| Afrojack | |
|---|---|
 Afrojack | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Nick van de Wall |
| Born |
9 September 1987 Spijkenisse, Netherlands |
| Genres |
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| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2003–present |
| Associated acts | David Guetta |
| Website | www.afrojack.com |
Nick van de Wall (born 9 September 1987), professionally known as Afrojack, is a Dutch DJ, record producer and remixer. In 2014, he released his debut album Forget the World. Afrojack regularly features in the top 10 of DJ Mag Top 100 DJs.
Early life[]
Van de Wall was born and raised in Spijkenisse, Netherlands and is of Dutch and Surinamese descent. He developed an interest in music at an early age and learned to play the piano at the age of five. From a single-parent household, his mother Debbie owned a local gym. After leaving school, Van de Wall studied graphic design for a year before embarking on a career as a DJ/producer.
Musical career[]
At the age of 14, Van de Wall started DJ'ing at local pubs and clubs and earning additional income by designing websites for fellow musicians. In 2007, he released "In Your Face", the first recording under the Afrojack name. He received international success with the song "Take Over Control" featuring Eva Simons, which charted in 10 different countries. He took part in Episode 2 of 'Behind The Speedo', which is a comedy series by Redfoo.
His 2010 entry into the poll at number 19 was the highest new entry of that year's list. Afrojack was listed as number 7 on the DJ Mag Top 100 DJ's of 2011. He ranked at number 9 on DJ Mag's Top 100 DJ's of 2012. In 2013, he ranked at number 9 again.
In July 2010, Afrojack created an Essential Mix for BBC Radio 1. He released the Lost & Found EP in December 22, 2010. In 2011, he was featured on Pitbull's number 1 hit single "Give Me Everything" along with Ne-Yo and Nayer. He also contributed to the single "Run the World (Girls)" by Beyoncé. In January 2012 Afrojack received a European Border Breakers Award. Afrojack's newest single "The Spark" featuring Spree Wilson has so far hit number 3 in Australia and New Zealand, and top 10 in over 7 more countries. In 2013, Afrojack was the 7th highest-earning DJ in the world, according to Forbes magazine.
In 2011, Afrojack co-produced music with many artists including David Guetta, Mike Brown and Madonna. In 2012, he was a headliner at a number of electronic dance music festivals, including Tomorrowland, Ultra Music Festival, and Coachella to name a few.
His debut album, Forget the World, was released May 19, 2014 to mixed reviews.
On March 17, 2015, Afrojack was featured in David Guetta's single "Hey Mama" in which he co-produced with Guetta. The song featured him along with Nicki Minaj, and Bebe Rexha.
In 2016, one of his songs, "Braver", was featured on the game Final Fantasy XV.
Wall Recordings[]
Afrojack runs his own label, Wall Recordings, which represents producers including KIIDA, Apster, D-Wayne, D.O.D, Amil Smeets, and others.