With their banger-filled debut album 'Everything Will Be Alright', Stevie Appleton and Nick Henriques are bringing good vibes only to the dancefloor.

In increasingly bleak times, Collect 200's euphoric electronica shines bright with optimism. "This project is rooted in pure joy," begins London-based singer-songwriter and producer Stevie Appleton, who is one half of the duo. "It's music that we like to think can put you in a good mood, and our main goal is to share that feeling with as many people as possible," adds Toronto-born Diamond-selling writer and producer Nick Henriques, who completes the group.

Despite each of them having written tunes for some of the biggest names in dance music, their intentions when starting this collaborative project were refreshingly down to earth. "We began by following our intuition towards the type of music that felt most true to us," considers Appleton, who comes from a live music background, listening to soul music and playing in bands.

"When writing for other artists, it's their vision you're helping bring to life," continues Henriques, who hails from the club world, having grown up on classic house and sample-based music. "That can be an amazing process too, but nothing comes close to building your own vision," he adds.

Finding this "perfect overlap" and jamming together in the evenings without any pressure afforded them a new type of creative freedom. "There's something about not being in 'work mode'," Appleton suggests; "when you're writing for others and a song needs to be finished that day, there's an expectation to show up with your best ideas".

This wasn't the case when the pair made music together, however. "Sometimes we would just sit going through samples, often ending up with nothing to show for it," he adds. "But being okay about that was where all the magic was found for us", Henriques adds. Such a relaxed approach translates to how the pair, who cite 90s disco, Jungle, Tame Impala and DJ Koze among their influences, introduced Collect 200 to the world.

Since that first post, they've shared footage of their creative process too. "We live in a world where authenticity is something that people want more and more of," Appleton shares of why they like to invite fans into their world. "Making music is a huge part of who we are as people; we spend a lot of our lives in studios and I think it's a true reflection of what we are and where the music comes from."

At the heart of their set-up is a room full of real instruments, which is arguably becoming less common in an age where most producers make their beats on a laptop. "That's where we find our music differs from being straight dance music," Appleton says. "It's got a lot of musicality, and there are certain textures we love that you just can't get until they're played live: guitar, keys, bass, and then lots of real percussion too."

While Henriques describes their groove-led sound as "soulful, vibey and sometimes sunny", the group name initially came from the vocalist who sings on their eponymous debut single. "The lyric she caught on to was 'passing by', and her mind went straight to Monopoly," Henriques laughs. "It felt quite far out at the time, but the more we lived with it the more it couldn't be anything else," Appleton adds, describing the moniker as fun and playful.

Such descriptors are incredibly fitting for the music they make as Collect 200, and arguably why the duo received such a strong response from the get-go. Alongside an early spin from Radio 1 tastemaker Sian Eleri, their socials were flooded with messages; "we try to reply to every single DM", Appleton laughs.

Having started out with "humble expectations", Henriques says they have been "totally overwhelmed by how much people love" their first releases. That's not to say they felt such heights were unreachable: "we're not necessarily surprised because we think the music is great… I guess people have just taken to it quicker than we ever assumed."

Although most groups would perhaps opt to release an EP before their debut album, Collect 200 opted for the straight-to-LP route. "We ended up with so much music," Appleton says, adding that this was no issue. "We've enjoyed seeing albums having a comeback after the streaming revolution," Henriques adds; "I think it's every artist's dream to be an 'album' artist".

The result is 'Everything Will Be Alright', a kaleidoscopic 11-track collection that radiates positivity in multiple ways. "It's something that we kept saying and both independently believed in," Appleton explains of the title, which is also the name of the opening track. "No matter what happens, things will work out the way they're supposed to," Henriques adds somewhat philosophically: "lessons will be learned, experiences will be had, and you can't fight that".

Such an outlook also shines through the artwork, which depicts the duo as shadows walking along a tightrope in front of a rainbow. "It's reflective of the journey that we've been on," Appleton explains of the visual concept. "Music is a hard industry to be in, but we've managed to both have such great careers, and together we continue," Henriques adds.

Now that the album has been out for a few months, Appleton feels that "it has set the tone of what we're about". "We're so proud of it because so much went into it, and now it gets translated on to stages," Henriques adds. "It takes on a whole new life up there."

Seeing their online traction translate into IRL audiences has been hugely fulfilling for both Appleton and Henriques. "Having fans down at our first show singing every word was insane," the former beams, recalling their "electric" debut gig, at The Spotlight in Los Angeles, which sold out thanks to hundreds on the waitlist. "It blew our minds", Henriques adds of the May 2026 show, describing it as "one of the most special nights of our lives".

With plans to tour North America and Europe in late summer, they're eager to replicate the same energy on dancefloors across the globe and, crucially, carry on writing. "We're giving this everything we have, and that's felt very natural," Appleton says, adding that he and Henriques work solely on Collect 200 now, aside from occasional writing sessions for others. "We're at the beginning of something we really believe can change the direction of our lives forever."