Prior to moving to Manhattan as a teenager, many of my city-girl fantasies involved sporting a slicked back hairstyle of some sort and sipping wine in a dimly lit piano bar.
Recently signed to Epic Records – D.C. born, Seattle raised and now Brooklyn based artist Rence – is making music that crosses genres and hones in emotions and reality in the most authentic way.
The viral British-Norwegian DJ/producer Alan Walker, the artist behind the hits ‘Faded’ and ‘Alone’ recently celebrated the success of his new single ‘All Falls Down’ and reaching 10 million YouTube subscribers with a special performance at the YouTube Space in New York.
Alan Walker in NYC
He was joined at the performance with his collaborators on the track, Noah Cyrus and Juliander. Since the release of ‘All Falls Down’ back in October, the song has garnered over 31 million Spotify streams and the music video has received almost 40 million views. At just 20 years old Walker, who got his own start on YouTube, has quickly become one of the world’s most in-demand DJs. We got the chance to sit down with the artist and discuss his success, and his process creating his newest hit:
How did you celebrate your 10 million subscribers on your own?
Alan Walker: So far this has been the proper celebration, I haven’t really had time to do anything else! I was just home watching the live subscriber count, it was surreal, you can’t understand how big it really is. It’s outstanding and I’m forever thankful to everyone that’s subscribing.
You’ve had such a crazy year, you were on a billboard in Times Square, what was that like?
Alan Walker: It’s crazy! It’s so much you can’t really understand it, there’s so much to take in. I’m forever honored and forever thankful for each and every one that’s been supporting me so far, without them it wouldn’t have been impossible.
Obviously you got your start on YouTube, so what’s it like being back at the YouTube offices performing your hit song?
Alan Walker: It feels like after giving back, at the same time I’m giving to them. I feel like that’s amazing. Just being here at the Youtube space in New York is outstanding, it’s something that I never ever thought would happen. Also performing here with Noah Cyrus and Juliander is amazing.
How would you compare performing here and at a festival?
Alan Walker: Here we’re recording and everything and we’re just performing one song, so that’s kind of different. At the same time we’ve invited a couple fans, flew someone in from Germany, and I feel like it’s really kind of more personal, and the connection between me and my fans, and also with Noah Cyrus and Juliander, off the song, they’re all here to also support and also celebrate the 10 million mark.
What’s been your favorite fan interaction from today?
Alan Walker: I think the craziest experience so far has probably been like every time I’ve gone to China there’s been this same girl, she’s been meeting me all around no matter what city, I actually don’t know where she is from. She can’t speak English but she always greets me with a book, this time she actually gave me a book in Chinese, also along with that she gave me a book kind of like a diary, it was just a bunch of pictures from my social media. And that’s not the first time, it’s like the 3rd or 4th time that she’s done it and she’s including every photo from my Instagram, and some photos from my Snapchat just compiled together in one book, it’s pretty cool. I would say that’s one of the weirdest or coolest examples, it’s indescribable.
How did you collaborate with Noah and Digital Farm Animals on [‘All Falls Down’]
Alan Walker: It all started when Digital Farm Animals sent me the track for vocals, and they asked me ‘Do you want to do the production around it’ and I was like yeah this is sick. Then as I’ve been working on and everything we were like ‘Who do we send this to then we sent it to Noah Cyrus and we got an immediate yes. So she recorded the vocals in her studio and it somehow came together!
The YouTube Space performance is available to watch here:
It wasn’t just Lady Gaga headlining in the Palm Springs desert this weekend. Noah Cyrus, Miley’s little sister, totally slayed as she performed her megahit “Make Me (Cry)” and “Stay Together” at the Lucky Lounge Desert Jam, courtesy of the iconic Lucky Brand.