Interview: David Guetta - Internationally Renowned Deejay

2009 was David Guetta’s year. And for good reason: he was the producer of “I Gotta Feeling,” which became the best-charting single of the Black Eyed Peas’ career, and “When Love Takes Over,” which become Kelly Rowland’s second #1 single in Europe. Coincidentally, the success of both singles dove-tailed on various international charts—flip-flopping positions at the summit of music charts in Ireland, Czechoslovakia, Belgium, Spain and Switzerland.

Unafraid to take musical risks, David Guetta successfully blended the best of Europe’s electronic beats with America’s hip-hop sensibilities. His fourth studio album, One Love, was released on August 21, 2009, and features collaborations from Akon, the Black Eyed Peas, Chris Willis, Estelle, Kelly Rowland, Kid Cudi, Ne-Yo, Novel, and Makeba Riddick.

In the midst of a promotional tour for One Love, David Guetta managed to squeeze some time out of his busy schedule and settle down for an interview with Clayton Perry—reflecting on his first deejaying gig, his multiple collaborations with Chris Willis, and the inspiration behind One Love.

Your production work on the Black Eyed Peas’ "I Gotta Feeling" helped to turn the single into the breakout hit of 2009. To date, it is the longest-running #1 single on Billboard’s Hot 100 Chart in 2009, and the single is currently tied as the second longest running Hot 100 #1 of all time. As you saw the song sit at the top of the chart, week after week, what exactly was going through your mind?

Well, you know, it's crazy how big this song became. I still remember when the song was used on Oprah Winfrey and like 10,000 people were dancing together with the huge choreography. I remember watching that, and I was like, "That is so crazy!" It was so big and I try to remember every detail of me and Will recording, but we never expected it to become that big.

So the story behind the song: Will, at the time, was embracing the electronic music from Europe. Other artists have taken sounds from us and incorporated it a little bit. But what I respect a lot about him and the band is that he fully immersed himself in the culture. He called me, and he was like, "Okay. I love that sound and I want to experiment with it a bit." So I sent him some tracks, and he selected a few. Then, I went to Los Angeles and we worked together. When the song started coming together, I got a crazy feeling and I was screaming: “this is huge, this is a monster, this is crazy.”

Article Author: Clayton Perry

Over the past few years, Clayton Perry has interviewed some of the BIGGEST entertainers in music, film and television. Check out his digital archive with 180+ definitive conversation pieces.

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