At only 19, Alan Walker is living the dream. Whether he’s touring and playing for huge crowds at music festivals, releasing phenomenal tracks, or finding new ways to grow artistically, Alan continues to see a lot of success. From the release of his first single, “Fade”, in 2014, Walker has definitely come a long way.
We were able to sit down with Alan Walker at Firefly 2017 to find out everything from what inspires his music to what tops his bucket list.
How are you? How psyched are you for your set today?
I’m doing good – I just got in from San Francisco today and I’m really looking forward to performing at Firefly. It’s my first time here.
What sort of vibe do you hope to bring to attendees as they continue to enjoy their weekend here at Firefly?
I hope to give them a unique experience. I’m trying to have a variation of tempos, a mix of uptempo and slower tracks, with some melodic tracks for sure.
Moving to the subject of your music, I think it’s worth talking about one of your tracks that has particularly become successful – “Faded”. Did you think it would become so successful when you first dropped it or was it more of a surprise?
It was definitely a surprise. “Faded” was a song I had released back in 2014 as “Fade” – at that time, it was really successful among the gaming community and on YouTube. In 2015, I got in touch with my management and asked “why don’t we make a new version of ‘Fade’?” I did it and it just took off.
Watch Alan Walker’s music video for ‘Faded’ below:
And what about “Sing Me To Sleep”? Also more of a surprise in terms of its success?
Following up to “Faded” was really a challenge because it could either be a flop or it could work. It turned out amazing.
Listen to ‘Sing Me To Sleep’:
How does all of the success feel, especially since you are still pretty young?
It’s still pretty hard to take in at times. It’s so overwhelming, but I am thankful for the opportunities. I’m thankful to be here at Firefly performing for a massive audience.
Do you feel like it’s hard to make time to do regular stuff, like hanging out with friends?
My life has pretty much changed in a crazy way. Anytime when I have time off, or the possibility to have some free time, I have the opportunity to go back home so I can either hang out with my family or friends.
So, shifting gears, if you could collaborate with any other DJ, or maybe even a vocalist, who would it be?
In terms of DJs, I’d love to collaborate with Tiesto, Martin Garrix or Kygo. Vocalist-wise, Bruno Mars.
Which tracks or artists are you currently vibing to – anything you might have on repeat or something you really like right now?
I actually don’t know, there are so many! I’m really vibing to Brooks, he’s actually got a great collab with Martin Garrix.
Can you talk a bit about inspiration, like how you draw from other genres or artists?
Well I usually find a lot of inspiration in movie soundtracks. I get a lot of ideas for creating melodic tracks from those, some of it is so powerful. They really inspire me to create a different, unique sound.
Are there any goals you hope to pursue outside of music?
I want to finish school – in the beginning of 2017, I was working at finally getting my driver’s license and I finally did.
Can you name one or two things on your bucket list? Anything that you really want to do in life?
Skydiving – I’m booked to skydive on Sunday! My dad told me that he did it when he was younger and he said he was a great experience.
What is your next big move, musically or otherwise?
Musically, I’m excited to play one of my upcoming singles today during my set. Also, I’ll be bringing up a guest vocalist with me on stage, Sofia Carson. I’ve got a collaboration with her called “Back to Beautiful”. Maybe I’ll have an EP coming up soon, definitely more remixes. Lots more touring, for sure.
