Tiësto | |
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 Tiësto atAirbeat One in 2017 | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as |
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| Born | Tijs Michiel Verwest (1969-01-17)17 January 1969 (age 56) Breda,North Brabant, Netherlands |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1994–present |
| Labels |
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| Formerly of | Gouryella |
Spouse | |
| Website | tiesto |
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Tijs Michiel VerwestOON (Dutch pronunciation:[ˈtɛismiˈxilvərˈʋɛst]; born 17 January 1969), known professionally asTiësto (/tiˈɛstoʊ/tee-EST-oh,Dutch:[ˈtɕɛstoː]), is a Dutch DJ and record producer. He was voted "The Greatest DJ of All Time" byMix magazine in a 2010/2011 poll amongst fans.[5] In 2013, he was voted byDJ Mag readers as the "best DJ of the last 20 years".[6] He is also regarded as the "Godfather ofEDM" by many sources.[7]
In 1997, he founded the labelBlack Hole Recordings with Arny Bink, where he released theMagik andIn Search of Sunrise CD series. Tiësto met producer Dennis Waakop Reijers in 1998; the two have worked together extensively since then.[8]
From 1998 to 2000, Tiësto collaborated withFerry Corsten under the nameGouryella. His 2000 remix ofDelerium's "Silence" featuringSarah McLachlan exposed him to more mainstream audiences. In 2001, he released his first solo album,In My Memory,[9] which gave him several major hits that launched his career. He was voted World No. 1 DJ byDJ Magazine in its annual Top 100 DJs readership poll consecutively for three years from 2002 to 2004.[10]
Just after releasing his second studio album,Just Be, he performed live at the2004 Summer Olympics opening ceremony inAthens, the first DJ to play live on stage at an Olympics. In April 2007, Tiësto launched his radio showTiësto's Club Life onRadio 538 in the Netherlands and released his third studio album,Elements of Life. The album reached number one on the Belgian album chart as well onBillboard Top Electronic Albums in the U.S. and received a nomination for aGrammy Award in 2008.[11] Tiësto released his fourth studio albumKaleidoscope in October 2009, followed byA Town Called Paradise in June 2014. He won theGrammy Award for Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical for his remixed version ofJohn Legend's hit "All of Me" at the57th Annual Grammy Awards.[12]
Tijs Michiel Verwest was born inBreda,North Brabant, on 17 January 1969.[13][14] He discovered his passion for music at the age of 12. He used to listen to radioshows like the Ferry MaatSoulshow andIn The Mix fromBen Liebrand.[15] At age fourteen, he intensified his commitment to the art, and began DJing professionally at school parties. Between 1985 and 1994, Tiësto began a residency at several clubs in the Netherlands at the behest of his manager. At the Spock, a small club in Breda, he fine-tuned his own live style by performing from 10 p.m. until 4 a.m. on weekends. In the beginning of his career as a DJ he mostly playednew beat andacid house.[14]
In 1994, he began releasing material on Noculan Records' sub-labels Chemo and Coolman. During these years, he producedhardcore andgabber tracks under such aliases as Da Joker and DJ Limited.[14] Tiësto was later discovered by thegeneral manager ofRotterdam-based Basic Beat Recordings.[16]
In late 1994, Tiësto signed to Basic Beat where he met Arny Bink, Tiësto released records on the sub-label Trashcan, founded by Arny, and later created the Guardian Angel sub-label with Arny in which they introduced the popularForbidden Paradise series. From 1995 to 1996 he released four extended plays onBonzai Jumps and XTC, sub-labels of Lightning Records. In 1997, he joined his friend Yves Vandichel on his sub-label, DJ Yves, a division of the now defunct Human Resource label XSV Music. In the fall of 1997, Bink and Tiësto decided to leave Basic Beat and create their own parent label,Black Hole Recordings, Trashcan was discontinued and Guardian Angel continued releasing music until 2002. Through Black Hole, Tiësto released theMagik series and also created two major sub-labels;SongBird andIn Trance We Trust. From 1998 to 1999, he released music on Planetary Consciousness where he metA&R Hardy Heller and invited him to release some records on Black Hole.[14]
In 1998, Tiësto joined forces with fellow Dutch deejayFerry Corsten to create thetrance-based duo ofGouryella.[17] The first Gouryella track, also called "Gouryella", was released in May 1999 and became a huge hit, scoring various chart positions around the world, including a top-15 position in theUK Singles Chart.[18][19] Tiësto showcased this track inMagik Three: Far from Earth as well as in his set at the firstID&T Innercity party (Live at Innercity: Amsterdam RAI), his first major breakthrough.[20] The next single, entitled "Walhalla", also made it on the charts worldwide, peaking at No. 27 in the UK Singles Chart.[21][22] Released via Ferry's Tsunami label, both singles went on to be certified Gold on record sales.[23] During these years, Tiësto also collaborated withBenno de Goeij ofRank 1 under the nameKamaya Painters. In November 1999, he released the first installment of theIn Search of Sunrise series. Since then, he performed monthly as a resident atGatecrasher inSheffield, and played a 12-hour set, his longest, inAmsterdam.[24] On 31 December 1999, he performed atTrance Energy 2000, a special party held by ID&T for the turn of the millennium.[25][26]
Together withArmin van Buuren, Tiësto created two projects in 2000; Alibi – "Eternity",[27] which was released on Armind, and Major League – "Wonder Where You Are?", on Black Hole. After the release of "Tenshi" in September 2000, Tiësto decided to concentrate on his solo work and left Ferry Corsten to take on the Gouryella project solely as his own.[14] Through his first compilations and the "In Trance We Trust" series, he ended up introducing Armin van Buuren andJohan Gielen to the mainstream.Summerbreeze marked Tiësto's U.S. debut,[16] a mix album that showcased his remix ofDelerium's "Silence", which spent four weeks in the UK's Top Ten chart and reached number three in theBillboard dance chart.[16]In Search of Sunrise 2 was released in November 2000.
| External videos | |
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 Tiësto – Urban Train ft. Kirsty Hawkshaw (Official Music Video) |
In 2001, Tiësto created a new sub-label,Magik Muzik, and released his first solo album,In My Memory, which contained 5 major hits; "Lethal Industry", which was actually produced in 1999 and had only 3 copies released at that time, the track was officially released in 2001 which was remixed byRichard Durand in 2006 along with "Flight 643" which was another leading single that was later adapted with vocals by Suzanne Palmer and released as "643 (Love's on Fire)". Other tracks were "Obsession" in which Tiësto worked alongsideJunkie XL, the instrumental tracks "Dallas 4PM" and "Suburban Train" with "Urban Train" as its vocal version. The last singles to be released were "In My Memory" which is the title track for the album as it only received high ratings in the United States and the opening track "Magik Journey" which openedTiësto in Concert (2003). On 2 February 2002, Tiësto played nine consecutive hours during the second edition of the Dutch Dimension festival.[14]
On 27 February, Tiësto was awarded a Zilveren ('Silver') Harp music award. The same year he also received a Lucky Strike Dance Award in the category Best DJ Trance/Progressive. In August he became part of Moby'sArea2 Tour. For eighteen days he travelled through the United States with artists such asMoby himself, but alsoDavid Bowie andBusta Rhymes. In January 2003, Tiësto received the annual Dutch Popprijs ('Pop Award') during the Noorderslag festival. After touring with Moby, Tiësto remixed two songs from him, "We Are All Made of Stars" and "Extreme Ways" in the same year, having "We Are All Made of Stars" reach No. 13 in theHot Dance Club Play. In 2002 he released his firstIn Search of Sunrise mix to feature a place on its name,In Search of Sunrise 3: Panama. On 28 March 2003; Tiësto,Dieselboy,Bad Boy Bill, and Noel Sanger joined thePlayStation 2 Dual Play tour. Tiësto and Noel's appearance began on 13 April and ended on 6 June.[28]
His fame continued to increase for then known he has in the early 2000s, following his six-hour "Tiësto Solo" sets which he performed without other DJs or opening acts. This idea, of one DJ playing alone to a large crowd was new. Tiësto was the first DJ to hold a solo concert in a stadium; on 10 May 2003, he performed for 25,000 people inArnhem'sGelreDome, later calledTiësto in Concert. He repeated the same type of concert the following year during two consecutive nights in late October.[29] In addition to holding these two concerts for 35,000 of his fans, he held another concert for a crowd of 20,000 inHasselt, Belgium the following week.[29]DVDs of both his 10 May 2003 and 30 October 2004 concerts have been released, having the other DVD titledTiësto in Concert 2. The DVDs show the journey from the first idea to the main event, featuring live performances byAndain,Dinand Woesthoff, andJan Johnston. The event includes live music and dancers performing at different times throughout the set.[30]
In 2004, he released his second artist albumJust Be, which featured his first single "Traffic" which is the first non-vocal track to reach number one spot in the Dutch national charts for 23 years.[14]
The track "Sweet Misery" was originally written forEvanescence but it did not meet the deadline for the release of their album. In support to hisJust Be album, he played atBreda,Eindhoven,Utrecht, andAmsterdam; these stops were later namedJust Be: Train Tour. On 20 May 2004, he was appointed Officer of theOrder of Orange-Nassau by Her MajestyQueen Beatrix of the Netherlands.[31] TheAthens Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (ATHOC) asked Tiësto to perform at the Olympic Games, making him the first DJ to play live on stage at anOlympic Games at the2004 Summer Olympics opening ceremony inAthens, where he played for 90 minutes.[14]
| External videos | |
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| Tiësto – Adagio For Strings (Official Music Video) |
Tiësto flew to Athens in January 2004 to have a meeting with the ATHOC. HisTiësto in Concert DVD caught their attention, after which he was asked to write more tracks based on his opening tune "Adagio for Strings" which would fit in with the Olympic spirit and combine the classical with the modern age. The first rehearsal was on 7 August, for an empty stadium; the second rehearsal was on 8 August, with 35,000 volunteers. The last rehearsal included almost 60,000 people in the stadium which was on 10 August.[14]
During the course of his performance at the Olympics, the Dutch athletes started dancing in front of the DJ booth and had to be moved on by officials. The performance included new tracks produced especially for the Opening Ceremony and songs that were created to complement the spirit and theme of the ceremony. A condensed studio-recorded album of the songs played on the Olympic set was later released, including new songs specially composed for the occasion, entitledParade of the Athletes in October 2004.[32] In the liner notes, he noted the IOC requested that the music not contain any lyrics as they could be inadvertently misinterpreted. In late 2004, he began his touring acrossLatin America, with his release ofIn Search of Sunrise 3: Panama in which he gained influence from the sun and sand in summer 2002. The tour continued in 2005, and Tiësto performed live in Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Panama, Peru, Costa Rica, Uruguay, Paraguay, Ecuador, Venezuela and Colombia. Following the tours,In Search of Sunrise 4: Latin America was released in 2005, featuring a second CD for the first time in theIn Search of Sunrise series.[33]
In 2005, hisPerfect Remixes Vol. 3 compilation was released through Warlock Records, containing ten tracks which were created during the beginning of his career, between those isJunkie XL,Mauro Picotto andThe Roc Project. On 20 August 2005, Verwest tookTiësto in Concert to the US when he played to 16,000 at theLos Angeles Memorial Sports Arena withCirque du Soleil dancers.[34]
For the second year in a row he performed live at a New Year's Eve/New Year's concert inLas Vegas, Nevada at theOrleans Arena to a sell-out crowd. His four-city U.S. tour was postponed due to the hurricane damage inNew Orleans andMiami.BPM magazine has an annual poll in the US which is unveiled in theWMC, in 2005 Tiësto took the No. 1 spot.[35] The influences ofLos Angeles remained with him and would later influence hisIn Search of Sunrise compilation.
A wax sculpture of Tiësto was placed behind a turntable atMadame Tussauds in Amsterdam where visitors can mix Tiësto's music together.[36][37] Stops were made in Ukraine, Slovakia, Serbia, Macedonia, Romania, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Turkey, Croatia, Poland and South Africa. The United States tour that was part ofTiësto in Concert was dwarfed by his appearance atSensation White in 2006 where he performed to over 45,000 people inAmsterdam.[38] The compilation was launched in theWinter Music Conference inMiami Beach to support his release, Tiësto went on hisIn Search of Sunrise 5 Asia Tour for more than three weeks.[39] In September 2006, Tiësto was admitted to hospital after experiencing pain in his chest. He was diagnosed withpericarditis and subsequently had to cancel a number of shows.[40] With the diagnosis, he was invited to supportDance4Life to help teens who are not aware of the risks ofHIV/AIDS.
On 6 April 2007, Tiësto began presenting a new weekly two-hour radio show calledTiësto's Club Life on Dutch radio stationRadio 538. Ten days later, Tiësto released his third studio albumElements of Life. The album moved 73,000 units in its April release, according toNielsen SoundScan.[35]
During the production of the album Tiësto in several cases sent a demo with the music to certain artists, and they replied back with the lyrics and vocals and other duration times. In the case ofChristian Burns fromBBMak, Tiësto met him throughMySpace and contacted him and the production of the single "In the Dark".[41] The album consists ofrock,trance andexperimental music, which shows the style Tiësto has grown throughout the years since his previous albums which contained lyrics,In My Memory andJust Be. ProducerBrian Transeau collaborated with Tiësto in three tracks, he composed "Bright Morningstar" and "Sweet Things", and performed the vocals in the single "Break My Fall". Together, they produced more tracks which were not released in the album, Tiësto has mentioned they would work again during the coming summer.[41]
| External videos | |
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| Tiësto – Elements of Life (Official Music Video) |
In December 2007 it was announced that the album was nominated for aGrammy Award, in the category "Best Electronic/Dance Album."[11] The album also received gold certifications in Belgium, Hungary, Netherlands, and Romania. In support of the album, he embarked on the worldwideElements of Life World Tour, and released theCopenhagen: Elements of Life World Tour DVD in 2008.
Tiësto announced his residence atPrivilege. He played sets inIbiza every Monday, from 7 July to 22 September in the style of hisIn Search of Sunrise series. In 2007, he had releasedIn Search of Sunrise 6: Ibiza which was inspired by the island.[42]
On 28 April, he releasedElements of Life: Remixed, a recompilation of theElements of Life album with all remixed versions. In mid-2008, Tiësto announced hisIn Search of Sunrise: Summer Tour 2008, which was presented byArmani Exchange in May in support of hisIn Search of Sunrise 7: Asia compilation[43] and the previously releasedIn Search of Sunrise 6: Ibiza.
On 6 October 2009, he released his fourth studio albumKaleidoscope, which featured artists such asPriscilla Ahn,Calvin Harris,Tegan & Sara andNelly Furtado. Unlike his earlier albums, which were all mostly trance, Kaleidoscope explores other electronic genres, and is considered Tiesto's most experimental album. The first single "I Will Be Here" featuringSneaky Sound System being released in July 2009. It reached number three on the much acclaimed Driscoll 5, and lasted there for 24 weeks in the beginning of 2012.[44][45][46] In its first week, the album reached the Top 10 chart oniTunes.[47] To release the album he set up a new record label called Musical Freedom after parting ways withBlack Hole Recordings. Tiësto felt that his music was evolving in a new direction and his focus as an artist was moving away from what Black Hole was set up to support.[48] His new tour, sharing the name of his new album, calledKaleidoscope World Tour commenced in late September.[49]
On 16 March 2010, he released a greatest hits album,Magikal Journey: The Hits Collection 1998–2008, a two disc album focusing on his most famous songs and remixes of his songs. On 7 April, he announced that he would start a new compilation series calledA New Dawn with his own label Musical Freedom. In his interview Tiësto furthermore confirmed that he would no longer have any more involvement with Black Hole Recordings.[50] On 31 August,Kaleidoscope: Remixed was released, a remix album of his albumKaleidoscope.
Also in 2009 and 2010, Tiësto contributed songs to both theDJ Hero andDJ Hero 2 video games and is a playable character in the second game.[51][52] He also produced a trance-flavored song for Memphis rap duoThree 6 Mafia's album called "Feel It", which featuresSean Kingston andFlo Rida.[53]
On 4 April 2011, his mix compilationClub Life: Volume One Las Vegas was released.[54][55] On 13 June, his final trance studio album,Kiss from the Past, was released under his alias Allure, and featuredChristian Burns,JES, andEmma Hewitt.[56]
In March 2012, satellite radio broadcasterSirius XM launched Tiësto's Club Life Radio, one of five dance/electronic stations on the platform. Programming was "curated by Tiësto himself[57]". The station ran until 2017.
| External videos | |
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| Tiësto – Red Lights (Official Music Video) |
Club Life: Volume Three Stockholm was released worldwide physically on 25 June 2013 and it hit No. 16 on the Billboard Top 200 Chart. He followed up his third "Club Life" installment with the 2014 effort,A Town Called Paradise. The album featured an assortment of guest stars and was preceded by two singles, "Red Lights" and "Wasted" – yielding his first two gold singles in the U.S.[58] A medley from the album also soundtracks a presentation at theBellagiofountain in Las Vegas, a first for a dance music artist.[59]
In a 2014 interview withDJ Magazine, Tiësto revealed why he left trance music. When asked whether his decision to leave the genre was influential to his popularity in the United States, the Dutch producer said: "Maybe, it's hard to say. I think I'd still be the 'Tiesto trance guy' but the difference is you're not really being relevant. Some of the old trance guys still have their following but it doesn't feel like anybody really cares – and that's the biggest difference. It's nice to be in touch with the new kids who are coming up – the 16 and 18-year olds who are producing house music see me as kind of a godfather, and it's really cool to be in touch with them. I think if I'd still been a trance DJ, they'd have been so disconnected with that sound that I wouldn't be much inspiration for them, and vice versa."[60]
In 2015, at the57th Annual Grammy Awards, he won theGrammy Award for Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical for his remixed version ofJohn Legend's hit "All of Me".[12] The same year his fourth installment of the Club Life compilation series, titledClub Life: Volume Four New York City, was released through Musical Freedom. In April 2016, he launched adeep house label, AFTR:HRS, to promote deep house music.[61][62] He appeared in the 2016Grammy-nominated documentary film about American DJ and producerSteve Aoki, titledI'll Sleep When I'm Dead.[63]
On 14 January 2017, Tiësto was awarded the key to the city ofLas Vegas. The day is now known as "Tiësto Day" inClark County, Nevada.[64] He was featured in the 2017 documentary starringCarl Cox andMartin Garrix, titledWhat We Started.[65]
On 6 October 2017, the fifth installment of the Club Life series entitledClub Life, Vol. 5 – China was published.[66] The compilation album features tracks byJohn Christian, SWACQ, Tiësto and Z.Tao, and collaborations between Tiësto andAloe Blacc, John Christian,Dzeko,Diplo,KSHMR, Talay Riley, Sevenn,Stargate, SWACQ andVassy.
In March 2018,Billboard named Tiësto as number eight on their 2018 ranking of dance musicians titled Billboard Dance 100.[67][68]
On 30 March 2018, Tiësto released his debut EP titledI Like It Loud, featuring four songs that are collaborations with artists such asJohn Christian,Mesto,Matisse & Sadko andMOTi.[69]
On 2 July 2018, Tiësto released withDzeko,Post Malone andPreme a track titled "Jackie Chan".[70]
On 31 May 2019, Tiësto released withRita Ora andJonas Blue a track called "Ritual".[71]
On 14 June 2019, Tiësto released his remix ofAvicii's posthumous "Tough Love".[citation needed]
On 7 May 2020, Tiësto announced his seventh studio albumThe London Sessions; it was released 15 May 2020. The album features the previously released singles "Jackie Chan", "Ritual", "God Is a Dancer", "Blue" and "Nothing Really Matters".[citation needed]
On 25 September 2020, Tiësto released the song "The Business". On 21 January 2021, Tiësto released a remix version of the song titled "The Business, Pt. II" featuring American rapperTy Dolla Sign.[72]
On 28 May 2021, Tiësto released his remix ofBen Platt's "Imagine."[73] Later that year, he released "Don't Be Shy" withKarol G on 12 August,[74] "The Motto" withAva Max on 4 November,[75] Savage withDeorro and a remix of No Mienten and You got the Love byBecky Hill.
On 30 June 2022, Tiësto released "Hot In It" with English singerCharli XCX. The track was previously teased by Charli XCX and Tiësto multiple times onTikTok. On 7 October 2022, Tiësto released a remake ofBlack Eyed Peas song "Pump It" called "Pump It Louder". On 3 November 2022, Tiësto released "10:35" withTate McRae.
On 6 January 2023, Tiësto released "Lay Low". On 9 March 2023, Tiësto officially announced his new studio album calledDrive, along with the release of his single "All Nighter".[76] The album was released on 21 April 2023.[77]
On 11 February 2024, Tiësto was scheduled to perform atSuper Bowl LVIII inLas Vegas both before and during the game, which would have made him the first DJ to perform throughout the Super Bowl.[78] However, he canceled his performance due to a family emergency and was replaced byKaskade.[79]
In January 2025, Tiësto released the extended play Prismatic: Pack One, which featured collaborations withOaks, Jordan Shaw, and Alex Mills.
In March 2025, it was announced that Tiësto would premier a new "In Search of Sunrise" set at EDC Las Vegas 2025.[80] In April, the 2025 Formula 1Crypto.comMiami Grand Prix promoted an entertainment lineup to include Tiësto,Pitbull,Kygo and Kaskade.[81][82]
Forbes estimated that Tiësto's annual income for 2017 was $39 million, with an average nightly gross of $250,000.[83][84][85]
On 6 January 2005, Tiësto performed in an outdoor fundraiser in De Dam, Amsterdam. The free event involved Dutch artists such as Tiësto,Dinand Woesthoff,BLØF,Acda & De Munnik,Di-rect, andTrijntje Oosterhuis and provided financial aid to the people who suffered from the2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami insouthern andsoutheastern Asia.[86]
In April 2006, Tiësto was named the official worldwide ambassador for theDance4Life foundation promoting awareness ofHIV/AIDS. As the foundation's ambassador he has helped the organisation with fundraising along with recording the track "Dance4life" that he recorded withMaxi Jazz fromFaithless. The foundation consists on a better way of living with safe sex in exchange of entertainment to the young crowd.[87] The song was a huge success, peaking for five weeks in number 3 and eleven consecutive weeks in the Top 10 of theDutch Singles Chart, it reached number 5 in Belgium, number 6 in Finland and also charting in theUK and Germany.
With the successful release ofElements of Life, Tiësto and fashion designerGiorgio Armani collaborated on a limited edition Tiësto T-shirt; Tiësto's single "Sweet Things" comes with the shirt and includes an exclusive "A|X Remix" by Tom Cloud.[88] The charity raised over U.S. $300,000.[43]
In November 2012, Tiësto released a compilation albumDance (RED) Save Lives in collaboration withProduct Red, with the aim of donating any proceeds from the album to the fight against AIDS.[89]
In June 2014, Tiësto headlined the first-ever Thank You Festival, presented by Global Citizen in partnership withWorld Childhood Foundation.[90] As a part of the festival campaign, Tiësto took part in supporting ThankYou.org. For every song shared, the Carlson Family Foundation donated $5 to the World Childhood Foundation.[91]
In September 2014, Tiësto headlined the freeGlobal Citizen Festival in New York's Central Park.[92]
In September 2019, Tiësto married Annika Backes, a model, inAmangiri, Utah, after proposing to her in 2018.[93] In November 2020, they had a daughter,[94] and on 27 August 2022, they had their second child, a son.[95] He is a fan of Italian football clubInter Milan, and has collaborated with them on numerous occasions.[96]
Documentary and concert films
Media from Commons
Quotations from Wikiquote| Awards and achievements | ||
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| Preceded by | DJ Magazine Number 1 DJ 2002–2004 | Succeeded by |
