If you’ve spent any time cruising the LA freeways at 3 a.m. with the windows down, chances are alan vuong has already soundtracked at least one of those nights. Now the 23-year-old Southern California enigma is stepping out of the shadows in a big way: today, the mostly anonymous hitmaker announced his highly anticipated EP HEAVEN SENT ME, due June 26, and unveiled its dreamiest offering yet, the new single “SAUDADE.”

For an artist with zero label, zero management, and no distribution deal, alan vuong’s numbers read like a major-label fantasy. He’s already racked up more than 120 million Spotify streams across cuts like “DEEP IN YOUR SOUL” (a casual 34 million streams and counting), “TELL ‘EM YOU’RE MINE,” and “TOO LATE FOR YOU.” HEAVEN SENT ME pulls those breakouts into one cohesive world while pivoting his signature R&B flow toward a nu-psychedelic indie rock sound that feels uniquely his.

“SAUDADE” is the perfect bridge between where alan vuong has been and where he’s headed. A cinematic ballad threading R&B, psychedelia, and indie rock, the song takes its name from the Portuguese word for a deep, melancholic longing for someone or something that may never return. “This song was written about two souls that maybe were together in a past life,” vuong shared, “in hopes and efforts that they’d find each other again.” Dazzling falsettos, hazy production, and a hook that quietly destroys you on the second listen — it’s the kind of track that turns a late-night drive into a memory.

Stream “SAUDADE” on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/alanvuong

On the EP itself, vuong has been patient. “I’ve been working on HEAVEN SENT ME since 2022,” he said. “At this point in time, this body of work is a symbol for me to keep evolving, to never box myself in and to chase what else God and life has in store for me.” Thematically, the project is a study in unrequited love, forgotten dreams, and whispered confessions — blending 2010s Southern California indie rock and 90s pop with the SoundCloud-rap DNA he’s never abandoned. At one point, he’s delivering an R&B flow over a post-punk beat. Somehow, it works.

HEAVEN SENT ME tracklist:
1. HEAVEN SENT
2. DEEP IN YOUR SOUL
3. TELL ‘EM YOU’RE MINE
4. RESURRECTION
5. FOR CERTAIN
6. DREAMWORLD
7. TIME AFTER TIME
8. SAUDADE
9. TOO LATE FOR YOU

The rollout doesn’t stop with the EP. After selling out his hometown debut at the Constellation Room in Santa Ana weeks in advance, alan vuong is heading to two of the most coveted rooms in the country: his first LA headline show at The Moroccan Lounge on May 23, followed by his first NYC headline at The Mercury Lounge on June 24. Tickets are on sale now, and if the Santa Ana show is any indication, you’ll want to move fast.

For a so-called anonymous artist, alan vuong is making it pretty hard to look away. Pre-save HEAVEN SENT ME, queue up “SAUDADE,” and lock in those tour tickets before the rest of the internet catches on.