Mobbed by Teenagers While Eating M&Ms: An Interview with Hardwell

"Haaaaardwell! You're fucking GOD!"

The DJ's teenage fans wail like sirens, the ear-splitting cries of their infinite adoration rattling the thousands of rainbow-colored candies that line the walls of M&M's World in Times Square. I'm standing with Robbert van de Corput, better known to everyone as Hardwell and just a second ago, we had been covertly stealing "samples" of the chocolate-covered treats while the upbeat synth stabs of his fellow Dutchman and mentor, Tiësto, blasted through the speakers. His girlfriend, his publicist, and entourage of pleasant-looking Dutch friends milled amiably around us, looking not-so-unlike the dozens of tourists roaming the giant candy store. Then, a prolonged squeal that sounded like a tortured pig shot up from the level below, followed by the roar of footsteps as a swarm of teenagers stampeded up the escalators. "I see him!" "We're groupies!" "HAAAAARDWELLLLL!!!"

If you've never been mobbed a roving gang of teenage superfans, it's like being consumed in a tornado of grabbing hands, sweaty bodies and high-pitched pleas. "Can we please take a picture pleeeeease?" "You're beautiful!" "I love you!" Sensing danger, a security guard with the physique of Fred Flintstone appears out of nowhere and hurls himself into the clawing mass, extracting Hardwell and barrelling towards the door. The teenagers follow, half-screaming, half-laughing as they surge back down the escalator. "I would sell my bong for youuuuuu!"

Hardwell fans waiting outside his hotel in Times Square

Such is the celebrity of Hardwell, who, according to DJ Mag's annual poll, has claimed his place on the EDM throne as the world's number one DJ as of last year—right above Armin Van Buuren, Avicii, Tiesto, and David Guetta. Just a few hours earlier, he'd taken over the billboards of Times Square to announce the dates of "I Am Hardwell," his biggest North American stadium tour ever, which starts shortly after the summer festival season draws to a close and includes at date at nearby Madison Square Garden.

A ubiquitous presence on the fireworks-exploding main stages of heavy-hitter festivals like Tomorrowland, Ultra Music Festival, and Electric Daisy Carnival, Hardwell is no stranger to screaming masses of ecstatic fans. "One time in Ecuador, fans actually surrounded the car we were in and started smashing the windows," he tells me, after retreating to the sterile safety of his hotel room. He may take it in stride, but the cult of his celebrity, where a tweet can instantaneously send a swarm of groupies charging in your direction, is happening quickly for the baby-faced producer. After all, he hasn't even put out his debut album yet.

According to the personality-reading M&M machine, Hardwell is an Aqua Green M&M—"You are smart and fun. (Isn't that so much better than when you were dumb and boring?)" 

Not too long ago, Hardwell was an entirely different kind of musician—a gifted producer who often anonymously created tracks for other DJs. Ghost-producing, as the practice is called, has become a hot button issue for the dance music community. I ask where he stands on the issue, now that he has stepped out of the shadows and into the bright LED lights. "I respect it if you're a really good DJ but you can't produce. What I hate is those who pretend to produce when they have a guy in another room doing all the work. Don't pretend. Everyone will figure it out at the end of the day."

He pauses, and leans forward on the dark leather couch we're perched on. "But I like working as a ghost producer. As Hardwell, people have expectations of the music I make. But if, say, Lady Gaga wants to make a pop track—and I can do that—why shouldn't I? There's no reason why I should make it a collaboration with Hardwell."

"I'm actually making a hip-hop track right now," he reveals. "I want to show some diversity on my artist album. I'm in contact with some major American rappers… you'll see!"

As a producer, Hardwell's global profile first truly took off in 2012 with his hit single "Spaceman," and like many other young DJs from the Netherlands, Hardwell has gladly kissed the ring of the Don, Tiësto, who has in turn adopted him a protege. The two were born in the same town of Breda, and met four years ago after Tiësto emailed Hardwell, expressing admiration for the then-bedroom producer's tracks, and inviting him to Ibiza. Now, they talk almost everyday on WhatsApp or Skype. They work together, too—a collaboratiion called "Written in Reverse" appeared on Tiesto's most recent album, A Town Called Paradise.

"It's kind of freaky," says Hardwell, "I went to exactly the same positions [on the DJ Mag list] as he did—I was number 24 three years ago, a year later I went to number six, and then I became the number one DJ. Exactly the same as Tiësto."

The biggest lesson from his mentor, he says, is "everything." He elaborates: "Stay true to yourself and enjoy what you're doing. It's not going to last forever, you know?"

Is he alluding to the fleeting nature of celebrity, or to the oft-repeated warnings that the so-called "EDM bubble"—the Vegas residencies, the multi-million dollar DJ fees, the ever-growing number of festivals—is going to pop?

"It's not like I'm in the business for that," he explains. "But everything's so hectic, you shouldn't forget to enjoy it. That's what Tiësto taught me."

Of course, the dance music landscape is significantly different from when Tiësto was making his own ascent. "America really stepped up the game with EDM music. I never saw my videos getting 50 million views on YouTube. Just two years ago, they only got 100,000." He smiles. "It's incredible, everything that's happened."

Like other superstar DJs working actively in the commercial pop sphere, Hardwell admits that he is getting kind of tired of the formulaic sounds of EDM. He sees his forthcoming debut album, which is about 50% complete, will be an opportunity to showcase his diversity. "I want to make other music too, not just big room house," he says. "Some tracks will be more pop-y. Others will be more underground, like deep house. As an artist, I hate to be caught up in the same box, making the same music over and over again."

Hardwell is nothing but earnest about his desire to make music that he cares about. He levels with me: "I don't want to be on stage pretending to like my music. I have to make music I like myself. If the stage crashes and I can only play music in a dark room, people should have the best times of their lives." And with that, he gets up, shakes my hand, and I'm escorted back outside into the sticky summer air.

A gaggle of teens are still pacing outside. They perk up when they see me, eyes wide with anticipation. "Hey! Did you get to talk to him? You're so lucky! Do you think he'll come back out for dinner?"

Get tickets to the I AM HARDWELL tour here 

Michelle Lhooq follows many teens on Twitter - @MichelleLhooq Keep on learning and loving
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