Hardwell Reflects on His Hiatus, AI in Music, and Making Mistakes

*Featured Cover Photo Credit: Hardwell PR

Hardwell, born as Robbert van de Corput, is the March cover star of lifestyle magazine, Haute Living, and the Dutch electronic music icon recently participated in an exclusive interview with the magazine. In fact, in the interview with Haute Living (click on this link to check out more of the interview), Hardwell talked about various topics, including his four-year break from touring, the future of music production with the increasing involvement of AI, and why making mistakes is a good thing in one’s life.

In this exclusive interview with Haute Living, Hardwell provides an in-depth opportunity for his millions of fans to understand and appreciate his inner innovative side, as well as his personal side outside the spotlight. Furthemore, the interview comes in time for the electronic music icon as he prepares to become the headliner who closes out the 25th Anniversary of Ultra Music Festival, set to happen on the weekend of March 28-30. This comes as another grand step in the illustrious career of Hardwell since he had first performed at the festival at the age of 21 back in 2012, which was also his first time performing in the United States.

Hardwell discusses in Haute Living how his four-year break enhanced his growth as an artist

“I think the whole sabbatical was a step back, a way to rethink my career, be grateful for it, and take some more time for my private life. I’m 37 now; I’m literally at that age where my friends and family members are getting married and having kids. I was non-stop gigging around the world. I wanted some time to be there with the people I love and reflect on my career. It was never about not liking music anymore — I was always still making music — and it wasn’t about burnout; it was more about reflecting. To grow as an artist, sometimes you have to take two steps back to take one giant step forward.” 

AI getting invovled in music production

“Snow Engine is making full music — singing, songwriting, everything you want. But the great thing about electronic music is that it’s always pushing boundaries, and AI is always trying to catch up. AI can’t come up with anything truly ‘new’; it’s always doing what’s already been done. I think that’s one of the most important things when it comes to dance music, being forward-thinking. AI can try to imitate that, but it’s always four steps behind. Right now, at least. I don’t know about the future, but at the moment it’s still behind, which is a good thing for us DJs; it makes us more relevant.”

Making mistakes is good

“As a DJ, I always try to come up with different transitions and different ideas. It doesn’t take a lot of time to be innovative. I strive to always be a better version of myself, both as a DJ and as a person. We, as human beings, have the capacity to learn every single day, and I think it’s really important to do that. It’s really important to make mistakes, too. If you don’t make mistakes, you’re definitely a boring person. Personally, I like mistakes, because you can learn something from them.”