Mischa & Mark aka Last of Us – two young men who have recently been coming out of the shadows and now go through life as a new act in the hardstyle scene. They got signed to the new talent label of Art of Creation: Eternity. Last of Us were the first to release on this new sublabel with their track ‘High’ and now it is already time for their second release, which is called ‘Supernova’. I was wondering how they are doing in this crazy period, so I spoke to them about their career as a new act!
The past few months have been quite hectic for the boys. Mischa describes it as an insane roller coaster. “Since the announcement about the launch of Art of Creation: Eternity, we’ve received so many lovely comments and DM’s from the scene. We’re really thankful for all the new fans that have chosen to support us in such a short time!”
“Our shared vision made us decide to team up as a duo, and the past month really showed us that we made the right decision.”
How the boys came together as a duo act is a funny story, according to Mark. “We met on Fiverr about a year ago. Mischa was looking for something on there and stumbled upon my profile. I received a DM from him and we started chatting. We had a strong click in the studio from the start, and as the world shut down for a while, we got the time to really dive deep into producing hardstyle. After a lot of hard work, we’re right where we want to be.”
Mischa says that in a very short time they have become very close, they both have a goal and want to achieve it no matter what. “Our shared vision made us decide to team up as a duo, and the past month really showed us that we made the right decision.”
“It was one of those moments where all those years of hard work and dedication flash in front of your eyes.”
How the guys came to Art of Creation was actually because Mischa already knew Willem (Headhunterz). “It was never my plan to push anything towards him though. Back in December 2020, I helped him set up his Discord server. Through Discord, I heard about Eternity for the first time and that made Mark and me decide to send our first concepts to him. He got interested in our music and after spending some months working on tracks with him as a mentor, he offered to take us on board.”
According to Mark, this feeling was truly insane. “We felt a true sense of accomplishment at that moment. It was one of those moments where all those years of hard work and dedication flash in front of your eyes.”
The boys are one of the three new acts signed to Art of Creation: Eternity. According to Mark, they distinguish themselves because they are a duo, and A-RIZE & JGSW are both solo acts. But, all three have different styles. “Last of Us brings a dynamic mix of euphoric and raw influences – we’re all about incorporating elements from both sides of the spectrum.” Mischa adds that they have big plans for the future, but he remains secretive about that: “we’ll keep the details to ourselves for now.” I look forward to hearing about their grand plans!
Last of Us were the very first to release on Art of Creation: Eternity. According to Mischa, that was a crazy moment. “Not only did we receive a record deal with our dream label, but we also had the honor of having the debut release on the sublabel. With that being our first release as well, we think there was no better way to launch our project.” Mark adds: “That being said, this is only the beginning – we’re ready to put out many more releases on Eternity.”
LAST OF US – HIGH (FEAT. MERYLL)
Their first track ‘High’ was released about a month ago now. According to Mark, the reactions have been unreal.“We reached the number 2 spot on Hardstyle.com and received massive support on our socials from all over the world. On top of that, we also got the chance to play the track live at a party in Bloemendaal last weekend, and we got to hear the sound of 750 hardstyle lovers singing our melody. That was the moment that we really understood the power of that track!”
When I ask them if they expected these reactions Mischa says: “We try not to expect anything, as expectations usually lead to disappointment. As we made the track, we did get a really good feeling from it, and we did hope that a lot of people would connect with it, though. Fun fact: High wasn’t our pick as the first release, but it actually was Willems’ idea to finish this track for the first release.” Mark is super enthusiastic about Wildstylez, who played their track at Defqon.1 at Home. ”What really surprised us was the fact that Joram (Wildstylez) chose to play High in his sets at Defqon.1 this year. That was a really cool thing to see since he’s someone we both look up to.“
Despite the great success, it does not yet feel completely familiar to Mischa as a true hardstyle act. “We don’t know what to expect for the upcoming year. Everything is still so fresh right now, and the current restrictions around the world make this even more difficult. We’re ready to face the challenge head-on, though!”
“We felt a deep connection with the crowd. We honestly couldn’t have asked for a better first gig.“
Their very first gig was last Sunday at “Headhunterz At The Beach”. Mischa thought this day was unforgettable. “We felt a deep connection with the crowd. We honestly couldn’t have asked for a better first gig. Everyone was so in tune, and the crowd reaction was something we had never experienced before. In the past, I’ve played as a house DJ, but that crowd is just not comparable to a crowd at a good hardstyle party.”
Mark adds: “On top of the fact that we had our own first gig, Willem also invited us to join him on stage while he played High. It’s an unimaginable feeling to be able to share this with Mischa. That moment reinforced that we made the right decision to move on as a duo.”
But, it’s time for release number two. Here’s what Mischa can tell us about the creative process behind the track: “Supernova was created very quickly and naturally. We started with the melody, for which we later found an accompanying vocal. The melody is really euphoric and hits quite hard – it’s very easy to sing along to. Fun fact: by making the leads for Supernova, we created our signature sound that you can hear in all our tracks.”
LAST OF US – SUPERNOVA
According to Mark, what is different about Supernova as opposed to ‘High’ is that it is the first step near their own sound. “When you get the chance to join Art of Creation, it’s an opportunity that you have to grasp, but it also means that you have to perform at a high level. We get a lot of feedback from Art of Creation, but at the end of the day, it’s up to us. We think that Supernova sets the first step to our own sound.”
There is no doubt that the boys have grand plans for the future. “We’re working hard on our release calendar including collabs with both A-RIZE and JGSW. We’re also cooking a collab with another Art of Creation duo. Besides working studio hours, we’re also doing our first international booking in Vancouver, Canada, and are working closely with our booking agency to do more shows this year.” Sick!
It was interesting to hear the story of these young stars. I hope to see a lot more of them in the near future. Cheers to many more Last of Us music!
Last of Us – Supernova is now available to download at Hardstyle.com.