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

Armin Jozef Jacobus Daniël van Buuren (born on 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 weekly radio show called A State of Trance (ASOT). This show reaches almost 40 million listeners in 84 countries. Many people believe his radio show helped make trance music popular worldwide.

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

About Armin's Life

Armin van Buuren was born in Leiden, Netherlands, on December 25, 1976. He grew up in Koudekerk aan den Rijn. He was inspired by electronic music artists like Jean-Michel Jarre and Ben Liebrand. Armin finished high school in 1995 and then studied law at Leiden University.

He started working as a DJ in Club Nexus in 1996. He would play music for six hours or more, several times a week. 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. However, he went back and finished his law degree in 2003.

On September 18, 2009, Armin married Erika van Thiel. They have two children: a daughter named Fenna, born in July 2011, and a son named Remy, born in July 2013. In 2018, Armin explored his family history on a TV show called Verborgen verleden.

Armin's Music Journey

Early Music Career (1996–1999)

In 1996, Armin van Buuren released his first music on Timeless Records. He had his first big hit with a song called "Blue Fear" in 1997. Another popular song, "Communication", became famous in Ibiza, Spain, in 1999. This song 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. He also created remixes for other artists, like Gouryella and Airscape.

Albums and Radio Show Beginnings (2000–2004)

In 2000, Armin started his own series of music collections called Armin van Buuren compilation series. His first collection, A State of Trance (not his radio show), sold 10,000 copies. He also worked with other DJs like Tiësto and Ferry Corsten on new music. One song, "Exhale," even became a Gold record!

His second album, Basic Instinct, included the song "The Sound of Goodbye". This song became very popular in the Netherlands and on dance charts in the US. He released more albums, In Motion in 2001 and Transparence in 2002.

In March 2001, Armin started his weekly radio show, A State of Trance. On this show, he plays the newest trance music and shares the song titles online. The show became so popular that it moved to bigger radio stations and is now broadcast worldwide. In 2002, he was voted number 5 in the DJ Mag Top 100 DJs list.

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 the DJ Mag poll. In 2004, he even remixed the theme song from the TV show 24 into a trance hit.

Shivers and More Success (2005–2006)

Armin van Buuren at Sensation White 2005

On August 8, 2005, Armin released his second studio album, Shivers. He worked with singers like Nadia Ali and Justine Suissa on this album. He continued to celebrate milestones for his radio show, including the 250th episode in 2006. That year, he was voted number two in the DJ Mag poll.

Imagine and World's Best DJ (2007–2009)

In 2007, Armin van Buuren was voted the best DJ in the world by DJ Mag. On April 17, 2008, he released his third studio album, Imagine. This album reached number one on the Dutch Albums Chart. The song "In and Out of Love" from the album became very popular, with its music video viewed over 300 million times online.

He performed with his brother, guitarist Eller van Buuren, at a festival in Los Angeles in 2009. This was part of his Armin Only: Imagine world tour. To celebrate the 400th episode of A State of Trance, he performed at three shows in Germany, the UK, and the Netherlands. In 2009, he was voted the number one DJ in DJ Mag for the third year in a row. A video game called Armin van Buuren: In the Mix was also released for the Wii console.

Mirage and Special Recognition (2010–2012)

In 2010, Armin received the Golden Harp award for his contributions to Dutch music. To celebrate the 450th episode of A State of Trance, he performed five shows across two continents.

On September 10, 2010, Armin released his fourth studio album, Mirage. It included songs like "Full Focus" and a collaboration with singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor called "Not Giving Up on Love". In October 2010, he was announced as the number one DJ in DJ Mag for the fourth year in a row.

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 2011, Armin celebrated the 500th episode of his radio show with five live performances around the world. One of the biggest events was in Den Bosch, Netherlands, with over 30 DJs and 30,000 people attending. In 2011, he was honored with the title of Officer of the Order of Oranje-Nassau for his impact on Dutch dance music. He also received the Key to the City of Leiden. In 2012, he was again voted the world's number one DJ by DJ Mag.

To celebrate the 600th episode of A State of Trance, Armin toured the world in 2013. The tour, called A State of Trance 600: The Expedition, included stops in many cities like Madrid, Mexico City, and Miami.

Intense and Royal Performance (2013–2014)

On April 5, 2013, Armin released "This Is What It Feels Like", the first song from his fifth studio album, Intense. This song was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording.

On April 30, 2013, Armin performed live for the new King of the Netherlands, Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, and Queen Máxima. They even made a surprise visit to the stage during his performance! In October 2013, Armin was ranked number two DJ in the world by DJ Mag.

Embrace and New Studio (2015–2018)

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

On May 8, 2015, Armin released "Another You", the first song from his sixth studio album, Embrace. The album was released on October 29, 2015. He also released a remix of the Game of Thrones theme song.

To support the album, Armin announced the Armin Only: Embrace tour, which took place in 2015 and 2016. In February 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," where fans can share their favorite trance tracks. In 2017, Armin announced he would teach an online class about making electronic music. In August 2018, he played a seven-hour-long DJ set at the Romania Untold Festival.

Balance and ASOT 1000 (2019–2022)

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

In January 2021, Armin celebrated the 1000th episode of A State of Trance with a week-long online event. He and other DJs played the top 1000 songs voted by listeners. The top song was "Shivers" from his 2005 album. A big festival for ASOT1000 was planned in Utrecht, Netherlands, but 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!

Recent Albums (2023–2025)

On March 31, 2023, Armin released his eighth studio album, Feel Again. He also released a film concert and documentary called This Is Me: Feel Again on June 28, 2023.

On January 12, 2024, Armin released the first part of his ninth studio album, Breathe In. The full album, Breathe, was released on June 27, 2025, along with its second part, Breathe Out.

Armin's Albums

• 76 (2003)
• Shivers (2005)
• Imagine (2008)
• Mirage (2010)
• Intense (2013)
• Embrace (2015)
• Balance (2019)
• Feel Again (2023)
• Breathe (2025)

Films About Armin

• This Is Me (2023): This film explores how Armin creates his music and his journey to connect with himself and others.

Special Honors

In 2011, Armin van Buuren was given the title of Officer of the Order of Orange Nassau. This honor was for his important contributions to Dutch music and the dance music industry.

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Armin van Buuren para niños