One EDM interviews Sammy Renders, better known by his stage name Sam Feldt, who is a Dutch DJ, deep house producer, and entrepreneur. Check out the One EDM interview below to dive deeper into what inspires this young and talented musician.
One EDM: Take us back to your child days. What kind of music do you remember hearing around the house growing up? And when did you start to develop your own taste in music? Did anyone in particular inspire you to create your own music? and if so who?
Sam Feldt: I got raised with a lot of different styles of music, but I have always been into electronic music. One of my big inspirations at the age of 11 was Hardwell. I started experimenting with music production but it took me a like 10 years to get noticed as an artist. I focused too much on making a hit that had a Hardwell sound. I found my own sound when I let go of that and just made the music I wanted to make.
We see you are playing at BigCityBeats World Club Dome this year. The festival has a few interesting acts including the world premiere of Steve Aoki Feat. Timbaland. How do you see that going down?
Really excited for this because I think no one really knows what to expect. But the show must be good with two artists this big.
With balancing your work ethic, how do maintain your work as a music artist and an entrepreneur with Fangage?
I took me long to get where I am right now, but I never stopped working on other projects. My weeks now are like this: from Monday to Wednesday, I am working on music in the studio and on Fangage and my Heartfeldt Foundation. Thursday to Sunday is usually for touring, playing at clubs or at festivals. It’s a busy schedule but I love the balance between music and business!
Have you ever felt nervousness before you perform? And if so, how do you deal with it?
I was more nervous at the start of my career because you’re not that experienced yet. The fans give me so much energy and make me feel comfortable right after I go on stage. Nowadays, I don’t really feel nervous anymore before my shows. This only occurs when people close to me like family or really close friends attend a show. How do I deal with it? Well simple… Just go on stage and put the music on. That’s the only good cure for stage fright.
After all the festivals, all the tours, all the open to close sets, collaborations, and radio shows, Do you still see room for growth? Is there still more to accomplish for you?
Of course, there are always accomplishments to complete. I try my best to make my fanbase aware of the problems in our environment. I contributed to plant and forest building, and I’ve set up my own charity fund called the Heartfeldt Foundation. This is a spiritual goal for me, that will probably go on forever.
