Craig Connelly and Liel Kolet: How ‘Endless Sky’ Was Made to Be Special
With albums and well-known vocal trance favorites behind him, Craig Connelly has built a sound that’s emotional and long-lasting. Paired with Liel Kolet’s natural, expressive vocals, their music focuses on feeling, simplicity, and genuine connection.
For Craig Connelly, trance is still very much a living, breathing conversation with his audience. His catalog, featuring vocal trance classics like ‘Black Hole’ and ‘This Life’, multiple Beatport #1 trance releases, and albums, has soundtracked countless emotional moments on dancefloors worldwide. Yet despite these milestones, Craig remains focused on what’s coming next. With several new trance releases lined up for the year, he’s energized not just by the music itself, but by the anticipation of sharing it and seeing how fans connect with it in real time.
For Liel Kolet, singing has always come naturally — something she felt long before she ever tried to explain it. Over the years, that instinct has taken her from sharing stages with artists like Andrea Bocelli and Herbie Hancock to lending her voice to electronic and trance records that reach listeners in completely different spaces. No matter the setting, her vocals feel open and immediate, bringing warmth and emotion that make each track feel personal, whether it’s heard in a concert hall or on a crowded dancefloor.
Together, their collaboration is built on a shared understanding of emotion and intent — where melody, voice, and connection take priority over genre.
Q: Craig, you’ve always managed to stay emotionally rooted in Trance. What’s changed the most in your production mindset since your early breakout records?
Craig : Probably refinement — that’s been my biggest improvement over the last 15 years. Knowing what to leave out rather than what to add. Fewer elements, but higher-quality ones, and each part earning its place.
Q: As someone known for uplifting and vocal trance classics, what do you think makes a vocal trance track truly timeless — not just powerful in the moment — like “Black Hole”?
Craig: For me, it starts with meaning. I always want to work with lyrics that genuinely mean something to the writer — like with “Endless Sky”. When someone writes from a real place, you get a completely different level of emotion and authenticity compared to writing just to pump out songs. That’s what lasts.
Q: Do you still get that rush when you test an unreleased track in a club for the first time?
Craig: Absolutely — but if it doesn’t go off the way you hoped, you immediately start panicking that it’s rubbish! (Laughs.) The truth is, some tracks need time to grow. I remember the first time I played Time Machine — it didn’t hit at all — and then it became massive for the next three years.
Q: Craig and Liel, you’ve teamed up a few times now. What is it about your connection that keeps bringing you back together?
A: I think we both share a real passion for creating uplifting music that inspires positivity and good energy. That shared intention is something that naturally connects us and keeps bringing us back to work together.
Q: What sparked the “Endless Sky” collaboration, and why did it feel like the right project for both of you? Is there a story behind this track that fans might not know?
Craig: Liel wrote such a powerful story into the lyrics of “Endless Sky” — I’ll let her share the deeper meaning — but I connected with it instantly. The feelings and sentiment were exactly what I looked for in a record. Once she sent me the vocals and lyrics, I knew I had to build chords and melodies that did it justice. It actually took me longer than usual because I really wanted it to feel special.
Liel: I wrote “Endless Sky” in 2017 after my very first electronic dance music festival experience at EDC. I was completely taken by the energy, the vibe, and the overwhelming sense of unity and community I felt being part of something so big, all centered around music. I came back to LA overflowing with inspiration, wanting to create a track that could make others feel the same way I felt in those moments- that feeling of standing in a crowd, looking up at the sky, and feeling completely connected to everyone around you. The melody came pouring out and the lyrics slowly came into place and that’s how “Endless Sky” was born.
Q: Liel, you started performing internationally at a very young age. How did stepping onto global stages so early shape you as a vocalist?
Liel: Starting to perform internationally at a young age pushed me to grow up quickly, not just as a vocalist, but as a person. Being on global stages and working with great artists and professionals taught me discipline, resilience, and how to truly connect with different audiences.
It made me see how music is a universal language that can touch, inspire and connect us all, regardless of who we are and where we come from. It taught me that it’s OK to be vulnerable in my singing and my writing, and that emotional honesty is something I try to bring to every song I sing.
Q: You’ve shared the stage and recorded with artists like Andrea Bocelli, Patti LaBelle, Julio Iglesias, and jazz legend Herbie Hancock — a rare experience. What’s the biggest lesson from that time that still guides you today?
Liel: Every time I got to share a stage or record with one of these incredible artists, it was a truly one-of-a-kind experience, but the biggest lesson they all taught me was humility. No matter how big or accomplished they are, they all showed up with professionalism, respect for music, and deep dedication to what they do. And that still guides me today.
Q: Your voice feels classic and emotional, but your sound is very modern. How do you make those two worlds get along?
Liel: I try to stay true to my voice and put my passion and emotion into every song I sing. But at the same time, I love embracing modern sounds and the way music keeps evolving. So it’s always about finding the balance where both sides of who I am as a singer come together naturally.
Q: If you could collaborate with any artist across any genre, who would push you the most creatively?
Craig: I’d love to work with Chris Martin — and also in the orbit of producers like Brian Eno and Max Martin. It’s a ridiculously high bar, but I think being around that level would either push me to improve dramatically or expose me completely. (Laughs.)
Liel: I’ve been lucky to work with so many wonderful artists across different genres, but right now, I’m truly enjoying creating and being part of the dance music world. One of the biggest inspirations early on for me was Above & Beyond, so collaborating with them would be so meaningful to me.
Q: What exciting projects can we expect from you next?
Craig: “Endless Sky” is my number one priority vocal single for the first half of the year. But I’ve also got a lot of instrumental singles coming that all have different flavours — some harder and more hard house-inspired, some more UK clubland, some a bit more mainstream. It’s a real mixed bag this year, and I enjoy that — it keeps me fresh.
Liel: I have a few more trance releases planned for this year that I’m really excited about, and I can’t wait to share them and see how fans connect with them.
