EDM music in India has evolved, says David Guetta

You may not have heard his name in the news too often over the past year, but international EDM sensation David Guetta says that’s going to change in 2017.

David’s glad to be back in the country that he loves just as much as it loves him back. He’s performed in India numerous times before. “The scene in India has evolved massively. It’s crazy to see different genres emerge out of nowhere, I really like it. I love the dedication of the Indian crowd and how they embrace the dance music culture,” says David.

Being one of the veterans in the industry, Guetta had been performing at clubs since the late 1980s, but only achieved mainstream success in the early 2000s. That led to his first commercial hit Love Is Gone, which released only in 2007. Ever since, he’s been charting on top of dance charts across the globe, always creating fresh sounds.

David explains that finding the balance between emotion and energy in his music and performances is what helps him stay relevant even with today’s audiences. “That’s the key to my success. When I manage this, then I’m happy. When I’m on stage and when I feel like it doesn’t matter if we’re 5,000, 10,000 or 100,000 people… when I have this moment where everybody feels like one — that’s magic.”

He’s found a lot of that success collaborating with various international artistes such as Nicki Minaj on Hey Mama, Usher on Without You and Sia on Titanium. “A collaboration can happen in different ways, sometimes the label sends me vocals or a demo. And sometimes it goes naturally — I find some cool music on the Internet or get introduced to an artist and decide to go hit the studio. Eventually, there needs to be a certain click, and you need to inspire each other to make something amazing,” says David, adding that he would love to work with Adele in the future.

About his relatively quiet 2016, that he had earlier said would be to spend some time with his family and to work in the studio — leading to rumours about a new album — David confirms, “I’m working on a lot of new material right now. Creating new sounds is something very important to me. I would love to release a new album. I’m working on new music, so that will definitely be released in 2017. I hope I will be able to release an album as well.”

Rapid Fire
Your influences? Describe your current sound?
There is no particular influence — there are a lot, and it is difficult to define. I get influenced by everything and everyone around me. It could simply be the mood I am in, the things I am surrounded by.

How do you unwind?                 
When touring, I try to plan enough time for myself to go out and see things, and sometimes just some general down time in which I just rest. These are just some ways to not make everything seem like work. Also I try to eat healthy and stay fit and spend time doing that. At home, I try to see my kids as much as possible.

What is a trait you wish people knew about yourself?
I enjoy taking time off with my children, because I’m on the road a lot. These things are important for me, as well. This is the David Guetta, when I’m not on tour.

If you weren’t a musician, what would you be doing?
Music at large is what I enjoy. I’ve kept on living the way I did when I was 20. I don’t have any other choice, and it’s perfect. Music is my life. It’s the essence of my soul. It wakes me up in the morning and puts me to sleep at night. I can’t imagine my world without music. It’s a way of bringing people together regardless of religion, nationality, sexuality and belief.

Name an unusual place where compositions come to you ?
I love being on planes. I make a lot of music on flights because there’s no phone, no Internet and no meetings.

A song currently on loop?
A lot of new music has been released in the electronic music scene and there are some really cool tracks! I try to listen to as many genres as possible because you never know where inspiration might come from.

If you could bring back one dead musician to life, who would it be?
Michael Jackson.

How would you describe Bengaluru and its audience?
India is a beautiful country of course, but also EDM is still growing here. The fans are amazing, just that makes me want to come back over and over again. I’ve been here quite a few times, but still every time I visit, there is something new to discover!

—As told to Sneha Kalra