Eric Aguirre, aka Vice, is an in-demand DJ and radio personality with a bent toward high-energy, club-ready EDM and mainstream house music. A native of Los Angeles, Vice grew up listening to an eclectic mix of music including hip-hop, pop, rock, and R&B. At age 12, he bought his first turntable and started experimenting with DJ'ing. In the late '90s, he hustled his way up the ranks at Los Angeles' POWER 106, working first for the station's street team, and later earning the chance to spin records and mix live on the air. Gaining recognition as one of the station's top DJs, Vice eventually caught the attention of club owners. By the mid-2000s, he had helmed major dance nights at such hotspots as Hard Rock Hotel Las Vegas, Tao Las Vegas, and New York's Marquee. From there, he toured the globe, headlining sessions in Ibiza, Tokyo, London, and Hong Kong, as well as playing such festivals as ULTRA Miami, Nocturnal Wonderland, and Electric Daisy Carnival. As a producer, Vice has collaborated with a diverse group of luminaries including Rihanna, Capitol Cities, Linkin Park, Tegan and Sara, Kelly Rowland, and others. In 2013, he scored his own club hit with the anthemic EDM single "World Is Our Playground," featuring vocals from Mike Taylor. The track landed on Billboard's Dance/Mix Show Airplay chart and further established Vice as a rising star. In 2014, he returned with the rousing old-school house-influenced single "Bright Lights," featuring Estelle. That same year he also grabbed ears with his pulsing remix of singer/songwriter Caitlyn Scarlett's "Bad Love." In 2016, Vice delivered two more ear-grabbing anthems, "Love Again" featuring singer Nicky B. and a remix of Wiktoria's "Save Me." In 2018, Vice teamed up with Ava Max for the single "Make Up." ~ Matt Collar
With his soaring ballads and catchy dance-pop numbers, Jason Derulo is a consistent hitmaker, racking up platinum hit after platinum hit since his debut in the 2000s. He shot to stardom while still in his teens and built his reputation as a prolific R&B and rap songwriter, composing tracks for artists ranging from Lil Wayne and Pitbull to Pleasure P. Derulo scored a surprise hit in 2009 when the Imogen Heap-sampling, Auto-Tuned reimagining of "Whatcha Say" off 2010's Jason Derulo soared to the top of the Billboard Hot 100. With albums like 2011's Future History and 2013's Tattoos, he was soon a mainstay on the chart's Top Ten, scoring with "In My Head," "Ridin' Solo," "Talk Dirty" (featuring 2 Chainz), and "Wiggle" (featuring Snoop Dogg). In 2015, he reached number four in the U.S. with Everything Is 4, featuring the enduring track "Want to Want Me." Almost a decade would pass before his next album, 2024's Nu King, which was filled with some of his career's biggest hits, such as 2017's "Swalla" with Nicki Minaj and Ty Dolla $ign and 2020's "Savage Love" with Jawsh 685.
Born to Haitian parents in Miramar, Florida, Derulo started singing at an early age. He attended performing arts schools in Florida and took some early stabs at music composition, writing his first song at the age of eight. His writing skills began attracting attention, and by his teens, Derulo had begun composing tracks for artists like Lil Wayne, Pitbull, and Pleasure P. He also co-wrote "Bossy" for New Orleans-based rapper Birdman, and made a guest appearance on the song, highlighting his ability as a vocalist.
After signing to Warner Bros. subsidiary Beluga Heights, Derulo began making the transition from behind-the-scenes songwriter to mainstream performer. His first hit arrived during the summer of 2009, when he wrapped a sample of Imogen Heap's "Hide and Seek" (a song made popular by its appearance in the second season finale of The O.C., as well as the Saturday Night Live sketch "Dear Sister") around a sleek modern soul beat. Titled "Whatcha Say," the song topped the Billboard Hot 100 and cracked the Top Ten in other territories, including Canada, Australia, Sweden, Switzerland, and the U.K. A second single, "In My Head," peaked at number five in the U.S., and Derulo's full-length debut album arrived in early 2010. Future History followed in 2011, along with its hit single "Don't Wanna Go Home."
At the start of 2012, he embarked on the Future History Tour, but broke one of his vertebrae during rehearsals. As a result of his neck injury, he canceled the entire tour. Recuperating and reflecting upon his injury, he announced details of his new album and released the single "The Other Side" in April 2013. Its follow-up, "Talk Dirty" featuring 2 Chainz, shot to number three on the pop chart during the summer of 2013, and the album Tattoos was released in September in most territories. The U.S. received a retooled version of the album in 2014 titled Talk Dirty. It featured several new tracks, including "Wiggle" with Snoop Dogg, which reached the Top Ten in the summer of 2014.
With guest spots from Stevie Wonder, Jennifer Lopez, Keith Urban, and others, Everything Is 4 followed in 2015. The album featured "Want to Want Me" -- Derulo's sixth Top Ten pop hit -- and coincided with his new job as judge on the 12th season of So You Think You Can Dance. The following year, his biggest singles were compiled for Platinum Hits. Derulo returned in February 2017 with the multi-platinum song "Swalla," which featured guest appearances from Nicki Minaj and Ty Dolla $ign. Reaching the Top 30 of the U.S. Hot 100, the single was followed by more platinum anthems, such as "Tip Toe" with French Montana and "Goodbye" with David Guetta, Nicki Minaj, and Willy William. He also teamed with Maluma for "Colors," which was chosen as the FIFA 2018 World Cup Anthem. Additional international collaborations followed with a multitude of cross-genre acts like pop singer Ava Max ("Make Up"), country duo Florida Georgia Line ("Women"), K-pop acts LAY and NCT 127 ("Let's Shut Up & Dance"), reggaeton artist Farruko ("Mamacita"), and Chinese singer Tia Ray (on the official 2019 FIBA Basketball theme "Champion"). Derulo closed 2019 with the first installment of his proposed 2Sides project, Side 1, which featured appearances by Stefflon Don and Ty Dolla $ign. He also starred as Rum Tum Tugger in the film adaptation of Broadway's Cats.
In 2020, Derulo parted ways with Warner Bros., which effectively canceled the 2Sides project. He carried on with the release of the U.K. chart-topping "Savage Love (Laxed - Siren Beat)" with New Zealand producer Jawsh 685. He also helped revive Puri and Jhorrmountain's club track "Coño" and teamed with Alok and Martin Jensen for "Don't Cry for Me." He later paired with New Caledonian producer Nuka for "Love Not War (The Tampa Beat)," and again cracked multiple Top Tens with the global smash "Take You Dancing." Even more singles followed in 2021, including "Lifestyle" featuring Adam Levine, "Acapulco," and surprise hit "Jalebi Baby" with Tesher. The next year, he issued plenty more, including "Ayo Girl (Fayahh Beat)," a collaboration with Robinson featuring Rema, and "Slidin'" with Kodak Black. Derulo kicked off 2023 with the David Guetta collaboration "Saturday/Sunday," followed throughout the year by "Glad U Came," "Slow Low," the Dido-sampling "When Love Sucks," and the Meghan Trainor-assisted "Hands on Me." After almost a decade, he finally released his fifth studio full-length, Nu King, a 27-track behemoth that collected most of his platinum hits from the years between albums and featured a festival's worth of collaborative guests. ~ Jason Thurston
Channeling the imaginations and aesthetics of forebears like Sia and Lady Gaga, Albanian-American pop singer/songwriter Ava Max delivers empowering, dance-friendly anthems similar to contemporaries such as Bebe Rexha, Sigrid, and Dua Lipa. Emerging in the late 2010s, she appeared on collaborations with Le Youth, Witt Lowry, and David Guetta while also releasing her own singles, including her breakthrough smash hit "Sweet But Psycho," which topped the charts in almost two dozen countries. In 2020, she issued her debut full-length, Heaven & Hell, followed a year later by the hit Tiësto collaboration "The Motto." Max's synth-heavy 2023 sophomore album, Diamonds & Dancefloors, also charted well around the world, and she followed it later that year with a single, "Choose Your Fighter," from the Barbie movie soundtrack. She also paired with Kygo for 2024's "Whatever."
Born Amanda Ava Koci in Wisconsin, she was raised by Albanian immigrant parents in Virginia. She started singing at a young age and was already active in singing competitions by the time she reached high school. After moving to Los Angeles to pursue music full-time, she joined local disco revival producer Le Youth on his bright dance track "Clap Your Hands," which became a summer hit in 2017. The next year, she showcased her Sia-esque vocals with debut solo single "My Way" (Atlantic) before following with "Slippin" and "Not Your Barbie Girl," which interpolated Aqua's '90s classic. That year, she also joined rapper Witt Lowry on his track "Into Your Arms" and David Guetta on "Let It Be Me" from his album 7. Ava Max issued her biggest hit to date that summer as breakthrough single "Sweet But Psycho" -- an addictive pop gem produced by Cirkut (the Weeknd, Katy Perry, Rihanna) -- began charting across Europe. As the song built momentum across the globe, she signed with Full Stop Management, home to Charli XCX, Harry Styles, HAIM, and others.
By summer 2019, "Sweet but Psycho" had topped over a dozen charts in Europe, as well as in New Zealand and on Billboard's Dance Club Songs chart. The sleeper hit was soon certified multi-platinum in Australia, the U.S., and the U.K. Max followed with modest hit "So Am I," which got the K-pop remix treatment with guests NCT 127. Gearing up for her official full-length, she released the additional singles "Salt," "Freaking Me Out," and "Alone, Pt. II" with Alan Walker. Max kicked off 2020 with the album's fifth single, "Kings & Queens." Another modest hit, the track became her second to chart on the Billboard 200. After years of buildup, her official debut finally arrived in September. Certified gold after peaking at number 27 on the Billboard 200, Heaven & Hell was thematically split into the titular sides and featured production by Cirkut and RedOne.
Max returned the following year with the stand-alone single "Every Time I Cry" and "The Motto," a hit collaboration with Dutch superstar DJ Tiësto. More tracks arrived in 2022, including "Maybe You're the Problem," "Million Dollar Baby," and "Weapons," all of the leading up to the January 2023 release of Max's sophomore album, Diamonds & Dancefloors. A synth-heavy collection of dance-pop gems that again featured production from Cirkut and guest spots from artists like MNEK and Ryan Tedder, the album was another international success, peaking at number 34 in the U.S. and charting throughout Europe. After another DJ pair-up, this time with Alok on "Car Keys (Ayla)," Max contributed a song, "Choose Your Fighter, to Barbie the Album, the soundtrack to the 2023 Barbie movie. In 2024, she scored a European and U.K. alongside Kygo with "Whatever" and teased her sophomore album with the anthemic, dance-oriented lead single "My Oh My." ~ Neil Z. Yeung
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