The Weeknd, Selena Gomez and Ariana Grande Add Heat to Cashmere Cat’s Debut Album ‘9’

Jordan Bailey

Magnus Høiberg, a.k.a. Cashmere Cat has been creating tracks since 2006 when he was repping his home country of Norway in the World DJ Championships. In 2012 he released an EP entitled “Mirror Maru” under the pseudonym that we know today. This caught the attention of massive stars like Kanye West, The Weeknd and Ariana Grande who recruited him to produce songs on their respective records which would undoubtedly be heard by millions. Now the time has come for the 29-year-old to step out from behind the shadows and into the spotlight as he drops his debut LP “9.” While Høiberg remained anonymous for his entire career up to this point, it took the release of “9” for the Nordic producer to show his face to the world. An opportune time indeed as this debut was much anticipated by fans and critics alike.

Høiberg’s style is highly experimental, yet he somehow manages to make it graspable to a more mainstream audience. Hence how he was able to book such high-profile names to join him on his debut. This, and the fact that as a producer he’s had his hands in such hits at The Weeknd’s “Starboy,” Ariana Grande’s “My Everything” and Torey Lanez’ track “I Told You.” Clearly, these artists wanted to return the favor when Høiberg was crafting “9” as each one of the singers mentioned above makes an appearance, among many more. Don’t let these stars steal thunder though; this album is all Cashmere Cat.

“9” is an eclectic mix of modern-day electronic stylings such as tropical house, alt-R&B and dancehall. No track exemplifies this more than “Trust Nobody.” Featuring the vocals of both Selena Gomez and Torey Lanez, this popular tune features sultry dancehall vibes very much in the vein of Drake who helped popularize this genre. Tropical synths and a low-key, smoke-filled-room-feeling helped make “Trust Nobody” the most listened to single from “9” on Spotify. This ten-track album is loaded with special guests which makes sense since Høiberg himself is not a singer. In fact, there’s only one song that’s sans vocals. “Victoria’s Veil” is heavy on the experimental side of things, taking Høiberg back to his EP roots which were altogether free of vocals and strongly flamboyant.

“Love Incredible,” another heavy-hitter, sees Fifth Harmony founder Camila Cabello belting about a relationship too good to be true. The lead-off song “Night Night” features up-and-coming pop star Kehlani in auto-tune as well as a friendly reminder of Cashmere Cat’s first hit “Mirror Maru” in the form of the famed box-spring-esque samples that were used back in 2012. The Weeknd comes in on “Wild Love” in a very Weeknd-like fashion with his signature falsetto vocals amongst a very abstract beat. Ariane Grande makes her “9” debut on “Quit” with pitter-patter melodies mixed with ballad sounds with a beat that masquerades as EDM-pop but manages to stay gentle and endearing. Ty Dolla $ign (“Infinite Stripes”) and Jhene Aiko (“Plz Don’t Go) also make appearances on both quintessentially alt-R&B tunes.

“9 (After Coachella)” is one of the most impressive feats of production on this record. Danish singer Mø and London producer Sophie join Høiberg here as they run through all the (literal) bells and whistles amidst Mø’s soft vocals. The music video is utterly adorable, and quite a big deal as this was the first time Høiberg has shown his face. It opens with him sitting in a chair Indian-style, puffy coat, shoeless, with a flat bill that sits atop a mop of very Norwegian hair. At the bottom of the image there reads a closed-captioning style narrative that finally introduces Høiberg to fans: “This is Magnus. He’s very shy. He loves dogs.”

“9” is available via Apple Music April 28.