Robin Schulz
Origin: None
Black sunglasses, a baseball cap flipped backwards, and his amazingly strong sense for hits that generate 9-digit streams and move crowds across the globe is what distinguishes him as an extremely talented and one of the most successful German artists: Robin Schulz. The Lower Saxony native is actually more the reserved type, who would much rather stand behind his decks and let his music speak for itself. Robin Schulz: a picture-perfect career. Making his way from a local insider to the nation’s “next big thing” and eventually to an internationally acclaimed mega star. At only 30 years of age, the producer and DJ has already established himself as the most successful German artist of the past two decades.
Robin Schulz began playing smaller clubs as a DJ somewhere in rural Lower Saxony – his beloved home. Today, he knows the entire world: Las Vegas, New York, Tokyo. And what’s even more impressive, the entire world knows him. His 2014 breakthrough single, the multi-platinum certified Top 1 remix of “Waves (feat. Mr. Probz)”, was a first sign of the greater things that were to follow. Though not even Schulz himself could have predicted the incredible snowball effect of the events three years ago and the extent of his current success. 2014 marked the start of a fairytale summer that knew just one name: Robin Schulz. His internationally gold- and platinum-certified follow-up single “Prayer In C (feat. Lilly Wood & The Prick)” went straight to #1 on iTunes in 40 countries and topped the national singles charts in 17 countries. In total, the megahit conquered the iTunes charts in 92 countries and went top 25 in 68 countries. And that was just the beginning, as Schulz was the first-ever German artist to reach #1 of the global Shazam charts. Subsequently “Prayer In C” was officially named the “Summer Hit of 2014”. By now, “Prayer In C” is the most successful international hit of all times by any German artist.
Building on this success, Schulz released his now platinum-certified debut album “Prayer” in autumn 2014 along with the song “Sun Goes Down (feat. Jasmine Thompson)”. In early 2015, Schulz was nominated for a coveted Grammy and went on to take home the German ECHO award as “Best Dance National” only a few weeks later, followed by another two ECHOs in 2016 (“Dance National“ and “Most Successful National Act Abroad“). His current album “SUGAR“ is gold-certified in Germany and was yet another international smash hit, spawning several platinum-certified singles such as “Headlights (feat. Ilsey), “Sugar (feat. Francesco Yates)” and “Heatwave (feat. Akon)”. Today, Robin Schulz has sold a total of 7 million copies of his first two albums and various singles and generated over 2.5 billion streams. With more than 200 global gold- and platinum singles under his belt, Robin Schulz has reached the crème de la crème of international dance- / pop music by far. As of today, he has had #1 singles in over 20 countries and topped the iTunes charts in a staggering 70 markets. Furthermore, he runs the most successful German YouTube music channel by far, boasting 2.5 million subscribers and 1.5 billion views combined.
Numbers, digits, and rankings that offer but an abstract image of the global pop phenomenon. After performing at renowned events such as London’s iTunes Festival, the Belgian Tomorrowland, Mayday, Nature One Festival, Miami’s Ultra Music Festival, and the Ultra Festival in Japan as well as doing sold-out tours throughout Europe, the US, Asia, and Australia, the rather humble artist has already joined the ranks of the greats. It is no longer uncommon for Schulz to play in front of 100,000 euphoric party people. Wherever he mans the decks, he sends crowds into a temporary frenzy. Alongside his label buddy David Guetta he frequently moves the masses at Ibiza’s most famous clubs Ushuaia und Pacha to name only one of numerous examples. Robin claims that experiencing all of this with interesting people and good friends is what he cherishes most. Further, the whole team has become somewhat of a family to him he states, and the shows were all one of a kind.
Within his second album “SUGAR”, Robin Schulz once again presents a uniquely delicate balancing act between electronic and pop music, like few of his peers. Schulz embodies the zeitgeist of the worldwide club scene which has now outgrown dance culture in its pure form and evolved into a hybrid, at home in specialized press and arts sections alike. Whatever passes through his hands is turned into precious metal in record time. Robin Schulz has created his very own, genre-transcending and highly recognizable sound: Deep house with organic instruments that always resonates with a certain touch of melancholy. However Schulz doesn’t actually see himself as much of a melancholy type of guy. While his debut “Prayer” featured various remakes of songs by other artists, “SUGAR” is solely composed of his own productions.
Once again, the success wasn’t long in coming. The first album outtake “Headlights (feat. Ilsey)” already entered the German singles charts at #1 as well as topping the streaming charts, airplay charts, and iTunes charts alike, generating several million Spotify streams and earning numerous international platinum awards. The song’s unforgettable music video with the crazy police officer was instantly voted one of the “5 Best Dance Videos Of The Week” by Shazam, won the “Grand Prix” of the jury at the prestigious International Music Video Festival in Paris, and made it into the official selection of best videos of the year at Austin’s South By Southwest Festival. “Sugar” crashed the charts and went on to become one of THE dance anthems of 2015/2016. It should come as no surprise that the streaming giant Spotify also awarded the song with the title “Most Viral Track of the Year”.
After working on his gold-certified single “Show Me Love” in collaboration with the British singer-songwriter Richard Judge, May 2016 saw the release of yet another house banger from the album, “Heatwave (feat. Akon)”. Staying true to his remix roots, Robin put his magic touch on gnash’s “i hate u, i love u” and A R I Z O N A’s “I Was Wrong” in the months to follow before ending the year 2016 with style: Alongside David Guetta, he released “Shed A Light”, his first joint single with the dance titan that also featured Californian electro outfit Cheat Codes. Spotify streams so far: over 164 million.
And 2017? Had yet another novelty in store for Robin Schulz. At the end of February – only a couple of days after returning from Mexico City, where he played support shows for global pop icon Justin Bieber – the first movie about the DJ and producer premiered in movie theatres across Germany. Titled “Robin Schulz – The Movie”, the 90-minute film retraces Robin Schulz’s rapid rise to fame, from talented hometown hero to internationally acclaimed superstar, offering exclusive views into his life behind the scenes. The movie is a collaboration with fashion brand Q/S designed by and also previewed his very own Robin Schulz Capsule Collection, released in March and followed by a second line in September. “I’ve always been into fashion and I’ve always wondered, what it would be like to have a personal signature collection”, says Schulz on fulfilling yet another of his personal dreams.
It’s safe to say that 2017 has been very much “OK“ for Robin Schulz so far – and this also happens to be the title of his next single, a collaboration with British pop sensation James Blunt. Looming on the horizon with a beautiful piano riff at first, the melodic song slowly approaches and transforms into an airy deep house anthem, carried by James Blunt’s distinctive voice. Following “Shed A Light”, the new single is the second offering from his upcoming album “Uncovered”, coming out on 8th September.
And Robin Schulz himself? Stands firmly with both feet on the ground, despite his success and countless air miles. That’s Osnabrueck tradition for him. When he is asked what he’s most proud of, Robin Schulz responds: “I’m proud that I still have the same friends and that I’m able to show that with music, everything is possible. There’s so much to accomplish still. So many exciting paths to walk and goals to reach. As long as you work hard and make sure not to lose the fun along the way, I’m quite confident there’s going to be some more success ahead.”
