Each Measure Feature: Spiky

FEATURE

Smile, the new single from SPIKY featuring Kriss Kiss, is a standout example of collaboration done right. Too often, features feel like afterthoughts—tacked onto a track for clout, with little regard for chemistry. But with Smile, it’s clear these artists aren’t just passing files back and forth—they’re performing together, not in a vacuum. The result is a track that’s as infectious as it is cohesive. It doesn’t just prompt a smile from the listener—it sounds like making this song made the artists smile, too.

SPIKY is undeniably the event’s main attraction. When she calls out direction in Smile, it conjures the image of a circus ringmaster—commanding attention, exuberantly moving through the ring, calling the shots. “I need you to put a smile on my face / and keep it there,” she sings, setting the tone for the entire track.

Kriss Kiss wastes no time asserting his presence. He kicks things off by chanting the song’s hook, acknowledging that the night is nearly over. If SPIKY is the ringmaster, Kriss Kiss is the show-stopping final act—tasked with keeping the energy up and leaving a lasting impression. His job is clear: it’s late, and there’s no time to waste.

In a press release, the duo described Smile as a source of motivation—an anthem for pushing through life’s challenges and staying the course. In this way, the song mirrors the final number at a circus: an explosion of sound and color meant to delight an audience that may have come seeking escape from exactly the kinds of struggles the track hopes to ease.

And don’t get me wrong—Smile is entertaining. The beat pulses. The synths glimmer. It’s evocative, enticing, and made to dance to. But the song is not an empty spectacle underneath the glamour is a message that is sharp and focused: when you leave and return to a life marked by challenges, keep going, and don’t forget to smile.

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