Armin van Buuren facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Armin van Buuren OON
Van Buuren performing at the Armin Only Embrace show in Kyiv, 2017
Background information
Birth name	Armin Jozef Jacobus Daniël van Buuren
Also known as	Rising Star Perpetuous Dreamer
Born	(1976-12-25) 25 December 1976 (age 48) Leiden, South Holland, Netherlands
Origin	Koudekerk aan den Rijn, Netherlands
Genres	Uplifting trance progressive trance psytrance progressive house electro house big room house dance-pop
Occupation(s)	DJ record producer remixer
Instruments	Synthesizer drum machine
Years active	1996–present
Labels	Armada A State of Trance Armind Kontor Universal Sony
Associated acts	Gaia Perpetuous Dreamer Alibi Vini Vici

Armin van Buuren (born December 25, 1976) is a famous Dutch DJ and music producer. He is known for his electronic dance music, especially trance music. Since 2001, he has hosted a popular weekly radio show called A State of Trance (ASOT).

This show reaches nearly 40 million listeners in 84 countries. It is broadcast on over 100 radio stations worldwide. Many people say his radio show helped him become a global star. It also made trance music more popular around the world.

Armin van Buuren has won many awards. He was voted the number one DJ in the world by DJ Mag five times. Four of those times were in a row! In 2014, he was nominated for a Grammy Award. This was for his song "This Is What It Feels Like". He was one of the first trance artists to get a Grammy nomination. In the United States, he holds a record for having 21 songs on the Billboard Dance/Electronic Albums chart.

About Armin van Buuren's Life

Armin Jozef Jacobus Daniël van Buuren was born in Leiden, Netherlands. He grew up in Koudekerk aan den Rijn. He was inspired by French music maker Jean-Michel Jarre. He also looked up to Dutch DJ Ben Liebrand.

Armin finished high school in 1995. He then studied law at Leiden University. In 1996, he started working as a DJ at Club Nexus. He often played for six hours or more each night. In 1999, he met Dave Lewis, who helped him become a DJ in England and the United States.

As his music career grew, he paused his law studies. But he went back and earned his law degree in 2003.

On September 18, 2009, Armin married Erika van Thiel. Their daughter, Fenna, was born in July 2011. In July 2013, their son, Remy, was born. Armin announced this just before he performed at the Tomorrowland music festival.

In 2018, Armin explored his family history. He appeared on a TV show called Verborgen verleden. This show is like the UK series Who Do You Think You Are?.

Armin van Buuren's Music Journey

Starting His Music Career (1996–1999)

In 1996, Armin van Buuren released his first music on Timeless Records. His song "Blue Fear" became a success in 1997. Another popular song was "Communication" in 1999. This song became very popular in Ibiza, Spain. It even reached number 18 on the UK Singles Chart in 2000.

In 1999, Armin started his own music label called Armind. His first release, Gig – "One", was well-received. Another song, "Touch Me", was signed by a big UK label. He also made remixes for other artists, like Gouryella.

Growing Success and Radio Show (2000–2004)

In 2000, Armin started his own music collection series. It mixed different styles of electronic music. His first album, A State of Trance, sold 10,000 copies. He also worked with other famous DJs like Tiësto and Ferry Corsten. Their song "Exhale" became a Gold record.

His second album, Basic Instinct, came out in 2001. It included the song "The Sound of Goodbye". This song reached number one on the US dance charts. He released more albums, In Motion in 2001 and Transparence in 2002.

In March 2001, Armin started his radio show, A State of Trance. He played the newest trance music tracks. He also shared the names of the artists and songs on his website. The show became very popular. It moved to bigger radio stations and is now heard worldwide.

In 2002, he often performed in Washington D.C. and across North America. He also played regularly in Ibiza, Spain. In October 2002, he was voted number 5 in DJ Mag.

In June 2003, Armin celebrated the 100th episode of A State of Trance. He also released his first studio album, 76. In the same year, he was voted number 3 in DJ Mag. He stayed in third place for the next two years. In 2004, he even remixed the theme song from the TV show 24.

Shivers Album and More Milestones (2005–2006)

On June 2, 2005, Armin celebrated the 200th episode of A State of Trance in Amsterdam. On August 8, 2005, he released his second studio album, Shivers. He worked with singers like Nadia Ali on this album.

On May 25, 2006, he celebrated the 250th episode of A State of Trance. He was voted number two in DJ Mag in 2006. On May 17, 2007, he celebrated the 300th episode of A State of Trance.

Armin van Buuren at Sensation White 2005

Imagine and Top DJ Status (2007–2009)

Armin van Buuren was voted the best DJ in the world in 2007 by DJ Mag. In January 2008, he received the "Buma Cultuur Pop Award." This is a very important Dutch music award.

On April 17, 2008, he released his third studio album, Imagine. This album included songs with singers like Jacqueline Govaert. The album went straight to number one on the Dutch charts. The song "In and Out of Love" with Sharon den Adel became a huge hit. Its music video has been watched over 304 million times!

In May 2008, he celebrated the 350th episode of A State of Trance. He was voted number one in DJ Mag again in 2008.

He also performed with his brother, Eller van Buuren, who is a guitarist. They played together at a festival in Los Angeles in 2009. This was the last show of his Armin Only: Imagine world tour. To celebrate the 400th episode of A State of Trance, he performed three shows in April 2009.

In 2009, a music video game called Armin van Buuren: In the Mix was announced. It was released for the Wii console in 2010. He was voted the number one DJ in DJ Mag for the third year in a row in 2009.

Mirage and Special Recognition (2010–2012)

In March 2010, Armin received the Golden Harp award. This was for his music and his impact on Dutch music. To celebrate the 450th episode of A State of Trance, he performed five shows across two continents.

On June 23, 2010, he announced his fourth studio album, Mirage. It was released in September. The first song from the album was "Full Focus". He also worked with singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor on the song "Not Giving Up on Love".

In October 2010, he won the Most Popular International DJ award. A week later, he was named the number one DJ in DJ Mag for the fourth year in a row. The Armin Only: Mirage tour started in November 2010. It had shows in many cities around the world.

Van Buuren broadcasting the milestone 500th episode of his A State of Trance show at the official pre-party, live from Club Trinity in Cape Town on 17 March 2011

In March and April 2011, Armin celebrated the 500th episode of his radio show. He performed five live shows with many other artists. One big event was in Den Bosch, Netherlands. It had over 30 DJs and more than 30,000 people attended.

In 2011, Armin van Buuren was given a special honor. He was made an Officer of the Order of Oranje-Nassau. This was for his great contributions to Dutch dance music. He also received the Key to Leiden, his hometown. That year, he was voted number 2 in DJ Mag.

To celebrate the 550th episode of A State of Trance, he performed shows in different countries. The tour was called A State of Trance 550: Invasion. In October 2012, Armin was announced as the world's number one DJ again by DJ Mag. This was his fifth time!

For the 600th episode of A State of Trance, Armin announced a world tour in early 2013. It was called A State of Trance 600: The Expedition. The tour visited many cities around the globe.

Intense Album and Royal Performance (2013–2014)

The first song from Armin's fifth album, Intense, was "This Is What It Feels Like". It featured singer Trevor Guthrie and was released in April 2013. This song was nominated for a Grammy Award. The tour for this album, Armin Only: Intense, was announced in October 2013.

On April 30, 2013, Armin performed for the new King of the Netherlands, Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands. He played live with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam. The King, Queen Máxima, and their daughters even joined him on stage!

In October 2013, Armin van Buuren was ranked number two DJ in the world by DJ Mag. In January 2014, he attended the 56th Annual Grammy Awards because of his Grammy nomination.

Embrace Album and New Studio (2015–2018)

Van Buuren's DJ logo, used in shows as of 2015

On May 8, 2015, Armin released the first song from his sixth album, Embrace. The song was "Another You" featuring Mr Probz. The album was released in October 2015. He also made a remix of the Game of Thrones theme song.

In October 2015, he released another song from Embrace called "Strong Ones". He also worked with Cosmic Gate on a song called "Embargo". To go with the album, Armin announced his Armin Only: Embrace tour. This tour focused on the music from his new album.

On February 2, 2017, Armin opened a new A State of Trance radio show studio in Amsterdam. This was part of the celebrations for the 800th episode of his show. He also started a new part of the show called "Service for Dreamers." Here, fans can send in their favorite trance songs that mean something special to them.

In 2017, Armin van Buuren announced he would teach an online MasterClass. He would share his knowledge about making electronic music. In April 2017, he performed at the Formula 1 Festival in Shanghai.

In August 2018, Armin played a very long seven-hour set at the Romania Untold Festival. This was even longer than his five-hour performance in 2017.

Balance Album and 1000th Episode (2019–2023)

In October 2019, Armin performed in Republic Square, Yerevan, Armenia. This was for the World Congress on Information Technology (WCIT).

On October 25, 2019, Armin released his seventh studio album, Balance.

In January 2021, Armin celebrated the 1000th episode of A State of Trance. He had a 7-day online event. He and his co-hosts played the top 1000 songs from the show, chosen by listeners. The top song was "Shivers" from his 2005 album. A big festival for ASOT1000 was planned in Utrecht. It was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The festival finally happened on March 4-5, 2023. By then, the radio show had already passed 1100 episodes!

Breathe In Album (2023–2024)

On January 12, 2024, Armin released his eighth studio album, Breathe In.

Armin van Buuren's Music Albums

• 76 (2003)
• Shivers (2005)
• Imagine (2008)
• Mirage (2010)
• Intense (2013)
• Embrace (2015)
• Balance (2019)
• Feel Again (2023)
• Breathe In (2024)

Armin van Buuren's Films

Documentary and concert films

• This Is Me (2022) - This film explores how Armin creates his music and shows his journey of self-discovery.

Special Honors

In 2011, Armin van Buuren was made an Officer of the Order of Orange-Nassau. This was a special award for his important work in Dutch dance music.

Awards and Nominations

Armin van Buuren has received many awards and nominations for his music. You can find a full list of them here: List of awards and nominations received by Armin van Buuren.

See also

In Spanish: Armin van Buuren para niños