Calvin Harris reveals who his biggest inspirations are and they are VERY varied
From The Isley Brothers to the Chemical Brothers
Calvin Harris
Author: Anna Sky Magliola
Calvin Harris has made his name in music over the last 12 years with songs such as 'Sweet Nothing' featuring Florence Welch, 'Summer' and last year's Number 1 hits, 'One Kiss' with Dua Lipa, and 'Promises' with Sam Smith; but now he has revealed exactly who has inspired him to create his great music.
Taking to Twitter to reply to a fan who said, 'would be immensely grateful for some recommendations on artists that shaped your voice in music 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼' sic, the superstar DJ revealed a very varied list of acts who have inspired him over the years.
Complete with the dates, where relevant, Calvin Harris responded to the fan including artists as wide-ranging as FatBoy Slim to Outkast, and The Isley Brothers to the Chemical Brothers.
This insight into Calvin's inspirations comes after he revealed in an interview that he has some unusual inspirations including the rock band Nirvana, known in the 90s for their hits such as 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' and 'Heart-Shaped Box'. The 'One Kiss' DJ explained how at the age of eight he picked up a guitar and learnt the baseline to their 1992 hit 'Lithium'.
Calvin Harris, whose real name is Adam Wiles, also revealed that Jamiroquai were another influence for the young boy, saying their 1993 album 'Emergency on Planet Earth' was unreal and amazing.
In recent years, Martin Garrix has had a lot of success with his top 20 singles 'Scared to Be Lonely' with British singer Dua Lipa, and his 2016 collaboration with Bebe Rexa, 'In the Name of Love'. More recently he has released a number of other collaborations including 'Like I Do' with David Guetta and Brooks and 'Ocean' featuring Khalid. He also appears at festivals across the world.
Calvin Harris reveals who his biggest inspirations are and they are VERY varied
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1. Calvin Harris ($48,000,000)
What a year Calvin Harris has had! The Scottish DJ has been top of this list for six years in a row now. This year his big hit was 'One Kiss', a collaboration with Dua Lipa which was the second single from Calvin's upcoming album. It stayed at the top spot for eight consecutive weeks!
10. Martin Garrix ($13,000,000)
In recent years, Martin Garrix has had a lot of success with his top 20 singles 'Scared to Be Lonely' with British singer Dua Lipa, and his 2016 collaboration with Bebe Rexa, 'In the Name of Love'. More recently he has released a number of other collaborations including 'Like I Do' with David Guetta and Brooks and 'Ocean' featuring Khalid. He also appears at festivals across the world.
9. Kaskade ($13,500,000)
Ryan Gary Raddon, better known by his stage name Kaskade, is an American DJ, record producer and remixer. Although he hasn't had many songs that have charted in the UK, he is a popular DJ having headlined at a number of festivals. In 2011 and 2013 he was voted America's Best DJ by DJ Times.
8. David Guetta ($18,000,000)
French DJ David Guetta is barely out of the charts with numerous collaborations under his belt. This year we have already had many releases including two fantastic hits, 'Flames' with Sia and 'Don't Leave Me Alone' with Anne-Marie.
7. Diplo ($20,000,000)
Diplo, real name Thomas Wesley Pentz, is the lead member of Major Lazer as well as being a DJ in his own right. Major Lazer are best-known in the UK for 'Cold Water' featuring Justin Bieber and MØ, released in 2016.
6. Zedd ($22,000,000)
German DJ Zedd first became famous in the UK with his hit 'Clarity' featuring Foxes. Since then, he has had a number of collaborations including, 'Stay the Night' with Hayley Williams, 'Stay' with Alessia Cara and most recently 'The Middle' with Maren Morris and Grey. 'The Middle' was famously turned down by 12 artists before it was finally picked up by Zedd.
5. Marshmello ($23,000,000)
Secretive DJ and producer Marshmello first appeared in this list last year (2017) at Number 8, earning $21,000,000. This year he has climbed up to Number 5, partly due to his success with collaborations from Selena Gomez ('Wolves') and 'Friends' with Anne-Marie.
4. Steve Aoki ($28,000,000)
Despite only having one Top 10 hit in the UK - 'Just Hold On' with Louis Tomlinson - American DJ Steve Aoki is known for his on stage antics including throwing cake into the crowd and jumping in an inflatable dinghy and crowd-surfing, Steve is a very popular DJ at festivals.
3. Tiësto ($33,000,000)
Tiësto is a hugely popular DJ despite much of his music not appearing in the UK charts, however, Tiësto's latest track, a collaboration with Dzeko featuring Preme and Post Malone, 'Jackie Chan', peaked at Number 5 in the UK this year!
2. The Chainsmokers ($45,500,000)
Last year's newcomers, The Chainsmokers, have moved up a place earning $7,500,000 more than last year! In 2016 they released 'Closer' featuring Halsey which peaked at Number 1 in the UK, the following year they teamed up with Coldplay on 'Something Just Like This', which they first performed at The BRITs.
1. Calvin Harris ($48,000,000)
What a year Calvin Harris has had! The Scottish DJ has been top of this list for six years in a row now. This year his big hit was 'One Kiss', a collaboration with Dua Lipa which was the second single from Calvin's upcoming album. It stayed at the top spot for eight consecutive weeks!
10. Martin Garrix ($13,000,000)
In recent years, Martin Garrix has had a lot of success with his top 20 singles 'Scared to Be Lonely' with British singer Dua Lipa, and his 2016 collaboration with Bebe Rexa, 'In the Name of Love'. More recently he has released a number of other collaborations including 'Like I Do' with David Guetta and Brooks and 'Ocean' featuring Khalid. He also appears at festivals across the world.
9. Kaskade ($13,500,000)
Ryan Gary Raddon, better known by his stage name Kaskade, is an American DJ, record producer and remixer. Although he hasn't had many songs that have charted in the UK, he is a popular DJ having headlined at a number of festivals. In 2011 and 2013 he was voted America's Best DJ by DJ Times.
8. David Guetta ($18,000,000)
French DJ David Guetta is barely out of the charts with numerous collaborations under his belt. This year we have already had many releases including two fantastic hits, 'Flames' with Sia and 'Don't Leave Me Alone' with Anne-Marie.
7. Diplo ($20,000,000)
Diplo, real name Thomas Wesley Pentz, is the lead member of Major Lazer as well as being a DJ in his own right. Major Lazer are best-known in the UK for 'Cold Water' featuring Justin Bieber and MØ, released in 2016.
6. Zedd ($22,000,000)
German DJ Zedd first became famous in the UK with his hit 'Clarity' featuring Foxes. Since then, he has had a number of collaborations including, 'Stay the Night' with Hayley Williams, 'Stay' with Alessia Cara and most recently 'The Middle' with Maren Morris and Grey. 'The Middle' was famously turned down by 12 artists before it was finally picked up by Zedd.
5. Marshmello ($23,000,000)
Secretive DJ and producer Marshmello first appeared in this list last year (2017) at Number 8, earning $21,000,000. This year he has climbed up to Number 5, partly due to his success with collaborations from Selena Gomez ('Wolves') and 'Friends' with Anne-Marie.
4. Steve Aoki ($28,000,000)
Despite only having one Top 10 hit in the UK - 'Just Hold On' with Louis Tomlinson - American DJ Steve Aoki is known for his on stage antics including throwing cake into the crowd and jumping in an inflatable dinghy and crowd-surfing, Steve is a very popular DJ at festivals.
3. Tiësto ($33,000,000)
Tiësto is a hugely popular DJ despite much of his music not appearing in the UK charts, however, Tiësto's latest track, a collaboration with Dzeko featuring Preme and Post Malone, 'Jackie Chan', peaked at Number 5 in the UK this year!
2. The Chainsmokers ($45,500,000)
Last year's newcomers, The Chainsmokers, have moved up a place earning $7,500,000 more than last year! In 2016 they released 'Closer' featuring Halsey which peaked at Number 1 in the UK, the following year they teamed up with Coldplay on 'Something Just Like This', which they first performed at The BRITs.
1. Calvin Harris ($48,000,000)
What a year Calvin Harris has had! The Scottish DJ has been top of this list for six years in a row now. This year his big hit was 'One Kiss', a collaboration with Dua Lipa which was the second single from Calvin's upcoming album. It stayed at the top spot for eight consecutive weeks!
Now take a look at Calvin Harris' biggest collaborations:
You can hear Calvin Harris' songs on Northsound 1.
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