30; listen on stations around the world!
He also shares what fans can expect from the new album, and where the name of it came from.
Seven Lions also answers a question he's never been asked before, and we get to know him better w #FinkysFavorites!
Find out about:
- his favorite non-Seven Lions song of the moment
- his favorite song to drop in his sets because of the crowd reaction
- a favorite set that he's seen from another artist
- his favorite pre and post show rituals
- his favorite way to escape all the noise
Follow: @AmericasDance30 on all socials!
Count down the biggest dance songs in the country every week with Brian Fink on America’s Dance 30; listen on stations around the world!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Jeff, it is so great seeing you again.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
We've got a lot to catch up on, including your
latest songs So Far Away, your upcoming album. We're going
to get to know you a little better again with
Finkey's Favorites and ask you a question that seven Lions
has possibly never been asked before.
Speaker 1 (00:20):
I know you should be surprised.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Seven Lions, welcome back to America's Dance thirty.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
Thanks for having me been a minute dance counting down
the biggest dance songs in the country.
Speaker 1 (00:47):
This is America's Dance thirty.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
It has been I think it's been over a year
since the last time you were on the show.
Speaker 3 (00:54):
How have you been, Uh, just hard at work, honestly
in the studio a lot, abandon my social life, which
you know it's the time to do that.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
So yeah, Well, congratulations on this new song, so Far Away.
I can't wait to talk about how it was born
with the amazing Lily Alberg. But first let's get to
know seven Lions a little better with Finkey's Favorites for sure.
So what is your favorite non Seven Lion song of
(01:28):
the moment?
Speaker 3 (01:29):
Ooh oh, man Opeth, I'm trying to think of the
name I'm having a blank right now. Just the whole
album in a kind of venetum is like the what
I've been listening to a lot. It's very spooky Halloween vibes,
so it's perfect for spooky season exactly.
Speaker 1 (01:47):
Now.
Speaker 2 (01:48):
Do you have a favorite Seven Lion song or even
non seven Lion song to drop in your sets because
of the way the crowd reacts.
Speaker 3 (01:57):
I think personally, for me, Stop Thinking is always the
onest one to play. But I mean there's so many
songs that I like to plan my sets. A throwback recently, though,
is Audience remix of Pompeii. Uh. That track every time
I play it because I did a throwback set recently
and that was in there, and it was like.
Speaker 2 (02:17):
It's so ironic that you mentioned that. I literally just
put it back into rotation on Evolution.
Speaker 1 (02:21):
It is so good.
Speaker 3 (02:23):
Yeah, it really is. I mean even the production on that, Like,
I will listen to it as a reference track and
I'm like, wow, it's incredible.
Speaker 1 (02:29):
Have you ever gotten a chance to tell Nate that?
Speaker 3 (02:32):
I think so long time ago we had a show
together in this weird club somewhere. I don't remember where,
but I remember being in like a Limo with him
on the way to the club randomly, but that was
the only time I really hung out with him, to
be honest.
Speaker 1 (02:45):
That's too funny.
Speaker 2 (02:45):
Now, when you're at festivals, do you get a chance
to check out other artists sets?
Speaker 1 (02:51):
I do.
Speaker 3 (02:51):
I mostly try and stick within my like friend group,
which I probably should break out of that a little more,
but yeah, I mean wandering around hanging out with friends mostly.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
And do you have a favorite other artist set that
you've had a chance to check out?
Speaker 3 (03:06):
Recently? I saw Nightmare and Dimension go back to back
at North Coast and that was a really fun set.
It was a lot of like drum and bass flips
of songs that I knew and it was just like
super fun. Crowd was going crazy.
Speaker 1 (03:18):
I bet they always put on an incredible show.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
Now, speaking of shows, you just mentioned a massive show
next year for you at Red Rocks, which is so incredible.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
But what is your favorite pre show and post show rituals.
Speaker 3 (03:35):
Red Rocks. I'm with the family because my brother lives
there and I have like my nephews there, so just
hanging out with them pre show, post show, having a
shot with the crew usually, you know, pretty show. My
VJ Ian whenever he walks in the room, everybody just
starts to chant yeah. Yeah. So that's kind of like,
(03:56):
I don't know why, it's just become a thing that
we do every time after all the.
Speaker 1 (04:00):
That's a great way to come down after the show.
Speaker 3 (04:02):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
Now, finally, in honor of your upcoming album, you said
that it's about escaping the noise and reconnecting with what
originally made you fall in love with making music. What
is your favorite way to escape the noise, because there
is so much of it right now.
Speaker 3 (04:20):
For me, it's just trying to keep off my phone
in the most like literal sense of escaping the noise.
Reading more. I've been reading a lot more, even playing
video games, anything that takes me away from the Internet,
because that's where everything seems to be, you know, And
I think there's just there's so many like bad rabbit
holes to go down on the Internet as far as comparison,
(04:42):
and I don't know, I don't really mess with TikTok,
I don't. I don't like Instagram because of the algorith
rhythm and I know all that stuff's just built to
keep you into it. So like by that very nature,
I try and stay away from it.
Speaker 2 (04:56):
But yeah, I've always said that when I win the Powerball,
my first things that I'm doing is hiring a social
media manager, so I don't even have to deal with
it anymore.
Speaker 3 (05:06):
Yeah, it's a thing. It's a thing. I'm mean. It
takes you out of the creative process, that's for sure.
So I have a really great team who I've been
working with and they they get me, so it makes
it very easy. There's no friction. But like hiring a
social media team that doesn't understand you and they want
you to do certain things, I've been there before too,
(05:26):
and it's really it's hard.
Speaker 2 (05:28):
Absolutely. Now let's speak about happier things. Your latest smash,
So Far Away? How was this song born? With Lily Alberg?
Speaker 3 (05:46):
So, this one was a top line that came in
and I was immediately fell in love with it, and
I think it was one hundred and fifty bpm something
like that, and I just kicked up the tempo and
you know, made one of those sad, happy tracks pretty much.
So that's that's pretty much how it came to be.
Speaker 1 (06:04):
And how long ago did you start working on it?
Speaker 3 (06:06):
This one was more recent as far as the album goes.
This was one of the the last tracks to get done.
I remember I heard the demo when I was in
Utah for Sun Dance, so that I think was February maybe.
Speaker 1 (06:23):
Oh, okay, gotcha now.
Speaker 2 (06:25):
Something I love to find out is how many different
versions there are of songs from when you start working
on it, all the tweaking that goes on when you
finally mastered and put it out.
Speaker 1 (06:34):
Do you remember what the final v was.
Speaker 3 (06:37):
It's funny that you say that, because I'm I'm on
a song right now that is like the I don't
even crazy, I'm scrolling through the folder now and it's ridiculous,
but so far away. Actually was one of those songs
that came together super quick because the top line was
so good and they already had all those cool little
(06:58):
vocal chops, so it was really easy to build that
track around it. Honestly, that one's probably I'll give you
the exact number, but it's certainly not super high.
Speaker 1 (07:08):
And what's the song that's got the super high number
right now?
Speaker 3 (07:11):
Past you? Which has Gotcha not out yet, but that's
the one that I'm working on. This one, it looks
like I got up to six. Well, then I renamed
it at one point and then up to seven again,
which happens, so I'd say, you know, that's about thirteen now.
Speaker 2 (07:27):
I normally don't like asking questions that I haven't researched
and found out the answer somewhat too, But is this
your first drum and bass song?
Speaker 3 (07:35):
Yeah? I think technically yes, the one. There's another drumm
based song on the album that I finished before this one,
called from Beyond, so technically the second put the first release.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
Yeah, gotcha. Well let's talk about this album first of all.
When Charlotte reached out to me and sent me the information,
I was like, December. Oh, we've got a while until wait,
it's October already. Unbelievable, it's coming out December twelve. What
can your fans expect from a Sleep in the Garden
of Infernal Stars?
Speaker 3 (08:06):
I'd say very classic seven lines for sure. It's a
little less experimental than the other album that I did,
and I'm working with vocalists that I've worked with for
a long time, so I feel like it's like right
down the middle of what you would expect for what
I my catalog is.
Speaker 1 (08:26):
You know, gotcha? And where did the name come from?
Speaker 3 (08:29):
I'd been listening to a lot of like black metal
and stuff like that, and they usually have the most
intricate names. This one, Pacific Northwest band Wolves in the
Throne Room has like really really incredible. All their titles
are like super evocative. So I was just like, you know,
on the search for something that was very mystical, but
(08:53):
also when you heard it, it brought you somewhere.
Speaker 1 (08:55):
And you wanted to make it tough on media, right.
Speaker 3 (08:59):
Exactly. I mean, I don't know if you've seen in
the cover yet, but the logo is insane too. It's
you know, it's kind of taking some of that metal
roots where the fact that it is a little inaccessible,
like even reading it is kind of the cool factor
of it. You know.
Speaker 2 (09:14):
That's so awesome. Well, I can't wait to hear it
when it drops in December. Congratulations on that, Congratulations on
the new song with Lily Alberg. Before I let you go,
I asked chat Ept to give me a question that
seven Lions has never been asked before. So I got
to test this out, all right, Sure, if one of
your songs could physically change the weather when it was played,
(09:37):
which track would cause a storm and which track would
bring the sun out?
Speaker 3 (09:42):
Since we're going with album stuff. There's a track literally
called Cold as Snow, and it's absolutely the saddest song.
I think, one of the saddest songs I've ever made,
So that would put the earth into a deep, deep
freeze for sure. Sunny songs. I'm gonna keep being very
literal with this and just go Sunshine, which already came
(10:05):
out with your my collab with Woolly, So yeah, I
have a lot of weather related songs already, but no
nobody's ever asked me that.
Speaker 2 (10:14):
So it's like chat sheept new Yeah, real well. Congratulations
on everything going on for you. It's so awesome seeing
you again and catching up. Thank you so much for
your time with us on America's Dance thirty.
Speaker 3 (10:25):
Thanks for having me appreciate it. America's Dance thirty.
Speaker 1 (10:29):
Counting down the biggest dance songs in the country.
Speaker 3 (10:32):
America's Dance thirty
Jeff, it is so great seeing you again.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
We've got a lot to catch up on, including your
latest songs So Far Away, your upcoming album. We're going
to get to know you a little better again with
Finkey's Favorites and ask you a question that seven Lions
has possibly never been asked before.
Speaker 1 (00:20):
I know you should be surprised.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Seven Lions, welcome back to America's Dance thirty.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
Thanks for having me been a minute dance counting down
the biggest dance songs in the country.
Speaker 1 (00:47):
This is America's Dance thirty.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
It has been I think it's been over a year
since the last time you were on the show.
Speaker 3 (00:54):
How have you been, Uh, just hard at work, honestly
in the studio a lot, abandon my social life, which
you know it's the time to do that.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
So yeah, Well, congratulations on this new song, so Far Away.
I can't wait to talk about how it was born
with the amazing Lily Alberg. But first let's get to
know seven Lions a little better with Finkey's Favorites for sure.
So what is your favorite non Seven Lion song of
(01:28):
the moment?
Speaker 3 (01:29):
Ooh oh, man Opeth, I'm trying to think of the
name I'm having a blank right now. Just the whole
album in a kind of venetum is like the what
I've been listening to a lot. It's very spooky Halloween vibes,
so it's perfect for spooky season exactly.
Speaker 1 (01:47):
Now.
Speaker 2 (01:48):
Do you have a favorite Seven Lion song or even
non seven Lion song to drop in your sets because
of the way the crowd reacts.
Speaker 3 (01:57):
I think personally, for me, Stop Thinking is always the
onest one to play. But I mean there's so many
songs that I like to plan my sets. A throwback recently, though,
is Audience remix of Pompeii. Uh. That track every time
I play it because I did a throwback set recently
and that was in there, and it was like.
Speaker 2 (02:17):
It's so ironic that you mentioned that. I literally just
put it back into rotation on Evolution.
Speaker 1 (02:21):
It is so good.
Speaker 3 (02:23):
Yeah, it really is. I mean even the production on that, Like,
I will listen to it as a reference track and
I'm like, wow, it's incredible.
Speaker 1 (02:29):
Have you ever gotten a chance to tell Nate that?
Speaker 3 (02:32):
I think so long time ago we had a show
together in this weird club somewhere. I don't remember where,
but I remember being in like a Limo with him
on the way to the club randomly, but that was
the only time I really hung out with him, to
be honest.
Speaker 1 (02:45):
That's too funny.
Speaker 2 (02:45):
Now, when you're at festivals, do you get a chance
to check out other artists sets?
Speaker 1 (02:51):
I do.
Speaker 3 (02:51):
I mostly try and stick within my like friend group,
which I probably should break out of that a little more,
but yeah, I mean wandering around hanging out with friends mostly.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
And do you have a favorite other artist set that
you've had a chance to check out?
Speaker 3 (03:06):
Recently? I saw Nightmare and Dimension go back to back
at North Coast and that was a really fun set.
It was a lot of like drum and bass flips
of songs that I knew and it was just like
super fun. Crowd was going crazy.
Speaker 1 (03:18):
I bet they always put on an incredible show.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
Now, speaking of shows, you just mentioned a massive show
next year for you at Red Rocks, which is so incredible.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
But what is your favorite pre show and post show rituals.
Speaker 3 (03:35):
Red Rocks. I'm with the family because my brother lives
there and I have like my nephews there, so just
hanging out with them pre show, post show, having a
shot with the crew usually, you know, pretty show. My
VJ Ian whenever he walks in the room, everybody just
starts to chant yeah. Yeah. So that's kind of like,
(03:56):
I don't know why, it's just become a thing that
we do every time after all the.
Speaker 1 (04:00):
That's a great way to come down after the show.
Speaker 3 (04:02):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
Now, finally, in honor of your upcoming album, you said
that it's about escaping the noise and reconnecting with what
originally made you fall in love with making music. What
is your favorite way to escape the noise, because there
is so much of it right now.
Speaker 3 (04:20):
For me, it's just trying to keep off my phone
in the most like literal sense of escaping the noise.
Reading more. I've been reading a lot more, even playing
video games, anything that takes me away from the Internet,
because that's where everything seems to be, you know, And
I think there's just there's so many like bad rabbit
holes to go down on the Internet as far as comparison,
(04:42):
and I don't know, I don't really mess with TikTok,
I don't. I don't like Instagram because of the algorith
rhythm and I know all that stuff's just built to
keep you into it. So like by that very nature,
I try and stay away from it.
Speaker 2 (04:56):
But yeah, I've always said that when I win the Powerball,
my first things that I'm doing is hiring a social
media manager, so I don't even have to deal with
it anymore.
Speaker 3 (05:06):
Yeah, it's a thing. It's a thing. I'm mean. It
takes you out of the creative process, that's for sure.
So I have a really great team who I've been
working with and they they get me, so it makes
it very easy. There's no friction. But like hiring a
social media team that doesn't understand you and they want
you to do certain things, I've been there before too,
(05:26):
and it's really it's hard.
Speaker 2 (05:28):
Absolutely. Now let's speak about happier things. Your latest smash,
So Far Away? How was this song born? With Lily Alberg?
Speaker 3 (05:46):
So, this one was a top line that came in
and I was immediately fell in love with it, and
I think it was one hundred and fifty bpm something
like that, and I just kicked up the tempo and
you know, made one of those sad, happy tracks pretty much.
So that's that's pretty much how it came to be.
Speaker 1 (06:04):
And how long ago did you start working on it?
Speaker 3 (06:06):
This one was more recent as far as the album goes.
This was one of the the last tracks to get done.
I remember I heard the demo when I was in
Utah for Sun Dance, so that I think was February maybe.
Speaker 1 (06:23):
Oh, okay, gotcha now.
Speaker 2 (06:25):
Something I love to find out is how many different
versions there are of songs from when you start working
on it, all the tweaking that goes on when you
finally mastered and put it out.
Speaker 1 (06:34):
Do you remember what the final v was.
Speaker 3 (06:37):
It's funny that you say that, because I'm I'm on
a song right now that is like the I don't
even crazy, I'm scrolling through the folder now and it's ridiculous,
but so far away. Actually was one of those songs
that came together super quick because the top line was
so good and they already had all those cool little
(06:58):
vocal chops, so it was really easy to build that
track around it. Honestly, that one's probably I'll give you
the exact number, but it's certainly not super high.
Speaker 1 (07:08):
And what's the song that's got the super high number
right now?
Speaker 3 (07:11):
Past you? Which has Gotcha not out yet, but that's
the one that I'm working on. This one, it looks
like I got up to six. Well, then I renamed
it at one point and then up to seven again,
which happens, so I'd say, you know, that's about thirteen now.
Speaker 2 (07:27):
I normally don't like asking questions that I haven't researched
and found out the answer somewhat too, But is this
your first drum and bass song?
Speaker 3 (07:35):
Yeah? I think technically yes, the one. There's another drumm
based song on the album that I finished before this one,
called from Beyond, so technically the second put the first release.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
Yeah, gotcha. Well let's talk about this album first of all.
When Charlotte reached out to me and sent me the information,
I was like, December. Oh, we've got a while until wait,
it's October already. Unbelievable, it's coming out December twelve. What
can your fans expect from a Sleep in the Garden
of Infernal Stars?
Speaker 3 (08:06):
I'd say very classic seven lines for sure. It's a
little less experimental than the other album that I did,
and I'm working with vocalists that I've worked with for
a long time, so I feel like it's like right
down the middle of what you would expect for what
I my catalog is.
Speaker 1 (08:26):
You know, gotcha? And where did the name come from?
Speaker 3 (08:29):
I'd been listening to a lot of like black metal
and stuff like that, and they usually have the most
intricate names. This one, Pacific Northwest band Wolves in the
Throne Room has like really really incredible. All their titles
are like super evocative. So I was just like, you know,
on the search for something that was very mystical, but
(08:53):
also when you heard it, it brought you somewhere.
Speaker 1 (08:55):
And you wanted to make it tough on media, right.
Speaker 3 (08:59):
Exactly. I mean, I don't know if you've seen in
the cover yet, but the logo is insane too. It's
you know, it's kind of taking some of that metal
roots where the fact that it is a little inaccessible,
like even reading it is kind of the cool factor
of it. You know.
Speaker 2 (09:14):
That's so awesome. Well, I can't wait to hear it
when it drops in December. Congratulations on that, Congratulations on
the new song with Lily Alberg. Before I let you go,
I asked chat Ept to give me a question that
seven Lions has never been asked before. So I got
to test this out, all right, Sure, if one of
your songs could physically change the weather when it was played,
(09:37):
which track would cause a storm and which track would
bring the sun out?
Speaker 3 (09:42):
Since we're going with album stuff. There's a track literally
called Cold as Snow, and it's absolutely the saddest song.
I think, one of the saddest songs I've ever made,
So that would put the earth into a deep, deep
freeze for sure. Sunny songs. I'm gonna keep being very
literal with this and just go Sunshine, which already came
(10:05):
out with your my collab with Woolly, So yeah, I
have a lot of weather related songs already, but no
nobody's ever asked me that.
Speaker 2 (10:14):
So it's like chat sheept new Yeah, real well. Congratulations
on everything going on for you. It's so awesome seeing
you again and catching up. Thank you so much for
your time with us on America's Dance thirty.
Speaker 3 (10:25):
Thanks for having me appreciate it. America's Dance thirty.
Speaker 1 (10:29):
Counting down the biggest dance songs in the country.
Speaker 3 (10:32):
America's Dance thirty
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