Steve Aoki facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Steve Aoki
Aoki in 2019
Background information
Birth name	Steven Hiroyuki Aoki
Born	(1977-11-30) November 30, 1977 (age 47) Miami, Florida, U.S.
Origin	Newport Beach, California, U.S.
Genres	EDM electro house big room house Dutch house trap hardcore punk
Occupations	DJ record producer music programmer record executive activist philanthropist
Instruments	Keyboards synthesizer Ableton Live turntables
Years active	1996–present
Labels	Dim Mak Ultra Spinnin' Ministry of Sound

Steven Hiroyuki Aoki (born November 30, 1977) is an American DJ and music producer. He is known for his energetic live shows and for working with many famous artists. In 2012, he was named the highest-earning electronic dance music (EDM) artist in North America from his tours. He has collaborated with popular groups and singers like Linkin Park, BTS, Backstreet Boys, and Fall Out Boy.

Steve Aoki has released many studio albums, and several of them have appeared on the Billboard music charts. His first album, Wonderland, was even nominated for a Grammy Award in 2013. He also wrote a book called Blue: The Color of Noise. Besides music, Steve Aoki is a kind person who started the Steve Aoki Charitable Fund. This fund helps raise money for groups that provide help around the world.

Early Life and Education

Aoki was born in Miami, Florida, in 1977. He grew up in Newport Beach, California. His family is of Japanese background. His father, Rocky Aoki, was a wrestler and started the famous Benihana restaurant chain. Steve has two older siblings, Kana Grace and Kevin. He also has three half-siblings, including the model and actress Devon Aoki.

Steve Aoki finished high school in 1995. He was on the badminton team there. He then went to the University of California, Santa Barbara. He earned two degrees, one in women's studies and one in sociology.

During his college years, Aoki made his own music recordings. He also organized underground concerts in his apartment, which was known as The Pickle Patch. He was active in student groups at the university. By his early twenties, Aoki had created his own record label. He named it Dim Mak, after his childhood hero, Bruce Lee.

Career

Starting Dim Mak Records and early music

Aoki in 2008

Steve Aoki started his record label, Dim Mak Records, in 1996. This label has released music by many electronic house artists. It also released music by rock bands like Bloc Party and The Kills. Steve Aoki also worked with Blake Miller from the band Moving Units to create remixes. They called themselves Weird Science. Aoki was also a member of several bands, including This Machine Kills and Esperanza.

In 2006, Steve Aoki joined the board of the Music Is Revolution Foundation. This group helps support music education in public schools. In 2008, he released his first DJ mix album, Pillowface and His Airplane Chronicles. He has worked with many other famous producers like Afrojack and Tiësto.

In the 1990s and 2000s, Steve Aoki created remixes for many popular artists. These included The Jackson 5, Drake, Kanye West, Eminem, and BTS. One of his remixes was for Drake's song "Forever" in 2009. This remix became very popular online.

Becoming a global star

Steve Aoki became very well-known through his constant touring. He gained a lot of fans, especially among college students. He is famous for his exciting live shows, which often include crowd surfing, throwing cake at fans, and spraying champagne bottles. He performs around 250 shows every year. He often brings other artists he works with on tour.

In March 2010, Steve Aoki released "I'm in the House". This song was a collaboration with Zuper Blahq, who is also The Black Eyed Peas singer will.i.am. The song was very popular in the UK. It was also featured in an episode of MTV's Jersey Shore and in the movie Piranha 3D.

Aoki's first solo album, Wonderland, came out in January 2012. It featured many guest singers and musicians. ..... A remix album was released soon after.

During a festival in Madrid, Spain, in 2012, there was an unfortunate incident where too many people were in one area. This led to a crowd crush, and some people were seriously injured or died. Steve Aoki was deeply saddened by this event. He said he would have stopped the show if he had known what was happening. He canceled his next show in Spain to show his respect.

In December 2012, Aoki released his first extended play (EP), It's the End of the World As We Know It. His album Wonderland was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2013.

New songs and movie appearances

Aoki performing in Brazil, 2014

On October 11, 2013, Steve Aoki worked with Linkin Park on the song "A Light That Never Comes". This song was part of Linkin Park's remix album, Recharged. Several remixes of the song were also released later. "A Light That Never Comes" was used in movies like The Expendables 3.

From 2011 to 2014, many of his songs were used in TV shows, commercials, and movies. For example, his song "I'm In the House" was in the documentary Electric Daisy Carnival. His track "Beat Down", featuring rapper Iggy Azalea, was used in a TV show promo. His song "Boneless" was used in commercials for companies like Budweiser. His song "Back to Earth", featuring Fall Out Boy, was in the movie Step Up: All In.

The Neon Future albums and a film

Steve Aoki released the first part of his two-part album, Neon Future I, on September 30, 2014. This album reached number one on the Dance/Electronic Albums chart in the United States. The second album, Neon Future II, was released on May 12, 2015. It featured artists like Snoop Lion and Rivers Cuomo.

In 2015, a documentary film about Steve Aoki was announced. It was called I'll Sleep When I'm Dead. The film was made while he was creating his Neon Future albums. It explores his family, his life, his music, and his business.

One of the songs from Neon Future II was "Darker Than Blood", which featured Linkin Park. Steve Aoki said they had been working on this song since 2012. The 2015 science fiction movie The Hive also featured songs from Aoki's Neon Future album. He also helped produce the movie's soundtrack.

Steve Aoki Presents Kolony and other collaborations

Steve Aoki's fourth studio album, Steve Aoki Presents Kolony, was released on July 21, 2017. It included songs like "Night Call" with Migos and Lil Yachty, and "Lit" with Gucci Mane. After the sad passing of Linkin Park's singer Chester Bennington in July 2017, Aoki released two tribute songs.

In November 2017, Steve Aoki produced a remix of BTS's song "Mic Drop" featuring rapper Desiigner. This remix was released on November 24. On the same day, Aoki also released a song called "All Night" with Fifth Harmony's Lauren Jauregui.

5OKI and Neon Future III and IV

In February 2018, Steve Aoki announced his five-track EP called 5OKI. This EP featured him working with other producers to create songs that mixed different music styles. The songs were released weekly.

In May 2018, Aoki released the song "Pretender" with AJR and rapper Lil Yachty. In June 2018, he remixed Rita Ora's song "Girls". Later that month, he released a version of "Bella Ciao" with Italian DJ Marnik.

On August 6, 2018, he announced his new album, Neon Future III. This album included collaborations with Nicki Minaj, Maluma, Blink-182, and BTS. On October 25, 2018, Aoki released "Waste It on Me", which featured members of BTS. This was their third time working together. Neon Future III was released on October 9, 2018. His next album, Neon Future IV, was released in April 2020.

The Hiroquest albums

On September 9, 2019, Steve Aoki released "Let It Be Me". This song was a collaboration with the Backstreet Boys. In June 2020, he co-released "Ninja Re Bang Bang Steve Aoki Remix" with Japanese artist Kyary Pamyu Pamyu. This remix was a theme song for the video game Ninjala.

In August 2020, Aoki remixed several songs by the band Crass. All the money from these purchases went to a charity that helps people affected by domestic abuse.

Steve Aoki released several new songs in early 2022. He then started releasing songs that would appear on his seventh studio album, Hiroquest: Genesis. These included "Kult" and "Ultimate".

On September 16, 2022, Aoki released his seventh studio album, Hiroquest: Genesis. This album featured many well-known artists like Mod Sun and Taking Back Sunday.

In January 2023, Argentine singer Tini released "Muñecas", a song she worked on with Aoki.

On August 18, 2023, Aoki announced his eighth studio album, Hiroquest 2: Double Helix. This album is a sequel to Hiroquest: Genesis. It was released on November 17, 2023. It featured artists like Paris Hilton, Akon, and Hayley Kiyoko. A remix of "Locked Up" by Steve Aoki, Trinix, and Akon was also released in August 2023.

Aoki performing at Panasonic Pavilion during CES 2025

Recent albums

On June 28, 2024, Steve Aoki released his ninth studio album, Paragon. He also announced his upcoming tenth studio album, Hiroquest 3: Paragon, which is a sequel to Hiroquest 2: Double Helix. It is set to be released on June 27, 2025.

Appearances

Aoki on stage during day three of Collision conference in 2019

Steve Aoki has appeared in many different types of media, including video games, television shows, and music videos. He is interested in gaming and even co-owns an esports company called Rogue. He was a special celebrity player in the video games NBA 2K8 and NBA 2K9.

He has made cameo appearances in music videos for bands like Cobra Starship and The Sounds. Aoki also appeared in rapper Kid Cudi's video "Just What I Am". In July 2016, it was announced that Aoki would be a musical contributor and a character in the video game Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2.

In January 2012, Aoki released new songs on Turntable.fm. He was the first established artist to use this platform for a listening session. Aoki also appeared in an episode of The CW's superhero TV series Arrow in March 2013. He played himself as a DJ at a fictional nightclub. He also appeared in an advertisement for PETA, an organization he has supported since he was 14 years old.

On May 8, 2020, he performed in the Fortnite Party Royale Premiere with Dillon Francis and Deadmau5.

Helping others

The Aoki Foundation helps fund research on the brain. It focuses on ways to preserve the brain and extend natural life by preventing brain diseases. The foundation also supports other important causes. These include helping with disaster relief, researching developmental disabilities, and protecting animal rights. It has worked with groups like Keep Memory Alive and Best Buddies International.

In 2013, during his North American tour, Steve Aoki donated one dollar from every ticket sale to four different charities. His fans were able to vote for their favorite charity. A total of $65,000 was donated, with a large portion going to the Brain Preservation Foundation.

In early 2015, he was named a Global Ambassador for the Best Buddies program. This non-profit organization helps young people with developmental and intellectual disabilities. Around that time, MTV Latin America gave Aoki the Chiuku Award for his humanitarian work.

Personal life

Steve Aoki and Australian model Tiernan Cowling got engaged in 2010. They got married in Hawaii in 2015. They later separated in 2018, due to Steve Aoki's busy touring schedule. In July 2024, Aoki married Sasha Sofine in Montenegro. In January 2025, they announced they were expecting a baby, who was born in July.

Actress and fashion model Devon Aoki is Steve Aoki's half-sister. Model and singer-songwriter Yumi Nu is Steve Aoki's niece.

In 2022, Steve Aoki was chosen to be part of a lunar spaceflight mission called the dearMoon project. This mission was planned to happen in 2023 aboard a SpaceX Starship. However, due to delays with the Starship program, the dearMoon project was canceled in 2024.

Steve Aoki is also signed up for cryopreservation. This means he has plans for his body to be preserved at very low temperatures after he passes away. He discussed this in a 2022 interview.

Awards and recognition

Steve Aoki has received many awards and nominations throughout his career. In 2007, he was named Best Party Rocker DJ by BPM Magazine. He was also named Best DJ of the Year by Paper Magazine.

In 2012, he was ranked number 15 in the Top 100 DJs list by DJ Magazine. He was also named America's #2 Best DJ. In the same year, he won an EDM Effect Woodie Award from MTVu. The following year, he was nominated for his first Grammy for his album Wonderland.

Aoki has consistently ranked high in DJ Mag's Top 100 DJs competition. He finished 6th in 2013 and 8th in 2013 and 2016 in America's Best DJ competition. He also earned two Guinness World Records in 2014. One was for the "longest crowd cheer" and another for the "most amount of glow sticks for thirty seconds." He also earned the Guinness record for "most traveled musician in one year" in 2014, with 161 shows in 41 countries.

Steve Aoki is also recognized for his charity work. EDM.com named him number one on their list of the 11 most charitable EDM producers. He founded the Steve Aoki Charitable Fund, which raises money for humanitarian organizations and medical research.

DJ Magazine Top 100 DJs

Discography

• Wonderland (2012)
• Neon Future I (2014)
• Neon Future II (2015)
• Steve Aoki Presents Kolony (2017)
• Neon Future III (2018)
• Neon Future IV (2020)
• Hiroquest: Genesis (2022)
• Hiroquest 2: Double Helix (2023)
• Paragon (2024)
• Hiroquest 3: Paragon (2025)

Filmography

See also

In Spanish: Steve Aoki para niños

• Dim Mak Records
• Ultra Records
• List of dubstep musicians
• List of house musicians