Steve Aoki is one of the most commercially viable DJs on the planet. He has a slew of awards, collaborations, and fans that would follow him into the lasers of the pulsing underworld that he has created for us. But, more importantly, Steve Aoki is a real person, with a life, feelings, and loved ones. In a recent interview, he opens up about some things that touch his heart and shares the nuggets of wisdom that he has found along the way.
Success and the Performance
To Steve, success is a subjective word. It is not the classic, money, bottles, and mansions. it is “how you feel about yourself” or “finding happiness within yourself”. It is training like an athlete for your performances and coming in with a sober mindset so that you can connect most completely with the crowd without the distraction of drugs or alcohol.
“On the stage playing – drugs cannot reach the high that I’m getting. I’m completely sober. The moment and the real raw connection that I’m having, bring me to that level.”
If he does drink, he says it is “to celebrate, to taste, and to enjoy.”
Home and the Road
Life on the road for a rockstar can seem glamorous and like a non-stop party. But Aoki shares that it can be a tired and lonely place. Instagram shows the highlights of it. But it usually doesn’t portray the moments of doubt, the lack of sleep, or the swaths of people who want to take a piece of you with them.
Rather than focus on that Steve says, “Its all mindset, you have to show up, you have to put on your best face every night. You gotta entertain them, and thats very hard for a lot of people.”
In the interview, he discusses his 2019 Book, “Blue, The Color of Noise”, as well as his relationship with his family, and the idea that he may one day want children. He even goes into an emotional soliloquy on the fleeting nature of life and the loss of loved ones in his past.
“You better just give 100%, love what you’re doing where you’re at, because after that moment gone, it’s gone”
