Guetta’s back

Back in India to headline the Sunburn festival in Goa (December 27-30) this year, Guetta says that for him, the way the song became popular made its success all the sweeter. “Usually, first you put a record on the radio and then it’s blowing up in the charts. With Hey Mama it was bigger on the charts than it was on the radio. This is what you call a genuine hit record,” the French DJ says, adding that he added a few “urban tricks” that weren’t usually his style, like heavy bass and 808 drum beats.

He collaborated with rapper Nicki Minaj for Hey Mama, and Guetta is known to invite singers — both stars and beginners — to work on his songs. “To me it’s about talent not fame,” he says, and explains, “Sia, for example, was not so famous when we started to work together. But Titanium showed her world-class voice and writing skills to a wider audience and now she is one of the biggest artists on the planet.”

The DJ, who also helped bring EDM to a mainstream audience, says that his earlier records were what really changed the way people looked at electronic music. “When I made records like Sexy B****, I Gotta Feeling and When Love Takes Over, all those records at that time, I think they really helped dance music to cross over and then it became bigger than I could imagine — seeing all the biggest pop, not only pop but also urban and also rock artists wanting to be part of it. This to me is amazing because they also bring their own talent into it and their own credibility into it,” he says.

This change, he says, also led to his recent announcement that he would now focus on working in the studio more than touring live, the latter being something he’s always seemed to enjoy more. “Now I’m trying to look for a way to go against the established format again because I think the essence of dance music is to go against formats. It’s like we came such a long way to get there and be respected as much as hip-hop and rock, but now what are we going to do with it?” he says, and also adds that he also looks forward to now spending time with his kids a lot more now.