After producing smash hits for people like Ne-Yo, Pitbull, Beyonce, David Guetta and Chris Brown, double GRAMMY-winning DJ/producer Afrojack releases his highly-anticipated debut artist album Forget The World today. It's a moment that's been long in the making and represents a milestone achievement for the Dutchman. Afrojack (born Nick van der Wall) delivers a strong point of view that will move and inspire people. "It's a new side of. It's the purest form of my music," he explains in an EPK video introducing the album.
The story of Afrojack is as impressive as his new music. After falling in love with house music as a teenager, he started toying around with music and developed a strong passion for DJing. While on summer vacation on the Greek isle of Crete, young Nick started to play local clubs to help him finetune his craft and, more importantly, learn how to read crowds and entertain an audience. Eventually, DJ and production heavyweights like David Guetta and Laidback Luke took him under their wing that helped him to gain momentum on the club circuit and find success on his own.
One of Afrojack's most inspiring qualities is that despite his fame and success he has stayed humble. He may be flashing his fancy cars, private jets and mega mansions on Instagram, but despite all the show and tell, he continues to preach that if he can do it then you can do it too.
His experience as a self-made man is very much the story that drives Forget The World. In fact, the release of the album after years of hard work embodies his exact point of view. "I want to people to know that everything is possible in life," Afrojack explained to me earlier. "Follow your dreams and don't let the world judge you and tell you what to do. Sometimes you have to forget the world to follow your heart and make your dreams come true."
Forget The World explores different genres of music that reflects Afrojack's rich taste in music. One of the standout tracks on the album is "Catch Tomorrow" that features none other than the legendary Sting. While preparing the musical production based on his most recent album The Last Ship in New York, Sting took some time out of his schedule to talk about working with Afrojack. "I’ve always loved the idea of blending different sounds and genres, and that sense of exploration continues to be one of my main driving forces," Sting said.
Sting adds, "Collaborating with Afrojack on 'Catch Tomorrow' was an intriguing opportunity. He brought a great energy to the session and it was a lot of fun working with him." (Sting's The Last Ship premieres in Chicago's Bank of America Theatre on June 10 and will debut on Broadway at the Neil Simon Theatre on October 26).
Sting and Afrojack in the studio (Photo by Martin Kierszenbaum)
Afrojack's passion for his craft is also echoed by his collaborators on Forget The World including Sting, Snoop Dogg, Wiz Khalifa, Matthew Koma, Wrabel, Tyler Glenn, Spree Wilson, Jack McManus, Shirazi and newcomer D-wayne. "Nick is truly driven by passion and his love for music," says Matthew Koma who worked with Afrojack on the songs "Illuminate" and "Keep Our Love Alive." "Everyone has their motives. What drives them, what keeps them excited, and for him it really is his desire to connect with his audience and deliver them his all. He's very talented and honest."
Koma says about the making of "Illuminate," "It's a song I started in New York last year. I had rented this studio in Midtown to have a creative space to go to between Dunkin Donut binges, and that song just sort of came about. I was in a really strange place mentally and that one felt like it was sort of 'delivered' more than it was written. After hearing some of Nick's other music, it felt really in line with what his vision was so I was confident when he heard the idea it'd be a fit."
He adds, "We started working on the production together, remotely at first, then met in Los Angeles to finish up. It was cool to sort of tag team it. Both of us come from different perspectives and influences and I feel like that song in particular ended up being an accurate reflection."
Afrojack's debut album also gave him the opportunity to introduce new talent to the masses. Much like he was mentored by David Guetta and Laidback Luke, he is now providing support and guidance to dance newcomer D-wayne. Together they worked on the track "Freedom" that features British singer/songwriter Jack McManus.
The two first met a couple of years ago when D-wayne sent him the track "Distance" for feedback. Nick was instantly impressed and encouraged him to continue working on his music. After finishing up the track "Ammo" last year, Nick decided to sign D-wayne to his Wall Recordings that is an imprint distributed via Spinnin' Records.
Afrojack behind the decks with Wall Recordings artist D-wayne
"We have a really good vibe together," D-wayne tells me via Skype about working with Nick. "We really inspire each other. We have a lot of back and forth in the studio to make the best music. What I really respect about him is that despite his success, he's just a normal guy who just want to have fun in life. I consider him a mentor and he's always there for me."
Also featured on the album is the very talented Wrabel who is the featured vocalist on Afrojack's current hit single "Ten Feet Tall." Written by Wrabel in partnership with Chris Braide, "Ten Feet Tall" is a wonderfully performed love song that perfectly captures that feeling of butterflies when you first fall in love. People everywhere will be able to relate to Wrabel's story about love making you feel so big that you feel that you can accomplish anything.
Driven by Afrojack's euphoric synths and Spree Wilson's happy go lucky delivery, "The Spark" is a feel-good, pop-savvy tune with universal message about believing in yourself no matter what your circumstances are." Ever think when it all goes right/You got things that can change your life/Crashing through the stars at night/I'm telling everybody/We all got the spark," self-proclaimed "midnight rambler" Spree Wilson sings.
Wilson writes me that he penned "The Spark" years ago. When he heard Afrojack was looking for new material, he reached out to the superstar DJ and offered to work with him. The rest is now history.
Back in March, when I quizzed Nick about Forget The World at a VIP listening party in Miami, one of the topics that immediately jumped out at me was his intent to make an all-inclusive album that his "daughter, mother and grandmother" could enjoy without compromising his musical vision. The result is that Forget The World is not just an EDM album, a pop record or a release with big club anthems. The record is a mash of different styles that is a reflection of the myriad of musical tastes today.
Afrojack knows first hand how important it is to forget the world, ignore the nay-sayers and stay true to the things you believe in. His rise to fame is an inspiring story that makes him a role model for everyone out there who wants to pursue their passion. While the world of dance music is splintering off into many other subgenres, production maestros like Afrojack help push the genre further into the American mainstream by combining sweeping grooves and hooky melodies with an authentic point of view and message that is instantly relatable and genuinely meaningful.
Listen to Afrojack Forget The World on Beats Music now.
