Dua Saleh taps Bon Iver for “Flood” & “Glow” from new LP ‘Of Earth & Wires’

Dua Saleh (photo by Yudo Kurita) and Bon Iver (photo by Graham Tolbert)

Los Angeles-based Sudanese-American artist Dua Saleh announced their second album, Of Earth & Wires, due out May 15 via Ghostly International. It was executive produced by Billy Lemos, and features contributions from Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon, Ryan Olson, Gaidaa, and aja monet. “These songs came together organically while creating in Minneapolis,” Saleh says. “What started as a session tied to a Travis Scott track opened into a free-flowing jam with local producers, including Psymun. I sat back with Psymun’s dog, Synth, listening as a beat took shape, while I turned over melodies and words in my head.”

“I think we got like six songs within the span of three hours,” they add. “The war in Sudan was taking place, AI was emerging, and it just felt like the world might be ending. I was just kind of ruminating on where I could find my place as an artist amongst the terrain of AI, and I was lonely and overwhelmed. I missed my mom and my siblings; I felt like I was losing my accent being there, just questioning the notion of home on many levels. I started weaving an album around the music that we had made together, that we had collaborated on with other producers from Minnesota, where I grew up.”

They’ve shared two new singles, “Flood” and “Glow,” both of which feature Vernon. “‘Flood’ formed first,” Saleh says. “Justin freestyled the hook in the moment, and I later wrote to the beat. Watching his cathartic process and hearing the emotion move through his voice pushed me to confront parts of my past I hadn’t fully faced. The flood became an allegory for staying afloat rather than drowning in grief, shaped in part by memories of experiencing climate-related flooding while living in Cardiff, Wales.”

“‘Glow’ emerged from that same openness,” they add. “The session felt unusually fluid. We were all writing together, following instinct. Justin’s enthusiasm, emotional honesty, and melodic intuition made everything feel effortless. What stayed with me most was how he continued to show up afterward, excited by the demos, retracking vocals, and helping shape arrangements as the songs evolved. I’m deeply grateful for the care he brought into this process, and I hope we find our way back into rooms like that again.” Watch the videos for both below.

DUA SALEH – OF EARTH & WIRES TRACKLIST
1. 5 Days
2. B re a t h e
3. Flood (feat. Bon Iver)
4. Cállate
5. Firestorm
6. I Do, I Do
7. Keep Away (feat. Bon Iver)
8. Glow (feat. Bon Iver)
9. Speed Up
10. Anemic (feat. Gaidaa)
11. ALL IS LOVE (feat. aja monet)