Hardwell is the stage name of Robbert van de Corput, a Dutch electro house DJ, record producer, and remixer from Breda who is most known for his ‘I Am Hardwell Tour’ and accompanying documentaries, as well as his debut studio album ‘United We Are’. He fulfilled his life’s philosophy, “If you can imagine it, you can achieve it,” by becoming the finest DJ in the world at the age of 25, completing his childhood ambition. He was rated World’s No.1 DJ on DJ Mag’s ‘Best 100 DJ’ poll in 2013 and 2014, and while falling one spot in each of the subsequent years, stayed regularly among the top DJs in the world. He has worked with various international musicians, including his idol and mentor Tisto, as well as his colleagues and best friends Dannic and Dyro, with whom he toured Canada and North America. His bootleg of “Show Me, Love, vs. Be” garnered him international notoriety. Eight volumes of ‘Hardwell presents Revealed’ compilation albums have been released so far. He founded the record company Revealed Recordings, which has introduced countless rising stars in the electronic dance music industry.
Youth and Early Life
Hardwell was born as Robbert van de Corput in Breda, Netherlands, on January 7, 1988 to Anneke and Cor van de Corput. He started taking piano lessons and attended a music school when he was just four years old.
At the age of twelve, he began performing as a hip hop DJ and recorded his first electro tracks around the same time. Recognized for his participation in numerous local DJ competitions, he was heavily influenced by the DJ and producer Tisto, who is also from Breda.
Hardwell’s Career
As hip-hop became an underground movement, Hardwell shifted his style to commercial electronic dance music. At age 14, he signed a record deal with ‘Digidance’ by Dutch production team Klubbheads. Three weeks later, he published his first official two-disc album, ‘Bubbling Beats 1,’ and thereafter toured the Netherlands, performing at a variety of dance venues.
In 2006, he launched his debut track, “Play It Around,” which proved successful in German clubs. He mixed his personal approach with the most popular musical styles for the single.
He teamed with Great ski on the song “Never Knew Love,” which was released at the end of 2007 and became his first Top 40 hit in Germany, peaking at No. 32 on the official singles charts. His remixes of Gregor Salto and Chuckie’s “Toys Are” and “You Do Not Love Me” by Sidney Samson and Skitzofrenix topped the dance charts for weeks.
In December 2008, he produced a remix of ‘Be’ by Steve Angello and Laidback Luke and ‘Show Me Love’ by Robin S. that was published as an official cover of ‘Show Me Love’ After performing with Tisto on stage in the Netherlands, he produced the official anthem of ‘Dancevalley Festival’ titled ‘Twilight Zone’, which increased his notoriety.
In 2010, he established his own record label, ‘Revealed Recordings,’ which acted as a platform for budding artists releasing electronic dance music. Consequently, he issued a compilation CD comprising his new songs and tracks released by the label each year, and for the label’s fifth anniversary, he released 100 of the most popular tunes picked by his followers from his website.
In 2011, he struck a distribution agreement with the German record company Kontor Records. In March of the same year, he launched his hour-long podcast ‘Hardwell On Air,’ which is aired on Slam! in the Netherlands and Sirius XM in the United States.
In 2011, he co-produced the song ‘Zero 76’ with Tisto, which was titled after the telephone area code of their hometown, Breda. The single ‘Cobra’ topped dance charts worldwide and was chosen as the official anthem for one of Europe’s largest indoor festivals, ‘Energy, The Network’.
He followed up his triumph with ‘Encoded,’ his first major festival-dominating release, which propelled him to the top tier of DJs worldwide. Spaceman, which was released on July 31, 2012, sold over 500,000 copies in the United States and is one of the tracks that established the Big room house genre.
In 2012, he performed as the headlining act at a variety of festivals, including Creamfields, Electric Zoo Festival, Electric Daisy Carnival, Ultra Music Festival, and Nature One. The video of his performance at the Tomorrowland event has over 10 million views.
In January of 2013, he and his DJ colleagues and best friends Dannic and Dyro, dubbed the ‘Dutch-House-Mafia,’ embarked on a bus tour of Canada, followed by a summer tour of North America. In April, he launched ‘I Am Hardwell,’ his first worldwide tour.
Also in 2011, he was a headlining performer at Tomorrowland and worked with the DJ duo W&W on the year’s biggest club song, “Jumper.” Later that year, he catered to his expanding big-room house fanbase with ‘Countdown’ and released ‘Dare You’ with American singer Matthew Koma, finishing the year as the youngest DJ to top the DJ Mag list.
In January 2014, he published the two-and-a-half-year-long documentary ‘I Am Hardwell,’ which focused on the most successful periods of his career. In 2014, he performed alongside Tisto at the Tomorrowland festival in Belgium and maintained his position as the top DJ.
On January 23, 2015, he released his debut studio album, ‘United We Are,’ from which the track ‘Sally’ became his first song to enter the German singles charts. He published the documentary I Am Hardwell – Living The Dream in October of that year. During the same year, he fell from the top of the DJ Mag ranking.
In 2016, he gave his final ‘I Am Hardwell’ performances and released the seventh part of his ‘Hardwell-presents-Revealed’ compilations, however, he fell one spot on the Top DJ list to finish at No.3. In 2017, he released three parts of his ‘Hardwell & Friends EP’ and announced the ‘Off The Record’ episode of his ‘Hardwell On Air’ podcast.
Hardwell’s Major Opera
In 2009, Hardwell gained international acclaim for his remix of “Show Me Love vs. Be.” His most well-known works are his debut studio album, ‘United We Are,’ the soundtrack to his documentary ‘I Am Hardwell,’ and his three ‘Hardwell & Friends EPs.
Awards & Achievements
In 2011, he debuted at No.24 on DJ Mag’s ‘Top 100 DJs list, making him the second-highest newbie after Skrillex. In 2013 and 2014, he topped the chart. In 2012, he won “Best Breakthrough DJ” at the International Dance Music Awards.
Personal History and Legacy
Since 2014, Hardwell has been in a relationship with the Dutch event manager Yanicke Agnes. They first met in a bar in his hometown of Breda the previous year. His parents participate in a charity that assists new musicians with contracts, managers, and record labels.
Hardwell, who owns a pug named Jager, provided the voice of Mel, a small pug, in the 2016 animated feature “The Secret Life of Pets.”
Estimated Net Worth
Hardwell is a Dutch DJ and music producer who specializes in progressive and electro house and has a net worth of $23 million. Robbert van de Corput (aka Hardwell) was born in Breda, Netherlands, on January 7, 1988. His live sets at big music festivals including Tomorrowland and Ultra have earned him widespread recognition.