A new collaboration between the Goo Goo Dolls and electronic music producer Steve Aoki is giving the band’s legendary hit “Iris” a fresh spin for a new generation of listeners. The updated version transforms the emotional rock ballad into a high-energy dance track built for massive festival crowds, blending the song’s familiar intensity with Aoki’s electronic production style.
The partnership began unexpectedly at the 2025 Stagecoach festival, when Aoki invited Goo Goo Dolls frontman John Rzeznik onstage to perform the song together. The crowd’s reaction was immediate and overwhelming, turning the moment into one of the standout highlights of the weekend. Inspired by the response, Aoki later brought the track into the studio to create a version designed specifically for live festival sets while still honoring the spirit of the original.
Rzeznik said in a statement: “Joining Steve onstage during his Stagecoach set was an unforgettable moment. The energy from the crowd was remarkable and the mixture of our two genres was amazing to witness live. We’re thrilled to release this new version of ‘Iris’ with Steve and share that magic moment with our fans around the world.”
Aoki said the experience convinced him the song could take on a new life in a different musical setting: “Performing ‘Iris’ live with Goo Goo Dolls at Stagecoach was one of those rare, unforgettable moments. You could feel the connection everyone had to the song, but also this incredible rush as we brought it into a completely different environment. That feeling stayed with me, and I knew we had to take it into the studio and build a version designed for festival stages, while preserving the heart of the original.”
Originally released in 1998 for the film City of Angels starring Nicolas Cage and Meg Ryan, “Iris” has remained one of the most recognizable rock songs of its era. Nearly three decades later, it continues to reach new audiences. The track has accumulated more than 5.5 billion streams worldwide, including over 1 billion streams in 2025 alone. Its renewed popularity has also been fueled by viral moments on TikTok and strong chart performance on Spotify’s U.S. and Global Daily rankings.
See the video for the ‘Iris’ remix: HERE.
Stream: HERE.
Editorial credit: J.A. Dunbar / Shutterstock.com
