“I have not been to Hong Kong,” Daniel Seavey told Billboard backstage at the 2026 TMElive International Music Awards. “This is the first time – crazy first time. (It’s) a little shocking to play a stadium the first time I’ve been here. Unbelievable. What a gift.”
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The American singer-songwriter took the stage at Kai Tak Stadium on Aug. 22 to perform “Love’s a Gun,” his new single with an alluring ‘80s vibe. After a photo shoot with Billboard China, Seavey was in high spirits as he sat down for a chat with Billboard about coming out of a “rocky” period in his life and rediscovering his passion for making music.
“I learned so much opening for Benson Boone,” shared Seavey, who opened for Boone’s 2024 tour. “The sweetest dude I’ve maybe met in this business, genuinely,” he added of the fellow American Idol alum. “Going into (that tour) I had a very rocky two or three years. Coming out of my band [Why Don’t We] I was in lawsuits and just figuring out a lot of life, to the point where I was wondering if I should still be making music. Then I get on this tour with a guy who is fresh into the business, so optimistic about life in general.”
“He jumped into everything so himself and excited to do it,” said Seavey. “It felt like the dream that music I wanted it to be… it opened up my eyes to how fun it can be, this job.”
That sense of excitement has clearly seeped into Seavey’s life – and he’s hoping to see more of it in today’s music. When asked what he’s been listening to lately, he mentioned Prince and a Latin hitmaker who is coincidentally set to appear at Billboard Latin Music Week (Oct. 19-22) for a Superstar Q&A in Miami. “Pitbull – the serotonin that guy introduced to the world,” Seavey marveled. “I feel like we’re missing it today. Where’s the whimsy and the fun? That guy had all of it.”
Seavey wants to channel a bit of that whimsy and joy in his own music – and hopefully, join forces with Mr. 305 himself. “If I had a dream collab or moment on stage… I keep imagining I come out to a Pitbull show and I’m wearing the bald cap. It’s gonna happen,” he assured us. “I see it every freaking day I wake up.”
Watch more of Billboard’s Daniel Seavey interview as part of our latest episode of Billboard All Access above.
Billboard’s travel and accommodations for the TIMA Honors were covered by Billboard China.