For French DJ and record producer David Guetta, lockdown has been a welcome relief from a punishing, if stellar, career and brought back some of the freedom he had in his teens.
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Speaking to Reuters ahead of his virtual MTV Europe Music Awards (EMA’s) performance on Sunday, he said this “moment of confinement” had been positive in many ways although he was very much aware how lucky he was not to have to worry about money.
“I started to make music every day, which I usually don’t because I’m touring so much,” he said via Zoom.
“I’m just making music for fun, like I was doing when I was 17, you know, and, and it’s amazing … it’s one of the best moments of my life when it comes to enjoying and making music and being inspired.”
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The Best Electronic nominee prerecorded his EMAs performance in Budapest. He described his set as “pretty spectacular” and said he was “really, really impressed” with the show.
It will be the latest of several virtual performances since March, including two United at Home charity livestream events from Miami and New York in April and May which raised $1.5 million for coronavirus relief.
Guetta admitted that not having a live audience was hard. “I connect a lot with the crowd, you know, that’s probably what made me successful more than anything. So, I missed that connection.”
Known for his massive collaborations over almost two decades with international artists such as Akon, J Balvin, Nicki Minaj and Kelly Rowland, he said his latest track is different from anything he had done in the past.
“Let’s Love”, for which he reunites with Australian singer-songwriter Sia, is nominated for a Europe Music Award, in new category Video for Good and has also become a viral sound on TikTok.
The DJ said his children had to show him how the video-sharing social network worked but that he now sees its merits. “It’s really unbelievable how it really influenced the music markets of today,” he said.
Performances for the EMAs, which will be hosted by Little Mix, were filmed in various locations across Europe.
The line-up includes Sam Smith, Maluma, YUNGBLUD and Alicia Keys and Lady Gaga leads the nominations this year with seven.