Joey Arrigo’s new anthemic club banger, “Get Down”, is a siren call for party goers to get down and dance this summer, as well as to get down and f-. Produced by Velvet Code, the song combines Joey’s love of 80s synth/rock with early 2000s pop and celebrates the artist’s newfound joy of self. “I’m focusing on my personal happiness this summer and taking control of my own life,” Joey Arrigo says. “A partner doesn’t belong in my life right now. I’m looking forward to a few months of dancing and screwing with an influx of dopamine, serotonin, endorphins and a whole lot of sweat,” he laughs. Joey Arrigo’s “Get Down”, and its brand-new remixes by DJs Dan Slater, Erick Ibiza, GSP, and more, will be available on streaming platforms on May 31.
“I want fans to experience a taste of the self-discovery journey I am on,” Joey Arrigo continues from his Toronto home. “I hope the song encourages them to dance more. F more. Do that thing they’ve always wanted to do. If there’s something or someone standing in your way, move them.”
The “Get Down” music video, directed by Francis Luta and filmed at Pie in the Sky Studio 4 in Toronto, reflects Arrigo’s unbridled liberation. It depicts the artist walking alone in a dry dystopia, following an apocalyptic storm. He is lost and tired, bruised and battered, searching for something. He is led to a golden goddess figure who offers him a safe space where he can express his deepest desires and find healing.
Joey understands now that what he has been looking for in real life is connection – to feel seen, heard, valued, and understood – and that he has often gone about it the wrong way. “I tried finding it in relationships where I would let others control me. I tried finding it in a bag of cocaine where the drug would take me to a high I didn’t think I could achieve on my own.
“At some point, after the relationship cooled or the drug wore off, I would crash down and find myself still writhing in agony in a pool of loneliness,” he adds.
He says it has taken time for him to realize that the power of connection was in himself all along. “I needed to love me,” he says. “I needed to shed the insecurity, the need for validation, and simply shine as my true self and let the world see what I have to offer as an artist.”
All of the choreography in the “Get Down” video was created by Joey Arrigo. He incorporates a variety of styles and genres of dance into it, including contemporary improv, technical jazz, and ballet. “The choreography is meant to be strong, empowering, sexy and a delicious mix of masculine and feminine, as I am.”
Joey Arrigo grew up in Ontario, Canada. He recalls his childhood being centered around costume, music, singing, and performing. He discovered dance at four-years-old when his sister was enrolled in classes. “I stood at the door of the class with fire in my eyes, desperate to be in the class myself,” Joey recalls. At five-years-old, he discovered a VHS recording of Cirque du Soleil’s 1989 show Nouvelle Experience and was captivated with the contortionist act. He remembers teaching himself the routine – or rather, a simulation of it – and reenacting the performance for his family in his living room.
Today, the dancer, acrobat, actor, teacher, choreographer and singer is best known for competing on CTV’s So You Think You Can Dance Canada. Arrigo has played the principal character in Cirque du Soleil’s Volta. He was featured in Cirque du Soleil’s Kooza and he made guest appearances on Ukraine’s Everybody Dance and Disney’s Sharpay’s Fabulous Adventure. He has also played an androgynous evil queen in A Grimm Night, based on the Grimm Brother’s Fairytales, and starred in the role of Renfield in The Eve of St. George, based on Bram Stoker’s Dracula.
Joey Arrigo released his debut dance music single, “Let It Crash,” in June 2023.
In addition to his artistry, Joey Arrigo is a strong advocate for mental health issues. He was diagnosed with ADHD in December 2023. He is also a National Ambassador for CANFAR, the Canadian Foundation for Aids Research. He has been HIV+ for nearly eight years. The diagnosis led to some of his biggest struggles in life, but also provided moments of growth. Arrigo is always eager to share his thoughts on what it means to live with HIV, to be sexually liberated and powerful with HIV and to ultimately thrive with HIV.
Joey Arrigo’s “Get Down” is now available on Spotify, Apple Music and most streaming platforms via So Fierce Music/The Orchard/Sony Music Entertainment, along with brand new remixes by DJs Dan Slater, Erick Ibiza, GSP, and more. Visit GetDownwithJoey.com. Follow Joey Arrigo on Instagram @ getdownwithjoey
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