Alesso | |
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 Alesso in 2014 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Alessandro Renato Rodolfo Lindblad (1991-07-07)7 July 1991 (age 34) Stockholm, Sweden |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2010–present |
| Labels |
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| Website | alessoworld |
Alessandro Renato Rodolfo Lindblad (born 7 July 1991),[2][3] better known by his stage nameAlesso (Italian pronunciation:[aˈlɛsso]), is a Swedish DJ and record producer.
He has worked with numerous artists, includingSwedish House Mafia,Martin Garrix,Tove Lo,Theo Hutchcraft,OneRepublic,Hailee Steinfeld,Calvin Harris,Katy Perry,Anitta,Usher,Zara Larsson,David Guetta,Liam Payne,Ty Dolla Sign,TINI, andStray Kids. He has performed at numerous music festivals, includingCoachella,Electric Daisy Carnival,Creamfields,Tomorrowland, andUltra Music Festival. In 2012,MTV named Alesso one of the "EDM Rookies to Watch"[4] andMadonna, who invited him to open select dates on herMDNA Tour, called Alesso "the next big thing in dance music."[5]
He was ranked 13th onDJ Magazine's 2015 list of the top 100 DJs and number 20th in year 2016 onDJ Magazine among the list of Top 100 DJs in the world.[6] His debut full-length albumForever was released in 2015 byDef Jam Recordings.
Lindblad was born inStockholm, and is ofSwedish andItalian descent. He started playing piano at age 7,[7] but became interested in electronic dance music when he was 16.[8]
He first gained recognition with the release of hisAlesso EP in 2010.[7] In early 2011, Sebastian Ingrosso ofSwedish House Mafia contacted Alesso and asked if he wanted to work together. Ingrosso introduced him to DJing and helped him with the production of tracks.[8]
Since that time, Ingrosso has acted as a mentor for Alesso, who referred to the elder Swede as a "big brother."[9]
Despite having learned to DJ in 2011, Alesso made his debut onDJ Magazine's list of the top 100 DJs at number 70 in that same year.[10]
One of the first songs Alesso produced with Sebastian Ingrosso was a 2011 track named "Calling" that reached number 2 on theBeatport charts.[11] The song would later be renamed "Calling (Lose My Mind)" with an additional feature fromRyan Tedder.[12] Alesso's 2011 remix of "Pressure" byNadia Ali premiered at the #1 spot onThe Hype Machine and was one of the most played EDM songs of 2011.[13]
From that point on, his popularity continued to rise. MTV named him one of the "EDM Rookies to Watch in 2012",[4] and he recorded aBBC Radio 1Essential Mix in March 2012. He played for a crowd of 60,000 atCreamfields, and accompaniedMadonna on herMDNA World Tour at select European shows.[citation needed] By the end of 2012, Alesso had released another original mix called "Years" featuringMatthew Koma that performed well in the United Kingdom.[14] He was ranked 20th on the list of the top 100 DJs of 2012 byDJ Magazine.[15]
By 2013, Alesso had played at music festivals likeCoachella,Electric Daisy Carnival,Ultra Music Festival, andTomorrowland. He released a remix of "If I Lose Myself" by OneRepublic that was nominated for Grammy and garnered almost a million listens onSoundCloud in a relatively short time.[12] In a collaboration with Calvin Harris andHurts, Alesso released "Under Control" which racked up 88 million views.[16] In 2013, he achieved his highest ranking on the list of the top 100 DJs at number 13.[17]
In July 2014, Alesso signed withDef Jam Recordings, becoming only the second EDM producer to sign with the label (afterAfrojack). He debuted a new track called "Tear the Roof Up", which was named a "Future Exclusive" byZane Lowe.[18] The music video for "Tear The Roof Up" was released exclusively throughSnapchat in September 2014.[19] He embarked on his "Heroes Tour", named after his single "Heroes (We Could Be)" featuringTove Lo.[20]
During the tour, Alesso teamed up with Chime for Change, a global charity that seeks to "improve the lives of women around the world." Alesso's involvement with the charity has raised over $50,000 as of October 2014.[21] His debut studio album was originally set to be released in the first quarter of 2015,[22] but was later released on 22 May 2015. It includes both "Heroes (We Could Be)" and "Tear the Roof Up".[6]
The single "Heroes (We Could Be)" was officially released on 15 December 2014.[16] His new single, titled "Cool" and featuringRoy English, premiered on 13 February 2015, onBBC Radio 1. The track, which samplesKylie Minogue's "Get Outta My Way", was officially released in Europe on 16 February 2015 and in North America on 17 February 2015.
On 30 September 2016, his new version of "I Wanna Know" featuring Taiwanese singerJolin Tsai was officially released.[23] Alesso and Tsai closedInternational Music Summit with a discussion of what it takes to bridge the gap between East and West in electronic music.[24] On 1 October 2016, Alesso and Tsai performed the single "I Wanna Know" and a remix version of Tsai's hit "Play" together at theStorm Music Festival in Shanghai.[25] On 4 October 2016, it was announced that Alesso would be releasing a new version of the song "Years", collaborating withK-pop bandExo's member,Chen. The song was released on 7 October throughSM Station.[26][27][28] On 7 October 2016, Alesso premiered a new single, co-produced byDillon Francis, called "Take My Breath Away" during Ultra Music Festival Taiwan. The single was later released on 21 October 2016.[29]
On 8 September 2017,Hailee Steinfeld released her new song "Let Me Go" which is a collaboration between Alesso, Watt, and Florida Georgia Line.[30] On 13 October 2017, Alesso released his new single "Is That for Me" which is a collaboration with Brazilian singerAnitta.[31]
In 2018, Alesso went on his European Tour, highlighted by his closing performance at theTomorrowland festival in Belgium.[32] To celebrate the 10th anniversary ofElectric Zoo later that year, Alesso is invited to be the headliner along withTiesto.[33]
In August 2018, Alesso performed onABC'sGood Morning America's summer concert series where he debuted his new single, "Remedy". The concert was held inNew York City'sCentral Park while Alesso was joined by singerConor Maynard for the song's performance.[34] Remedy reached number one on the US Dance Airplay chart.[citation needed]
In October 2018, Alesso played three back to back sold-out shows at theHollywood Palladium inLos Angeles.[35] Previously in the year he also performed shows inBrooklyn andSan Francisco.[citation needed]
Alesso's final single release of 2018 was "Tilted Towers", made in partnership with video game streamerNinja and was debuted live onTwitch where it was watched by over fifty thousand fans. The song's name is based on a popular map in the video gameFortnite, which Alesso and Ninja live streamed playing together to promote the track's release.[36][better source needed]
He was also featured inNetflix's 'Vai Anitta' docu-series, which follows the life of fellowShots Studios' superstar,Anitta. An episode of the series focuses on their collaborative single "Is That for Me" and the subsequent music video shot in the Amazon jungle.[citation needed]
Alesso finished off his year with a New Year's Eve performance atMiami'sFontainebleau Resort. He co-headlined the show withColombian reggaeton starJ Balvin where the two played at the venue's poolside.[37]
On 29 January 2019, it was announced that Alesso would perform at theIndy 500 Snake Pit on 26 May 2019, along withSkrillex,Illenium, and Chris Lake.[38] Previous performers have included:Axwell Λ Ingrosso,deadmau5,Diplo,GRiZ,Zedd,Marshmello,Martin Garrix,Steve Aoki,Kaskade,Hardwell,Dillon Francis, andZeds Dead. On 22 February 2019, he performed atVenezuela Live Aid alongside influencersLele Pons andJuanpa Zurita to help raise funds to fight Venezuelan humanitarian crises.
In November 2020, Alesso performed atRoad to UltraTaiwan, one of the few major music events still taking place in 2020, despite theCOVID-19 pandemic.[39]
In June 2023, Alesso playedHeroes (We Could Be) at the2023 UEFA Champions League final.
One of the heists in the popular video gamePayday 2 has the players robbing a vault during an Alesso concert. The heist, named The Alesso Heist, was released on 21 May 2015.[40] The music played during the concert are two of Alesso's own tracks, "Payday" and "Profondo".
Alesso is renowned for his methods of utilizing melodic vibes in his productions along which he also alternates between his rave oriented productions. Productions include "Clash" and "Tear the Roof Up" fit with his graveled rave style,[16] while his other melodically rich counterpart include productions such as "Years" (featuringMatthew Koma), "Heroes" (featuringTove Lo), and his collaboration withDirty South and Ruben Haze – "City of Dreams".[6][14] Some considered him to be the next generation in Swedish music afterSwedish House Mafia andAvicii.[12]
In June 2024, he became engaged to Erin Cummins, a model and former beauty queen who represented the United States at the2011 Miss World pageant.[41]
| Year | Category | Work | Outcome | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical | "If I Lose Myself" | Nominated | [42] |
| Year | Position | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 70 | New Entry | [43] |
| 2012 | 20 | N/a | |
| 2013 | 13 | N/a | |
| 2014 | 15 | N/a | |
| 2015 | 13 | N/a | |
| 2016 | 20 | N/a | |
| 2017 | 37 | N/a | |
| 2018 | 45 | N/a | |
| 2019 | 61 | N/a | |
| 2020 | 45 | N/a | |
| 2021 | 63 | N/a | |
| 2022 | 64 | N/a | |
| 2023 | 52 | N/a | |
| 2024 | 43 | N/a | |
| 2025 | 51 | N/a |
| Year | Category | Work | Outcome | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Best Progressive Track | "Calling (Lose My Mind)" | Nominated | [44] |
| "Pressure" | Won | |||
| Best Break-Through DJ | N/a | Nominated | ||
| 2014 | Best Electro/Progressive Track | "If I Lose Myself" | Nominated | [45] |
| Best Progressive House/Electro DJ | N/a | Nominated | ||
| 2015 | Best European DJ | N/a | Nominated | [46] |
| Best Progressive House/Electro DJ | N/a | Nominated | ||
| 2016 | Best European DJ | N/a | Nominated | [47] |
| Best Progressive House/Electro DJ | N/a | Nominated |
| Year | Category | Work | Outcome | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Best Remix | "Something Just Like This" | Won | [48] |
| International | |
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