Marshmello Wins Top Dance/Electronic Artist at the Billboard Music Awards

Marshmello has won the Top Dance/Electronic Artist at the Billboard Music Awards! This is a huge accomplishment and we could not be more proud.

Introduction

On Sunday, May 20, Marshmello took home the award for Top Dance/Electronic Artist at the Billboard Music Awards. The masked producer/DJ was nominated alongside Calvin Harris, The Chainsmokers, Kygo and Zedd.

This is Marshmello’s first time winning in this category, and he beat out some stiff competition to take home the trophy. Calvin Harris has won the award for Top Dance/Electronic Artist three times in the past (2013, 2014, 2016), while The Chainsmokers have taken home the award twice (2017, 2018).

Marshmello’s career has been on an upward trajectory ever since he burst onto the scene in 2015 with his hit song “Welcome to the Family.” He has since released a string of successful singles and collaborated with some of the biggest names in the music industry, including Anne-Marie, Khalid and Selena Gomez.

The Grammy-nominated producer is currently gearing up for the release of his debut album, Joytime II, which is due out on June 22.

Background

Marshmello’s real name is Christopher Comstock, and he was born on May 19, 1992, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He is aDJ and music producer who first gained recognition after releasing a remix of the song “Alone” by American electronic dance music band Boone. Marshmello’s debut studio album, Joytime, was released in 2016. In 2018, he collaborated with American singer Anne-Marie to release the single “FRIENDS”, which peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Early life and education

Marshmello, whose real name is Christopher Comstock, was born on May 19, 1992, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He grew up in the suburbs of Doylestown, where he first developed a love for electronic music. He began producing and DJing in 2010, using the name “Dotcom.” In 2013, he started to gain traction with his remixes of songs by Jack Ü and Zedd. He released his debut single “WaWa” in 2015.

Comstock attended high school at Pennsbury High School in Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania. He briefly studied at Temple University before dropping out to pursue a career in music.

Career

Marshmello’s career began in 2015 when he uploaded his first song to SoundCloud, titled “WaVeZ”. He has since released four studio albums, Joytime (2016), Joytime II (2018), Victory (2019) and Joytime III (2020). His singles “Silence”, “Wolves”, “Friends” and “Happier” have all peaked in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100. In January 2017, Marshmello became the first electronic artist to perform at an NHL game when he performed during the first intermission of the Los Angeles Kings vs. New York Rangers game at Madison Square Garden.

In February 2018, Forbes magazine placed Marshmello at number five on their annual list of electronic cash kings with an estimated income of $21 million in one year. In April 2018, Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world. In October 2018, Spotify named Marshmello as one of its “artists to watch” for 2019. That same month, he was ranked 26th on DJ Magazine’s annual Top 100 DJs list. The following year, he was ranked 28th on the same list

Music

Albums

Albums are a collection of songs by an artist or band. They are typically released as CD, digital download, or vinyl record. EPs (extended plays) are similar to albums, but they typically contain a shorter amount of songs. LPs (long plays) are even longer than albums and usually contain multiple discs.

Singles

“Happier” is a song by American DJ and producer Marshmello and English singer-songwriter Bastille. It was released on August 17, 2018, and appears as the eighth track on Marshmello’s second studio album, Joytime II. The song peaked at number three on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming Marshmello’s second top ten single and Bastille’s fifth.

“Alone” is a song by American DJ and producer Marshmello, released on May 11, 2017. It was included as a bonus track on Joytime, Marshmello’s debut studio album. The song entered the top 40 of the US Billboard Hot 100 in October 2017 and peaked at number 38 in January 2018.

“Silence” is a song by American DJ and producer Marshmello featuring vocals from British singer-songwriter Khalid. It was released on August 11, 2017, serving as the lead single from his debut studio album Silence. The song peaked at number four on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming both artists’ highest-charting single in the US to date.

Awards

Marshmello took home the award for Top Dance/Electronic Artist at the Billboard Music Awards on Sunday night (May 20).

The masked DJ and producer, whose real name is Chris Comstock, beat out The Chainsmokers, Kygo, Odesza and Zedd for the coveted honor. Marshmello’s win marks his first career Billboard Music Award.

Comstock was not in attendance at the Las Vegas ceremony to accept his award, but he did take to Twitter to thank his fans for their support.

“i love u all so much. thank u for everything,” he wrote. “this one is for u.”

Marshmello also won awards for Top Dance/Electronic Album (Joytime II) and Top Dance/Electronic Song (“Silence”), both of which were announced earlier this month.

Personal life

Marshmello’s first public performance was at the 2016 Mellofest music festival held in Grant Park, Chicago. He has headlined his own shows, including a promotion for his single “Alone” at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco and a show at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado. He performed 10 consecutive sold-out shows at the Brickyard Crossing Golf Resort & Convention Center in Indianapolis, Indiana, in August 2017. In October of the same year, he played two sold-out concerts (one all-ages and one 18+) as part of his “Me Llamo Marshmello” tour in Mexico City.

On January 13, 2018, it was announced that Marshmello would have his own concert residency at the XS Nightclub in Las Vegas called “Marshmello’s Guestlist”. On February 2, 2018, he played a sold-out show at Madison Square Garden as part of his “Friends Arena Tour”. On March 3 and 4, he performed two back-to-back shows (all ages and 18+ respectively) as part of his “Honest” tour in Toronto.

From June through August 2018, Marshmello played 22 concerts across Europe as part of his “Starlight” tour. On October 6, he headlined the annual Dallas EDM festival Lights All Night. On December 31, he closed out 2018 by performing at Ultra Music Festival’s 20th anniversary celebration in Miami.

Legal issues

In February 2019, it was revealed that Marshmello’s legal team had sent a cease and desist letter to Melbourne-based artist Plead after he made artworks depicting the DJ as a “stolen identity”. Plead’s music video for his track “From Me 2 U” also featured an animated version of Marshmello, which led to the legal action.

Discography

Marshmello’s debut studio album, Joytime, was released on January 8, 2016. The album consisted of five singles; “Keep It Mello”, “Alone”, “Flashbacks”, “Want U 2”, and “Summer”. All of the singles peaked within the top 40 on Billboard’s Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart. On March 2, 2017, he released two singles; “Chasing Colors” with Ookay featuring Noah Cyrus, and “Make Me (Cry)” with Noah Cyrus. The former peaked at number 28 on Billboard’s Dance/Mix Show Airplay chart, while the latter became Cyrus’ first single to enter the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 36.

On June 2, 2017, Marshmello issued a single titled “\[Spotify\]”. The song marked his first collaboration with Khalid. It peaked at number 50 on the Hot 100 and number five on the Dance/Electronic Songs chart. On August 11, he released his collaboration with Selena Gomez, “Wolves”. The song debuted at number 25 on the Hot 100 and eventually peaked at number 10; it also topped the Dance/Electronic Songs chart for three non-consecutive weeks. This made Gomez the only female artist to have multiple songs peak atop that particular chart in 2017. Additionally, it became Marshmello’s second top 10 entry as a lead artist.

References

– [1] “Marshmello Wins Top Dance/Electronic Artist at the Billboard Music Awards.” Marshmello. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 May 2017.