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Catching up with Oliver Heldens: ‘Turn Me On’ and digital age (Includes interview)

On the idea for the song, Heldens said, “Riton hit me up with the idea to sample Yazoo’s synth riff and ‘Dr. Love’ hook in one track. I really liked the idea and I made a big bassline drop to go with the Yazoo synth riff and that worked really well. Vula really killed it on the vocals. I am really happy with how the track turned out.”

“We filmed a very throwback video for the track,” he said.

For Heldens, it was a great experience to return to “Electric Zoo” in Randall’s Island Park this past summer and performed at the mainstage of “Electric Zoo: Evolved.” “The weather was pretty good. The crowds in New York are really great. It was a good party,” he said.

On his plans for the future, he said, “To keep doing what I am doing now. To keep touring and making new music. I am working on new tracks and I will be releasing a few new things soon.”

“I am still really young. I am 24 years old. I am going to keep doing this for a long time. Right now, I feel I will make music for the rest of my life. When it comes to touring, I see myself doing this for a long time,” he said.

As Digital Journal reported, Heldens partnered with the Plastic Soup Foundation, in order to help eliminate ocean pollution. “I think it’s very important to raise awareness for that matter,” he said.

Last year, Heldens ranked No. 9 in the DJ Magazine Top 100 DJs poll. “That was amazing,” he said. “I like the voting because even though there are millions of voters, they represent the diehard EDM fans. I am very happy that I am ranked very high on that list.”

Digital age of electronic music

On being an artist in this digital age, Heldens said, “I feel lucky that I am born in this era. In this age, it is very accessible to make music. I started making music when I was 12. If I was born in the ’70s or ’80s, it would have taken more time to make music, especially to get all the hardware and all the synthesizers. I feel lucky that I was born in 1995 and I have all the digital tools around me to make music.”

“I really love the electronic scene right now because I feel that over the last 10 years, it has become less categorized. People are more open-minded and the gap between the underground and the mainstream is becoming smaller and smaller so that’s good. That’s what is so great about the landscape of electronic dance music,” he said.

Heldens listed Dua Lipa, Billie Eilish, and Madonna as his dream female collaboration partners. “It would be amazing to work with somebody as iconic as Madonna,” he said.

For his fans, Heldens concluded, “I am very blessed with all of my fans. I am really happy with them. The fans motivate me. I get a lot of love from them, especially at the shows. They motivate me to keep making music.”

“Turn Me On” by Oliver Heldens and Riton featuring Vula is available on digital providers by clicking here.

To learn more about world-renowned DJ and producer Oliver Heldens and his music, check out his Facebook page and follow him on Instagram.

Markos Papadatos
Written By

Markos Papadatos is Digital Journal's Editor-at-Large for Music News. Papadatos is a Greek-American journalist and educator that has authored over 22,000 original articles over the past 18 years. He has interviewed some of the biggest names in music, entertainment, lifestyle, magic, and sports. He is a 16-time "Best of Long Island" winner, where for three consecutive years (2020, 2021, and 2022), he was honored as the "Best Long Island Personality" in Arts & Entertainment, an honor that has gone to Billy Joel six times.

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