(Featured image via Tiësto on Facebook)
It’s that time of the year again — The DJ Mag Top 100 DJs Polls are now open and we’re looking at some serious competition! Will Hardwell be able to come out on top as the World’s Number 1 DJ for the second consecutive year? Will Armin van Buuren reclaim the number 1 spot or will Avicii surprise us all and claim the spot?
With all these competition going on, let us not forget about former World No. DJ, Tiësto! Tiësto, who also happens to be Hardwell‘s mentor came out 4th on the DJ Mag Top 100 DJ Polls in 2013 is definitely one of the top and most influential figures in the worldwide EDM community. Throughout his career Tiësto has achieved a lot of number of recognitions including: a Grammy nomination, numerous MTV awards, performing at the opening ceremony of the 2004 Athens Olympic Games to an audience of billions, and even a wax statue at Madame Tussauds.
Apart from his music, Tiësto has managed to surpass musical genres to create a global “Tiësto” brand and turned himself into a universal phenomenon with his globally syndicated Club Life radio show as well as his Club Life iTunes artist podcast. Voted ‘The Greatest DJ Of All Time’ by Mixmag in 2011 and the #1 DJ by Rolling Stone, Tiësto has worked with superstars such as Kanye West, Coldplay, Katy Perry, Nelly Furtado, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Goldfrapp and many more.
In 1997, Tiësto founded the label Black Hole Recordings with Arny Blink, where he released the Magik and In Search of Sunrise CD series but it was his 2000 remix of Delerium’s “Silence” featuring Sarah McLachlan that exposed him to a bigger mainstream audience.
Tiësto released his first solo album, In My Memory in 2001 which included several major hits that launched his career. in 2002, Tiësto ranked at Number 1 On DJ Mag’s annual Top 100 DJs poll for three consecutive years — 2002 to 2004. This 45-year-old DJ from Breda, Netherlands launched his radio show Tiësto’s Club Life on Radio 538 in the Netherlands and released his third studio album Elements of Life which reached number one on the Dutch album chart as well as on Billboard Top Electronic Albums in the U.S. and received a nomination for a Grammy Award in 2008.
Following his fourth studio album Kaleidoscope in 2009, Tiësto established his self-owned record label, Musical Freedom in 2010. Apart from holding a number of gold and platinum records with each release hand-selected by Tiësto himself, Musical Freedom, is home to all of Tiësto’s own releases as well as those of other artists.
2012 saw a series of promotions for Tiësto including performing for the first concert live-streamed on Twitter; his 10-part “In The Booth” documentary series; launch of his “Club Life” Sirius on XM channel, the release of his “Club Life – Volume 2 Miami” mix album and his brand of new range of headphones for AKG and a fashion line with Guess.
The following year, saw a follow up to his groundbreaking “Club Life College Invasion Tour,” which saw Tiësto embark on a two-week tour of college campuses across the United States. Tiësto released his fifth studio album A Town Called Paradise on June 13th, 2014. The album includes hit singles “Red Lights” and “Wasted”.
Having travelled across the globe and performed in various countries including Malaysia, here are some things you might not know about this dashing DJ:
- He’s been knighted by the Queen of Holland. After Tiësto’s 2004 release of “Just Be”, he was appointed as Officer of the Order of Orange-Nassau by Queen Beatrix of Holland.
- Apart from his collaborations with Armani Exchange and Guess, Tiësto has his own Reebok sneaker. The limited edition Tiësto-laced Reebok sneakers featured his name, an orange coloured scheme and some artwork of headphones and tendril-like designs.
- He once played a 12-hour set in Amsterdamnce. Like, wow! Can you imagine the stamina and creativity to pull a set THAT long?
- Tiësto is the first DJ to perform live at an Olympic stage.
- He is the worldwide ambassador for dance4life, a HIV awareness foundation.
- Tiësto is officially an ordained minister.
- Complete with decks that allow attendees to mix right alongside the lifesize model of Tiësto, he is the only DJ in Madame Tussuads Wax Museum.
For more updates on Tiesto, check out his social networking sites: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Website. Also, don’t forget to vote for him!
Have a great week ahead everyone! Here’s “Red Lights” from Tiesto’s A Town Called Paradise album.
