With the title of #1 DJ under his belt and numerous #1 tracks, Hardwell is on his way, if not there already, to becoming an electronic dance music legend. Ascendance Radio was able to catch up with this EDM all-star, check out what was said.
Dayanna Ramirez (Ascendance Radio): This is Dayanna with Ascendance Radio, and we’re here in Miami with the number one DJ in the world for the second consecutive year, Hardwell. So, not to take away from your upcoming performance tonight in Miami, but tomorrow is going to be one of the biggest performances of your career. You’re going to take to the stage at an historic venue that has hosted fellow dance acts, such as Swedish House Mafia, Armin van Buuren, Eric Prydz, and just recently, Above & Beyond, not to mention, the thousands of other famous musical acts to grace the venue. With less than 24 hours before you take center stage at Madison Square Garden, how nervous are you?
Hardwell: I’m not actually really nervous, I’m super, super excited. I should mention, I think it’s going to be one of the biggest performances in my career so far, and don’t forget now, Miami, we did the Forum in L.A., you know, we’ve been doing a really great tour in America. Besides that, with this whole “I Am Hardwell Tour“, we went to every continent in the world, and we had sold-out shows in India, in Africa, in Australia, and everywhere in Europe. It’s really been a great tour.
Dayanna Ramirez (Ascendance Radio): That’s cool. So there seems to be a trend with some dance artists to experiment with new sounds. Oddly enough, this experimentation always seems to happen with the sounds that are raking in the big money, like EDM. As much as fans want to believe that every producer is in this because they want to create works of art, artists also have a business to run, and what works creatively doesn’t always work financially. So my question to you is where is the line between being an artist and being a business?
Hardwell: I’m all being an artist. Literally, like, I’ve been DJ-ing my whole life. I played, like, the small bars. I’ve been making music my whole life. I’ve been ghost producing for a lot of artists, you know, I make the music I like. I make the music I would like to listen to. Yeah, from every point of my career, if EDM will collapse and there are no festivals anymore, I will still DJ in a really small bar in my hometown, you know? I’m born as a DJ and, as I said, I’ve been DJing my whole life, so the only thing that matters for me is that I can play music for other people and try to educate them with the music I like.
Dayanna Ramirez (Ascendance Radio): You recently spoke about your debut artist album, set to be released in 2015, and you stated that not every song on the album keeps the dance floor in mind, as opposed to all the other records you’ve released previously. Can you elaborate on this, and why save these tracks for your album?
Hardwell: I think an artist’s album can always be more diverse, you know? It’s an artist album, so why should I make an album that’s completely dance floor-minded? Like, if they’re listening for one time, you can go completely bored by listening or a second time, so that’s why I decided. I like to listen to my album, as well, and in 10 years and think like, “Yeah, I don’t know who liked it, but I did a great job on it.” I want to be more diverse. I’m a really big music lover. I like a lot of different genres, and I want to reflect that on the album.
Dayanna Ramirez (Ascendance Radio): One of your most popular songs to date was “Apollo” with Amba Shepherd. It’s no surprise, then, to see that you two are doing another track together on your upcoming album. Can you tell us more about the track, and how has it been having her sing at your shows, and just overall, how awesome she is?
Hardwell: She is really awesome. Yeah, we’re really good friends, and I think she’s one of the most talented singer/songwriters in the world. She’s actually doing the title song of the album, “United We Are,” and yeah. It’s always great working with her. She knows exactly what I want, I know exactly what she can do. Working together, we work really quick together, as well. The track took us just one week and we finished it.
Dayanna Ramirez (Ascendance Radio): Wow. That’s awesome. So, as the end of the year approaches, it’s optimal time to think about New Year’s resolutions. If you were to come up with a resolution for 2015, strictly music-related, what would make it on your list?
Hardwell: Try to innovate myself even more next year sound-wise. And yeah, that’s it. Try to innovate myself even more.
Dayanna Ramirez (Ascendance Radio): That’s awesome. Well, thank you so much.
Hardwell: Thank you.
Be sure to buy ‘We Are Part I‘ today.
For more information on Hardwell, check out the Hardwell Website, visit the Hardwell Facebook Page, or keep up to date by following Hardwell on Twitter.
