History of Steve Aoki in Timeline
Steve Aoki is a highly successful American DJ and record producer. Known for his energetic performances and touring, he was named the top-grossing electronic dance music artist in North America by Pollstar in 2012. His impact extends beyond music, as evidenced by his recognition as one of the Most Impactful Asians by Gold House in 2024.
November 30, 1977: Birth of Steve Aoki
Steve Aoki was born on November 30, 1977.
1995: Graduation from Newport Harbor High School
Steve Aoki graduated from Newport Harbor High School in 1995, where he played on the varsity badminton team.
1996: Founding of Dim Mak Records
In 1996, Steve Aoki founded his own record label, Dim Mak Records.
May 2006: Board Member of Music Is Revolution Foundation
Steve Aoki became a board member for MC5 bassist Michael Davis' Music Is Revolution Foundation, a non-profit organization supporting music education in public schools, in May 2006.
2007: Music Video Cameos
In 2007, Steve Aoki made cameo appearances in the music videos for Cobra Starship's "Send My Love to the Dancefloor, I'll See You in Hell (Hey Mister DJ)" and The Sounds' single "Tony the Beat".
2007: Early Career Awards
In 2007, Steve Aoki was recognized with several awards, including Best Party Rocker DJ by BPM Magazine, Best DJ of the Year by Paper Magazine, and Best Set of the Season at the Ibiza Awards.
January 2008: Release of Debut DJ Mix Album
Steve Aoki's debut DJ mix album, "Pillowface and His Airplane Chronicles", was released in January 2008.
August 2, 2008: Essential Mix on BBC Radio 1
Steve Aoki's Essential Mix aired on BBC Radio 1 on August 2, 2008.
2008: Remix of The All-American Rejects' "The Wind Blows"
Steve Aoki remixed "The Wind Blows" for the UK edition of The All-American Rejects' 2008 album "When The World Comes Down".
November 10, 2009: Release of Drake's "Forever" Remix
Steve Aoki released his remix of Drake's "Forever" on November 10, 2009.
December 2009: "Forever" Remix Tops Hype Machine Chart
Steve Aoki's remix of Drake's "Forever" reached the top of Hype Machine's chart in December 2009.
March 2010: Release of "I'm in the House"
Steve Aoki released "I'm in the House", a collaboration with Zuper Blahq (will.i.am), in March 2010.
May 2010: Collaboration with Lucas Secon and Rivers Cuomo
Producer Lucas Secon confirmed working with Steve Aoki and Rivers Cuomo on a single in May 2010.
2010: Engagement to Tiernan Cowling
Steve Aoki and Australian model Tiernan Cowling got engaged in 2010.
2011: "I'm In the House" Featured in Documentary
Steve Aoki's song "I'm In the House" was featured in the music festival documentary "Electric Daisy Carnival" in 2011.
January 2012: Turntable.fm Listening Session
In January 2012, Steve Aoki became the first established artist to fully orchestrate a listening session using the platform Turntable.fm, releasing new tracks in conjunction with SOL REPUBLIC Headphones.
January 2012: Release of Debut Solo Album "Wonderland"
Steve Aoki's first solo album, "Wonderland", was released in January 2012, featuring collaborations with various artists.
July 2012: Pollstar's Top 100 North American Tours
In July 2012, Steve Aoki was listed in Pollstar's Top 100 North American Tours Mid-Year Report.
October 27, 2012: Second Essential Mix on BBC Radio 1
Steve Aoki's Essential Mix aired for the second time on BBC Radio 1 on October 27, 2012.
December 11, 2012: Release of EP "It's the End of the World As We Know It"
On December 11, 2012, Steve Aoki released his first extended play, "It's the End of the World As We Know It".
2012: Pollstar's Highest-Grossing EDM Artist
In 2012, Steve Aoki was named the highest-grossing electronic dance music artist in North America from tours by Pollstar.
2012: DJ Magazine and MTVu Recognition
In 2012, Steve Aoki was ranked No. 15 in DJ Magazine's Top 100 DJs and was named America's #2 Best DJ. He also won an EDM Effect Woodie Award from MTVu.
2012: "Beat Down" Featured in TV Promo
Steve Aoki's track "Beat Down", featuring Iggy Azalea, was used in a promo for the reality show "Bad Girls All-Star Battle" in 2012.
March 20, 2013: Arrow Cameo Appearance
On March 20, 2013, Steve Aoki appeared as himself in an episode of The CW's superhero series "Arrow", DJing at the grand opening of Oliver Queen's fictional nightclub.
October 11, 2013: Collaboration with Linkin Park
Steve Aoki collaborated with Linkin Park on the song "A Light That Never Comes" released on October 11, 2013.
2013: Charity Donation During North American Tour
During his 2013 North American tour, Steve Aoki pledged to donate a dollar from every ticket sale to four charities, with fans voting for the grand prize winner. A total of $65,000 was raised, with the Brain Preservation Foundation receiving the largest donation of $33,000.
2013: "Boneless" Featured in Commercials
From 2013 to 2014, Steve Aoki's track "Boneless" was featured in commercials for companies like Scion, Budweiser, and Sol Republic.
2013: America's Best DJ and Guinness World Record
In 2013, Steve Aoki finished in 6th place in the America's Best DJ competition by DJ Times magazine. He also received a Guinness World Record for the "longest crowd cheer" during one of his performances.
2013: Grammy Nomination for "Wonderland"
In 2013, Steve Aoki's debut studio album, Wonderland, was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Dance/Electronica Album.
January 2014: Release of "A Light That Never Comes (Remixes)"
An EP of remixes for "A Light That Never Comes" was released digitally in January 2014.
September 30, 2014: Neon Future I Release
On September 30, 2014, Steve Aoki released the first part of his two-part album, Neon Future I, which topped the Dance/Electronic Albums chart in the United States.
December 2014: Never Mind the Buzzcocks Appearance
In December 2014, Steve Aoki appeared on the music quiz show "Never Mind the Buzzcocks".
2014: Guinness World Records and DJ Mag Ranking
In 2014, Steve Aoki set two Guinness World Records, one for the "longest crowd cheer" and another for the "most amount of glow sticks for thirty seconds." He also finished 10th in DJ Mag's Top 100 DJs competition and earned the Guinness record for "most traveled musician in one year", with 161 shows in 41 countries.
2014: Music Featured in Films and Commercials
Throughout 2014, several of Steve Aoki's tracks were used in films like "Step Up: All In" and "22 Jump Street", and commercials for brands like Scion and Budweiser.
April 14, 2015: "Darker Than Blood" Release
On April 14, 2015, Steve Aoki released "Darker Than Blood," a single featuring Linkin Park, from his upcoming album Neon Future II.
May 12, 2015: Neon Future II Release
Steve Aoki's Neon Future II was released on May 12, 2015, featuring collaborations with Snoop Lion, Rivers Cuomo, and others.
May 2015: Documentary Acquisition
In May 2015, Relativity Productions secured the rights to distribute the documentary "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead", about Steve Aoki's life and career.
2015: Philanthropic Recognition
In 2015, Steve Aoki was recognized for his charitable work. He was named No. 1 on EDM.com's list of the 11 most charitable EDM producers and was appointed a Global Ambassador for the Best Buddies program. Additionally, MTV Latin America honored him with the Chiuku Award for humanitarian work at the International Dance Music Awards.
2015: Soundtrack and Documentary Feature
In 2015, Steve Aoki's music was featured in the science fiction thriller "The Hive", and he was the central figure in the documentary "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead".
2015: Ultra Music Festival Performance and DJ Mag Ranking
On May 21, 2015, Steve Aoki performed at the Ultra Music Festival in Miami Beach. He also secured the 10th position in DJ Mag's Top 100 DJs competition that year.
July 1, 2016: Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 Announcement
On July 1, 2016, it was announced that Steve Aoki would appear in the video game Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 as both a musical contributor and non-playable character.
2016: America's Best DJ Ranking
Steve Aoki finished in 8th place in the 2016 America's Best DJ competition by DJ Times magazine.
July 2017: Chester Bennington Tribute Singles
Following Chester Bennington's death in July 2017, Steve Aoki released two tribute singles honoring the Linkin Park vocalist.
July 21, 2017: "Kolony" Release
Steve Aoki's fourth studio album, "Steve Aoki Presents Kolony", was released on July 21, 2017, featuring collaborations with various artists like Migos, Lil Yachty, and Gucci Mane.
November 2017: Collaborations and Remixes
November 2017 saw Steve Aoki producing a remix of BTS's song "Mic Drop" and releasing "All Night" with Lauren Jauregui of Fifth Harmony.
2017: DJ Mag Top 100 Ranking
In 2017, Steve Aoki achieved the 10th position in DJ Mag's Top 100 DJs competition.
February 2018: "5OKI" EP Announcement
In February 2018, Steve Aoki announced his five-track EP "5OKI," a follow-up to his 2016 EP "4OKI," focused on EDM and cross-genre collaborations.
March 23, 2018: "5OKI" EP Release
Starting on March 23, 2018, Steve Aoki released the tracks from his "5OKI" EP weekly over five weeks, each featuring a different collaborator.
May 18, 2018: "Pretender" Release
Aoki released "Pretender," featuring AJR and Lil Yachty, on May 18, 2018.
June 2018: Remix and Controversy
In June 2018, Steve Aoki remixed Rita Ora's "Girls" and released a controversial dance version of "Bella Ciao" with DJ Marnik.
July 20, 2018: "Lie to Me" Release
On July 20, 2018, Steve Aoki released "Lie to Me," featuring singer-songwriter Ina Wroldsen.
August 6, 2018: "Neon Future III" Announcement
Steve Aoki announced his album "Neon Future III" on August 6, 2018, mentioning collaborations with Nicki Minaj, Maluma, Blink-182, and BTS.
October 9, 2018: "Neon Future III" Release
Steve Aoki released "Neon Future III" on October 9, 2018.
October 25, 2018: "Waste It on Me" Release
On October 25, 2018, Aoki and BTS released their third collaboration, "Waste It on Me," marking BTS's first all-English single.
2018: Split from Tiernan Cowling
In 2018, Steve Aoki and Tiernan Cowling announced their amicable separation, citing Aoki's demanding tour schedule as a strain on their relationship.
September 9, 2019: "Let It Be Me" Release
"Let It Be Me," a collaboration between Steve Aoki and the Backstreet Boys, was released on September 9, 2019.
2019: Publication of Memoir "Blue: The Color of Noise"
Steve Aoki published his memoir, "Blue: The Color of Noise", in 2019.
April 2020: "Neon Future IV" Release
Aoki's "Neon Future IV" was released in April 2020.
May 8, 2020: Fortnite Party Royale Premiere Performance
On May 8, 2020, Steve Aoki performed alongside Dillon Francis and Deadmau5 in the Fortnite Party Royale Premiere.
June 24, 2020: "Ninja Re Bang Bang" Remix Release
Steve Aoki and Kyary Pamyu Pamyu released their remix of "Ninja Re Bang Bang" on June 24, 2020, which was also used as a theme song for the video game "Ninjala".
August 21, 2020: Crass Remix Release
Aoki released remixes of songs by the band Crass on August 21, 2020, with proceeds going to a domestic abuse charity.
September 16, 2022: "Hiroquest: Genesis" Release
Steve Aoki's seventh studio album, "Hiroquest: Genesis," featuring collaborations with Mod Sun, PnB Rock, Taking Back Sunday, and others, was released on September 16, 2022.
2022: Cryopreservation Plans
In 2022, Steve Aoki revealed his plans for cryopreservation during an interview with Peter Diamandis titled "A DJ's Crazy Schedule, Cryonics, and the Making of Pursuit of Happiness."
2022: dearMoon Project Selection
Steve Aoki was selected to participate in a lunar spaceflight as a crew member for the dearMoon project in 2022.
2022: New Music Releases
Throughout 2022, Steve Aoki released various singles, some of which would be included in his upcoming seventh studio album, "Hiroquest: Genesis".
January 2023: "Muñecas" Release
Argentine singer Tini released "Muñecas," a collaboration with Steve Aoki and La Joaqui, on January 2023.
August 18, 2023: "Hiroquest 2: Double Helix" Announcement
Aoki announced his eighth studio album, "Hiroquest 2: Double Helix," a sequel to "Hiroquest: Genesis," on August 18, 2023.
November 17, 2023: "Hiroquest 2: Double Helix" Release
"Hiroquest 2: Double Helix", featuring collaborations with Paris Hilton, Akon, and others, was released on November 17, 2023.
2023: Planned dearMoon Mission
The dearMoon mission, with Steve Aoki as a crew member, was scheduled to take place in 2023 aboard a SpaceX Starship.
2024: Gold House Recognition
In 2024, Steve Aoki was recognized by Gold House as one of the Most Impactful Asians.
2024: dearMoon Project Cancellation
The dearMoon project, which included Steve Aoki as a crew member, was cancelled in 2024 following delays with the SpaceX Starship program.
