Few artists have risen to fame as quickly as Nicky Romero has. The Dutch producer explored his love for music at a young age, playing the drums for several years before turning to DJ’ing. Upon graduating, Romero decided to follow his passion and it wasn’t long before he was signed to his first label, Once Records.
“His big break came in 2010 when he released “My Friend” on Spinnin Records. The track earned the support of industry giants like Tiesto, Axwell, Fedde le Grand and more and landed at #4 on the Beatport Top 100. By 2012, Romero had gained mainstream success thanks to “Toulouse,” which absolutely exploded (thanks in no small part to the unofficial music video, which went viral). From there, the DJ was marked as one of EDM’s fastest rising stars.
Later that year, he grabbed the #17 spot on the DJ Mag Top 100 and put out several extremely successful singles (“I Could Be The One,” “Like Home” and “Sparks”). In the years following, Romero continued to impress and soon found himself playing the main stage at renowned festivals like Ultra and Tomorrowland.
Now, Nicky Romero is a staple of EDM. A shining star amongst his peers, he’s a true example of talent, hard-work and dedication, and is undoubtedly one of the industry’s greats. So, when I had the chance to interview him after his set at this year’s Pier of Fear, I was thrilled. Easy going and super friendly, Romero took some time to discuss with me his views on the current state of EDM, what new music he has coming up, how he became associated with the Guy Fawkes mask and more.
Check out our interview below, and enjoy!
First and foremost I want to say congratulations on your first BMI award! How did you feel when you heard your name called?
Nicky Romero: Thanks! I appreciate it! I was a little overwhelmed, and so excited. It’s my first award actually, so it was a huge moment for me.
A few weeks ago for Halloween you performed at Light in Las Vegas. How was that and what was your Halloween costume?
Nicky Romero: It was awesome – Vegas really is something else. People had really sick costumes, the decorations were out of this world and the energy there was mind blowing! I have to admit I didn’t wear a costume… I am scary enough without one, don’t you think? [Laughs] No, but in all honesty I feel sometimes you get a little distracted wearing something you’re not totally comfortable in, and I wanted to focus 100% on delivering a really great set.
Seeing as this was your first Pier of Fear, how do you think it went? Were you happy with everything in the end?
Nicky Romero: I was really happy with it. Pier 94 is such an amazing venue – I love places with a warehouse type feel. The crowd was really going for it, and that is the main thing for me. My worst nightmare would be to perform for a crowd that didn’t give me any energy to work with!
You recently released the single Let Me Feel. What inspired you to make such an emotional song and how did you get Vicetone and When We Are Wild involved?
Nicky Romero: Well, I have been working with Ruben and Victor (Vicetone) since back in 2013 when they released their track “Tremble” on Protocol Recordings. I love their style, and they have a really strong passion for music, which results in really genuine and great work. “Let Me Feel” is an example of this, and we just went with the raw emotion that came out of it. When We Are Wild are also part of my Protocol family. You’ll be hearing a lot more from them for sure!
