Calvin Harris: Everything you need to know about the 'Free' DJ
Calvin Harris ISN'T his real name!
Calvin Harris started an eventful 2024 by releasing hit collaborations 'Lovers In a Past Life', with Rag'n'Bone Man, and 'Free' with none other than Ellie Goulding. This year, he was also nominated for a Dance Act at the BRIT Awards, which he won — and gave a fantastic performance of his hit 'Miracle' with Ellie, on the star-studded night.
The DJ's packed schedule has also seen him headline 2024 festivals and complete a residency in Ibiza, plus release a compilation album! But many years ago, Calvin wasn't known for his chart-topping music. How much do you know about the Scottish DJ/producer, who has had an epic career, and shows no signs of slowing down?
Who is Calvin Harris?
Calvin Harris is a Scottish DJ who rose to fame after posting his songs on MySpace. He signed a record deal in 2006 and has since topped the charts several times with his incredible hits. Some of his biggest songs include 'We Found Love' with Rihanna, 'Sweet Nothing' with Florence Welch, 'Blame' with John Newman, 'One Kiss' with Dua Lipa, and 'Miracle' with Ellie Goulding.
Despite being super successful now, it wasn't always that way for the Scottish DJ, who started his music career by creating and recording music in his bedroom as a teenager. It wasn't until his debut album 'I Created Disco', released in 2007, that he began to enjoy real success.
After Calvin Harris' second album 'Ready For The Weekend' debuted at Number 1 in 2009, he started to become a real music contender, and by the time he released his third album '18 Months' in 2012, he'd established himself as one of the biggest names in electronic music.
What is his real name?
Calvin Harris wasn’t born Calvin Harris. That’s right — the mastermind DJ was born with the real name of Adam Richard Wiles. Despite releasing his music under his stage name, you will find that Calvin Harris' real name is used in writing credits for his music.
Fans first realised Calvin Harris wasn’t the DJ’s real name when he was dating Taylor Swift back in 2016. When giving a speech at an award ceremony, Taylor thanked her ‘boyfriend Adam’, prompting lots of confused faces and Google searches for ‘Calvin Harris real name’!
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Is the DJ on tour?
Calvin Harris is not currently on tour, however he headlined the Sunday night of TRNSMT festival in Scotland in 2024.
He also has a number of residencies at clubs around the world, including in Ibiza.
Calvin Harris' latest album '96 Months'
In August 2024, Calvin Harris dropped a new album called '96 Months', filled with bangers from the previous eight years. He simply posted an Instagram Story with a link to listen to the album online...
What was Calvin's first immersive VR concert?
Calvin shared details of his first ever immersive VR concert in January 2023. The concert took place on TikTok and PICO (in Asia and Europe) on Friday 13th January at 8pm UK time.
The gig included an avatar of the popular DJ and took fans on: 'A musical journey through Calvin’s virtual universe, featuring audio reactive visuals in a nature inspired luminous world'.
Does Calvin write his own songs?
Yes, Calvin does write his own songs, in August 2022 he responded to a 'fan' who asked how he made his money. Calvin had the perfect response saying: 'Because I write, produce, mix, play every instrument and sometimes vocal. We found love, Summer, Feel so close for example 100% publishing because I did everything. Only reason I got Frank Ocean feature was he told me we found love was one of his favorite songs. I wrote that song'. (sic)
Does Calvin Harris like karaoke?
Surprising many of us, in an interview, Calvin revealed that he does like karaoke and his 'go to' karaoke song is Shania Twain's 'Man! I Feel Like A Woman'. The DJ told us in February 2024 that he did karaoke a couple of years ago, explaining: "The way that I delivered it is a bit different to the original. You know, it's a bit more like (in a gruff voice)...
"'Hey, hey man, I feel like...,' it’s all that. So I enjoy it, it's feels like I get something out of my system."
Is he dating Aarika Wolf?
Calvin Harris attended the BRIT Awards 2019 with Aarika Wolf. Aarika and Calvin started dating in 2018, although they also dated previously for a few months in both 2015 and 2017.
The pair have been linked as far back as 2014, when Aarika starred in the DJ's music video for his hit 'Blame' featuring John Newman. 'Blame' was Calvin's seventh UK Number 1 single, debuting at Number 1.
As well as appearing in Calvin' Harris' music video, Aarika Wolf is also a model. She was born in North Dakota, USA.
Back in 2018, Calvin and Aarika were involved in a serious car crash in California. According to American showbiz site TMZ, Aarika was driving a white Range Rover, when she reportedly hit another vehicle which was occupied by two girls. Pictures which were obtained by the publication show serious damage to the vehicle Aarika hit, with the airbags also being activated.
Calvin Harris later addressed the incident on social media tweeting, 'I promised myself I'd never do anything worthy of appearing in TMZ ever again but sadly this was out of my control thankfully everyone is ok'. (sic)
It's understood that Calvin and Aarika split in early 2022.
Is he married?
Calvin is married to Vick Hope. Vick was spotted sporting a rather gorgeous diamond ring on her engagement finger, with them appearing pretty loved up out and about in London in early 2022.
In September 2023 it was reported by many publications that the pair had married in a private ceremony. And in February 2024, the pair appeared on the Grammys' red carpet together, with Calvin taking to Instagram captioning his photo: 'Grammy night with the wife!'.
The couple also appeared at The BRIT Awards in March 2024, sitting at a table together. Calvin performed his hit 'Miracle' at the event, and won Dance Act.
When is Calvin Harris' birthday?
Calvin Harris was born on 17th January 1984! The hunk is aged 40-years-old and it's fair to say he looks like a totally different person to when he first emerged on the music scene aged 23!
Where is Calvin Harris from?
The superstar DJ grew up in Dumfries, Scotland with his family. Calvin has two older siblings — an older brother called Edward, and an older sister called Sophie.
He later moved to London to try and make in the music business. Unfortunately, it didn't work out for him that time and he returned to his hometown, which was when he made his first record signing.
How tall is he?
Calvin Harris is very tall at 6ft 5 3/4 in. His shoe size is large too — a UK size 12.5!
What did he do before becoming a DJ?
Before Calvin Harris was famous, he used to work in a supermarket stacking shelves, purely so that he could get enough money to buy music production equipment. He also once had a job in a fish factory and he had ambitions to become a professional footballer.
Calvin Harris' modelling career
In 2015, he turned his talents to modelling as the star of Emporio Armani’s underwear campaign, joining the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Rafael Nadal who have modelled for the brand and Justin Bieber who’s stripped down for Calvin Klein. In the black and white shots Calvin Harris is positively oozing with confidence as he shows off his toned bod. Must be all those summers in Ibiza!
WATCH: The jobs your favourite celebrities did before they were famous
When did he first release music?
Calvin Harris started making music when he was just 13 or 14-years-old, but he burst onto the music scene in 2007 with his debut album, 'I Created Disco', which he worked on after moving back home to Dumfries from London. His first album was all made using an Amiga 500+ - if you don't know what one of those is, here's what it looks like!
Calvin's journey to fame:
Among many other things, Calvin was eventually discovered through now-defunct social media site MySpace. He recorded his debut album ‘I Created Disco’ in his bedroom, after uploading a number of the tracks to MySpace.
He was scouted by a record company and signed before officially releasing the album which included hits ‘Acceptable in the 80s’ and ‘The Girls’ in 2007. His second album, 2009’s ‘Ready For The Weekend’, charted at Number 1 in the UK Charts and spawned hits ‘You Used To Hold Me’ and ‘I’m Not Alone’.
The 2012 release '18 Months’ saw Calvin Harris' star status continue to rise as he recruited an impressive list of guest vocalists such as the MASSIVE ‘I Need Your Love’ with Ellie Goulding, ‘We Found Love’ with Rihanna, as well as Tinie Tempah and Dizzee Rascal also contributing.
The collabs kept coming on 2014’s ‘Motion’ and ‘Funk Wav Bounces Vol.1’ was the soundtrack to Summer 2017 with tracks, including ‘Slide’ which Frank Ocean emerged from hibernation to feature on.
Does he sing in his songs?
Calvin Harris is now known for his superstar collaborations, however for those wondering ‘can Calvin Harris sing?’ The answer is a big fat yes! Calvin Harris provided the vocals for all the tracks on his debut album ‘I Created Disco’ which included ‘Acceptable in the 80s’ and 'The Girls’. He also sings on his 2009 songs ‘Ready For The Weekend’, ‘I’m Not Alone’ and ‘You Used To Hold Me’.
Calvin Harris’ third album ’18 months’ saw appearances from superstar vocalists such as Kelis on ‘Bounce’, Ne-Yo on ‘Let’s Go’ and Florence Welch on ‘Sweet Nothing’. However Calvin still voices one of the album’s stand out tracks ‘Feel So Close’. Calvin also provided the vocals on 2014’s Number 1 hit ‘Summer’ and 2016’s ‘My Way’.
WATCH: Calvin Harris - 'Summer' (Official Video)
Who has Calvin Harris worked with?
Calvin Harris has written, produced or mixed a number of songs for some high profile artists including, Kylie Minogue's 'In My Arms', Chris Brown's 'Yeah 3x' and infamously 'I Will Never Let You Down' which he wrote for his then girlfriend Rita Ora. And who can forget his EPIC collaboration with Dua Lipa on 'One Kiss', as well as The Weeknd with 'Over Now'.
In 2023, Calvin worked with Ellie Goulding to release their third collab together, 'Miracle', and 'Desire' with Sam Smith. In 2024, Calvin released 'Lovers In a Past Life' with Rag'n'Bone Man, and 'Free', his fourth collab with Elie Goulding. So let's take a look at songs Calvin Harris has written for other artists.
Scroll through to see Calvin Harris' collaborations:
'Dance wiv Me' - Dizzee Rascal featuring Calvin Harris and Chrome, 2008
After releasing his debut album 'I Created Disco' in 2007, Calvin and Dizzee met at a festival that year. Dizzee had been a huge fan of 'Acceptable in the '80s', and the pair discussed working together. Calvin said of the collaboration: "Dizzee texted me, saying he'd done this a cappella over someone else's music, but his verse was too good for their music, so could he do it with me instead? So I spent a long time on it, to make sure it lived up to his expectations. I sent him the track, and he called me at 2 in the morning to say it was amazing, so I knew it was good."
Watch the video on YouTube here.
'Bounce' - featuring Kelis, 2011
Calvin's next major collab came in the form of 2011 summer anthem 'Bounce' starring Kelis. The first single from his third album '18 Months', 'Bounce' peaked at Number 2 in the UK charts after being kept off the top spot by Example's 'Changed the Way You Kiss Me'.
The song also marked Calvin's decision to stop singing on his tracks; he said: "I'll do tracks with people who can sing well – proper artists, proper performers. I can focus on what I'm much better at, which is making music. I'm just not cut out for that role. I kind of fell into it a few years ago – the live show had to happen, I had to be the frontman because I was doing the vocals on the songs. It went all right. I spent a few years trying to get it really properly good, but it dawned on me it wasn't going to get much better. I've taken the singing thing as far as I can."
Watch the video on YouTube here.
'We Found Love' - Rihanna featuring Calvin Harris, 2011
Teaming up with Rihanna for another 2011 summer banger, 'We Found Love' went to Number 1 in the UK and was certified 5x Platinum, selling over 10 million copies worldwide. Former X Factor star Leona Lewis was originally going to sing the song, but she didn't commit and it went to Rihanna instead.
Calvin said of the song: "'We Found Love,' is the most successful thing I've done ever... It's not strictly a song by me, obviously, it's by Rihanna. She sings it...It was great to work with her... No one could have taken it as far as she did. You can't escape it in America. I've heard it a lot. I've heard it probably more times today than I did when I was mixing it. Which is a good thing."
Watch the video on YouTube here.
'Let's Go' - featuring Ne-Yo, 2012
Calvin worked with Ne-Yo on 'Let's Go', released in March 2012 from his third album '18 Months'. The track peaked at Number 2 in the UK, being held off the top spot by 'Call Me Maybe' by Carly Rae Jepsen.
Watch the video on YouTube here.
'We'll Be Coming Back' - featuring Example, 2012
Calvin and Example's collaboration on 'We'll Be Coming Back' in July 2012 was a huge hit, peaking at Number 2 after being held off Number 1 by Wiley's 'Heatwave'. It appeared on both Calvin's album '18 Months' as well as Example's fourth album, 'The Evolution of Man'.
Watch the video on YouTube here.
'Sweet Nothing' - featuring Florence Welch, 2012
After working on a remix of Florence and the Machine's 2012 single 'Spectrum' from their second album 'Ceremonials', Calvin became interested in working with lead singer Florence Welch. She wasn't immediately available, but he finally tracked her down and they worked together on 'Sweet Nothing'.
He said: "With Florence, she was really busy at that time. She was in the middle of a tour and she had like three days to record something, so I wasn't there, anything could've come back. I didn't think she'd do it. She seemed a really unattainable artist to reach for. I think she would've done it if the song was right and the people were right and it was all at the right time."
Watch the video on YouTube here.
'Drinking from the Bottle' - featuring Tinie Tempah, 2013
Calvin worked with Tinie Tempah on 2013 single 'Drinking from the Bottle' which appeared on his album '18 Months', peaking at Number 5.
Watch the video on YouTube here.
'I Need Your Love' - featuring Ellie Goulding, 2013
Ellie and Calvin sparked dating rumours with their collaboration 'I Need Your Love' in 2012, appearing on '18 Months' as well as Ellie's album 'Halcyon'. It peaked at Number 4 in the UK, and was nominated for both British Single of the Year and British Video of the Year at the BRIT Awards 2014.
Watch the video on YouTube here.
'Blame' - featuring John Newman, 2014
Calvin worked with John Newman on 'Blame', which appeared on his fourth album 'Motion'. The artists worked together to write the song, along with John's brother James Newman - it peaked at Number 1.
Watch the video on YouTube here.
'Outside' - featuring Ellie Goulding, 2014
Calvin and Ellie worked together again in 2014 following the success of 'I Need Your Love', releasing 'Outside' in October that year. It appeared on Calvin's album 'Motion' and Ellie's album 'Delirium'. It peaked at Number 4 in the UK.
Watch the video on YouTube here.
'How Deep Is Your Love' - with Disciples, 2015
Calvin teamed up with Disciples for 'How Deep Is Your Love' in 2015, featuring vocals from Norwegian singer Ina Wroldsen. It peaked at Number 2 in the UK charts, starring model Gigi Hadid in the music video.
Watch the video on YouTube here.
'This Is What You Came For' - featuring Rihanna, 2016
Calvin once again teamed up with Rihanna for 2016 single 'This Is What You Came For', peaking at Number 2 in the UK. It was co-written by Calvin's former girlfriend Taylor Swift, who used pseudonym Nils Sjöberg initially as she did not want their relationship to overshadow the success of the song. It has since been changed.
Watch the video on YouTube here.
'Slide' - featuring Frank Ocean and Migos, 2017
'Slide' was the lead single from Calvin's fifth album 'Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1', featuring Frank Ocean and hip hop trio Migos, released in February 2017. It peaked at Number 10 in the UK charts.
Watch the video on YouTube here.
'Heatstroke' - featuring Young Thug, Pharrell Williams and Ariana Grande, 2017
The Scottish DJ worked with rapper Young Thug, Pharrell Williams and Ariana Grande on 'Heatstroke' from his 'Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1' album. The song was certified Silver in the UK.
Watch the video on YouTube here.
'Feels' - featuring Pharrell Williams, Katy Perry and Big Sean, 2017
Calvin worked with Pharrell Williams, Big Sean and Katy Perry on 'Feels' for his fifth album 'Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1' in 2017, peaking at Number 1 and being certified 2X Platinum in the UK.
Watch the video on YouTube here.
'One Kiss' - with Dua Lipa, 2018
'One Kiss' was a worldwide smash hit, peaking at Number 1 in the UK and spending a whopping eight weeks at the top. It was the biggest-selling song of 2018, and was also the third longest-running Number 1 of the century by a female artist. It also won Best British Single at the BRIT Awards 2019.
Watch the video on YouTube here.
'Promises' - with Sam Smith featuring Jessie Reyez, 2018
Calvin's next big collaboration was with Sam Smith - 'Promises' was released in August 2018, and will appear on Sam's upcoming third album, due to be released in 2020. It peaked at Number 1 in the UK and was certified 2X Platinum.
Watch the video on YouTube here.
'Giant' - with Rag'n'Bone Man, 2019
Calvin got together with Rag'n'Bone Man in 2019, putting out 'Giant' which peaked at Number 2 in the UK and was kept off the top spot by Lewis Capaldi's 'Someone You Loved'. The pair performed the song at the 2019 BRIT Awards.
Watch the video on YouTube here.
'Over Now' - with The Weeknd
The Weeknd teamed up with Calvin for 2020 single 'Over Now', which peaked at Number 33 in the UK.
Watch the video on YouTube here.
'By Your Side' - with Tom Grennan
'By Your Side' was a Top 10 hit for Calvin Harris and Tom Grennan in 2021.
Watch the video on YouTube here.
'Potion' - with Dua Lip and Young Thug
After the HUGE success of 'One Kiss', Calvin and Dua Lipa teamed up again to bring out 'Potion' with Young Thug in May 2022.
Watch the video for 'Potion' on YouTube
'New Money' featuring 21 Savage
21 Savage and Calvin Harris joined forces for 'New Money' which is included on the DJ's album 'Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 2'.
'Stay With Me' featuring Justin Timberlake, Halsey and Pharrell
'Stay With Me' featuring Justin Timberlake, Halsey and Pharrell was released in July 2022, the song is one of two collabs the artists have recorded for Calvin's album 'Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 2'. The second song is called 'Stay With Me (Part 2)'.
'New To You' with Normani, Tinashe & Offset
Calvin Harris' 'New To You' with Normani, Tinashe & Offset was released on 29th July 2022. The song's lyric video was also released with a tropical theme which showed old TVs in a jungle setting.
'Miracle' with Ellie Goudling
Calvin Harris and Ellie Goulding teamed up for their third collab in 2023. The song called 'Miracle' was released on 10th March.
'Desire' with Sam Smith
Following the success of 'Miracle' with Ellie Goulding, at the end of July 2023, Calvin dropped huge single 'Desire' with Sam Smith!
'Lovers In A Past Life' with Rag'n'Bone Man
Calvin Harris and Rag'n'Bone Man teamed up on the fifth anniversary of their hit 'Giant', to announce another song called 'Lovers In A Past Life'. It was released in February 2024, peaking at Number 13 in the UK charts and was certified Silver by the BPI with 200,000 UK sales in May 2024.
Watch the video on YouTube.
'(When I'm With You I'm) Free' with Ellie Goulding
Calvin Harris and Ellie Goulding teamed up for the fourth time on their song '(When I'm With You I'm) Free'. They premiered their new song together at Ushuaïa nightclub in Ibiza, and the crowd went wild.
Where does he get inspiration from for his music?
The DJ says some of his biggest inspirations include the likes of Fatboy Slim, Outkast, the Chemical Brothers and even The Isley Brothers! However, back when he was a teenager he also saw Nirvana, known in the 90s for their hits such as 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' and 'Heart-Shaped Box', as a huge influence.
Can he play any musical instruments?
Calvin Harris is a talented musician as shown in a video he uploaded in 2017 with the making of his song 'Slide', where he can be seen playing the piano. Unfortunately in preparation for the release of his collab with The Weeknd, he has deleted all of his previous tweets.
Does Calvin drink?
According to Glamour magazine, Calvin Harris stopped drinking alcohol in 2008 and has been teetotal ever since.
In a Twitter Q&A in December 2018, he revealed to fans that although he'd once 'lived off' two bottles of Jack Daniels 'a night', he'd been sober since 2014.
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Did 'Ready For The Weekend' get lost?
A number of sources state that while Calvin Harris was writing his second album 'Ready for the Weekend', his laptop — with some of the album — was 'lost' at Heathrow Airport. However, the DJ apparently said that to buy himself a bit of extra time! It was worth the wait though as the album went to Number 1 in the UK.
What's his record label called?
Calvin Harris created his own record label in 2010 called Fly Eye Records. As you would expect, many acts signed to the label are Electronic Dance Music (EDM) acts. He has also released some of his own music through it including his collaboration with Kelis, 'Bounce'.
WATCH: Calvin Harris - 'Bounce' (Official Video) featuring Kelis
Which World Record does Calvin hold?
Calvin Harris broke a record previously held by Michael Jackson for the most UK Top 10 hits from a studio album. His album '18 Months' had nine Top 10 hits including 'Sweet Nothing' with Florence Welch, 'We Found Love' with Rihanna and 'I Need Your Love' with Ellie Goulding. The record was broken once again in 2017 with the release of '÷' from Ed Sheeran.
What's his net worth?
For three years in a row Calvin Harris topped Forbes' list of the world's highest-paid DJs in 2013, 2014 and 2015. All those MASSIVE chart hits have paid off for Calvin... literally. According to Forbes, Calvin Harris earned a cool $38.5 million in 2019 making him one of the richest DJs around.
According to Celebrity Net Worth, by 2022 Calvin Harris' net worth was around $300 million.
What football team does he support?
Calvin supports his hometown football team Queen of the South Football Club, which is based in Dumfries.
Calvin Harris on social media
You can follow Calvin on Instagram and X (formerly Twitter), where his username is calvinharris. Calvin is also popular over on TikTok, where he has over 1.4 million followers. Calvin was among the top 10 most viewed UK artists on the platform in 2023. His TikTok username is also calvinharris.
What is he up to now?
In 2024, Calvin started to tease a new collab with Rag 'n' Bone Man on the fifth anniversary of the release of 'Giant'. They later released, 'Lovers In a Past Life'. The DJ also performed at The BRIT Awards 2024, where he picked up the award for Dance Act.
Then, in May 2024, he started to tease a new song, which many thought was with Miley Cyrus. Neither Calvin or Miley have confirmed the collaboration however and now all mention of the song has been deleted from his socials.
He's now released 'Free' with Ellie Goulding, it was released on 26th July.
In 2023, Calvin released two bangers, both collabs. He released 'Miracle' with Ellie Goulding and 'Desire' with Sam Smith.
Explaining why he likes working with Ellie he said she has: "A spectacular unique voice and delivery that can carry a song emotionally, and you’re a laugh!"
He went on to say: "It’s one of them, you just work with someone and it works several times, and it’s just easy in the studio and it’s not awkward, which frequently with me, it can be. It just flows and you get the best out of each other, it’s one of them."
You can hear Calvin Harris' songs on Northsound 1.
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