Alan Walker
- Alan Walker
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- 45.7 million (Alan Walker)
- 97 thousand (Walker Gaming)
- 14 thousand (Alan Walker Shorts)
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Alan Olav Walker (born 24 August 1997) is a Norwegian DJ and record producer. Raised in Bergen, Norway, he began making music using feedback from his fans online around 2012, subsequently posting several videos on YouTube and SoundCloud. Starting out as a bedroom producer, he was better known as DJ Walkzz before signing a record deal and releasing his debut single "Fade" on NoCopyrightSounds at the age of 17. He later signed with MER Musikk and released "Faded", a rework of "Fade". The song topped multiple music charts and reached number one in over 10 countries. Their debut album, Different World, was released in December 2018 and reached number one on the charts in Norway and Finland, as well as the top 20 in Sweden and Switzerland.[3] Their second album, World of Walker, was released in November 2021.
His catalogue includes singles "Sing Me to Sleep", "Alone", "Tired", "The Spectre", "All Falls Down", "Darkside", "Diamond Heart", "On My Way", and "Alone, Pt. II". In rating the most subscribed YouTube channels in Norway by vidIQ, Walker was the first in the list as of 2024 with about 45.7 million subscribers.[4]
Early life
Walker was born on 24 August 1997 in Northampton, England. His father, Philip Alan Walker, is Anglo-Scottish and his mother, Hilde Omdal Walker, is Norwegian.
Walker moved to Bergen, Norway at the age of two with his two siblings.[5] He knew little about music though he loved listening to it. As a result of that, he began watching YouTube tutorials where he learnt music and production.[5][6]
Career
2012–2015: Career beginnings and breakthrough
In 2012, Walker, who was listening to a song by Italian DJ David Whistle (also known as DJ Ness) reached out to him inquiring how he produced his music. He was inspired by EDM producers K-391 and Ahrix, and film composers Hans Zimmer and Steve Jablonsky. He started producing his music on his laptop using FL Studio. In July 2012, using feedback from his fans online, he began pursuing his music production and subsequently posted some of his videos on YouTube and SoundCloud. Starting as a bedroom producer, Walker was better known as DJ Walkzz before signing a record deal, releasing his debut single in 2014. Walker had previously released hands-up music "Dennis 2014" earlier in 2014.
After his debut house song was live, he released "Fade" on 17 August 2014.[7] The track gained attention after its re-release via the record label NoCopyrightSounds on 19 November 2014; it was noted the quickest to reach 1 million views on NoCopyrightSounds.[8] Walker stated that the creation of the track was inspired by K-391 and Ahrix, whose tracks were also picked up by the record label. The track has achieved milestones, especially with the view counts on streaming services.[a]
Walker continued his music career and released "Spectre" and "Force" on NCS in 2015, both of which were hits. He signed with MER Musikk under Sony Music Sweden and released his next single, "Faded", a remastered vocal version of "Fade". It was released on 8 December 2015, and featured uncredited Naustdal pop singer, Iselin Solheim.[12] The single topped the year-end charts in Austria, Germany, Switzerland and Sweden, iTunes charts in 33 countries, as well as entering top 10 in Spotify Global Chart. The music video on YouTube has over 3.6 billion views and 27 million likes,[13] placing it among the most-liked videos on the platform. It has over 1.7 billion plays on Spotify,[14] and is also one of the Top 10 Most Shazamed tracks of 2016.[15] The single also received official remixes from Tiësto,[16] Dash Berlin, and Hardwell. He later released an acoustic "restrung" version of the song, with all the EDM elements taken out.[17]
Walker quit high school in January to pursue his music career.[18]
2016: "Sing Me to Sleep" and "Alone"
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/89/Alan_Walker_%28001216%29.jpg/273px-Alan_Walker_%28001216%29.jpg)
On 27 February, Walker made his debut performance at the Winter X Games XIX in Oslo. He performed 15 tracks including the song "Faded" together with Iselin Solheim.[19][20] By March, Walker had produced 30 to 40 songs in total, but "Faded" marks his first single with Sony Music Sweden, and was considered the first to attain global success.[15] On 7 April, he teamed up with Zara Larsson at the Echo Awards in Germany, where they performed each other's songs "Faded" and "Never Forget You".[21] Four weeks previously, he achieved the first place on NRJ Euro Hot 30 for the first time, which only has been achieved by one other Norwegian artist, Kygo.[22]
The single "Sing Me to Sleep" was released on 3 June 2016, and featured the same female vocalist Iselin Solheim as "Faded". The song topped the iTunes charts in seven countries.
Another single titled "Alone" was also released on 2 December of the same year, featuring uncredited Swedish singer Noonie Bao.[23] On 21 and 22 December, Walker held the concert "Alan Walker is Heading Home" in his hometown Bergen at USF Verftet, where he performed 16 songs and tracks together with singers Angelina Jordan, Marius Samuelsen, Alexandra Rotan, Yosef Wolde-Mariam, and Tove Styrke.[24] The concert was officially live-streamed on YouTube.[25] He premiered several unreleased tracks, including a restrung version of "Sing Me to Sleep", as well as "Heading Home", the latter of which was first performed during his debut at Winter X Games. The song "The Spectre", a remastered, vocal version of his earlier track "Spectre" was also performed during the concert.
On 23 December, Walker released the video for the single "Routine", which premiered on his concert in Bergen two days earlier and on some concerts on the "Walker Tour". The track was made in collaboration with David Whistle. Its music video on YouTube has over 58 million views,[26] and 47 million plays on Spotify.[27]
2017: "The Spectre", "Tired" and "All Falls Down"
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9c/Dj-alan-walker-4782.jpg/264px-Dj-alan-walker-4782.jpg)
At the beginning of 2017, Walker's YouTube channel became the most subscribed channel registered in Norway, after passing about 4.5 million subscribers, and had the most views among Norwegian YouTubers at around 13.9 billion views as of 12 May 2024.[28][29] Between February and April, he toured around America including attending the Euphoria Festival in Texas.[30]
On 19 May 2017, Walker released the song "Tired" featuring Irish singer-songwriter Gavin James, written by Mike Needle, Dan Bryer, Gavin James and Ollie Green and produced by Walker. On 14 July 2017, Kygo released a remix of the song. Walker said the song "adds another dimension" to his work. His music video on YouTube has been viewed more than 150 million times.[31]
On 9 June 2017, his collaboration with Alex Skrindo, "Sky", was released as part of the "Insomniac Records Presents: EDC Las Vegas 2017" compilation; the music video on YouTube has over 60 million views It has been viewed more than 60 million times.[32]
On 15 September 2017, Walker released "The Spectre," a vocal and instrumental remake of his 2015 song "Spectre." Norwegian songwriter and producer Jesper Borgen provides uncredited vocals. The song was written by Jesper Borgen, Alan Walker, Marcus Arnbekk, Mood Melodies, and Lars Kristian Rosness, produced by the latter four, with lyrics by all four composers, Tommy La Verdi, Gunnar Greve. The song was presented at last year's "Alan Walker is Heading Home" event. The song of which the remake is based off was released by Walker on NoCopyrightSounds on 6 January 2015. Walker had incorporated the song into his live set months before its release and performed a revised version of the song on the main stage at Tomorrowland Belgium 2017.[33][34] In a press release, Walker said of the song, "The response and feedback from people has been absolutely amazing. I'm very excited to be officially releasing it. This song is especially dedicated to my core fans who have been following me from the beginning."
On 27 October 2017, Walker released the song "All Falls Down" featuring British DJ and record producer Digital Farm Animals and American singer Noah Cyrus. The song was written by Digital Farm Animals, Pablo Bowman, Sarah Blanchard, and producers Walker, Mood Melodies, Digital Farm Animals, and The Six; The Six, Bowman, Blanchard, and Daniel Boyle wrote the music. The song received mixed reviews from critics who praised Cyrus' vocals, but judged it inferior to Walker's previous songs. The song reached number 1 on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart in Norway and the U.S., and in the top 5 in Sweden and Belgium.[35][36]
Walker said in a press release, "With this record I got the opportunity to collaborate with some amazing artists. Noah Cyrus' voice is absolutely incredible! Ever since I first heard the topline, I've been in love with it and can't wait for my fans to hear it as well. It has a refreshing production that still fits well within my signature sound, which is important for me to maintain as I evolve as an artist."[37]
On 31 October 2017, Riot Games released the Alan Walker remix to their League of Legends World Championship anthem Legends Never Die, which formed a collaboration with Against the Current. Along with their lead singer Chrissy Costanza, he performed the track at the 2017 League of Legends World Championship at the National Stadium in Beijing, as well as at Coachella 2018.[38]
2018: Different World
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/40/Alan_Walker_LIVE_Pumpehuset_2018.png/303px-Alan_Walker_LIVE_Pumpehuset_2018.png)
During his performance at the 2018 Ultra Music Festival in Miami, Walker joined Dutch DJ Armin Van Buuren on stage, where he premiered his new collaboration "Slow Lane". The song, however, would not end up on his album and has not yet been released as of June 2019. In April, he performed at the Coachella 2018 music festival in Indio, California.[39]
On 11 May, Walker and Norwegian music producer K-391 released the song "Ignite" featuring Norwegian singer Julie Bergan and Korean singer Seungri.[40] The music video was released on 12 May on K-391's YouTube channel. The music video on YouTube has received nearly 450 million views.[41]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/13/Alan_Walker_Jimmy_Fallon_Show_2018.png/220px-Alan_Walker_Jimmy_Fallon_Show_2018.png)
On 27 July 2018, Walker released the song "Darkside" featuring Antiguan-German singer/songwriter Au/Ra and Norwegian singer Tomine Harket.[42] Two remixes were released, one by Austrian DJ and X, and the other was Afrojack's collaboration with Chasner. However, neither has been officially released on Walker's YouTube channel. The music video released for the song continues the story that started with "All Falls Down" and further expands on the epic and mysterious worldview that is unique to Walker.[43] The song debuted at number one on the Norwegian charts and on 14 other charts.
On 4 December 2018, Walker released his debut album Different World. The album includes hits like "Faded" and "Alone" as well as newer songs like "Lonely", a collaboration with Steve Aoki. About the song, Walker said, "On the vocals, we have two amazing talents. The first one is Omar Noir, who is a rapper from my hometown of Bergen. The second one is Ella Marie Hætta Isaksen from the band ISÁK. Both are rising stars, and I also loved how they brought influences from West African music as well as traditional joik that is representative of the indigenous Sami people that partially live in Northern Norway."[44]
Walker said of the album, "It's an incredible feeling to be able to release my debut album Different World. The past few years have been really surreal and I never imagined that I would ever get to this point. This album is something I have been working on for a long time and I am so excited to finally share it with the world and hear the reactions of my fans!"[45]
2019: Collaboration with PUBG Mobile
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f4/AlanWalker_Poland.png/298px-AlanWalker_Poland.png)
On 21 March 2019, Walker released the song "On My Way", which is a collaboration with Sabrina Carpenter and Farruko. The track served as the soundtrack of the sixth season of the US-based battle royale mobile game PUBG Mobile and could be selected as background music in the game's lobby. The song was performed at the Good Morning America summer concert series.[46]
In 2019, Walker's music video "Diamond Heart" was nominated for Best Cinematography at the Berlin Music Video Awards.[47]
On 25 June 2019, Live Fast (PUBGM) followed with rapper A$AP Rocky as a feature track of the eighth season of the game. Alan Walker performed live at the PMCO Spring Split Global Finals in Berlin as a result of the collaboration.[48] The tracks On My Way and Live Fast (PUBGM) can also be heard in the game after the end of each season. Skins and clothing with Alan Walker's logo were also added during the Seasons.
On 17 August 2019, Alan Walker announced his intention to release a remake to the track Eurodancer by Swedish DJ and producer DJ Mangoo from 2000, together with K-391 and Tungevaag.[49] On 30 August 2019, the song "Play" was released as the final result. The vocals were contributed by Norwegian singer Torine. On the website p74y.com, people could then download the audio files of the song and produce their own version of the song. K-391, Tungevaag, and Alan Walker each selected one interpretation from the results, reworked it, and released it as part of an official remix EP.[50]
On 18 December 2019, Walker launched The Walker Excavations project on his website.[51] The project was a game which featured Easter Eggs that teased fans of upcoming music and content.[52]
On 27 December 2019, Walker collaborated with American singer Ava Max to release "Alone, Pt. II"[53] The song is a sequel to Walker's single "Alone".[54] Numerous remixes of the song have been released, including those by Rave Republic, Toby Romeo, RetroVision, and Da Tweekaz, as well as Alex Skrindo's collaboration with Sebastian Wiebe. Like the original, "Alone, Pt. II" also garnered critical acclaim. The song reached the Top 10 in Belgium, the Czech Republic, Norway, Poland, and Romania. The track thematically connects not to his song Alone, as the title suggests, but to On My Way.[55] The live premiere at 9 a.m. (CET) had a simultaneous audience of 30,000.
2020–2021: World of Walker
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b0/Alan_Walker_Hoston.jpg/281px-Alan_Walker_Hoston.jpg)
Walker performed "End of Time" at X Games Norway on 6 March 2020. Four years after performing his hit "Faded" at the first X Games Norway in Oslo in 2016, Walker, K-391, and Ahrix performed the same at the Big Air Finals at X Games Norway.
On 15 May 2020, Walker released a remix of Hans Zimmer's "Time".[56] Walker had previously been gifted a signed copy of the score for "Time," and the two musicians first met in April 2019 in Barcelona during one of the dates of the "World of Hans Zimmer – A Symphonic Celebration" tour. This meeting led to talks about a possible collaboration, which finally saw the light of day. Walker said of the collaboration, "Everyone who knows me knows that I am a big Hans Zimmer fan. His work has played a huge role in my musical journey. Especially Time, which is my favorite song of all time. I am bowled over that my version of this song is the first ever official remix release of a Hans Zimmer work. I am so grateful for this opportunity!"[57]
On 18 August 2021, Walker launched the "ROG Zephyrus G14 Alan Walker Special Edition," a custom gaming laptop created in partnership with ASUS and Republic of Gamers (ROG).[58][59][60] Priced at $1,999, it includes an AMD Ryzen 9 5900HS processor, low-end Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti graphics card, QHD 120 Hz screen, 16 GB RAM, and 1 TB storage.[61] The Alan Walker Edition differs significantly from other versions. It is charcoal instead of white and has a woven fabric strap with text woven into the lid. This is a definitive touch of Walker's high-tech clothing style, and the dark color scheme fits the artist's signature hoodie and mask look. Opening the laptop reveals a uniquely colored keyboard, with several light blue highlighted keys next to black and gray keys. The "A" and "W" keys, which are important to PC gaming as part of the "WASD" cluster, are each engraved with Walker's "AW" logo. The laptop also features custom Walker-created startup sounds and animations. The lid has the same LED matrix as the special AniMe Matrix version of the G14, which can be used to run preset or custom animations and images. In this case, the lid lighting can be synchronized with laptop music and lighting. The laptop's speakers are also more powerful than those of the standard G14.[62] The collaboration also centered on Walker's single "Fake a Smile" featuring Salem Ilese. The track is featured in a video released by ROG, adding a dynamic twist to the game world 23.[63]
Walker had the following to say about his partnership with ASUS Republic of Gamers: "Partnering with ASUS has been a great experience for me, especially because I really like their brand and products. As a music producer and also an avid gamer, the G14 laptop is perfect for me to work on while I'm on the go. For this commercial, it was also amazing to work with the Norwegian actor and director Aksel Hennie, who I'm a big fan of. ASUS and I are also working on some exciting stuff for 2021, which I'm looking forward to unveiling."[64]
On 26 November 2021, he released his second studio album titled World of Walker, consisting of 15 songs built around electro-pop and EDM.[65] This album was also his first album in three years. The album reached number 6 on the Norwegian Albums Chart and number 24 on the Finnish Albums Chart. The first track is "Time (Alan Walker Remix)".[66] Other songs included "On My Way", a sequel to the hit "Alone", "Alone, Pt. II", which featured pop singer Ava Max and became a hit, and "Fake a Smile", which featured Salem Ilese, who got his big break worldwide after TikTok The trailer video released today features the song "Soul" and "Fake A Smile".[67] The released trailer video is a collage of music videos for songs released in the same year, including "Sorry", "Fake a Smile", "Sweet Dreams", and "Paradise", and is a look back at Walker's activities in 2021, saying, "2021 was It was a great year. Let's make it an even more memorable year," reflected Walker's message.[68]
On 13 November 2021, his contract with NoCopyrightSounds expired and his releases on the label (Fade, Spectre, Force) were removed from the NoCopyrightSounds catalog and from streaming platforms.[69]
2022–present: Walkerverse and Walkerworld
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/33/Alan_Walker_with_a_fan.jpg/220px-Alan_Walker_with_a_fan.jpg)
In 2022, Walker released the project Walkerverse, which was presented as two EPs and later re-released as his third studio album;[70] the first EP, Walkerverse Pt. I, included "Adventure Time," "Somebody Like U" with Au/Ra, "[71] The second EP, "Walkerverse Pt. II," contains nine songs, including "Extremes" with Trevor Daniel and the single "Lovesick," which samples Brahms' "Hungarian Dance No. 5".[72] This was followed by Walkerverse: The Tour 2022, which began in September 2022.[73] The tour, which visited large venues such as Ecostage in Washington, D.C., Radius in Chicago, and Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco, began in the UK in September and ran for 29 shows until December in San Francisco, California. A teaser for the tour was also released.[74]
In 2022, Walker signed with the Swedish crowdfunding website Corite, which allows fans to invest in a music project. Walker raised over $100,000 from fans for his next musical projects, the first being a compilation EP called Origins, while the second was a collaboration with his online community of fans known as The Walkers, called "Unity".[75][76]
On 7 April 2023, he re-signed with NCS and "Dreamer" was released. This was Walker's first NCS release in eight years and also his first release since his original contract expired and his previous releases were deleted.[77] The premiere on the NCS YouTube channel attracted over 2,600 viewers, and the song received over 3,400 likes in the 10 hours leading up to the premiere and 618 comments, and reached 1 million views within 13 days of its release.
On 4 May 2023, Walker released the song "Hero" with Sasha Alex Sloan. The song has been viewed 50 million times on YouTube and reached number 1 on the Hungarian radio charts.[78][79]
On 28 September 2023, Walker collaborated with Dutch electronic music group Dash Berlin and British YouTuber and musician Vikkstar on the song "Better Off (Alone, Pt. III)", which was Vikkstar's debut single. It's part of Walker's suite of songs, including his 2016 single "Alone" and his 2019 collaborative single with Ava Max, "Alone, Pt. II." The song heavily samples the 1999 single "Better Off Alone" written by Dash Berlin founding members Eelke Kalberg and Sebastian Morin as part of the Eurodance project Alice Deejay.
On 10 November 2023, Walker released his fourth studio album, Walkerworld. There are currently 12 tracks in total, but new songs will be added every month in 2024. The album comes with the Fortnite game, a new tour, and the website walkerworld.ai.[80] This album includes the song "Spectre 2.0" with Steve Aoki and "Land Of The Heroes" with Sophie Stray.
On 4 January 2024, Walker released the song "Who I Am" with Norwegian singer Peder Elias and Indonesian singer Putri Ariani. The main drop of the song samples a song from the 1955 Norwegian film Karius and Baktus, composed by Christian Hartman (who also has a songwriting credit in the film). It is similar in style to Walker's song "On My Way" and incorporates orchestral elements.
On 26 April, Walker announced that he would be performing unmasked at his residency at LIV Nightclub Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. Walker posted on Twitter late on the 26th, "Walkers, I've got a special announcement to make... He continued, "Stoked to announce my Vegas Residency at LIV! Get ready to experience the music like never before, as I hit the stage unmasked for the first time ever on Saturday, April 27th!" The next day, the 27th, Walker appeared on stage without a mask. He said, "I am happy to announce my Las Vegas residency at LIV! On Saturday, April 27, I take the stage for the first time without a mask, so get ready to experience music like never before!" he stated.[81] Walker revealed that he had intended to do so the day before beginning his residency at LIV.[82]
Artistry
H.moon
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e8/Alan_Walker_%40_Wind_Music_Awards_2016_12_%28cropped%29.jpg/203px-Alan_Walker_%40_Wind_Music_Awards_2016_12_%28cropped%29.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/43/Alan_Walker-_Logo.svg/202px-Alan_Walker-_Logo.svg.png)
He was originally called "DJ Walkzz" and was part of several production collectives before becoming "Walkzz". The current logo consists of the initials "A" and "W" of Walker's real name, and was designed by Walker himself in 2013.[83] To project his image, he uses a hoodie and face mask similar to concept.Walker said: "At first we were thinking about ideas like how can we promote Alan Walker as an artist, but then we started creating symbols that anyone could do, and anyone with a hoodie and a face mask could do it. You can become a "Walker right away, and we are all equal, he explained his concept in an interview with In an interview with NRK, when asked why he used a mask, he said, "To maintain the image they gave me. Basically, I'm focused on anonymity, so no one knows. But I can join Alan Walker and show that masks can look good on anyone."[84]
In the first promo pictures his management handed out, Walker's face was barely visible. Also in the music video for his single "Alone", he is all dressed as a black shadow figure. This is, according to the artist himself, a carefully planned image drawn up together with the record company Sony. "In a meeting with them we talked about how we could build the profile of Alan Walker", said Walker to the newspaper VG. "They asked about my interests. I replied PC, computer gaming and stuff like "Anonymous" and computer hacking where hoodies play a role."[85]
Walker acknowledges that it's a difficult time keeping low profile. Both he and his management prefer that he be characterised by the hoodie with a logo on the back. "When I first created a Instagram account I never had pictures of myself, nor of nature and such. But it is difficult to remain anonymous."[85]
On stage, he is accompanied by two other men who are also masked. "It's rare to see a trio in electronic music. I think it is a cool concept. We are in a way a small band."[85]
At a press conference on 9 November 2016, Walker said: "The concept with the mask is very cool, that is inspired by the hacker group "Anonymous" and the television series "Mr. Robot". I have a background as a gamer and kept on with it before I started with music. By taking on a mask I can be immediately seen as a gamer."[86]
"I chose to quietly without a mask today. The concept ends in the trilogy. It will be interesting to open new doors and explore a bit. The mask is not lost permanently, but temporarily", which means he will take a break from his image – for a time. "With Alan Walker, the music is the focus, not necessarily everything around. It is a recurrent theme in the music of "Faded", "Sing Me To Sleep" and "Alone", which is a kind of conclusion to what one might call a trilogy", explains spokeperson Yonas Aregai for the record label MER."[86]
"A lot of people ask me why I am wearing a mask. The mask is more of a sign and a symbol of unity and being alike each other, rather than me being different." said Walker, behind the scenes of the single "Alone".[87]
Musical style
When it comes to making music what I feel is the most important thing is to basically have a musical freedom, and that I can make whatever I want to.
— Alan Walker, [88]
Walker's musical style is much darker and more minor than the harmonies that characterize Kygo's contemporary tropical house. Walker's music is reminiscent of slightly slower-tempo progressive house, 1990s trance music, or dubstep with a smoother rhythmic edge.[89] Originally, Walker was worried that his musical style wouldn't "fit in with the crowd," he said.[90]
Walker's main priorities when creating music are melody, melancholy, and mood. "I think sometimes people focus too much on having the best drum sample or having the perfect drum beat for a song or the perfect bass line, but at the end of the day, the audience, they don't think about whether the drums sound cool or if the bass sounds amazing, it's all about the melodies. You won't be singing and going around beatboxing to the beat – most likely – or trying to remember where the bass line goes. You'll be going around trying to remember the melody of the song or the vocals. That is actually what I want to try and focus on in my music, because I've always been a fan of melodies," Walker said in an interview with Rolling Stone.[91]
Walker was inspired by music producer Ahrix's sound on his 2013 track "Nova." In an interview, he said, "The melody and the way the track progressed was very unique, which later became the inspiration for creating 'Fade.'"[92] We also take inspiration from Norwegian producers K-391 and David Whistle.[93] Walker calls David Whistle "my biggest inspiration."[94] The classical aspects of Walker's songs were influenced by film composers such as Hans Zimmer and Steve Jablonsky.
Reception
Alan Walker has generally been well received by critics. His music has been praised for its creative production, unique style, and melodic sound. Critics have also noted the strong emotional impact of his music. However, many have criticized Alan Walker's music for being too repetitive and lacking in lyrical content. Other critics have been divided on his use of vocal samples, with some praising it for adding an extra layer of emotion to his music while others have argued that it detracts from the overall appeal of the music. Additionally, Walker received criticism from a "walkthrough" video on the production of his song "Alone", via the YouTube channel Future Music Magazine. Due to his co-producer Mood Melodies's extensive involvement in the production of the song, the video was met with backlash from many of Walker's fans, who considered Mood Melodies as his "ghost-producer".[95]
Julie Bergan replacement
In 2022, Walker created a song titled "Ritual" which had been played numerous times on his performances before release in November 2022, the same date as he released "Walkerverse. pt. II", an EP the song originally was part of. The song ended up being released as a single due to issues. Julie Bergan, a Norwegian singer-songwriter Walker collaborated with before, was reportedly part of the songwriting team, and she accompanied Walker as a singer for the song in live performances. The song featuring her voice was frequently used in teasers for the second part of the Walkerverse album, but they were ultimately unused in the final song.
Upon release, many fans were critical of the new singer and deemed her vocals inferior to Bergan's. Bergan's manager Cecile Torp-Holte stated that there was no agreement between her and MER on using Bergan's vocals. According to Torp-Holte, six concerts were planned in the US where Bergan was to perform with Walker, including a performance of "Ritual" as part of a larger agreement. She also said that the song's original release date was 28 October, and the negotiations on sharing rights collapsed shortly before.[96]
Philanthropy
In 2018, Walker donated a portion of the proceeds from his single "All Falls Down" to the World Wildlife Fund, which also supports charities such as Save the Children and UNICEF.[97]
In 2019, Walker donated more than $100,000 to Team Trees, a joint fundraising effort initiated by American YouTube stars MrBeast and Mark Rober to plant 20 million trees.[98] First, Mr. Beast donated $100,000 and left an invitation for others to follow suit, commenting, "I dare you to take this space from me :)." Then Walker responded to his comment, "I want to plant one of the trees!" and matched his $100,000 donation.[99]
Discography
- Different World (2018)
- World of Walker (2021)
- Walkerverse Pt. I & II (2022)
- Walkerworld (2023)
Tours
Headlining
- Walker Tour (2016–2018)
- The World of Walker Tour (2018)
- Different World Tour (2018–2019)[100]
- Aviation Tour (2019)[101]
- Walkerverse: The Tour (2022–2023)
Supporting
- Rihanna – Anti World Tour (2016)[6]
- Justin Bieber – Purpose World Tour (2017)[102]
- Martin Garrix – Thursdays at Ushuaïa[103]
Accolades
Walker was nominated for a wide variety of accolades. He won most of them including Årets Musikk Music of the Year from Gullsnutten; Best Norwegian Act at MTV Europe Music Awards, European Border Breakers Award and Public Choice Award from EBBA Awards '17; Best New Talent at WDM Radio Awards and Swiss Music Awards; Eksportprisen '16, The Export Prize '16 at Spellemannprisen and Music Norway; Best Norwegian Act from MTV Europe Music Awards; Best Breakthrough Artist as awarded by International Dance Music Awards; Best Norwegian Act by MTV Europe Music Awards; as well as Årets Spellemann Spellemann of the Year from Spellemannprisen '18. His song, "Faded" was awarded The Cannes Lions Award at Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, Best International Hit from Eska Music Awards, and Spellemannprisen '16's Årets Låt Song of the Year, and the Best Western Artist of the Year. At the NRJ Music Awards Norge, the song "Sing Me to Sleep" won the Årets Norske Låt Norwegian Song of the Year.[104]
References
Explanatory notes
- ^ over 3.5 billion views on YouTube,[9] 115 million plays on Spotify,[10] and 41 million streams on SoundCloud.[11]
Citations
- ^ Litleskare, Tord (8 December 2017). "Feirer bursdagen i hjembyen med massivt show" [Celebrating his birthday in his hometown with a massive show]. gaffa.no (in Norwegian). GAFFA. Archived from the original on 11 October 2018. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
- ^ "Alan Walker talks fame, gaming and music-making". DJ Mag. 11 March 2018. Archived from the original on 17 May 2019. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
- ^ Powell, Karlie (15 December 2018). "Alan Walker Releases Debut Album 'Different World' Including His Most Iconic Tracks [LISTEN]". Your EDM. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
- ^ "Top 100 YouTube Channels in Norway - vidIQ". vidIQ. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
- ^ a b Robbins, Caryn (7 December 2016). "Sony/ATV SIgns Alan Walker to Worldwide Deal". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
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External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Official website
- Alan Walker at IMDb
- Alan Walker's channel on YouTube
- v
- t
- e
- Different World
- World of Walker
- Walkerverse Pt. I & II
- Walkerworld
- Walker Racing League
- Origins
- "Faded"
- "Move Your Body (Alan Walker Remix)"
- "Sing Me to Sleep"
- "Alone"
- "Tired"
- "The Spectre"
- "All Falls Down"
- "Darkside"
- "Diamond Heart"
- "Different World"
- "On My Way"
- "Live Fast"
- "Play"
- "Alone, Pt. II"
- "End of Time"
- "Heading Home"
- "Time (Alan Walker Remix)"
- "Fake a Smile"
- "Believers"
- "Sweet Dreams"
- "Paradise"
- "Headlights"
- "Dreamer"
- "Hero"
- "Better Off (Alone, Pt. III) "
- "Heart Over Mind"
- "Who I Am"
- "Lost Control"
- "Ignite"
- "PS5"
- Different World Tour
- Walkerverse: The Tour