Over the years, DJs have scaled to become critical players in the entertainment scene. It doesn't matter whether it's your wedding, birthday, or just another feel-good weekend; having the best DJ will undoubtedly bring the party to life with the best music selection. A great DJ knows how to read the party mood and bring the vibe to keep the audience thrilled with entertainment. It has since become a competitive sector, attracting hundreds of new talents daily. Therefore, standing out from these crowds demands an innate talent spiked with an undying desire to be the best.
Brazilian DJ Alok is one of the prolific DJs rising to dominance in the entertainment scene. The sensational DJ and producer commands attention as a dance music superstar and philanthropist, gaining global fame through chart-topping international collaborations. He has struck numerous career highlights with Britain's elite music superstars like Ellie Goulding and James Arthur. On the collaboration Alok shares “The story behind each of the songs I make is always unusual. I received the a cappella with Ellie's vocals last year and I started working on it, but I stopped, because I didn’t think it was turning out the way I wanted. Some time later after reviewing my files, I came across the song again. Then I started a melody that was very similar to Depeche Mode’s "Enjoy the Silence" which I really like. I thought, “what if I used this melody in the song?” I thought it was perfect, when the melody comes, the Depeche Mode beat comes. I went after the release of the sample, and I got it. With approval, we worked on a few more details, Sigala added to this process as well and it was ready for everyone to enjoy.This song brings out the personality of the three of us a lot, which is a challenge when doing a project that involves different people. I was quite happy with the result. There's an intrigue about this partnership. There was a moment when I thought the song was ready and it was the way everyone would enjoy it. I sent it to Ellie and she said “I need to go to the studio and adjust some things” and returned to me with over thirty audio files with three seconds of her vocal.”
From working with and lending his remix work to artists including The Rolling Stones to Zara Larsson, Jason Derulo to Tove Lo, and more, he won the "Best Remix" award at the 2020 International Dance Music Awards for his hit remix of the Meduza's single “Piece of Your Heart”, a song that gained over 223 million streams. DJ Alok also partnered with global pop sensation Dua Lipa for the official remix of her hit single “Physical”. In 2022, he brought the smash hit of the summer, "Deep Down”, alongside Ella Eyre, Kenny Dope, and Never Dull, reaching number one Billboard Dance Chart for four weeks.
DJ Alok's intuitive approach to music production and selection also won him a space in the European entertainment scene, gaining a solid following. He is the second biggest Instagram following of any electronic artist globally with 28 million fans. On Spotify, DJ Alok concentrates more than 20 million monthly listeners and 5 billion streams, making him the second most listened-to Brazilian artist internationally. His live show are a force to be reckoned with. Recently performing on New Year’s Eve in Fortaleza, one of the biggest events of Brazil, he shares of the experience “ It was amazing. New Year's eve in Fortaleza is one of the biggest events in the north and northeast of Brazil, it is the truest sense of release, in the best sense. We must repeat this public record during Salvador's carnival, which is another great milestone on the calendar in Brazil. These moments of meeting with a large number of people are always exciting and leave our adrenaline at its peak. The connection I feel with the audience is unique and I love feeling the vibe from the crowd enjoying the music. When music manages to reach the hearts, minds and bodies of people around the world, my goal is reached.”
The 2022 DJ Mag Top 100 DJ Poll named DJ Alok the No. 1 DJ in Latin America and 4th Best DJ in the world. Incredibly, DJ Alok is also the only Brazilian to make the "Billboard Dance 100" and was named in 2022 by Bloomberg Linea as one of the 500 most influential people in Latin America. DJ Alok is widely regarded as one of the most influential Brazilian artists ever and is noted for his global philanthropic efforts, including his charity institute's partnership with the United Nations Global Compact on the "Future Is Ancestral" climate change initiative to support the indigenous peoples of the Amazon.
On his accolades, Alok reflects “This #4 spot in DJ Mag is of huge importance to my career. It symbolizes the progress I've made and loyalty to what I believe in artistically. I often ask myself which way to go and accolades like this give me the security that my path is correct. With each year and with each new level conquered, I become even more aware that I would not be able to make it this far alone. It's not just my merit, but that of my fans, my team and all my partners who accompany me on this journey. It's funny that despite all the great experiences, I feel I’m just getting started.”
"Work With My Love" was his first release of the year, a song with a disco vibe but with a modern reinterpretation. On the making of the song, Alok reveals “I'm a huge fan of James' style and I had a lot of fun making this track with him. The song has a disco vibe, but with a modern reinterpretation. It’s more of a pop track, but it doesn’t stray from my identity. I like mixing musical genres and not being restricted to one style. "Work With My Love" was my first release of 2023, so I think we started the year quite well, no?
"It's more of a pop track, but it doesn't stray from my identity," DJ Alok adds. 2023 is also promising to be a great year, and he envisions himself continuing to produce music that touches more people. I’m going to continue producing music that can touch even more people. I'm making an album inspired by indigenous roots and I'm releasing it this year. The album, in co-creation with the indigenous people, has a social proposal, mine as an artist, but also as a citizen. Together with them, we are in the movement to alert the world about the presence and protagonism of indigenous peoples in central issues for the planet. We participated in climate week at the UN in New York, and our desire is to expand these ancient voices and wisdom even more. It is probably my most challenging and rewarding job as well.”
Philanthropy is also important in Alok's career, as he unveils a great deal of insight on the matter beyond his music. “Me, you, the forest and us are one. We have to listen to what the forest has to say. And the best way to understand it is through indigenous songs, because they are the ancestral songs of the forest. So this work is much bigger than just music, it is a movement to change the collective imagination. What image do you have when we think about the future? An apocalyptic scenario of neon lights and flying cars? For me, the future is an indigenous person in a canoe walking on the Amazon River with a super sophisticated device that tracks birds and looking at the riverbank, you see several research centers integrated with nature, seeking solutions and cures for humanity. So my contact with the indigenous people changed my way of understanding the world and the narratives that, until then, I believed and perpetuated. When I said I was going to make music with the indigenous people, there were those who said 'indigenous people are a thing of the past, indigenous people don't even exist anymore'. That ignorance is crazy. You don't need to understand the Yawanawá language to understand what they have to say, you can understand through music. So it's a project to raise awareness, which is the first step for people to start respecting nature. The idea of the Fund created by the Alok Institute and the Global Compact is to invite third sector companies and organizations, as well as individuals to contribute to the creation of a platform where everyone can work together to strengthen indigenous identity in society, expanding the repertoire on these cultures and establishing a new understanding of their importance for the planetary future. From then on, we will financially support cultural and technological projects centered on indigenous peoples. They are less than 5% of the world's population, but they are responsible for protecting approximately 80% of global biodiversity, so we have a lot to learn from them in the context of the climate crisis. We want to join those who recognize themselves as co-responsible for creating a healthy and fair life for the next generations. That's why the Fund we're creating is called Ancestors of the Future.”
While we can all try to keep up with Alok’s multi-faceted approach to his career, few can manage it and 2023 is about to be Alok’s biggest and most influential yet.
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