Who is Steve Aoki? Everything You Need to Know

Quick Facts

Also Known As: Steven Hiroyuki Aoki

Age: 47 Years, 47 Year Old Males

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Tiernan Cowling (m. 2015)

DJs Record Producers

Height: 5'9" (175 cm), 5'9" Males

Ancestry: Japanese American

U.S. State: Florida

City: Miami, Florida

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1

What is Steve Aoki known for?

Steve Aoki is known for being a prominent American DJ, record producer, and music executive in the electronic dance music (EDM) genre.
2

Which record label does Steve Aoki own?

Steve Aoki is the founder of Dim Mak Records, a prominent independent record label based in Los Angeles that has released music from various electronic and alternative artists.
3

How did Steve Aoki gain popularity in the music industry?

Steve Aoki gained popularity in the music industry through his energetic live performances, collaborations with other artists, and hit singles such as "Delirious (Boneless)" and "Just Hold On."
4

What is Steve Aoki's signature stage move?

Steve Aoki's signature stage move is his "Aoki Jump," where he jumps off the DJ booth and into the crowd during his live performances, creating an electrifying and interactive experience for his fans.
5

In addition to music, what other ventures is Steve Aoki involved in?

Aside from his music career, Steve Aoki is also involved in various business ventures, including owning several restaurants, fashion collaborations, and a successful esports team called Rogue.

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Childhood & Early Life

He was born Steven Hiroyuki Aoki, on November 30, 1977, in Miami, Florida, US, to Japanese parents Rocky Aoki and Chizuru Kobayashi. His father was a wrestler who later opened the ‘Benihana’ chain of restaurants. He has an elder sister named Kana and an elder brother named Kevin. He also has a half-sister, Devon Aoki, who is an actor and model.

He was raised in Newport Beach, California, and graduated from ‘Newport Harbor High School’ in 1995. He was a member of the school badminton team. He earned two BA degrees, one in feminist studies and the other in sociology, from the ‘University of California,’ Santa Barbara. He started playing chess at the age of four and was a champion in school and college.

While in college, he was part of the ‘Revolutionary Anti-Imperialist League,’ a clandestine Maoist organization in the US. He also ran underground concerts from his hostel room in the ‘Santa Barbara Student Housing Cooperative.’

He produced do-it-yourself records and established his own record label, ‘Dim Mak,’ by the time he was 20 years old. His company released music by artists such as ‘The Bloody Beetroots,’ ‘Infected Mushroom,’ and the ‘Mystery Jets.’

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Career

Aoki joined the Los Angeles-based band ‘Moving Units’ with Blake Miller and started his career by making remixes. He was part of a few other bands such as ‘This Machine Kills,’ with whom he released an album through ‘Ebullition Records.’

He joined ‘MC5’ bassist Michael Davis’s ‘Music Is Revolution Foundation’ in 2006. The foundation is a non-profit organization that provides music education support in public schools.

He released his debut mix album, ‘Pillowface and His Airplane Chronicles,’ in October 2008. He was also featured on ‘Essential Mix,’ which was aired on ‘BBC Radio 1’ in August 2008 and October 2012.

He continued to make remixes of various artists, which he made popular through his ‘YouTube’ channel and his ‘Twitter’ account. His remix of the song ‘Forever’ originally sung by Drake, Lil Wayne, Eminem, and Kanye West, peaked at the top of ‘Hype Machine’s chart in December 2009.

In 2010, he started touring with different artists and put up shows across the US and Canada. He also toured China and Japan and gained a large fan following in those countries. He became famous for performing acrobatic stunts on stage and interacted closely with the audience.

His single ‘I’m in the House,’ which was released in collaboration with Zuper Blahq in March 2010, reached the top five of the ‘UK Singles Chart,’ the ‘UK Dance Chart,’ and the ‘UK Indie Chart.’ The song was also featured on ‘MTV’s reality series ‘Jersey Shore’ and in the movie ‘Piranha.’

He released his debut solo album, ‘Wonderland,’ in January 2012, and it was nominated for the ‘Best Dance/Electronica Album’ at the ‘55th Annual Grammy Awards.’ His first EP, ‘It’s the End of the World As We Know It,’ followed shortly.

He became the sixth-best DJ at the ‘2013 America’s Best DJ’ competition, promoted by ‘DJ Times’ magazine and ‘Pioneer DJ,’ for his number ‘A Light That Never Comes,’ which was created in collaboration with ‘Linkin Park.’

During this period, he produced a number of tracks that were used for various commercials, TV shows, and movies. For instance, ‘Get Me Outta Here’ was used in a commercial of ‘Scion’ and ‘Back to Earth’ was part of the soundtrack of the movie ‘Step Up: All In.’

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His two-part album, ‘Neon Future’ (Parts I and II), was another success. Both parts I and II peaked at number one on the ‘US Dance/Electronic Album’ list, in 2014 and 2015, respectively. His popularity soared and ‘Relativity Productions’ decided to distribute a documentary on his life titled ‘I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead,’ which was recorded during the period when the two parts of ‘Neon Future’ were being made.

He released his fourth studio album, ‘Steve Aoki Presents Kolony,’ in July 2017. He then produced a number of singles with artists from around the world, including the Korean group ‘BTS.’

Lately, he has announced the release of his five-track EP, ‘5OKI,’ which is a cross-genre project, featuring Quintino, Laidback Luke, Hardwell, and other artists from around the world. He once stated that he wanted to give back to the world what he had gained from it and that music was one of the ways in which he could do his bit to unite the world.

Major Works

He has released four studio albums: ‘Wonderland’ (2012), ‘Neon Future I’ (2014), ‘Neon Future II’ (2015), and ‘Steve Aoki Presents Kolony’ (2017).

He has appeared as himself in a number of films and TV episodes, including ‘Arrow: The Huntress Returns’ (2013), ‘The Distortion of Sound’ (2014), ‘I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead’ (2015), ‘Point Break’ (2015), ‘Why Him?’ (2016), and ‘Bill Nye Saves the World’ (2017).

Awards & Achievements

He won the ‘Best Set of the Season’ award at the 2007 ‘Ibiza (DJ) Awards’ ceremony, which was closely followed by the ‘Best Mix Album of the Year’ at the 2008 ‘Billboard Awards’ for ‘Pillowface and His Airplane Chronicles.’

He was nominated for a ‘Grammy’ for his album ‘Wonderland’ in 2013 and was awarded the ‘Chiuku Award’ at the ‘MTV Latin America Awards’ ceremony in 2015.

Personal Life

He married his long-time Australian girlfriend, Tiernan Cowling, in Hawaii in 2015, after being engaged to her for five years.

Besides music, he runs his own clothing line called ‘The Dim Mak Collection’ and currently lives in Henderson, Nevada. He is a devoted poker player and has played with celebrities such as Antonio Esfandiari and Joel Madden. He also co-owns two restaurants.

He has been a supporter of ‘People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals’ (PETA) since his teens and has appeared in their anti-fur campaign. He is also the founder of the ‘Steve Aoki Charitable Fund,’ which contributes to humanitarian relief and medical research.

Facts About Steve Aoki

He is also known for his philanthropic efforts, having raised over hundreds of thousands of dollars for various charitable organizations through his music events.

Steve Aoki is a talented athlete and has completed several marathons and triathlons, showcasing his dedication to fitness and endurance.

In addition to his music career, he is also an accomplished author, having written a book titled "Blue: The Color of Noise" which delves into his life and experiences in the music industry.

Steve Aoki is a passionate foodie and even has his own food blog where he shares his love for cooking and exploring different cuisines.

Steve Aoki Biography

You wanted to know

What is Steve Aoki known for?

Which record label does Steve Aoki own?

How did Steve Aoki gain popularity in the music industry?

What is Steve Aoki's signature stage move?

In addition to music, what other ventures is Steve Aoki involved in?