Sri Lankan-British singer and producer GILSKA opens 2026 with ‘SALT’, a restrained yet striking new single that leans into atmosphere, texture and quiet intensity.
The track marks a confident step forward for an artist increasingly comfortable operating in the spaces between electronic pop, club music and something more personal.
Built on glitching electronics, low-slung hip-hop-influenced percussion and swelling synth lines, ‘SALT’ unfolds patiently. GILSKA’s vocals sit front and centre, smooth, controlled and deliberately understated, drifting over a sparse but immersive production. The track resists obvious peaks, instead drawing power from subtle shifts in rhythm, layered ambience and carefully placed vocal processing. It’s minimal without feeling empty, polished without losing edge.
Lyrically and sonically, ‘SALT’ explores intimacy at its most charged: the moment before touch, when attraction is felt more than spoken. As GILSKA puts it, the song lives “in the pause before contact,” and that sense of suspended tension runs through every element of the track.
GILSKA’s sound has always reflected a wide musical palette, from her classical training to club-ready electronics and nods to her Sri Lankan heritage. That fluidity is present here, though ‘SALT’ feels especially focused; less concerned with spectacle, more interested in mood.
