Whitney Houston’s legendary vocals can be heard on her new, posthumous collaboration with Kygo, titled “Higher Love.” The track is the late musician’s first Hot 100 entry in 10 years.
“Higher Love” is the Jersey Girl’s 40th Hot 100 song, and the first time her name has appeared on the chart since “Million Dollar Bill” sat pretty at No. 100 for one week in 2009.
Per Billboard, “The song (billed as by Kygo X Whitney Houston and released on RCA Records) reworks Steve Winwood’s anthem, which topped the Hot 100 dated Aug. 30, 1986. The Whitney Houston estate offered Kygo the archival recording of her original cover, which was previously released as a Japan-only bonus track on the physical version of her 1990 album I’m Your Baby Tonight.”
The song also debuted at No. 2 on the the Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart, as well as No. 4 on the “all-genre Digital Song Sales.”
“This is definitely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, a collaboration I never thought was going to happen, so I just had to make it as good as I can,” Kygo told Zane Lowe during his Beats 1 show.