Deejay News by Miss Ess Jay: Exclusive interview with Nicky Romero

Born in 1989, Nicky Romero grew up in a small village called Amerongen, a province of Utrecht, Netherlands. From an early age, Nicky showed an interest in music. Joining a marching band at the age of six, Nicky played the snare drum & by the age of 12 bought his own drum kit. This was his passion for the next 3 years before he traded in the drums for turntables & the rest, as they say, is history.
Nicky has remixed top tracks such as Ian Carey ft. Michelle Shellers - Keep On Rising, Dirty South- Alamo, Sidney Samson & Tony Cha Cha - Get On The Floor & Fedde Le Grand ft Mitch Crown - Rockin' High, as well as releasing his own productions like My Friend which reached #4 in the Beatport overall chart, & #1 in the progressive chart.

His latest track Play 'N Stop is out now on Beatport.com.

Growing up in the Netherlands, with so many inspiring deejay greats around you : Fedde Le Grand, Laidback Luke, Tiesto, Armin VB, Sidney Samson (the list goes on), do you think seeing the success these guys had gave you more drive & ambition to get out there & make a name for yourself? And did you feel extra pressure because of their fame?

NR: Pressure is not the best way to describe it I guess. The guys you name set the standard and the bar they set is very very high. It has always been hard to meet those guys at their level and I feel I am getting there gradually :). I am a very ambitious person and work really hard every day, a day not in the studio is a missed opportunity on its own!

As I write these questions I am listening to Pete Tong on BBC Radio One, celebrating two decades of music on his radio show! Do you look up to & aspire to be as legendary as someone like Pete? And how influential have British DJs been to you?

NR: That would be a bonus to reach a legendary status like that. Pete has the greatest respect in the scene and the biggest and most listened to show in the world. I take inspiration from all my colleagues in the scene!

You seem to have a really good relationship with Fedde Le Grand & did an awesome job of remixing his hit track 'Rockin High'. Do you see him as a mentor, & will there be anymore projects in the future from the two of you?

NR: Fedde helps me out a lot and gives me great advice, so yes I see him a sort of a mentor. We are in the studio together loads so keep an eye out for some exciting new stuff.

Social networks such as Twitter, Facebook & MySpace are a great way for fans to connect to your pages, to keep up with the latest news, tracks, videos, tour dates etc. How important are these sites to you & do you think they contribute in anyway to your success today?

NR: Yes big time! I love interacting with my fans closely. Twitter and Facebook are important vehicles that facilitate one on one communication in the best way, so they became important elements in my life and career : )

What is your favorite thing to do to relax when you get any spare time to yourself, & does it involve music?

NR: I own a very fast motorbike and tear the asphalt to pieces whenever I get a chance. I like to hang out with friends and of course listen to music too when I am not producing!

If you could give one piece of advice to someone who wanted to start out as a producer/deejay what would it be?

NR: Never say die, be persistant and don't cut your hair like Justin Bieber :) :) (only kidding Justin big respect)

Editors note: I will never forgive you Romero for tainting my pure blog with the Bieber's name! ;D I will definately look forward to any more collabs you have with Fedde. Best of luck in all that you do, & you be careful on that bike! ( That's the mother in me coming out lol ;)

This is a favourite of mine - Nicky's remix of Usher's 'More' :-