Calvin Harris Biography

Known professionally as Calvin Harris, Adam Richard Wiles was born on January 17, 1984, in Dumfries, Scotland. The Scottish DJ was discovered after he posted his music on MySpace. He climbed the ladder of success by producing music for Rihanna and soon became Forbes’ highest-paid DJ in 2014.

Early Life

When Calvin Harris was a kid he dreamt of becoming a football player and it wasn’t until his teenage years that he discovered his passion for electronic music. By 1999 he began recording bedroom demos and at the age of 18 he released “Da Bongos” and “Brighter Days”. The two songs were released under the artist name Stouffer.

To London and Back

Hoping to reach new heights, Harris moved to London. While in London, he released “Let Me Know” featuring vocalist Ayah Marar on the Unabombers’ 2004 live-mix CD Electric Soul, Vol. 2. Harris returned home to Dumfries due to the lack of money and job opportunities. He began posting homemade solo recordings to his MySpace page. In 2006, Harris was signed to EMI after an A&R representative heard his recordings.

I Created Disco

Harris’s debut album, “I Created Disco” was released in the summer of 2007. The album included “Acceptable in the 80’s” and “The Girls” and ranked high in the album charts. In order to promote “I Created Disco”, Harris toured the UK alongside Faithless and Groove Armada.

Ready for the Weekend

Released in August 2009, Harris’s second album, “Ready for the Weekend”, topped the UK Albums Chart. The album’s lead single, “I’m Not Alone” was released in April 2009 and reached number one on the UK Singles Chart.

18 Months

“18 Months” was released in October 2012. Harris’s third album featured various collaborations, like “We Found Love” and “Bounce” plus vocals from Ne-Yo, Ellie Goulding, and Florence Welch, among others. It topped the UK albums chart and reached number 19 in the US.

Motion and ‘How Deep Is Your Love’

Released in November 2014, his fourth album, “Motion” included the previously released singles “Summer”, “Blame”, “Under Control” and “Outside”. Another single from the album, “Pray to God” was released on February 2015 and it featured rock band HAIM. On July 17, 2015, Harris joined forces with production trio Disciples and released the single “How Deep Is Your Love”. The song reached number two in the UK and number one in Australia.

Photo Source: Discogs