Last week we were given the awesome opportunity to exclusively interview Todd Helder. He is a DJ who has recently supported Martin Garrix in Ibiza and he has just started out on his music career, with the release of his singles “I Need”, “Reckless”, “Ride It”, and “Pixel Love”, since we spoke with him, he has released “Smile” too.
Todd Helder is fairly new to the music industry, but he is raking up the Spotify streams and really getting his name out there. DJs have been loving his unique sound and it’s no surprise that he ended up remixing Martin Garrix’s latest track considering Todd Helder supported him at Ushuaïa in Ibiza. This is definitely a DJ we’ve all got to keep an eye out for as a worldwide hit is totally just around the corner for him.
We managed to chat to him last week about his single release “Pixel Love”, supporting Martin Garrix, remixing “Ocean” by Martin Garrix featuring Khalid, and we also touched upon the new song “Smile” – which dropped after this exclusive interview.
Hi Todd, how have you been lately? What have you been up to?
I’m feeling great, thanks! Just released my first official remix for Martin Garrix and Khalid’s single ‘Ocean’ and about to release my next single on August 3rd via STMPD called ’Smile’.
You recently released your single “Pixel Love”, can you tell us more about the song?
It’s a more of a laidback track than my previous releases. I wanted to show people the musical spectrum that I’m into.
Where did the song’s name come from since “Pixel Love” aren’t words in the lyrics?
As I’m a fanatic gamer I always try to make a connection between that and my music. Pixel Love just stands for the amount of hours I’ve spent in front of my computer screen.
Who is the female vocalist on the track, and what was it like working with her?
Believe it or not, it’s actually my brother’s voice! We were just joking around and playing with the vocals and when I started to build the track I transformed it to sound more like a female’s voice.
How did the song come about?
After laying down the vocals with my brother, the rest of the track took me around 4 hours to build. The next day I sent the track to my manager to get his opinion on it and he had the track on repeat for the next 2 days, so I guess he liked it!
It’s quickly gaining streams on Spotify, what’s it like knowing hundreds of thousands of people are listening to your music on the streaming service?
The reactions and comments I received via social media were so awesome. It’s pretty exciting to put a track out into the world which has been unheard on your laptop for weeks/months.
“I Need” is currently your top streamed song, to date, can you tell us more about that track?
It was actually my debut track and the one that kick-started my career. I’ve worked on finding my signature sound for a few years now and after finishing ‘I Need’ it just felt right to have it as my debut single.
You also remixed Martin Garrix’s song “Ocean” which features Khalid, how was that? Talk us through the process of remixing a track.
I was with Martin in his studio working on music and he asked me randomly to do the remix. I love Khalid’s voice so it was a no-brainer for me. The remix was finished within a day but I worked on 6 other versions before being sure that the first version was the right one.
Talking about Martin Garrix, you recently supported him at Ushuaïa in Ibiza. What was that like?
Sick! It was only my second ever performance but it was so great to hang out with Martin and play my music at such a legendary venue. People were even singing along to my tracks which was amazing.
You recently performed at Tomorrowland in Belgium for the first time. Can you describe how that felt?
My Tomorrowland performance was a week after my Ushuaïa debut so it all felt like a dream. It was great to already see a following and to meet the people that had come especially for my set. I also got to test a lot of my unreleased music which will be coming out over the next few months.
What other festivals are on your bucket list to perform at?
Coachella, Lollapalooza, and EDC Las Vegas are all definitely on the bucket list!
What else can we expect from you this year?
I will be doing a special performance during Amsterdam Dance Event, have loads of new music and remixes on the way.
What do you hope to achieve with your music?
Inspire and spread love.
And, finally, do you have a message for your fans?
It’s been unreal to see all of your reactions and see your comments. I have so much more music for you on the way!
Thank you so much, Todd Helder, for taking the time out to answer our questions. We’re excited about the prospect of new music and hope to see you perform one day.
“Pixel Love” is available to download and stream right now, we also suggest you check out the brand new single “Smile” which has been released on Martin Garrix’s label STMPD. While you have got the chance, you should totally check out all his music on Spotify.