Kygo
I wouldn't be where I am without my fans, and I am very thankful for them.Collection: Thankful
I started studying business and finance in Edinburgh as a backup plan. I was still making music many hours a day, and when I was at university, the electronic music boom started really taking off globally.Collection: Finance
I'd love to work with some of the people I've remixed for - Ed Sheeran or Chris Martin or The Weeknd. But it's not just big names like these guys that I want to collaborate with.
When I travel too much, it affects the music, and that is the most important thing. As long as I make good music, I can play shows, but if the music starts getting bad, the show offers won't come.
I get better and better every day, but there is still a lot to learn.
My biggest influence growing up was Avicii, who put me onto creating the sorts of melodies that feature throughout my songs today.
While I was born in Singapore, I didn't actually grow up here. So I don't remember all that much.
I consider myself more of a producer and a musician than a DJ.
'Coming Over' was probably the fastest collaboration I've ever done.
I don't like to classify my own tracks as a genre.
I'm just trying to experiment with a lot of different stuff and see what comes out of it.
I get into a zone where I'm really in my own world when I make music.
Avicii's melodies were so simple and cool, and they were actually similar to the melodies I played on piano. I thought if I could teach myself how to produce and get those melodies out of my head and into the computer, maybe I could make some cool music, too.
I just wanted to make melodies. I started trying to do my own thing and let the melodies make the genre themselves.
I'm so happy people have enjoyed listening to my tracks.
If I never showed my face, it would kind of be easier.
Making music all the time was my dream.
I do have in the back of my head that you never know how long it lasts.
It's kind of hard when you're on the road all the time, from one show to the next, from one hotel room to the next hotel room, it's kind of hard to think about everything.
It's kind of crazy to see how many people actually listen to my music.
I guess the biggest thing I had to get used to was people staring. At first it was like, 'Am I wearing something odd? Is there something on my face?' It was kind of weird because when I go to the grocery store, people, they're not necessarily coming up to me asking for a photo, they just... look at me.
I get inspired by a lot of different stuff. My father is a huge music fan.
It was the fans sharing my music around that started it all for me.
I started taking piano lessons from the age of six years old. It's such an essential part of what I do in the production process. I wouldn't be Kygo today without those piano lessons.
I think my music covers a broader sound than just 'Tropical House'... My goal is to simply be a great producer in my own right without being pigeonholed.
I really enjoy doing remixes, but I don't want to be known as just a 'remix artist' for the rest of my career.
The difference between doing a remix and an original track is that when you do a remix, you obviously already have the original track as a starting point. But with the originals you start from scratch.
I've been so fortunate to have the opportunity to work with some incredibly talented vocalists, guitarists and producers, and I can't wait to share more originals in the future.
When I look for people to work with, I'm just looking for talented people.
I get a lot of demos sent my way, and I listen to them, and sometimes they just have something very special.
Lemaitre has been one of my inspirations ever since I started making music.
I've got a great team around me with my family, manager and label, and we've all worked hard together to make things happen.
I always knew I wanted to create original material, and after having meetings with all sorts of record labels, I decided that Sony was the right place to do it. They knew what I wanted to make and gave me the freedom to express myself.
I didn't think it was cool for me to walk around with a huge Kygo logo on myself.
I find inspiration in what artists and regular people on the street wear, but I'm also very influenced by what I like to wear since I style myself.
When I go into a store and find a T-shirt that's well-designed with a great fabric but the fit is all wrong, the T-shirt is ruined for me.
I don't really know too many designers. I like a lot of what Kanye West has done with Yeezy, but I think it's a bit too, how you say, elevated; it's a little bit too special. Like he's trying to make something that's kind of a little bit too cool sometimes.
There's just a completely different vibe at festivals. Everyone gets to hang out and enjoy their favorite music all day. I really do try and play as many festivals as possible!
I'm always looking to develop my sound and I'm in the studio whenever I have the time to do this. Always looking ahead!
When I am back home, I have an upright piano and I play constantly.
Sometimes I can sit at my computer and find a cool sound, or a new synth patch, and get super-inspired by that and make a track based on that sound. But the piano is where I find the inspiration and come up with the melody.
Elton John and Billy Joel, I find them both to be huge inspirations, those guys are so talented.
I want to be known simply as a producer who makes music.
I hate being put in a box labelled 'tropical house.'
Compared to EDM, I feel like there are a lot of girls at my shows.
If you do the same thing all the time, it's not very challenging.
A lot of producers don't have any musical education. I couldn't make the music I make without playing the piano.
I just like playing songs with happy vibes and good feelings.
I called it 'Cloud 9' because that's the place I want to take people when they are listening to my music. It's also where I am when I make music.
When I make a song, I'm really happy. It's an indescribable feeling.