EQUATE MEETS: JONAS BLUE
"Your idea of “success” happens naturally when it does. Some of my greatest moments have been the journey in getting to the point I’m at now hence why I say not to rush the process and enjoy the ride."
With bangers like ‘Fast Car’ and ‘Perfect Strangers’, DJ and producer Jonas Blue has become a household name to say the least. His debut album, “Blue,” has achieved Gold certification in both the UK and US and ultimately gained him a Brit Breakthrough Award. Throughout his career, he has collaborated with an impressive array of talented artists and has created remixes for notable names like Ed Sheeran and Justin Bieber, among others.
This year, Blue is not stopping - from having embarked on a sold-out headline tour in Japan to gracing the main stage of the Ultra Music Festival alongside Sam Feldt to having confirmed residencies in Las Vegas and Atlantic City and a Pacha Ibiza Residency with Robin Schulz - exciting times lie ahead for this talented artist, and in the midst of it all, we caught up with him about his latest single ‘Finally,’ featuring the rising Dutch star RANI, which is poised to become a summer hit with its captivating melody.
EQ: Your career has been nothing but eventful, what was your favourite moment(s) so far?
JB: There’s been so many great moments but the one that springs to mind is when I released my debut single ‘Fast Car’ and my manager calling me to tell me it was the Christmas number 1 in Australia.
EQ: Frequently you collaborate with other producers, such as Felix Jaehn on your single ‘Weekends’ - what does the creative process look like when you are working with a fellow producer?
JB: Honestly it’s not that in depth -I either have a song I’ve written or we choose one which is sent to us, I work on the production as do they, we finish the song and release it.
EQ: Let’s talk about your new summer banger ‘Finally’ with Rani, how did that collaboration come about?
JB: It started with a sample idea from a rare 70’s song by Harvey Mason called ‘Groovin U’, which was later used in a house song in the 90’s by Gusto called ‘Discos Revenge’. I was in LA at the time withsome amazing songwriters… Sam De Rosa, David Brook and Mike Fatkin. We finished the song in a few hours, I then got back to London re did all the production. I then sent it to Rani as I felt she’d be the perfect artist to feature on it. The song has been performing amazingly in my sets and I’m glad everyone likes it.
EQ: When working on a track, do you usually have someone in mind in terms of a feature already?
JB: Sometimes… it’s a long process!
EQ: You’ve got a great eye for new talent, how do you keep up with new and upcoming artists - is it through word of mouth, radio, Spotify?
JB: In terms of spotting talent it’s a mixture of all what you mentioned. My manager Aaron and I also have close friends keep an ear out for me.
EQ: You recently had a sold-out headline tour in Japan, and got a few residencies in the US and Ibiza lined up as well - it’s all on different ends of the world. Do you find that crowds differ in different countries and if so how?
JB: Naturally crowds around the world differ. It’s just generally down to energy and whether they’ve been exposed to dance music as much as other countries.
EQ: As someone so successful and established, what advice would you give to your younger self or anyone who is starting out right now?
JB: Just to not try and rush the process. Your idea of “success” happens naturally when it does. Some of my greatest moments have been the journey in getting to the point I’m at now hence why I say not to rush the process and enjoy the ride.
EQ: Last but not least, what else can we expect from you this year, anything you can unveil?
JB: I’m releasing more music than ever this year so just to keep following and as always thanks for the support!