DJ Topic graced the G-Shock popup studio during the Nexus Lounge Amsterdam for a quick chat. He talked about his beginnings in music, gave tips on how to stay sane in this cutthroat industry, and joined in on the fun with our Take 5!
DJ Topic may sound like a fun alias, but it’s actually the last name of Tobias Topic, the German DJ whose songs “Your Love (9 PM),” “Breaking Me,” and “My Heart Goes (La Di Da)” went viral. Together, these three songs have racked up more than 1.5 billion streams on Spotify. If the first few seconds of these three songs don’t ring any bells for you, you may have been living under a rock.
It was initially just a hobby when Topic started making music. As a teenager in the West German town of Solingen, Topic found immense joy in exploring music production. At 16, he began using the digital audio workstation Logic Studio to create music with the guidance of a teacher. “My dad was always very supportive of me. But at some point, he questioned if I could make a lot of money in music, and then I said that to my music teacher. And then he said, ‘Never follow the money in music; just follow your passion.'”
When Topic was just 21, a well-known local YouTuber asked him to score an album that would eventually become one of the top five albums in the iTunes store. This incident catalyzed Topic to establish a career that would last a decade and result in numerous awards (including gold, platinum, double platinum, triple platinum, and quadruple platinum certifications).
While many of Topic’s songs may be classified as EDM, the artist describes them as melancholy dance music. Songs with hooks that stay in your head, beats that make you want to dance, and a softness that lasts in your heart—those are the things that define this genre. Without a doubt, these distinctive features are in high demand among internationally acclaimed musicians and fans.
Consequently, most of Topic’s songs have been streamed hundreds of millions of times each, making his music a prime example of “viral” material. However, does the internet also have the power to unite or divide people? According to Topic, “[My music] just went through the world because of TikTok and Instagram. And it’s so amazing that it can go so fast. It can unite many people who like one song or genre. But at the same time, people are getting less social in the real world.”
On a different note, after eight years since the release of his debut album, Miles, Topic has remained tight-lipped on the status of his follow-up. However, he did say, “I’m actually going back to the studio next week to work on some music.”
To learn more about Topic, including his mantra on life, listen to our full interview below!
