DARKSPARK UNVEILS VERSIONS – DOUBLES VOL. 3

Two rising artists miles apart come together to release the third in a series of “doubles”—two distinct songs crafted from the same shared beat. Presented by the award-winning artist collective Darkspark, this release is the last of three teasers for The Versions Soundtrack, set to debut on December 11. Featuring 27 Anthems for Change, the soundtrack brings together a global network of emerging artists, guided by renowned songwriters, iconic musicians, and top-tier producers.

VERSIONS – DOUBLES VOL. 3

The soundtrack was created through The VERSIONS Project, a holistic mentorship program that brought together 27 emerging artists from around the world united by a shared mission to use their platforms for meaningful change. Over a year-long fellowship, these artists worked with celebrity mentors like Sean Paul and top producers behind hits for stars like Drake and Shaggy. Each artist created their own song over shared beats, inspired by the Jamaican tradition of “versioning,” where multiple artists craft songs over the same rhythm. This practice, which has empowered communities and influenced hip-hop, allowed the Fellows to add their unique voices to the tradition.

These releases feature songs written over a beat by Grammy-nominated Jamaican producer JLL (Drake, Smino) and Wixard. “Wake Up”, written by artist Nia Simone, asks listeners to face themselves and the issues that are plaguing society with open eyes. Born and raised in New York City, Nia’s story is one of resilience and hardship. After losing her mother at a young age, her father was incarcerated and Nia struggled to find her balance. In fact, Nia applied to the VERSIONS Fellowship from her cell phone while homeless. “Wake Up” reflects Nia’s contagious optimism and desire to offer positivity to those in her life despite what she’s lived through. “The story I’m telling with my VERSIONS song is to tell the world to wake up, because it feels like everyone’s asleep. I’m telling their spirits to wake up so that we can do something about this.” For Nia, music is the way she keeps her family’s legacy alive, how she connects with her mother and how she transmutes pain into joy. 

Across the border to the north comes a song as powerful as its creator, Siibii. “Sex & Power” reflects on how Siibii, a trans, non-binary Indigenous person, has pushed back against conventional ideas about what love and beauty should look like. Growing up in the Cree Community of Mistissini in Quebec, Canada, Siibii internalized ideas about their worth through constant negative messaging in the media, at school and elsewhere. Now, a successful independent artist living in Montreal, Siibii wrote “Sex & Power” as a reclamation of themselves, a love letter to the person they are, freed from past beliefs that haunted them.  “In this song there’s a little bit of grief, but it’s also reclaiming my own sexual power, which I like. I’ve not seen enough stories that involve faces and bodies like mine, especially when expressing healthy love and healthy sex. So, for me, that was the goal of this song – to address those things and link it back to where I come from”

This is the last set of Doubles being released weekly, ahead of the full soundtrack launch on December 11. Each Double contains two “versions” created from the same shared beat, highlighting unique voices and perspectives from young artists across the globe. 

A set of Doubles will be released weekly, ahead of the full soundtrack launch on December 11. Each Double will contain two “versions” created from the same shared beat, highlighting unique voices and perspectives from young artists across the globe.