Being one of dance music's most active touring artists delivering hundreds of shows annually, having the chance to get to know Ben Nicky is a real luck. The electronic music's genre-defying pioneer, who has earned acclaim from industry titans like Diplo and Armin van Buuren while amassing millions of streams, is the only electronic act in the world to perform across three different genre stages at Tomorrowland, and two stages at Ultra Miami, all within the same event-cycle. That’s impressive.
But what does success mean to him? What does it feel like to perform in front of thousands of people? And getting off stage when the show is over? Let's find out!
Ben worked in sales before he quit his job and became a full-time DJ, and that's why he has always taken marketing and social media seriously in his artistic project, being aware of the power of these platforms when it comes to connecting and communicating with his audience. His most loyal community, better known as Misfits, follow his every step, making this adventure a unique experience. We talk about his community in this interview, as well as the biggest milestones of his career to date and his projects for 2025.
Ben, welcome to METAL. January has just finished, how has the new year started? Where do you answer us from?
I’m currently taking a breather at home. 2024 was a crazy year for me, so I was glad to have a relatively quiet start to the new year in 2025. I had two amazing shows in Japan mid-month in January, the crowds were so hyped for it and it was a great way to kick off this year's touring. I got to see lots of the culture in Japan on this visit too and it was great. One of my favourite places to play for sure!
You have established yourself as electronic music's genre-defying pioneer, earning acclaim from industry titans like Diplo and Armin van Buuren while amassing over 100 million streams across your major hits! You have achieved something that very few will reach in their entire artistic career. Are you aware of these important milestones? How do you feel when you think that millions of people all over the world follow every step you take?
I try not to let it get to my head too much as it’s important to stay humble and realise that everything could disappear in an instant. I definitely appreciate that I’ve had the opportunity to do what a lot of other artists haven’t and I’ve got a very loyal fan base, the Misfits! All artists wouldn’t be anything without their fans and I’ve definitely got some of the most amazing fans out there.
Do you remember the first time you felt that your music was going around the world, and you were creating an international phenomenon?
It was a gradual incline, to be honest, there wasn’t one exact moment that I can pinpoint. I put in years of hard graft before I was booked for international events. Once I started to switch away from the fully traditional trance sets and start playing the music I love from all genres, this definitely made the bigger events and stages or arenas take notice. However, because I already had years of experience, it made the transition easier and I was able to connect with even more people across the globe.
You’re the only DJ to perform across multiple stages at premier events including Tomorrowland, Ultra Miami and EDC Las Vegas within the same event cycle. Which of all your performances has been the most special and why?
Tomorrowland 2023 was definitely a highlight, being able to play 3 sets across 3 stages, all with different musical styles was unheard of! I was the first person to do it. I first played Tomorrowland Main Stage in 2019 and this was a pinch-me moment, so to play 3 sets in 2023 was definitely special and something I’ll never forget. Festivals are without doubt an amazing part of being a touring artist, but hosting my own events and headlining shows such as Belsonic in Belfast to 24,000 people hits different. Belfast nowadays is my home town and knowing that I can put on an amazing show for the people here is always special. Those are the events that truly mean the most to me.
What do you feel when you see thousands of people giving it their all on the dance floor while you're playing your tracks? These are feelings that very few people experience throughout their lives, and I think it might be difficult to present yourself in front of so many people when you might be in low spirits.
There is no better feeling in the world, to be honest. I always remember that people have spent their hard-earned money to buy a ticket to a show, so even if I’m feeling slightly under the weather, it’s important to give those people a night to remember. The crowd gives me so much energy and the buzz you get from standing in front of people who know your music and are eagerly awaiting every drop is a high unlike any other. Hearing other DJs play my tracks at worldwide events is amazing too, especially when everyone is singing along and then going mad at the drop.
The lives of artists are defined by contrasts. You perform in front of huge crowds on the largest and most acclaimed stages in the world, but once you get off the stage and go back to the hotel you find yourself alone in silence. How do you manage this duality?
I used to struggle with the feeling of coming off stage and sitting in silence, so I would keep the party going. I had years of burning the candle at both ends and really living the party lifestyle. However, this had a bad effect over time and around five years ago I really started looking after my mental health on tour, which has helped in ways I didn’t think possible. Surrounding myself with supportive people on tour and being able to enjoy slowing down whilst not touring helps me appreciate the life I have and makes the duality of the two worlds easier to deal with.
You’re one of dance music's most active touring artists, delivering hundreds of shows annually. It’s a frenetic pace and I guess it's not easy to manage, nor something everyone would cope with. Do you maintain any strict routines? What do you like to do when you have a day off? Tell us about your hobbies.
I actually have quite a mundane life when I’m off tour, but I absolutely love it. I am quite strict about making sure I go to the gym most days and try to eat as healthily as possible. I enjoy taking my dog Ayla for long walks and enjoying the beautiful countryside that I’m lucky to live in. I’m a huge fan of Formula 1, so if ever I’ve got a weekend off and there’s a race on, that’s where you’ll find me. I’ve started taking karting seriously recently and I’m hoping to build my own race kart soon. If I have a day off on tour and there’s a karting track near me, I’ll go with mates and enjoy karting in different countries.
“When Armin Van Buuren asks you to do a dirty trance remix of his song, you do it!” you said on Instagram a few days ago about your recent official remix of Armin Van Buuren's Destination (A State Of Trance Anthem). What can you tell us about this experience?
I’ve been mates with Armin for years now, which still seems mad to me considering he was one of my idols when I started out. I’ve played the ASOT events for years and each year the crowd has got bigger and bigger, so it’s nice to know that Armin has recognised the progression of my career. When he asked me to remix Destination it was a no-brainer. Once the stems were sent over I set to work on putting my spin on the track and when I sent it back to him he was really happy. I’ve been enjoying playing the track in my sets and it’s been getting a great reaction from the crowds.
I'd like to know more about the creation process and evolution of your distinctive brands, Ben Nicky Presents Xtreme, which features your heavier sound, and Ben Nicky Presents Emotional Havoc, which delivers a more euphoric trance experience, bringing your unique multi-genre performances to the world's biggest dance music festival. How did these brands come about and how have you developed them to date?
I wanted to bring some new concepts to my sets and make it easier to identify the direction that I’ll be playing when the concept is listed. The branded sets are different from a normal Ben Nicky set and it’s thanks to these branded sets that I’ve been able to play Tomorrowland and Ultra Music Festival across different stages. I don’t do the branded sets often, I cherry-pick what events I do them so they stay exclusive. There would be no point in me playing these special sets week in, week out. Xtreme is the harder side of my sets, where I can play up to 220 bpm and they’re always complete madness. Emotional Havoc is the trancey side of me, where I drop emotional tracks with vocals and riffs that remind me of the good old days of trance. I have loads of fun crafting sets in both styles as I can play tracks that I genuinely love and create new edits of legendary tracks. My normal Ben Nicky sets combine all of these elements and aren’t as pigeon-holed, I really enjoy taking people on a journey through the music that I love.
I understand that you were a pioneer in using social media, building an independent digital empire as one of the first DJs to really harness the platform, weren't you? How did you manage to connect with your community through digital channels and evolve not only on stage but also in how to share your musical project?
I worked in sales before I quit my job and became a full-time DJ, so I’ve always understood the concept of marketing. With social media, I had the chance to really connect with my fans through engagement and taking people on the journey with me. Rather than be disconnected from the online community and have a team of people posting for me, I’ve always controlled my own social media and tried to respond to as many people as possible. By posting regular, everyday stuff about my life, which I would do if I had a normal job, it’s allowed me to keep it real with my fans whilst also posting about my shows and music. I didn’t reinvent the wheel with my social media, but to me, it’s important to know what my fans are enjoying. This helps me plan where I should play and what music to play when I’m there as my fans are so engaged with my content.
And what about your Misfits community? How did you create it and cement the loyalty of your followers, known for their passionate support of cross-genre innovation?
I’ve always felt like a misfit in this scene, so during lockdown in 2020, with the absence of events, I decided to create a Facebook group to bring all of us Misfits together. I have over 3 million followers across all platforms of social media so I wanted to create a group where people could connect with each other on a more personal level. I had hoped for a few thousand people in the group and after a few months I realised it was much bigger than that. We’re currently sitting at just under 30,000 members on Facebook and the community there is unreal.
There have been lifelong friendships formed, relationships, countless tattoos and even a few Misfit babies! It’s really heartwarming to see people join the group who have never been to a rave before and they ask about going to an event on their own and the Misfits come together and make sure they have a great time. There is absolutely no judgement in the group and people have said the community has helped with their mental health at times. It’s without doubt the biggest group of its kind on Facebook and I’m genuinely so proud of every one of the Misfits for making a safe space both online and at events for ravers of all ages.
What can you tell us about your projects for 2025?
I’ve got lots of things in the pipeline for 2025, both with events and music. I’m going to be playing a few back-to-back sets with friends this year, something that I love doing as the fun is off the scale. I’m working on some new event concepts that I can take to venues across the world, plus I’ll be playing some events and stages that I’ve never done before. Also, as I said previously, I’m building my own racing kart, so that will take up a bit of my time this year. It’s important to have a balance in life and I’m really happy with the balance I have at the moment. Plus, you never know, I might surprise people with something completely random!