Buddy Ross has quietly shaped the sound of modern music, contributing his artistry to a remarkable range of collaborators including Frank Ocean, Justin Bieber, Bon Iver, Fred Again.., Lorde, Travis Scott, and Vampire Weekend. His sonic signature balances forward-thinking production with a deep sense of nostalgia, crafting music that feels both timeless and new.
Now, Ross steps into the spotlight with his own ambient instrumental project, K We’re Here, set for release on October 24. The album is deeply personal, inspired by the birth of his first son, Benny, and framed as a celestial descent into life on Earth. Its lead single, “carkol”, introduces listeners to this meditative soundscape, unfolding as a gift from father to son—an aural guide for navigating life’s balance between internal energy and the external world.
Ross’ influence on contemporary music runs deep. Since Frank Ocean’s landmark album Blonde, which sampled his track “Running Around” multiple times, he has worked behind the scenes with some of music’s most visionary artists. In 2023, Fred Again.. and Brian Eno sampled his track “pikachu” on “Enough” from their collaborative album Secret Life. More recently, Ross co-produced and co-wrote Justin Bieber’s “Better Man”, Lorde’s “GRWM”, and Haim’s “Relationships”, while contributing to new material from Dijon, Aminé, Wet, and JID.
With K We’re Here, Ross delivers a project that is both intimate and expansive, weaving ambient textures into an emotional narrative of birth, guidance, and exploration. It’s the sound of an artist stepping forward from the shadows, offering his most personal work to date.
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