Two Friends Reveal Who Is on Their 'Bucket List' to Collaborate With — Especially After Visiting Nashville

Two Friends — made up of longtime friends Eli Sones and Matthew Halper — have made a name for themselves in the music world, especially after working with Bebe Rexha, Russell Dickerson and more, but they still have some people they'd love to collaborate with.

"We've actually added some new people to the bucket list just by being here and seeing everybody on the CMA Fest lineup. We hung out with Tyler Hubbard the first day and then saw the whole Florida Georgia Line reunion the next day, so that's definitely on the bucket list. Obviously, we're in the dance world, but Dan + Shay are some of the guys who got us into country music, so that would be really cool," the duo exclusively told OK! after their surprise PopUp Bagels x Two Friends pop-up show featuring the co-branded “Big Boots Nashville Hot” schmear tied to Two Friends’ new EP in Nashville, Tenn., during CMA Fest, while promoting their partnership with Celsius.

"We've been here all week basically, and it's great. This is our first CMA Fest, and it's cool. They just take over the whole city. You walk around and there's people everywhere. There's music happening in every single restaurant, bar and venue. So it's been a lot of fun," they added.

The musical group also loved being part of CMA Fest and getting to know new groups and performers.

"It's been great. We're in the studio together every single day, so it's nice to get fresh blood and new people to collaborate with and bounce creative ideas off of. What's special about the country community, especially in Nashville, is that everybody lives here. Every collaborator we've worked with seems to live here, so they'll pop up at our sets. Everybody is just so friendly here," they gushed.

Sones and Halper wish they had gotten to work with Avicii before he passed away in 2018, since he was "the person who got us into [the DJ scene] originally."

"Not just dance music. Rock bands, rappers — everything," they add.

During their time down south, they got to perform a DJ set for fans in PopUp Bagels, which was "different" — "in the best way possible," they quipped.

"We have to stay up late. We've got to do our thing, so there's no better way to do it. They're also amazing partners. We've been working with them for years and the whole team is amazing," they dish about constantly being stocked up on Celsius. "If we'd like to do stuff like this, they're always down to make it fun and get creative. We've done some really cool events and leadership-type stuff with them. They've put us in some weird situations over the years."

The duo has a busy rest of the year coming up — and they're not slowing down anytime soon.

"We've got so much good stuff. The first half of the year was pretty insane. We had some really big ones we just got through. There was a little bit of relief after Red Rocks and our Big Bootie Land show in Chicago. Now we've got a lot of fun stuff coming up: summer festivals, day-party type shows, then a big one here in Nashville to end the year. On December 5, we're doing our debut of the Big Bootie Country event at the new venue The Pinnacle. It's our version of the best of country and the best of dance combined into one. We're really excited for that," they exclaimed.

"We definitely want to keep building, keep working with cool people, keep putting out really good music, keep elevating the Big Bootie mixes, keep growing the touring side. Big Bootie Land sold out right away, so we're already figuring out what's next. We're planning some big things for 2026, so it's very exciting," he continued.

The boys, who love Sparking Arctic Vibe and Sparking Orange flavors, have to stay up and be energized since their shows are on late, which is why it makes perfect sense to partner with Celsius.

"We've been doing stuff with them for years, and the whole team is amazing. If we're like, 'Let's do stuff like this,' they're down to make it fun, get creative. We've done some really good events and leadership-type stuff with them. We've done a lot of crazy stuff. They like putting us in weird situations," they shared.

"They're homies. Honestly, the Celsius relationship goes far beyond sponsorship. They like having fun. That's refreshing because there are a lot of brands that can be kind of boring. When they're down to say, 'Hey, it's 11 a.m., let's do a pop-up show in a bagel shop where people are standing on tables and going crazy,' we're like, 'Say less. We'll be there,'" they quipped.