Calvin Harris (born Adam Richard Wiles) is a Scottish singer, songwriter, DJ, and record producer who is regarded as one of the most successful performers in British popular culture today. His musical adventure began while he was in his teens, when he was drawn to electronic music and began recording bedroom demos. Starting with his first studio album, ‘I Created Disco,’ which debuted at #8 on the UK Albums Chart, he went on to produce other hit and chartbusting albums and songs in the years that followed. His second studio album, ‘Ready for the Weekend,’ debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart, and its lead single, ‘I’m Not Alone,’ became his first single to reach number one on the UK Singles Chart. ’18 Months,’ his third studio album, catapulted him into the international spotlight. It not only topped various overseas charts, but it also charted at #19 on the Billboard 200 in the United States. Eight of the album’s songs, as well as the song “We Found Love” written in collaboration with Rihanna, hit the top ten of the UK Singles Chart, making it the first album of its sort to do so, exceeding Michael Jackson’s record of nine top ten singles.
Childhood and Adolescence
Calvin Harris was born Adam Richard Wiles in Dumfries, Scotland, on January 17, 1984, as the youngest of three children to biochemist David Wiles and his wife Pamela.
He attended the ‘Dumfries High School’ and grew up in Dumfries with his older brother, Edward, and older sister, Sophie. He became interested in electronic music as a teenager and began recording bedroom recordings in 1999.
In 2002, he released two more tracks on the Prima Facie label. He returned to Dumfries after a brief and fruitless time in London, where he produced solo recordings at home and posted them on his ‘Myspace’ profile.
Gradually, he gained traction on Myspace and caught the eye of Mark Gillespie, a talent booker who signed Harris to his own newly formed firm.
Career of Calvin Harris
He got deals with Sony BMG, EMI, and Three Six Zero Group in 2006. Later that year, he created a remix of the English-Canadian girl group ‘All Saints” single ‘Rock Steady.’
‘Columbia Records’ published his first studio album, ‘I Created Disco,’ on June 15, 2007. He composed, produced, and performed all 14 tunes on his own. It debuted at #8 on the UK Albums Chart and quickly rose to the top of the UK Dance Albums Chart. On May 23, 2008, the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) awarded it gold certification.
His partnership with rapper Dizzee Rascal saw him create and sing the hook for the latter’s single ‘Dance with Me.’ The track, which was released on June 22, 2008, rose to the top of the UK Singles Chart and stayed there for four weeks.
‘Columbia Records’ published his second studio album, ‘Ready for the Weekend,’ on August 14, 2009, which debuted at #1 on the UK Albums Charts. On 11 of the album’s 14 tracks, he wrote, performed, and produced.
On August 23, 2009, he continued his fruitful partnership with Dizzee Rascal, producing the latter’s hit “Holiday.” The song he created for the girl group ‘The Saturdays’ and was rejected by them went to number one on the UK Singles Chart.
‘I’m Not Alone,’ the lead single from ‘Ready for the Weekend,’ debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart. BPI awarded the album gold certification. Because of the song’s resemblance to Chris Brown’s successful single “Yeah 3x,” released in October 2010, Harris was given composition credit for the latter.
‘You Used to Hold Me,’ the fourth and final single from ‘Ready for the Weekend,’ was the last song he sung as a regular performer for his own efforts, and it was released on February 8, 2010. Since 2011, he has focused more on producing music, with guest singers contributing vocals to his tracks.
During this period, he also made the decision to stop performing in live events, and in doing so, he departed the band with which he had been associated as lead vocalist. He went on to remix a number of songs, including Mr Hudson’s “Supernova,” Katy Perry’s “Waking Up in Vegas,” and Shakira’s “She Wolf.”
Meanwhile, he launched the record company ‘Fly Eye Records’ in March 2010, which in 2014 partnered with Sony/ATV Music Publishing. ‘Feel So Close,’ the second single from his third studio album, ’18 Months,’ was released on August 19, 2011, with the album following on October 26, 2012. The song was not only his return to singing, but also his first solo attempt to reach #12 on the US Billboard Hot 100, as well as #2 on the UK Singles Chart.
During the European leg of Barbadian recording artist Rihanna’s third globe concert tour in 2011, he accompanied her as a support act. He subsequently went on to co-write and co-produce the song ‘Where Have You Been’ for Rihanna’s sixth studio album, ‘Talk That Talk,’ as well as compose and produce the song ‘We Found Love,’ which also features in it (2011).
‘We Found Love’ was also included in his album ’18 Months.’ The song reached the top of various charts throughout the world, including the US Rhythmic (Billboard), UK Singles, and the US Billboard Hot 100, where it stayed for ten weeks in a row.
We Found Love’ was his first number one hit in the United States. It eventually rose to #24 on the Billboard Hot 100’s all-time top hundred songs chart. It gained a number of gold and platinum certifications, including 9 Platinum from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and 2 Platinum from the United Kingdom (BPI).
His third studio album, ’18 Months,’ debuted at #1 on the UK Albums Chart for the second time in a row, focusing more on an electro house sound than his normal nu disco-style.
All eight singles from ’18 Months’ and ‘We Found Love’ featuring Rihanna reached the top ten of the UK Singles Chart, making it the first album in history to have nine top ten singles. As a result, he broke Michael Jackson’s previous record.
While ’18 Months’ was nominated for a Grammy Award in the Best Dance/Electronica Album category, two of the album’s songs, ‘Let’s Go’ and ‘Sweet Nothing,’ were nominated for Grammy Awards in the Best Dance Recording category at the 55th and 56th Grammy Awards, respectively.
He became the first exclusive resident DJ of the renowned hotel group ‘Hakkasan Group’ in Las Vegas in February 2013, and the contract was extended for another three years in January 2015.
He won the prestigious Ivor Novello Awards for ‘Songwriter of the Year’ in May 2013, which he described as “probably the biggest success of my entire life.” His fourth studio album, ‘Motion,’ was released on October 31, 2014, and featured collaborations with DJs such as Firebeatz and R3hab, vocalists such as John Newman and Gwen Stefani, and bands such as Hurts, among others.
While ‘Motion’ started at #2 on the UK Albums Chart and #5 on the US Billboard 200, its first three singles topped the UK Singles Chart: ‘Under Control,’ ‘Summer,’ and ‘Blame.’
On March 30, 2015, he was announced as a co-owner of Tidal, a subscription-based music streaming service. He topped the list of highest-paid DJs for the third year in a row that year.
His upcoming album, ‘Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1,’ will contain guest vocals from Katy Perry, Snoop Dogg, Big Sean, and Young Thug, among others, and will be released on June 30, 2017.
He’s also worked on tracks for brands including ‘Coca-Cola’ and ‘Kia Motors,’ and has appeared in commercials for ‘Pepsi’ and ‘Emporio Armani.’ Harris has participated in a number of charitable events over the years.
Personal History and Legacy
He dated Rita Ora, a British singer and actress, from April 2013 to June 2014, and Taylor Swift, an American singer-songwriter, from March 2015 to June 2016.
Harris was never an alcoholic, but at the age of 24, he became a teetotaller.
Estimated Net Worth
Calvin Harris has a net worth of $240 million.