Calvin Harris' 'Bounce' recognized by the 2018 Global Spin Awards
We recap his past year of success to recall why his GSA nominations are so well-deserved.
Calvin Harris has long maintained his status as one of the world’s most justifiably popular and respected DJ-producers, and last year proved to be no different. So, since he’s up for five wins at the 2018 Global Spin Awards—for DJ of the Year; DJ-Producer of the Year; EDM DJ of the Year; International DJ of the Year; and DJ Album of the Year—we’ve recapped his past year to recall why his nominations are so well-deserved.
January 26, 2017: With three years gone since his last LP, 2014’s Motion, Harris kicked off 2017 strong, quietly hinting at what would become his new sound by taking to Snapchat and teasing a brief snippet of an entirely unexpected collaboration with Frank Ocean. A full month later, we’d learn the track to be the funk-inflected “Slide” (on which Migos joined, too). It would go on to be certified double-platinum by the RIAA.
March 31, 2017: Further proving his ability to recruit and gather stars of the highest caliber, Harris followed up with “Heatstroke,” on which Young Thug forwent his usual mumble to spit coherently, Pharrell carried the chorus with his falsetto; and Ariana Grande delivered a dreamy refrain.
May 9, 2017: Harris then confirmed what he’d been implying for nearly half a year, that his upcoming LP would be a star-studded affair, by finally announcing the official guest list (and title) of his album: Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1 would also feature Big Sean, D.R.A.M., Future, Jessie Reyez, John Legend, Katy Perry, Kehlani, Khalid, Lil Yachty, Nicki Minaj, PartyNextDoor, ScHoolboy Q, Snoop Dogg, and Travis Scott.
May 12, 2017: Continuing to build anticipation, Harris gifted fans with the Future and Khalid joint effort, “Rollin.”
June 15, 2017: Without a misstep yet, Harris kept his winning streak going with “Feels,” assisted by Pharrell, Big Sean, and Katy Perry. The first and only No.1 from Funk Wav, it topped the charts in both Harris’ home country of the UK, as well as in France. It also went platinum, nbd.
July 9, 2017: Upon moving 68,000 units, Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1 debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, earning the super-producer his highest-charting album yet. It followed only behind Grateful from DJ Khaled, a fellow leading nominee at the GSAs.
August 8, 2017: Upon earning $48.5 million, Harris was named the highest-paid DJ in the world by Forbes for the fifth year in a row. You can credit the capital to the mid-six-figure fees he pockets for his Las Vegas performances and the seven-figure music festival hauls.
October 17, 2017: Harris took to Twitter to not only announce Funk Wav‘s fifth single, “Faking It” featuring Kehlani and Lil Yachty, but to flex about the LP being certified gold.
November 28, 2017: The DJ earned a Grammy Award nomination for Producer of The Year (Non-Classical) for both his work on “Don’t Quit,” a cut from Khaled’s Grateful, as well as on his own Funk Wav LP.
December 14, 2017: Harris closed out the year by remixing SZA’s “The Weekend,” a fan-favorite off her Ctrl debut, giving it new (funky) life with added handclaps, deep bass plucks, and some vocoderized blips.
Despite the accolades and applause that Funk Wav brought Harris, he took to Twitter earlier this year to share that he’d be “movin on” from the album’s sound—a curious confession considering the project was labeled a “Vol. 1″—but that doesn’t mean he’s taking a break. Since 2018 has begun, he’s purchased a Hollywood Hills home equipped with a recording studio; Jennifer Lopez has promised a Harris-helmed remix of her track with Skrillex; and the DJ has extended his exclusive residency with Las Vegas’ Hakkasan Group through 2020 (meaning he’ll retain his headlining status at its namesake club, Wet Republic and OMNIA Nightclub).
The Global Spin Awards air Thursday, February 22 at 9 p.m. ET on REVOLT TV. Looking for the channel? Use our locator here!