Alan Olav Walker (born 24 August 1997) is a Norwegian DJ and record producer. His songs "Faded", "Sing Me to Sleep", "Alone", "All Falls Down" (withNoah Cyrus andDigital Farm Animals) and "Darkside" (withAu/Ra and Tomine Harket) have each been multi-platinum-certified and reached number 1 on theVG-lista chart in Norway.[a] Walker values his anonymity and is known to wear a hoodie and mask to remain inconspicuous.
Walker grew up inFana, Bergen, Norway, and began making music around 2012. Using feedback from fans online, he later gained recognition by posting several videos onYouTube andSoundCloud.[6] Starting out as a bedroom producer, he was better known asDJ Walkzz before signing a record deal and releasing his debut single "Fade" onNoCopyrightSounds (NCS) at the age of 17.[7][8] In December 2015, his single "Faded", released onMER Musikk, reached as high as number 80 on the USBillboard Hot 100 and was certified triple platinum by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[a] In 2016, after releasing the singles "Sing Me to Sleep" and "Alone". In 2017 released the single "The Spectre", a vocal remake of an early song, "Spectre", which reached the top 10 on the Norwegian, Swiss, and Polish charts. Walker was ranked 13th on theBillboard 21 Under 21, which was released in September of the same year.[9] Then, in October of the same year, he achieved similar success with the single "All Falls Down", a collaboration with singerNoah Cyrus and British DJ and music producerDigital Farm Animals.
In 2018, he released the song "Darkside" featuring Antiguan-German singer/songwriterAu/Ra and Norwegian singer Tomine Harket. A few months later, his first studio album,Different World (2018), debuted at number 1 on the Norwegian and Finnish charts, as well as in the Top 20 in Sweden and Switzerland.[a] In 2019, Walker released the singles "Are You Lonely" featuringSteve Aoki andIsák, and "On My Way" featuringSabrina Carpenter andFarruko. Over the next two years, Walker released songs such as "Time", a collaboration withHans Zimmer in 2020, and "Fake a Smile" in 2021. Both songs appear on his second studio album,World of Walker, which was released in November 2021 and reached number 4 in Norway. In September of the same year, he also released theWalker Racing League EP.
In 2023, he ranked number 11 onDJ Mag's Top 100 DJs.[10] As of February 2023, theBBC estimated Walker's net worth to be $20 million.[11] In a rating of the most subscribedYouTube channels in Norway byvidIQ, Walker is ranked at the top of the list with around 45.7 million subscribers as of March 2024.[12] He remains the most-subscribed user as of March 2025 with 46.5 million subscribers.[13]
Walker was born on August 24, 1997, inNorthampton, England, to a British father and a Norwegian mother.[14] Walker moved toFana, Bergen, Norway, with his two siblings when he was two years old.[2] He was originally most interested in computer games, graphic design, and programming,[15] and spent his childhood playing with Nintendo hardware and home consoles such as thePlayStation andNintendo GameCube.[16]
In 2010, he went on toDanielsen Middle School [no], a private Christian middle school in the center of Bergen.[17] During middle school, he started making music.[14] Originally, he loved listening to music, but knew very little about it. As a result, he started learning music and production by watchingYouTube tutorials.[18] In 2013, he went on toDanielsen High School [no].[19] During high school, he often worked in his grandparents' garden, but wondered if he could make music into a career.[20] After graduating from high school, he planned to either serve his country in the military or work at a nearby grocery store.[21]
In 2012, Walker, who was listening to a song by Italian DJ David Whistle (also known as DJ Ness) reached out to him inquiring how he produced his music.[8][22] He was inspired by Norwegian music producerK-391 and Dutch music producer Ahrix,[23] and film composersHans Zimmer andSteve Jablonsky.[2][24] He started producing his music on his laptop usingFL Studio. In July 2012, using feedback from his fans online, he began pursuing his music production and subsequently posted some of his videos onYouTube andSoundCloud.[6] Starting as abedroom producer, Walker was better known asDJ Walkzz before signing a record deal, releasing his debut single in 2014.[8]
After uploading some songs to YouTube, he released "Fade" on 17 August 2014.[25] The song was re-released by the record label NoCopyrightSounds on 19 November 2014, to great attention, garnering 200 million views on YouTube in 2014. Walker said of its success, "it was mind-blowing."[26] Walker stated that the creation of the track was inspired by K-391 and Ahrix, whose tracks were also picked up by the record label.[27] The track has achieved milestones, especially with the view counts on streaming services.[b]
Walker continued his music career and released "Spectre" and "Force" on NCS in 2015.[26] He signed withMER Musikk underSony Music Sweden and released his next single, "Faded", a remastered vocal version of "Fade".[31] It was released on 8 December 2015, and featured uncreditedNaustdal pop singer,Iselin Solheim.[32] The single topped the year-end charts in Austria,[33] Germany,[34] Switzerland and Sweden,[35][36] was nominated for British Single of the Year at the2017 Brit Awards and won Årets Låt (Song of the Year) atSpellemannprisen.[37][38] The music video on YouTube reached 1 billion views on 26 March 2017,[39] and by June 2024, it had been viewed over 3.6 billion times, making it the28th most viewed YouTube video.[40] It also became the first EDM song to achieve 3 billion views.[41] It has over 2 billion plays on Spotify,[42] and is also one of the Top 10 MostShazamed tracks of 2016.[22] The single also received official remixes fromTiësto,[43]Dash Berlin,[44] andHardwell.[45] He later released an acoustic "restrung" version of the song, with all the EDM elements taken out.[46]
In early 2016, Walker released a remix ofSia's song "Move Your Body". This song was included in Sia's albumThis Is Acting (Deluxe Edition) in the same year.[47]Billboard's Michael Sundius praised Sia's deft use of vocals, saying it "has all the sentimentality and candor that fans have come to love about his work."[48] Walker quithigh school in January to pursue his music career.[49]
On 27 February, Walker made his debut performance at theWinter X Games XIX inOslo. He performed 15 tracks including the song "Faded" together withIselin Solheim.[50][51] By March, Walker had produced 30 to 40 songs in total, but "Faded" marks his first single withSony Music Sweden, and was considered the first to attain global success.[22] On 7 April, he teamed up withZara Larsson at theEcho Awards in Germany, where they performed each other's songs "Faded" and "Never Forget You".[52] Four weeks previously, he achieved the first place onNRJ Euro Hot 30 for the first time, which only has been achieved by one other Norwegian music producer,Kygo.[53]
The single "Sing Me to Sleep" was released on 3 June 2016, and featured the same female vocalist Iselin Solheim as "Faded". The song reached number 1 on the Norwegian charts and won Norwegian Song of the Year at theNRJ Music Awards Norge that same year.[54][55]
Another single titled "Alone" was also released on 2 December of the same year, featuring uncredited Swedish singerNoonie Bao.[56] On 21 and 22 December, Walker held the concert "Alan Walker is Heading Home" in his hometown Bergen atUSF Verftet,[57] where he performed 16 songs and tracks together with singersAngelina Jordan,[58] Marius Samuelsen,Alexandra Rotan,Yosef Wolde-Mariam,[59] andTove Styrke.[60] The concert was officiallylive-streamed on YouTube.[59][61] He premiered several unreleased tracks, including a restrung version of "Sing Me to Sleep", as well as "Heading Home", the latter of which was first performed during his debut at Winter X Games. The song "The Spectre", a remastered, vocal version of his earlier track "Spectre" was also performed during the concert.[62]
At the beginning of 2017, Walker's YouTube channel became the most subscribed channel registered in Norway, after passing about 4.5 million subscribers, and had the most views among NorwegianYouTubers at around 13.9 billion views as of 12 May 2024.[63][6] Between February and April, he toured around America including attending theEuphoria Festival inTexas.[64]
In the spring of 2017, Walker released an instrumental version of the song "Ignite" featuring K-391. The song is a remake of K-391's 2015 song "Godzilla" featuring Marvin Divine,[65] promoting Sony and the launch of their new product, theSony Xperia XZs.[66] The official music video has also been released, showing footage of Tokyo, which is intended to showcase the excellent camera quality of Sony's phones.[67]
On 19 May 2017, Walker released the song "Tired" featuring Irish singer-songwriterGavin James.[68] Then, on 14 July 2017, Kygo released a remix of the song.[69] Walker said the song "added another dimension" to his work.[70] The song reached number 5 on the Norwegian VG-lista charts.[54]
Succeeding "Tired", the song "Sky" with Danish music producer Alex Skrindo was released on 9 June 2017, and was part of theInsomniac Records Presents: EDC Las Vegas 2017 compilation.[71][72][73]
On 15 September 2017, Walker released "The Spectre", a vocal and instrumental remake of his 2015 song "Spectre".[74] The song was presented at last year's "Alan Walker is Heading Home" event.[60] The song which the remake is based on was released by Walker on NoCopyrightSounds in January 2015.[75] Walker had incorporated the song into his live set months before its release and performed a revised version of the song on the main stage atTomorrowland 2017.[76]
His next single, announced on YouTube,[77] was a collaboration with American singerNoah Cyrus and British DJ and music producerDigital Farm Animals featuring Swedish singer Juliander titled "All Falls Down", which was released on 27 October 2017.[78] Then, on 2 December 2017, to celebrate Walker's YouTube channel reaching 10 million subscribers, a video of him performing with Noah Cyrus and Juliander atYouTube Space NY was released.[79] The song reached number 1 on the Norwegian and USBillboardDance Club Songs charts,[54][80] and reached the top 5 in Sweden and Belgium.[81][82]
On 31 October 2017,Riot Games released the Alan Walker remix to theirLeague of Legends World Championship anthem "Legends Never Die", which formed a collaboration with American rock bandAgainst the Current.[83] Along with their lead singerChrissy Costanza, he performed the track at the 2017 League of Legends World Championship at the National Stadium in Beijing, as well as at Coachella 2018.[84] On 17 November 2017, Walker released a remix of Swedish DJAvicii's song "Lonely Together" featuring British singerRita Ora. The remix is part of Avicii's official remix package.[85]
On 11 December 2017, Walker was scheduled to perform at theNobel Peace Prize Concert with Norwegian DJMatoma,[86] but on 20 November, Walker announced that he would be canceling his performance due to Walker's personal circumstances.[87]
In an interview withFuse in early 2018, Walker revealed that an upcoming album is coming later in the year. "It's still in progress, not ready," Walker said. "I can't tell you much about features on it or anything yet, but I'm really, really excited about this one."[88]
During a performance at the 2018 Ultra Music Festival in Miami, Dutch DJArmin van Buuren took to the stage where he premiered his new collaboration "Slow Lane".[89] The song was released on 18 December 2020, two years after the performance. In April, he performed at theCoachella 2018 music festival in Indio, California.[90]
On 11 May, Walker and K-391 released a vocal version of the previous year's instrumental track "Ignite". The vocals are by Norwegian singerJulie Bergan and South Korean singerSeungri.[91] The song was performed at VG-lista 2018 with Julie Bergen and Norwegian rapperVinni and reached number one on the Norwegian charts.[92][54]
Walker at the 2018 Jimmy Fallon Show
On 27 July, Walker released the song "Darkside" featuring Antiguan-German singer-songwriterAu/Ra and Norwegian singer Tomine Harket.[93] A remix by Dutch DJ Afrojack was also released. The song reached number 1 on the Norwegian charts and number 10 on the Swedish charts.[54][94]
At the end of August, Walker released a remix of Chinese rapperLay's song "Sheep" from his solo albumLay 02 Sheep.[95] Prior to the release of the remix, Walker performed a remix of the song with Ray on 3 August 2018, at Lollapalooza inChicago, Illinois.[96]
In December, Walker released his debut albumDifferent World. This album includes previous songs such as "Faded" and "Alone", as well as new songs such as "Lonely", a collaboration with American DJSteve Aoki.[100] Along with the release of the album, a campaign titled "#CreateADifferentWorld" was launched. The aim is to raise awareness on the topic of climate change.[101] The album topped the charts in Norway and Finland and was nominated for Top Dance/Electronic Album at the2020 Billboard Music Awards.[102][103][104]
In early 2019, Walker released "Are You Lonely" with American DJSteve Aoki featuring Norwegian bandIsák. The song is a remake of Walker's song "Lonely" from last year's albumDifferent World.[105]
He released "On My Way", a collaboration with American singerSabrina Carpenter and Puerto Rican singerFarruko, as a single to commemorate the first anniversary of the US-based battle royale gamePUBG Mobile.[106] A cover challenge for the song was also announced and performed during theGood Morning America summer concert series.[107][108] This song peaked at number 3 on the Norwegian VG-lista chart.[54]
On 25 June 2019, Walker released the song "Live Fast (PUBGM)", which is a collaboration with American rapperASAP Rocky. The song became a track for the PUBG Mobile eighth season.[109] Walker performed live at the PMCO Spring Split Global Finals in Berlin as a result of the collaboration.[110]
On 17 August 2019, Walker announced his intention to release a remake to the track "Eurodancer" by Swedish DJ and producer Mangoo from 2000, together with K-391 and Norwegian producerTungevaag.[111] On 30 August 2019, the song "Play" was released as the final result. The vocals were contributed by Norwegian singer Torine.[112] On the website p74y.com allowed people to download the audio file of the song and create their own version of the song. K-391, Tungevaag, and Walker each selected one interpretation of the results, reworked it, and released it as an official remix.[113][114] 3 months later, Walker launchedThe Walker Excavations project on mobile and on his website.[115] The project was a game which featured Easter Eggs that teased fans of upcoming music and content.[116]
End of the year, he released "Alone, Pt. II" with American singerAva Max.[117] The song is a sequel to Walker's single "Alone".[118] Numerous remixes of the song have been released, including those by NIVIRO,Toby Romeo, RetroVision, and Da Tweekaz, as well as Alex Skrindo's collaboration with Sebastian Wiebe.[119] The song entered the top 10 of the charts in Belgium,[120] Norway,[54] Poland and Romania.[121][122] The official music video of the song was uploaded on Walker'sYouTube channel on 27 December 2019. It is a sequel to Walker's video for his single "On My Way" from the same year.[123]
In 2020, Walker performed "End of Time" with K-391 and Ahrix atX Games Norway.[124] He also appeared at Tomorrowland Around the World, the virtual replacement for Tomorrowland 2020, which was canceled due toCOVID-19.[125]
On 15 May 2020, Walker released a remix ofHans Zimmer's "Time".[126] Walker had previously been gifted a signed copy of the score for "Time", and the two musicians first met in April 2019 in Barcelona during one of the dates of the "World of Hans Zimmer – A Symphonic Celebration" tour. This meeting led to talks about a possible collaboration, which finally saw the light of day.[127] The song charted in Germany Dance,[128] Hungary and Switzerland.[129][130]
On 11 June 2021, Walker released the song "Sweet Dreams", which is a collaboration with Kazakh record producerImanbek. The song samplesScatman John's song "Scatman (Ski-Ba-Bop-Ba-Dop-Bop)".[131] He also released a remix package titledSweet Dreams Remixes which features remixes from Brazilian DJAlok and Dutch DJBrooks, among others,[132] which charted in both Norway and Sweden.[54][133] A remix contest of "Sweet Dreams" was launched in partnership of Walker and the digital workstation,FL Studio.[134] The next single, "Don't You Hold Me Down", featuring English singerGeorgia Ku, was released on 27 August and marked Walker's third collaboration with PUBG Mobile.[3][135][136]
On 18 August 2021, Walker launched the "ROG Zephyrus G14 Alan Walker Special Edition," a customgaming laptop created in partnership withAsus and Republic of Gamers (ROG).[137][138] It included Walker's "AW" logo engraved into the laptop and had custom startup sounds and animations for the laptop were also created by Walker.[139][140] The collaboration also centered on Walker's single "Fake a Smile" featuring American singerSalem Ilese.[141][142]
On 10 September 2021, Walker released the EPWalker Racing League.[143] The EP reached in the Norwegian and Finnish charts. Then, on 26 November 2021, they released their second studio albumWorld of Walker, consisting of 15 tracks built around electro-pop and EDM.[144] This is also his first album in three years. The album reached number 6 in Norway and number 24 in Finland.[54][145] The album includes songs such as "On My Way", "Alone, Pt. II" and "Fake a Smile".[146]
On 13 November 2021, his contract with NoCopyrightSounds expired and his releases on the label (Fade, Spectre, Force) were removed from the NoCopyrightSounds catalog and from streaming platforms.[147]
2022–present:Walkerverse,Walkerworld and other project
In 2022, Walker released the project Walkerverse, which was presented as two EPs and later re-released as his third studio album,Walkerverse Pt. I & II.[148] the first EP,Walkerverse Pt. I, included "Adventure Time", "Somebody Like U" with Au/Ra,[149] The second EP,Walkerverse Pt. II, contains nine songs, including "Extremes" with Trevor Daniel and the single "Lovesick", which samplesBrahms' "Hungarian Dance No. 5".[150] This was followed byWalkerverse: The Tour 2022, which began in September 2022.[151] The tour, which visited large venues such as Ecostage in Washington, D.C., Radius in Chicago, and Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco, began in the UK in September and ran for 29 shows until December in San Francisco, California. A teaser for the tour was also released.[152]
In 2022, Walker signed with the Swedish crowdfunding website Corite, which allows fans to invest in a music project. Walker raised over $100,000 from fans for his next musical projects, the first being a compilation EP calledOrigins, while the second was a collaboration with his online community of fans known as The Walkers, called "Unity".[11][153]
In April 2023, he re-signed with NoCopyrightSounds and "Dreamer" was released. This was Walker's first NoCopoyrightSounds release in eight years and also his first release since his original contract expired and his previous releases were deleted.[154] The song reached number 47 on the USBillboardHot Dance/Electronic Songs charts,[155] and a remix by Egzod, Alex Skrindo, Rival, and Beauz & Heleen was also released.[156] The next single "Hero" withSasha Alex Sloan, was released on 4 May. The song reached number 1 on the Hungarian radio chart and number 18 on USBillboard Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart.[157][155]
On 28 September 2023, Walker collaborated with Dutch electronic music groupDash Berlin and British YouTuber and musicianVikkstar on the song "Better Off (Alone, Pt. III)", which was Vikkstar's debut single. It's part of Walker's suite of songs, including his 2016 single "Alone" and his 2019 collaborative single withAva Max, "Alone, Pt. II".[158] The song heavily samples the 1999 single "Better Off Alone" written by Dash Berlin founding members Eelke Kalberg and Sebastian Morin as part of the Eurodance projectAlice Deejay.[159]
On 10 November 2023, Walker released his fourth studio album,Walkerworld.[160] This album includes the song "Spectre 2.0" withSteve Aoki and "Land Of The Heroes" with Sophie Stray.[161] The album peaked at number 18 on the NorwegianVG-lista album chart.[54]
On 4 January 2024, Walker released the song "Who I Am" with Norwegian singerPeder Elias and Indonesian singer Putri Ariani.[162] The main drop of the song samples a song from the 1955 Norwegian filmKarius and Baktus, composed byChristian Hartmann (who also has a songwriting credit in the film).[163]
On 27 April 2024, Walker performed unmasked during a residency at LIV NightclubLas Vegas in Nevada, USA. Five days later, Walker released the song "Unsure" with American singerKylie Cantrall.[164]
This was followed by a series of tours called "Walkerworld Tour" starting in June 2024. The first tour, "Walkerworld Asia Tour Pt. I", began in June 2024 and took place in 10 cities, including Singapore, Jakarta, Macau, and Kuala Lumpur.[165] Also, in mid-May before the tour began, he opened a WhatsApp phone number for his fans in Singapore, Indonesia, and Malaysia to send him messages.[166] The next tour, "Walkerworld India Tour", began in September and took place in 10 cities, including Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi National Capital Region, Ahmedabad, Kochi, Hyderabad, Pune, Shillong, Chennai, and Kolkata.[167][168]
To coincide with the start of the tour, Walker released "Children Of The Sun", a song with Indian composerPritam. The song also features the voice of Indian singerVishal Mishra and incorporates a children's choir.[169] The collaboration began after they met during Walker's Mumbai tour in 2019.[170] Naman Ramachandran ofVariety said, "The song blends Eastern and Western musical influences."[170]
Walker also performed "Chal Kudiye," a collaboration betweenDiljit Dosanjh andAlia Bhatt from the filmJigra featuring Bhatt, during a performance in Bangalore on October 4.[171] Alia Bhatt then came onstage to greet Walker.[172] Bhatt's appearance drew mixed reactions online.[173][172] Speaking toIndia Today about Bhatt's appearance, Walker said, "Sharing the stage with Alia was amazing. Her energy elevated the performance and the audience really enjoyed it. It was a natural collaboration and the atmosphere onstage was amazing. It was definitely a memorable moment for the audience."[174] The tour ultimately sold approximately 160,000 tickets across nine Indian cities, making it India's highest grossing international tour ever.[175] Then, "Walkerworld Asia Tour Pt. II" began in November, with performances in Malaysia, South Korea, and Japan.[176]
On January 10, 2025, Walker released his fifth studio album,Walkerworld 2.0.[177] The album peaked at number 14 on the NorwegianVG-lista album chart.[178] Then, from January to February 2025, a tour titled "Walkerworld North American Tour" took place in North America.[176] Walker also announced that starting in March 2025, he will be performing in cities such as Barcelona, London, Berlin and Paris as part of his "Walkerworld European Tour."[179]
Walker at Wind Music Awards, with an outfit resembling ablack blocprotester or acomputer hacker.Symbol consisting of intertwined letters "A" and "W," used by A. Walker as a logo
He was originally called "DJ Walkzz" and was part of several production collectives before becoming "Walkzz". The current logo consists of the initials "A" and "W" of Walker's real name, and was designed by Walker himself in 2013.[180][146] To project his image, he uses a hoodie and face mask similar to concept.[181] In an interview withKKBox, Walker said: "At first we were thinking about ideas like how can we promote Alan Walker as an artist, but then we started creating symbols that anyone could do, and anyone with a hoodie and a face mask could do it. You can become a 'Walker' right away, and we are all equal," he explained his concept.[182] In an interview withNRK, when asked why he used a mask, he said, "To maintain the image they gave me. Basically, I'm focused on anonymity, so no one knows. But I can join Alan Walker and show that masks can look good on anyone."[181]
In the first promo pictures his management handed out, Walker's face was barely visible. Also in the music video for his single "Alone", he is all dressed as a black shadow figure. This is, according to the artist himself, a carefully planned image drawn up together with the record company Sony.[183] "In a meeting with them we talked about how we could build the profile of Alan Walker", said Walker to the newspaperVG. "They asked about my interests. I replied PC,computer gaming and stuff like "Anonymous" andcomputer hacking where hoodies play a role."[184]
Walker acknowledges that it's a difficult time keeping low profile. Both he and his management prefer that he be characterised by the hoodie with a logo on the back. "When I first created aInstagram account I never had pictures of myself, nor of nature and such. But it is difficult to remain anonymous."[184]
On stage, he is accompanied by two other men who are also masked. "It's rare to see a trio in electronic music. I think it is a cool concept. We are in a way a small band."[184]
At a press conference on 9 November 2016, Walker said: "The concept with the mask is very cool, that is inspired by the hacker group "Anonymous" and the television seriesMr. Robot. I have a background as a gamer and kept on with it before I started with music. By taking on a mask I can be immediately seen as a gamer."[185]
"I chose to quietly without a mask today. The concept ends in thetrilogy. It will be interesting to open new doors and explore a bit. The mask is not lost permanently, but temporarily", which means he will take a break from his image – for a time. "With Alan Walker, the music is the focus, not necessarily everything around. It is a recurrent theme in the music of "Faded", "Sing Me To Sleep" and "Alone", which is a kind of conclusion to what one might call a trilogy", explains spokesperson Yonas Aregai for the record label MER."[185]
Walker took inspiration from a variety of artists such as (clockwise from top)K-391,Hans Zimmer,Tiësto, andKygo.
Walker was inspired by Italian DJ David Whistle, who he said in an interview was "the one who inspired me to start producing."[27] He is also inspired by fellow Norwegian producerK-391. In an interview with the American online magazineThe Knockturnal, Walker said, "My producer idol is K-391. He was a big inspiration and helped me create my sound."[27] When making his debut single "Fade", Walker was influenced by the sound of the song "Nova" by Dutch music producer Ahrix. In an interview, he said, "The melody and the way the song progresses is very unique, which later inspired me to make "Fade".[23] The classical aspects of Walker's songs were influenced by film composers such asHans Zimmer andSteve Jablonsky.[2]
In an interview with Norwegian newspaperBergensavisen, when asked "Are you inspired byKygo?", Walker replied, "He's a great inspiration, but we're not."[186]
He has often spoken about the influence of Dutch music producerTiësto, saying in a 2019 interview withRolling Stone India:
He's always been a very big inspiration to me growing up. Since I was 9-years-old, Tiësto was obviously everywhere. He has always been a big inspiration and influence, and he has always been able to renew himself in the music industry – that's what is really incredible about him. I'm really excited and honored that he was one of the first people who actually picked up my single "Faded" and boosted it by making a remix for his tour. It was fantastic and I'm so thankful that he did it in the very beginning.[21]
Walker is also influenced by video game music, drawing inspiration fromThe Legend of Zelda series, as well as classic games likeTetris. In an interview, he said, "Sometimes when I play a video game and listen to the game's music, a new style suddenly emerges." Other influences include theCall of Duty series andmovie music. "Video games and film music provide similar inspiration," he said.[16] In an interview withIndia Today, he said, "Games expose me to unique sounds and atmospheres that inspire my work."[174]
"Faded" is anelectro house EDM song.[188] The song features a melancholic and emotional melody and a tempo of 90 bpm, which makes the song often categorized as "downtempo".[21] This style is characteristic of Walker's earlier music and is the sound that propelled him into the mainstream.
Norwegian journalistØyvind Holen described Walker's musical style as "much darker and closer to minor keys than the harmonies that characterize Kygo's contemporary tropical house. Walker's music is reminiscent of slightly slower progressive house, 1990s trance music, or dubstep with a smoother rhythmic edge."[15]
Walker's main priorities when creating music are melody, melancholy, and mood. "I think sometimes people focus too much on having the best drum sample or having the perfect drum beat for a song or the perfect bass line, but at the end of the day, the audience, they don't think about whether the drums sound cool or if the bass sounds amazing, it's all about the melodies. You won't be singing and going around beatboxing to the beat – most likely – or trying to remember where the bass line goes. You'll be going around trying to remember the melody of the song or the vocals. That is actually what I want to try and focus on in my music, because I've always been a fan of melodies," Walker said in an interview withRolling Stone India.[21]
Walker seesArtificial intelligence (AI) as an essential tool for music production. "I think it's very important to embrace AI in an era where everything is technology-driven. We need to figure out how we can leverage it," he said in an interview withTimes of India.[197]
A formerbedroom producer, he has been featured in multiple publications as one of YouTube's biggest success stories.[181][186][198] Naman Ramachandran ofVariety described Walker as "one of electronic music's most celebrated producers."[170] Audun Vinger ofDagens Næringsliv called Walker "one of the most successful artists in the Norwegian and Nordic music industry in recent years" and said that "he has left a mark on both digital and concertgoers on a completely different level than most Norwegian artists, in fact a bigger mark than all the Norwegian artists currently appearing on the so-called best songs and best albums of the year lists."[199]Forbes' Eric Fuller also said that during an interview with Walker, he was impressed by "Walker's easy-going demeanor and work ethic" and that his "familiarity with current trends in electronic dance music will help grow his already fast-growing audience and create more opportunities for collaborations with his peers."[200]
According to aYouGovpolling as of January 2025, roughly half of Americans have heard of Alan Walker. Half of Americans view him favorably, with 31% of Americans who have heard of him having a positive opinion and 4% having a negative opinion. 48% of respondents said they have heard of Alan Walker. He is most well-known and popular amongMillennials andGeneration Z, with 60% having heard of him, of which 40% have a positive opinion. He is known by 30% ofGeneration X and 19% ofBaby Boomers.[201]
With a large following on social media, Walker is one of the most influential celebrities on the Internet. As of September 2024, Walker has 115 million followers across his social media channels and has generated over 80 billion streams of his audio and video content.[200] As of February 2025, his YouTube channel has over 46 million subscribers, making it the most subscribed YouTube channel in Norway.[202] Walker's channel also surpassed 20 million subscribers in December 2018, making him the first Nordic artist to reach that number.[203] His music videos have been viewed more than 15 billion times in total,[202] with three of them, "Faded", "Alone" and "The Spectre", reaching over 1 billion views.[204] His song "Faded" has exceeded 3.6 billion views as of June 2024, making it the 28th most viewed video on YouTube.[205] Walker'sSpotify profile has attracted over 40.3 million followers,[206] making him the 32nd most followed artist and the most followed electronic dance music artist.[207]
On the other hand, Walker's songs have been criticized for having too many composers credited. Walker received criticism for a "walk-through" video on the YouTube channel Future Music Magazine about the making of his song "Alone." Because his co-producersMood Melodies were heavily involved in the song's production, the video drew backlash from many of Walker's fans, who considered Mood Melodies to be his "ghost producers."[208] Norwegian newspaperBergens Tidende also criticized Walker's song "On My Way" for having 12 composers and nine lyricists credited.[209]
In 2022, Walker created a song titled "Ritual" which had been played numerous times on his performances before release in November 2022, the same date as he releasedWalkerverse Pt. II, an EP the song originally was part of. The song ended up being released as a single due to issues. Julie Bergan, a Norwegian singer-songwriter Walker collaborated with before, was reportedly part of the songwriting team, and she accompanied Walker as a singer for the song in live performances. The song featuring her voice was frequently used in teasers for the second part of the Walkerverse album, but they were ultimately unused in the final song.[210]
Upon release, many fans were critical of the new singer and deemed her vocals inferior to Bergan's. Bergan's manager Cecile Torp-Holte stated that there was no agreement between her and MER on using Bergan's vocals. According to Torp-Holte, six concerts were planned in the US where Bergan was to perform with Walker, including a performance of "Ritual" as part of a larger agreement. She also said that the song's original release date was 28 October, and the negotiations on sharing rights collapsed shortly before.[210]
On the evening of April 1, 2017, Walker posted onFacebook that he would donate to theNorwegian Children's Cancer Society depending [no] on the number of likes, shares, and comments he received, resulting in a total of 62,564 likes, 24,648 comments, and 6,840 shares, for a total of NOK 254,204 (about $23,000). "Thank you for all the great responses and feedback on my previous post about donating to the Children's Cancer Society," he wrote on Facebook.[211]
In 2019, Walker donated more than $100,000 toTeam Trees, a joint fundraising effort initiated by American YouTube starsMrBeast andMark Rober to plant 20 million trees.[212] First, MrBeast donated $100,000 and left an invitation for others to follow suit, commenting, "I dare you to take this space from me :)." Then Walker responded to his comment, "I want to plant one of the trees!" and matched his $100,000 donation.[213]
On December 4, 2023, Walker donated 500,000 NOK (about $45,000) to Norwegian presenter and footballerMads Hansen's fundraising campaign, which aims to bring a bright Christmas to families in need across Norway.[214][215] "I'm speechless. I've once again realized how generous Alan Walker is," Hansen said in an interview withVG.[216]
In 2019, Walker began dating Finnish Viivi Niemi. "We met in Finland about three or four years ago and have been in regular contact since then. We decided to take it a step further a few months ago and we really enjoy each other," Walker said in an interview withVG.[219]
In July 2021, Walker purchased a villa inHomansbyen, Oslo, Norway for $35 million. According to Walker's manager Gunnar Greve, the property will be used as both a residence, studio and office, and will become part of the company's business.[220]
^Litleskare, Tord (8 December 2017)."Feirer bursdagen i hjembyen med massivt show" [Celebrating his birthday in his hometown with a massive show].gaffa.no (in Norwegian).GAFFA.Archived from the original on 11 October 2018. Retrieved10 October 2018.
^abHolen, Øyvind (21 April 2023),"Alan Walker",Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian), retrieved25 October 2023
^ab"世界的人気DJアラン・ウォーカーがビデオゲームを語る激レアインタビュー お気に入りタイトルや音楽とビデオゲームの関係性" [A rare interview with world-famous DJ Alan Walker talking about video games, his favorite titles, and the relationship between music and video games].ファミ通.com (in Japanese). 26 December 2018. Retrieved8 December 2024.
^Karlsen, Marie Skarpaas (4 November 2016)."Nå har han rundet én milliard avspillinger" [He has now surpassed one billion views.].Bergensavisen (in Norwegian). Retrieved18 February 2025.
^Hansen, Karianne."Slik var NRJ Music Awards Norge" [This was how the NRJ Music Awards Norway were].Lyden av Norge (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved24 October 2024.
^ab"Det siste halvåret har vært magisk" [The last six months have been magical].www.bt.no (in Norwegian Bokmål). 9 November 2016. Retrieved28 January 2025.
^abØdegård, Ann Kristin (11 April 2015)."Bergens nye YouTube-suksess" [Bergen's new YouTube success].Bergensavisen (in Norwegian). Retrieved26 January 2025.
^Horvei, Eirin Eriksen (5 December 2023)."Alan Walker gir 500.000 til Mads Hansen-spleis" [Alan Walker donates 500,000 to Mads Hansen joint venture].Fanaposten (in Norwegian). Retrieved3 March 2025.
^Wergeland, Atle Jørstad; Hattrem, Hanne (3 December 2016)."Alan Walker har kjøpt millionbil - men har ikke lappen" [Alan Walker has bought a million-dollar car - but doesn't have the receipt].VG (in Norwegian). Retrieved28 December 2024.
^Rydne, Nora; Sæter, Embret (12 October 2019)."Alan Walker har kjøpt ny sportsbil" [Alan Walker has bought a new sports car].DN.no (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved3 March 2025.
^Aronsen, Anniken; Talseth, Thomas; Gulbrandsen, Elise Alexandra; Sandblad, Mattis (30 March 2019)."Alan Walker har med kjæresten på Spellemannprisen" [Alan Walker brings his girlfriend to the Spellemannprisen].VG (in Norwegian). Retrieved28 December 2024.
Hensen, Karianne (11 February 2016)."Slik var NRJ Music Awards Norge" [Such was the NRJ Music Awards Norway].The Morning Show.Archived from the original on 7 August 2020. Retrieved1 September 2021.
"Årets Nominerte (2017)" [Nominee of the Year (2017)].Facebook. Gullsnutten. 17 March 2017.Archived from the original on 22 November 2020. Retrieved1 September 2021.
"Winners".Swiss Music Awards (in Spanish). Archived fromthe original on 19 January 2018. Retrieved3 April 2017.
"Disse er nominert til Eksportprisen" [These are nominated for the Export Prize].Ballade (in Norwegian). 28 April 2017.Archived from the original on 18 January 2020. Retrieved1 September 2021.
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