Kaleo frontman reflects on 10 years of 'Way Down We Go': 'It's such a monster'

With "Way Down We Go," Kaleo went way, way up.

The Icelandic band's breakout hit was first released on Aug. 7, 2015 — 10 years ago Thursday. Since then, "Way Down We Go" has been certified double-Platinum by the RIAA and has remained Kaleo's signature song.

Reflecting on "Way Down We Go" a decade later, frontman JJ Julius Son tells ABC Audio, "I still think that's a great song."

"I'm glad that I actually like the song that's, like, the most popular one," he laughs.

Still, Julius Son adds that the success of "Way Down We Go" feels "weird that it identifies you in a way."

"It's such a monster," Julius Son says. "I obviously just hope that it's a gateway for other people to listen to the rest of the music, 'cause I know that the potential of most of my music is the same."

"Way Down We Go" hit #1 on Billboard's Alternative Airplay chart and remains Kaleo's only song to chart on the all-genre Hot 100. Its success was helped by its use in movies and TV shows, perhaps most notably in the trailer for the X-Men film Logan, not to mention a video of Kaleo performing "Way Down We Go" inside a literal volcano.

Still, Julius Son isn't sure why "Way Down We Go" in particular hit big in the way that it did.

"It's one of those things, man, like, you can't put a finger on it," Julius Son says. "How does a song go absolutely viral and have billions and billions of streams?"

He adds, "I guess at the end of the day, you just have to be thankful for it."

Kaleo's most recent album is Mixed Emotions, which dropped in May.