2013 was a year Armin van Buuren can look back on proudly. Not only did he become a father – a moment he celebrated on stage at Tomorrowland in July – but his fifth artist album, “Intense,” spawned the biggest hit of his career with “This Is What It Feels Like.” The tune is now nominated for a Best Dance Recording Grammy, an accolade the DJ wasn’t expecting. He talked about that and more in a recent visit to Billboard.
“To have a Grammy nomination is something I couldn’t have dreamed of in my wildest dreams,” van Buuren says. “For a lot of American acts it’s really amazing to be nominated but I’m from the Netherlands. It’s just unreal. It was in the national news that I was nominated for a Grammy. It was that big. I still can’t believe it.”
Far from resting on his laurels, van Buuren is embarking on one of the most ambitious tours of his career. The “Armin Only: Intense” tour hits 40 cities and showcases a 7-hour (!) set from van Buuren.
“Where I come from you play long DJ sets because I love to build up a night,” van Buuren explains. “Really give people time to get into the music because if they do and they really experience it you can take them on a journey and the impact of when you do play big tracks is a lot bigger.”
In addition to the “Armin Only” tour, 2014 will see van Buuren release more singles (some of which he says are ready to go, with videos), as well as a tour for his State of Trance series called New Horizons.