In 2023, the Amsterdam-based indie rock band Hiqpy participated in Popronde as a 3voor12 Talent. With each show, the reviews grew more enthusiastic, and their inbox filled with industry emails. A subsequent fifteen-minute performance at Noorderslag 2024 was enough to convince the rest of the Netherlands of Hiqpy's right to exist. And that was before they had released a single note of music. "Hiqpy is suddenly the next big thing, even though there's nothing on Spotify," headlined NRC newspaper.

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The fifteen minutes in Groningen led to more than forty festival shows in 2024. From Paaspop, Appelpop, and Bevrijdingspop Haarlem to Best Kept Secret and Into The Great Wide Open, where the beginner's stage, the Kuil, was already too small for the growing Hiqpy hype. In 2024, the band received the Zonneprijs for musical talent, was included in EKKO's Class of 2024, and was chosen as Record Store Day Talent. The 7-inch LP with two live tracks they released in limited edition became a collector’s item. Not surprising, since besides two videos on YouTube, Hiqpy’s magic was only available live. There was nothing on Spotify because, since the train started moving in January, there had been no time to record music.

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At the end of 2024, the band signed a contract with Sony Music. In January 2025, their long-awaited debut single, Something, was released. Written by Abir—who moved from Tunisia to Haarlem at the age of two and, as a child, found in songwriting a way to express the confusing tension between her Islamic background and Western freedoms—Something is about letting go of religious, cultural, and societal expectations in order to experience love, both for others and, in doing so, for yourself. The track was produced by Grammy Award–winner Danton Supple, known for his work on several albums by Coldplay, U2, and Elbow. Something also crossed borders: it was played on BBC Radio in the UK and was named “De Belofte” of April by Belgian radio station Willy. In May, the second single Red Flag Magician was released, followed in September by Girl in Red—both also produced by Supple.

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In early 2025, Hiqpy was named Volkskrant Talent. During Eurosonic Noorderslag, they were voted the #1 act of the festival by 3voor12 and were also named 3FM Talent of 2025. Hiqpy was nominated for a 3FM Award in the category Best Newcomer, and in June they were selected as a Spotify RADAR artist. That same year, the band performed at more than forty festivals in the Netherlands and Belgium, including Pinkpop, Rock Werchter, Into The Great Wide Open, Gent Jazz, Paaspop and Appelpop.