DJ Peter Antal was two years deep into depression when a friend handed him a way out — not therapy, not medication, but a remix competition for a LAUV track. That act of creative rescue became the origin story of Firefliez, the electronic duo Peter now shares with DJ Ferx (Ferenc Bekefi), and the unlikely birthplace of Darklight Pop: a genre they invented from scratch to hold the emotional experiences that existing music couldn’t quite reach.
Since forming in the summer of 2025, Firefliez have built a catalog of roughly 60–70 songs around a single unifying idea — that darkness and light aren’t opposites to be chosen between, but forces to be held at the same time. Depression, anxiety, ADHD, loneliness: not hidden from, but scored, produced, and sung directly at. We sat down with Peter and Ferenc to find out how you build a genre out of a mental health crisis — and why they think that’s exactly where music should be going.
Music became something healing for us. We believe you can only truly help people if you have experienced those emotions yourself. Otherwise, you are only scratching the surface.
— Firefliez
EV
Firefliez formed in the summer of 2025 — what was the moment where you both knew this project was going to be something real and not just an experiment?
FF
We have known each other for many years, and both of us had worked on different music projects before Firefliez. Our musical styles truly came together when I, DJ Peter Antal, was struggling with depression for two years, and Ferenc Bekefi (DJ Ferx) helped me find a way out of those negative feelings. To motivate me and help me move forward, we entered a remix competition for the song “Like Me Better” by LAUV. While working together on that project, we started helping each other with our music, and eventually decided to create our own songs inspired by K-Pop. We call ourselves FireFliez, with z at the end, as they light up the sky — we shine in the darkness with our music. At the same time, we wanted to invent a completely new style, so we named it Darklight Pop. That is how our first song, “Nightmares,” was born.
EV
You’ve coined the term Darklight Pop to describe your sound. In your own words, what does Darklight Pop feel like to someone who has never heard it before?
FF
Darklight Pop feels like emotional duality inside one song — the evil and the good, the dark and the light, the lows and the highs existing together. We want listeners who are struggling with difficult emotions to feel understood and supported through the music. Whether someone is dealing with depression, panic attacks, anxiety, mental health struggles, or ADHD, the songs are designed to help them through hard times. One example is our song “ADHD,” which directly reflects those experiences.
That emotional duality isn’t just a concept — it shapes the DNA of how they write, produce, and perform. Peter brings the human instability; Ferenc builds the architecture that holds it.
EV
Peter, you’ve been on Exposed Vocals before as a solo artist. How does working as part of a duo change the way you approach the music emotionally and creatively?
FF
We inspire each other constantly, and working as a duo gives me a feeling I never had when I made music alone. It makes the creative process much stronger and more emotional for me. I feel the music more intensely now because we build everything together and push each other creatively. We also write about emotions that many people experience but rarely talk about openly. For example, our song “Aloneliness” is about people who feel alone in the world and no longer want to connect with anyone.
EV
Ferenc, as the instrumental producer and sound architect of Firefliez — how do you build a beat that carries both darkness and light at the same time without one canceling the other out?
FF
This duality has always existed inside me, but Peter helped me realize that we could turn it into a unique music style. The key is finding balance within ourselves. Darkness and light complete each other — without darkness there is no light, and without silence there is no sound. In production, I try to combine emotional tension with uplifting energy so that neither side cancels the other out. Our song “Fireflies” represents exactly who we are and reflects that balance.
That line — “without darkness there is no light, and without silence there is no sound” — isn’t just a production philosophy. It’s the closest thing Firefliez has to a manifesto. Everything else builds outward from it.
Darkness and light complete each other — without darkness there is no light, and without silence there is no sound.
— DJ Ferx (Ferenc Bekefi), Firefliez
EV
The Darklight Pop concept deliberately addresses themes like depression, anxiety, and ADHD rather than avoiding them. Why was it important to you both to face those themes head on instead of keeping the music surface level?
FF
The deepest values are usually hidden beneath the surface. Our songs are not only about love or heartbreak like many modern songs. For example, our track “Beautiful Love” is really about human nature, self-acceptance, and learning to be yourself. Both of us have experienced very low emotional moments in life, and music became something healing for us. We believe you can only truly help people if you have experienced those emotions yourself. Otherwise, you are only scratching the surface. That is why we wanted to face topics like depression, anxiety, and ADHD directly instead of avoiding them.
EV
You describe a “hard change between dark and light” that gives listeners chills every time. Can you walk us through how that transition is built in a track — is it a production decision, a lyrical one, or both?
FF
Listeners can always feel the exact moment when the transition happens. It is a sudden shift in the beat, the lyrics, the melody, and even the rhythm. The contrast between darkness and positivity is one of the core elements of Darklight Pop. Positive thinking is a major key in our music. For example, we created a song inspired by Millie Bobby Brown’s positive and happy energy called “I Wanna Live Like Millie…”
The shift they’re describing is structural — not a fade or a build, but a rupture. Something snaps. And that’s the moment they’re after every time.
EV
The K-Pop influence is interesting because K-Pop is often associated with high-gloss positivity — how does that aesthetic serve a project that is dealing with real emotional weight?
FF
From K-Pop, we kept the crazy energy, unexpected changes, and exciting structures, but we added emotional depth and darker emotional layers and also the high-energy atmosphere. That combination allows us to create music that is both uplifting and emotionally meaningful at the same time. “Music makes you free, so freedom is music.” (Firefliez quote) We can add as many different parts as we like.
EV
You’ve introduced concepts like the double chorus system and affected mouth singing. Where did those ideas come from and what do they add to the listening experience?
FF
We wanted to express as many emotions and ideas as possible, so we created the double chorus system to make the hype and emotional impact even stronger. Peter also adds beatboxing and unique vocal techniques, including singing with a closed mouth or creating vocal sounds that imitate audio effects naturally instead of using heavy processing like delay or EQ. These techniques make the songs feel more alive, emotional, entertaining, and unexpected. They give chills not only to the audience, but also to us while creating the music.
The idea of techniques that give the artists themselves chills while creating is notable — it points to something raw in the process, not just the product.
Someone shared that our song “Home Back Again” helped them during periods of depression and bipolar struggles. That showed us that the music truly works emotionally and can help people heal.
— Firefliez
EV
The mission behind Firefliez is to remind listeners they are not alone with their struggles. Has anyone reached out to tell you the music has done exactly that — and what does that feel like?
FF
Yes, people have reached out to us and told us that our music helped them through difficult emotional moments. For example, someone shared that our song “Home Back Again” helped them during periods of depression and bipolar struggles. That showed us that the music truly works emotionally and can help people heal. Listeners also understood the message behind our song “Undercover,” which is about helping people quietly and indirectly, because sometimes people accept support more easily when it is not forced on them.
EV
What does the rest of 2026 look like for Firefliez — what are you working on and where do you want the project to be by the end of the year?
FF
We have already created around 60–70 songs, and right now we are focusing on continuously releasing and polishing them. We are planning more singles and albums throughout 2026. We are also preparing a summer-themed song titled “Summertime.” By the end of the year, we want Firefliez and Darklight Pop to reach more listeners around the world and continue helping people emotionally through our music.
What Firefliez are building is less a discography than a body of evidence — proof that music can meet people in the places most songs won’t go. The fact that it started with one friend pulling another out of a two-year depression, through a remix competition for a pop song, is either deeply unlikely or completely inevitable. Sixty-plus songs in, and with “Summertime” ahead, they’re not slowing down. They don’t seem interested in the surface. They never were.
