Hear Saisha Hayes and Foenix’s Trippy Collaboration On ‘One Way Ticket’

U.K./Mumbai singer-songwriter Saisha Hayes and Mumbai producer Foenix recently teamed up for a silky new collaboration on the lo-fi R&B offering “One Way Ticket.”

The new song was born when the two artists met up on the outskirts of Mumbai to help them focus on their craft away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Hayes says, “We would sit in the veranda going through beat after beat.” She adds, “One day on our way to dinner in the car, Foenix played this beat that just clicked with me.”

Hayes began singing what would eventually become the song’s chorus and upon Foenix’s request recorded it on her phone. However, the song didn’t see much progress after that and Hayes returned to the U.K. and put music on the backburner. She says, “I had confused the notion of being alone, as being lonely. So I was always with other people.” The singer adds, “Over one of our occasional FaceTime [calls] Foenix told me to just take an hour away from everyone else. To sit by myself, which sounded insane to me at the time.”

Hayes did just that and found herself revisiting the track as the lyrics just poured out of her. There’s a melancholic optimism to the song as lush electronic production and the singer’s syrupy vocals carry the track. “[The song has] the kind of sadness which people find oddly soothing, I wanted to write something that would build upon this concept, even though the subject matter of isolation and depression is quite grim. Which is where I think the song’s beauty lies,” says Hayes.

Talking about the production process, Foenix says, “I wanted to create an instrumental which is soothing and mellow, and which I think really compliments Saisha’s voice.” The track concludes with a lush, dreamy outro and guitar solo.  

With a music video showcasing Hayes performing the song in various surroundings already out, the artists are now lining up an EP they want to release later this year. “We are super excited,” the duo says.

Watch the music video for “One Way Ticket” below: