DJ Steve Aoki plans slew of new releases in 2021 after year’s hiatus, he says, and explains why K-pop represents the future of pop music
- ‘K-pop bands push the envelope constantly … Others haven’t even come close to it yet. I feel like everyone else is six months to a year behind,’ Aoki says
- After working with BTS and Monsta X, DJ was drawn to A. C. E for their ‘X factor’. He’d like to work with Blackpink next. ‘Music connects everyone’, he says
Steve Aoki had to slow down in 2020 because of the global coronavirus pandemic, like most of us, but being stuck at home turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
“I just was working on music all the time,” said Aoki, noting that he generally thrived on challenges, which help get his creative juices flowing. The downtime from not being able to tour and having some time to just be in one place helped.
“I’m enjoying the non-touring life,” said the superstar EDM DJ who’s become the favourite remixer of the K-pop world. “It’s grown on me. It’s allowed me to spend a lot of time with my family. I kinda want to have more of that time now, knowing that I can, because I gave up my personal life for the tour life. Having a balance now would be ideal.”
During the year, he spent a lot of time thinking about his work and got creative, leading to plans for many releases in 2021. His first release of the year arrived on January 8, a collaboration with K-pop group A. C. E, remaking their 2020 single Goblin (Favorite Boys), which dropped in September.
The project with A. C. E came about after the group mentioned they wanted to work with Aoki, and eventually they decided to do something together. Although everything took place virtually, the experience was enjoyable for Aoki.