Afrojack

Afrojack
Background information
Birth name Nick van de Wall
Born (1987-09-09) 9 September 1987
Spijkenisse, Netherlands
Genres Electro house, progressive house, EDM, Dutch house, trap
Occupation(s)
Years active 2003–present
Labels
Associated acts
Website www.afrojack.com

Nick van de Wall (born 9 September 1987), commonly known by his stage name Afrojack,[1] is a Dutch DJ, record producer and remixer. In 2014, he released his debut album Forget the World. Afrojack regularly features in top 10 of DJ Mag Top 100 DJ's.[2]

Early life

Van de Wall was born and raised in Spijkenisse, Netherlands and is partly of Surinamese descent.[3] He developed an interest in music at an early age and learned to play the piano at the age of five.[4] From a single-parent household, his mother Debbie owned a local gym. After leaving school, Van de Wall studied graphic design for a year before embarking on a career as DJ/producer.[4]

Musical career

At the age of 14, Van de Wall started DJ'ing at local pubs and clubs and earning additional income with designing websites for fellow musicians.[4] In 2007 he released "In Your Face", the first recording under the Afrojack name. He received international success with the song "Take Over Control" featuring Eva Simons, which charted in 10 different countries.[5] He took part in Episode 2 of 'Behind The Speedo', which is a comedy series by Redfoo.

His 2010 entry into the poll at number 19 was the highest new entry of that year's list.[6] Afrojack was listed as number 7 on the DJ Mag Top 100 DJ's of 2011.[7] He ranked at number 9 on DJ Mag's Top 100 DJ's of 2012.[8] In 2013, he ranked at number 9 again.[2]

In July 2010, Afrojack created an Essential Mix for BBC Radio 1.[9] He released the Lost & Found EP in December 22, 2010. In 2011, he was featured on Pitbull's number 1 hit single "Give Me Everything" along with Ne-Yo and Nayer. He also contributed to the single "Run the World (Girls)" by Beyoncé.[10] In January 2012 Afrojack received an European Border Breakers Award.[11] Afrojack's newest single "The Spark" featuring Spree Wilson has so far hit number 3 in Australia and New Zealand, and top 10 in over 7 more countries. In 2013, Afrojack was the 7th highest-earning DJ in the world, according to Forbes magazine.[12]

In 2011, Afrojack co-produced music with many artists including David Guetta, Mike Brown and Madonna. In 2012, he was a headliner at a number of electronic dance music festivals, including Tomorrowland (Belgium), Ultra Music Festival (Miami, Florida), Coachella (Los Angeles), Electric Daisy Carnival (New York City, Las Vegas).[13]

His debut album, Forget the World, was released May 19, 2014 to mixed reviews.[14]

On March 17 2015, Afrojack was featured in David Guetta's single "Hey Mama" in which he co-produced with Guetta. The song featured him along with Trinidadian born American singer and rapper Nicki Minaj, and Albanian-American singer Bebe Rexha.

Wall Recordings

Afrojack runs his own label, Wall Recordings, which represents Dutch DJs including R3hab, Sidney Samson and Mayaadh.[15]

Personal life

Afrojack and Paris Hilton dated for 6 months, while he was producing her second album.[16] From a previous relationship to Dutch model Amanda Balk he has a daughter, Vegas.[17]

Discography

Main article: Afrojack discography
Albums

References

  1. ↑ RA: Afrojack. Residentadvisor.net. Retrieved on 2011-01-06.
  2. 1 2 Top 100 DJs 2013 search. DJ Mag. Retrieved on 2013-10-20.
  3. ↑ Afrojack Discography at Discogs. Discogs.com. Retrieved on 2011-01-06.
  4. 1 2 3 van Rossum, Maarten (19 February 2013). "Interview: Afrojack". Maarten! (in Dutch).
  5. ↑ "Afrojack Bio, Music, News & Shows". DJZ.com. Retrieved March 6, 2013.
  6. ↑ Music Interview: DJ Afrojack. Yorkshire Evening Post. Retrieved on 2011-01-06.
  7. ↑ Top 100 DJs 2011 search. DJ Mag. Retrieved on 2011-01-06.
  8. ↑ Top 100 DJs 2012 search. DJ Mag. Retrieved on 2013-01-06.
  9. ↑ Radio 1 Programmes – BBC Radio 1's Essential Mix, Afrojack. BBC (2010-07-10). Retrieved on 2011-01-06.
  10. ↑ IMO Records. "Afrojack Biography", IMO Records, London, Retrieved on 25 January 2012.
  11. ↑ "Dutch dj Afrojack wins EBBA", Sica.nl. Retrieved October 7, 2011
  12. ↑ "Forbes Highest Paid DJs".
  13. ↑ "Biography".
  14. ↑ Metacritic score of 49, (accessed 19 November 2014).
  15. ↑ "Wall Recordings".
  16. ↑ Steinman, Alex (May 30, 2012). "Paris Hilton dumped by DJ Afrojack". NY Daily News.
  17. ↑ Coulehan, Erin (October 9, 2013). "'March of the Afrojack' Includes Time to Reflect". Rolling Stone.

External links

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