by pankhuri bhutani
photo courtesy of dimitri vegas & like mike
With over 1.2 billion streams on their YouTube channel, the sensational brotherly duo Dimitri and Michael Thivaios, professionally also known by the name Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, have taken the world by storm yet again with their latest track.
Currently trending at #1 across Latin America and garnering over 10 million streams across streaming platforms and YouTube after a couple days of the release, their new single, “Do It!” with Kimberly Loaiza and Azteck has had huge success so far already. They also dropped an iconic music video along with the track to elevate the listener’s experience to another level.
Wrapped around in an exhilarating and addictive tempo which instantly captivates the listeners to get on their feet, the duo releases hints of their genius capabilities over dynamic and magnificent productions with this recent slice of summer bop heaven.
Having won the 2019 edition DJ Mag’s Top 100 DJs poll, the duo has successfully grabbed the position of world’s number one DJ. They were also the first-ever duo to grab the No1 DJ’s crown in 2015.
We caught up with the globally sensational duo Dimitri and Michael Thivaios regarding the process behind their new track, insights into their music journey overall, and plans on their upcoming projects!
Hi there. Thank you for joining us! As we are facing this unfortunate pandemic, how are you both managing to stay creative during a situation like this?
Dimi: “Thank you! We’ve managed to get into a good rhythm and routine to make sure we’re keeping productive in the studio and on other projects. We recently launched the Smash Universe agency, which is super exciting and has involved a lot of work.”
Mike: “We’ve also been making the most of being able to spend significant time with our loved ones, something we haven’t really been able to do for a few years. I think less pressure and having more downtime has also been beneficial for us from a creative standpoint. We’ve had a lot more time to experiment and less deadlines to work towards, and that’s been really exciting for us.”
You both have so far achieved billion of streams on your music and have grabbed the position of world’s number one DJ’s. How does it feel to know your music has such a vast and global influence?
Dimi: “It’s an amazing feeling. We’ve always been driven by the love we feel from our fans. Their continued support has given us the opportunity to make a career from something that we love, and for that we’ll always be grateful. We always try and give the fans new and exciting projects, and innovate in our shows and with new music, so hopefully we can repay the faith they continue to show us.”
Do you both have any pre-show rituals that you like to perform before a concert?
Mike: “Due to our hectic touring schedule we don’t have too much time before shows, but when we do, we like to catch up with other DJ’s and generally just chill out as much as possible to put us in the best frame of mind for performing. Afterwards, as mentioned, we try to unwind and again hang out with friends before heading back to the hotel and getting some rest.”
You recently released your new single “Do It!” with Kimberly Loaiza and Azteck. Congratulations on that! What was the creative process behind the track? It’s had huge success so far already, currently trending at #1 across Latin America and amassing over 10 million streams across streaming platforms and YouTube after a couple of days, that’s pretty impressive!
Mike: “Thank you! We always like to work with people who inspire us and that we think can bring something extra to a track or project that we’re working on. Kimberly Loaiza is so talented with everything she does, and her music really resonated with us, so we reached out to her to work on the track with us. Azteck has been on our radar recently, in a short amount of time he’s really shown how talented he is in the studio, so it was great to have him onboard.”
Dimi: “The response we’ve had from all over so far has been incredible. To see people having fun with the track on TikTok and also enjoying the song on streaming platforms has been amazing. We work really hard to give fans something new and fresh, so to see such a great response so early is really rewarding for us.”
Now that you have successfully garnered an extremely huge and well-established fan-base, does that add pressure to the future tracks or is it something you perceive as a motivation?
Dimi: “I think for us that’s one of our biggest motivations. As mentioned, seeing fans reacting so well to our music really gives us confidence to experiment and inspires us to continue pushing the boundaries with our sound. We’ve released so much music over the years and our fans have always been very supportive, so that just makes us excited when we work on music to give them something new.”
We have seen a lot of artists who use music as a medium of self-healing. So, when it comes to your personal creations, do you think your own music helps you in a way no other music can?
Mike: “For sure, as mentioned for us it’s great that we’re in a position to be able to make a living from our passion. Music is such a great way to express your feelings and we always try to convey our emotions through our music. If one of us has had a hard day sometimes spending some time in the studio can really help us to relax and unwind. You can switch off from the outside world and just focus on music, which has always been a great escape for both of us.”
What is the best piece of advice that you both received in your career?
Dimi: “I think the most important piece of advice we’ve been given, and the thing we always tell new artists just getting started, is to never give up. To get to our position has taken years of work, honing our craft, and taking the time to really immerse ourselves in every aspect of our careers. We have faced countless no’s and rejections along the way, and it’s important to take that constructively and not let it deter you, use it as motivation to improve. Never quit.”
Lastly, what can the fans look forward to from your future projects and is there any message that you would like to convey to your supporters from around the world?
Mike: “As we’ve discussed, we’ve had a lot more time to work on new sounds in the studio, and as a result we have lots of exciting new music in the pipeline that we can’t wait to share with our fans. We’d like to thank our fans for their support, and hope we can continue to give them new music. We can’t wait to party with everybody again soon and create more special memories!”