Alan Walker (music producer)

Biography

Alan Olav Walker is a DJ, YouTube sensation, and Record Producer from Northampton, England. Born on August 24, 1997, in Northampton, the DJ started his career in Bergen, Norway, where he has been living since he was two years old.

He first broke through into the mainstream thanks to his track “Fade,” which was released on August 17, 2014. The song has since earned 115 million audio streams on Spotify, and its accompanying music video has over 400 million video streams on YouTube.

Walker is a big name in the global music scene, and growing up in the digital era has had a major impact on Alan’s tracks. He’s performed at major festivals like Coachella, Lollapalooza, Tomorrowland, Ultra Music Festival, and many more. Alan Walker has also collaborated with the likes of Sia, Bruno Mars, Julia Michaels, Avicii, and many more.

Want to take a deeper dive into Alan and his music? You’ve come to the right place – we’ve got all the facts for you right here.

instruments played

keyboards

Piano

programming

Also Known As

DJ Walkzz

Channels

Alan Walker

Creator Awards

Creator Awards
100,000 subscribers
2016, 1,000,000 subscribers
2016, 10,000,000 subscribers
2017

Genre

Music
vlog

Genres

Future bass
electro house
slap house
progressive house
big room house
deep house

Labels

MER
Sony
RCA
NCS
Ultra

Occupations

DJ
record producer

Origin

Bergen, Norway

Subscribers

40.6 million

Website

alanwalker.com

Years Active

2012 - present

Wiki Link

Alan's Early Life

Norwegian producer Alan Walker grew up in Bergen, Norway, where he moved with his English father, Norwegian mother, older sister, and younger brother in 1999. He took an early interest in music and graphic design, drawing inspiration from multiple genres throughout his childhood. Alan was a fan of Steve Jablonsky and Hans Zimmer, film score composers known for their blend of orchestral music and electronic elements. He also held a fascination for pure EDM by the likes of K-391 and Ahrix. Walker started making music on his laptop as a teenager using the musical production software FL Studio. He posted tracks to Soundcloud and his own YouTube videos as a teen, going under the name DJ Walkzz until 2014. He would incorporate feedback from his fans around the globe to try and improve his work and eventually caught the attention of the record labels.

Building a Following

After the remarkable success of his breakout single "Fade," Alan quickly started building up a following of loyal fans. Following the initial release of "Fade," Alan signed to MER Musikk, a subsidiary of Sony Music Sweden, and crafted a new version of "Fade" that features vocals by Iselin Solheim. "Faded," the version of the song with dramatic vocals from Solheim, topped the charts in multiple countries throughout Europe, and its music video became one of the most-liked pieces of content on YouTube. In fact, it was number one on the European Radio Chart for six consecutive weeks. "Faded" was later remixed by Tiësto, Dash Berlin, Hardwell, and other high-profile EDM artists, and this version also gained great popularity, especially among gamers. Other songs from this early period in Walker's career, including "Alone," "Darkside," and "Routine," all became hits as well. Alan's follow-up single was a collaboration with singer Zara Larsson called "Never Forget You." The track became the second song by a Norwegian artist to top the NRJ Euro Hot 30 chart – the only other time this feat had been achieved was by fellow DJ Kygo.

No School, Just Music

In January of 2016, Alan dropped out of high school to pursue music full-time. He performed at the Winter X Games in Oslo, Norway, and went on to host his own concert, "Alan Walker is Heading Home," in Bergen later that year. Since then, he's hosted his own festival, Stavernfestivalen, in Norway and several other similar events. That year, he released the dance-pop track “Sing Me to Sleep,” which is far more dramatic than the lullaby you might be thinking of. The lyrics discuss wishing for a safe place amidst a world that’s in constant movement. The video was shot in Hong Kong and has received good reviews. In 2016 and 2017, Walker supported some of the most successful artists in the world – Rihanna and Justin Bieber – as an opening act on their world tours. Once 2017 came around, Alan had become the most-subscribed YouTuber from Norway, with 4.5 million subscribers at the time. As of 2021, he's sitting at over 40 million subscribers on the platform.

Different World

In December 2018, Alan released Different World, his first full-length studio album. The record features the singles "All Falls Down," "Darkside," "Faded," "Diamond Heart," and more, as well as previously unreleased tracks. Musical guests on the debut album include Noah Cyrus, Trevor Guthrie, Steve Aoki, Julie Bergan, Sorana, Gavin James, and more. To promote the album and raise awareness for climate change, Alan started the #CreateADifferentWorld campaign. Billboard Italy commented on his efforts, with Tommaso Toma describing the issue of climate change as an issue that is “particularly close to [Alan’s] heart and [a recurring theme] in his music and videos.” The album went on to reach number two on the Top Dance/Electronic Albums chart in the US and was certified Gold in the States as well. In Walker's homeland of Norway, Different World earned a triple Platinum certification. Walker followed up the album with the Different World Tour, followed by the Aviation Tour in 2019. That same year, the “Diamond Heart” music video received a nomination for Best Cinematography at the Berlin Music Video Awards.

Walker’s Other Projects

Alan is the creator of The Aviation Game, an app that challenges players to become an AVI-8 drone champion and battle "malicious red glitches" and the Red Nexus that serve as the game's primary enemies. You can enter the virtual World of Walker-universe, fly your own AVI-8 drone, and tackle several challenging levels. In addition to developing a mobile game, Alan continues to build a following on his YouTube channel. There, he posts content related to music, including his recent concert film Aviation Movie. The film blends concert footage and an action-packed narrative to create a unique viewing experience that Walker's fans loved. With his YouTube videos, original music, and remixes of music by others, Alan continues to be one of the biggest Norwegian stars on the planet. His most recent project, Walker Racing League, came out on September 10, 2021, and it reached number 19 on the Finnish charts and number 32 in Sweden.