A musician, DJ, music producer and songwriter, Illenium is a name that always comes up when talking about dubstep. Nicholas D Miller (professionally known as Illenium), also specialises in future bass, progressive house, electro house, pop punk, electronic rock and drum and bass. He has released five studio albums and some of his most notable remixes include The Chainsmokers’ Don’t Let Me Down, Taylor Swift’s Anti-Hero and Flume’s Say It. Now, he is all set for his maiden India tour (Mumbai, Bengaluru and Delhi) with Sunburn and we get chatty with him to reveal all the deets worth knowing…
This is your first-ever India tour with Sunburn. What are you looking forward to the most?
I’ve never had a chance to do my own tour in India, so, I’m looking forward to seeing all the new places, experiencing the culture and meeting new people!
Tell us about how you came up with your stage name Illenium?
Originally my DJ name was ‘Illenium Falcon,’ a play-of-word on ‘Millenium Falcon’ from Star Wars. I just thought it was a cool-sounding name and I’m a big fan of that movie. Eventually, I decided shortening it would be best and it’s just been Illenium since then.
How did your career as a DJ begin? Was it something you always wanted to pursue?
Producing music was something I discovered during the darkest moments of my life and at first it was just a way to express myself in a healthy way and the actual music wasn’t very good. I spent a lot of time practicing though and it eventually got to the point where I was happy to share it with other people. The reactions of my close friends and family are what pushed me to seriously consider pursuing this as a career.
Tell us about some of your most interesting collaborations?
There are too many to choose from. One of my most frequent collaborators though is the artiste Said The Sky. We got into music together and he has been someone I’ve worked with since the very beginning. It’s been crazy seeing both of our journeys — I couldn’t have done it without him.
Are you planning to collaborate with any Indian artistes?
I would love to collaborate with an Indian artiste. While I’m here I want to spend a lot of time experiencing the music scene.
What have you decided as the set list for the India tour?
I really want to showcase my latest album on the tour but it will also include some of my favourite songs from previous releases.
You are going to perform for three days continuously in three different cities. How do you prepare for shows like these?
Lots of rest beforehand and lots of time spent working on my set for each night. It will be a lot of travelling, but I can’t wait to come to India to play for all my fans there.
Also read: Ridi Oswal on her Indian debut, Guilty Feet
What’s next, following the India tour?
I’ve been working on a bunch of new music and I have some big shows in the USA to prepare for!
INR 1,000 onwards. February 24, 4 pm. At Manpho Convention Centre, Veeranna Palya.
Email; alwin@newindianexpress.com
X; @al_ben_so