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Topic (DJ)

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Topic
Topic in 2022
Topic in 2022
Background information
Birth nameTobias Topic
Born23 March 1992 (1992-03-23) (age 32)
Solingen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
GenresDance/Música electrónica, House progresivo, Afro House, Future Bass
Occupations
  • DJ
  • record producer
Labels

Tobias Topic (born 23 March 1992), also known mononymously as Topic (/ˈtɒpɪk/), is a German DJ and music producer. His song "Home" was certified platinum in Australia and Germany.[1][2]

Career

[edit]

Early career and commercial breakthrough

[edit]

Born in Solingen, Topic is of paternal Croatian descent.[3] He went to a high school in Hessen. At the age of 16, he started using Logic Studio, a digital audio workstation, to produce music with the guidance of a teacher.[1] He started his musical career on social media with the assistance of YouTube musicians who contacted him.[4][5] Topic's first release, a house song called "Light It Up", was released at the end of 2014 and reached more than one million views on his YouTube channel. In summer 2015, he released his debut album "Miles", which charted both German and Austrian charts.

Topic made the singles charts in both countries in January 2016 with the song "Home" featuring Nico Santos on vocals.[6] In April 2016, the track was released in Australia and reached the 11th place in its charts and went double platinum.[7] He has cited the internet as a source of his success, stating "The Internet has actually brought the world closer together."[8]

In July 2016, the single "Find You" followed, sung by Dutch singer Jake Reese, who has become famous by the Dutch edition of X-Factor and a collaboration with Hardwell on his songs Mad World and Run Wild. Already after one week, the song achieved a ranking in the single charts, but couldn't follow the success of his previous single.

In September 2016, he signed a record deal with Sony Music/ATV.[9] In the same year, Topic received a nomination for the MTV Europe Music Awards in Best German Act.[10]

2017–2018: "Perfect"

[edit]

He made the official single charts of Germany and Austria again in 2017 with the track Break My Habits with the vocals of Swedish singer-songwriter Patrik Jean.[11]

On 26 January 2018, Topic collaborated with American Fifth Harmony member and singer Ally Brooke for the single "Perfect".[12] The success of airplay also received attention in the United States, in particular through Brooke's appearance on the TV show Wild 'n Out. For the song, they were nominated for the Teen Choice Award 2018 in the "Electronic / Dance Song" category.[13]

With the track "Sólo Contigo", which was created in collaboration with Juan Magán and German singer Lena Meyer-Landrut, he released a Spanish-language single for the first time in spring 2018.[14] The song "The Less I Know" followed together with Alexander Tidebrink.[15]

2019: International breakthrough with "Breaking Me"

[edit]

On 19 December 2019, "Breaking Me" was released as the sixth single. It is a collaboration with the Swedish singer A7S and the first international chart success for Topic after almost two years. The single reached the Top 10 positions in Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, Canada, Italy, Australia, New Zealand, Denmark and Ireland.[16]

With "Breaking Me", Topic also reached the Top 10 of the British single charts for the first time and achieved his first number one on the Portuguese singles chart. In the US, he dominated the Dance chart for three weeks and ranked #53 on the Billboard Hot 100.[17] The single reached nearly a billion streams on Spotify[18] today and more than five billion streams overall.

2020: "Like I Love You" and "Why Do You Lie to Me"

[edit]

On 13 March 2020, the second single collaboration with Nico Santos, "Like I Love You" was released.[19] The song was also promoted with a joint live appearance on the famous German TV show Luke! Die Schule und ich at prime time. The single reached #24 in the German single charts[20] as well as #2 in the airplay charts.[21]

On 28 August 2020, the single "Why Do You Lie to Me" was released. This was the second collaboration of Topic and A7S features American rapper Lil Baby.[22]

2021: "Your Love (9PM)" and "My Heart Goes (La Di Da)"

[edit]

In January 2021, Topic remade German producer ATB's number-one hit "9 PM (Till I Come)", collaborating with ATB.[23] Retitled "Your Love (9PM)", the record also features A7S' vocals, making it their third collaboration, and was released on Positiva Records.[24] The record charted in a number of markets including the Top 10 in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the UK.[25] It is Topic's second most successful track to this date and amassed more than 500 million streams on Spotify alone. “Your Love (9PM)” was nominated in the category “International Song of the Year” at the BRIT Awards 2022.[26]

In June 2021, the single Chain My Heart followed together with American popstar and singer Bebe Rexha, making it to #16 on the US Dance charts. On 30 July 2021, the song Drive was released in a collaboration with British electropop band Clean Bandit and British singer Wes Nelson. The song reached rank 17 in the British single charts.[27] Four weeks later, the next composition appeared with British singer Becky Hill. "My Heart Goes (La Di Da)" was released on 24 August 2021 and reached #11 on the UK charts.[28]

2022: "Kernkraft 400 (A Better Day)" and further achievements

[edit]

On 28 January 2022, Topic released the single In Your Arms (For An Angel) together with Robin Schulz, Nico Santos and Paul van Dyk.[29] This is a new edition of van Dyk's For an Angel from 1994. In collaboration with German Popstar Alvaro Soler, the second Spanish-language single Solo Para Ti was released on 22 April 2022.[30]

The track Kernkraft 400 (A Better Day) followed on 17 June 2022 with singer and producer A7S and its core is built on a sample of Zombie Nations Kernkraft 400 from 1999. On 02 September 2022, Topic and the Swedish singer John Martin released the single Follow Me. Topics first club track and release with the label Tomorrowland Music, that worked with renown artists like Martin Garrix and Felix Jaehn before.[31] Topic states: “[...] John Martin is an incredible artist with huge credibility in the scene. One of my all time favorite tracks and a big inspiration is ‘Don’t You Worry Child’, so I’m incredibly honored that I had the chance to work with him. It’s great to now be able to unfold into a new direction musically and I am really looking forward to what is yet to come!”[32]

Topic was also part of the “Top 100 DJs 2022” from DJ Mag. After an impressive festival season, two diamond certifications in 28 countries and two awards in 2020 and 2021, he was able to secure rank 69.[33]

Topic was part of the documentary We Are Tomorrow[34] from Tomorrowland, that was published on YouTube on 20 September 2022. The four protagonists Topic, Gaggan Anand, Kelly De Clercq and Vicky Tah were filmed and interviewed on their road to Tomorrowland.[35] In the documentary, Topic's live performance and career are displayed and he talks about his idea of a new edition of the hit "Breaking Me" with the new title "Saving Me", as the soundtrack of the documentary with American singer-songwriter Sasha Alex Sloan.[36]

Discography

[edit]

Albums

[edit]
List of studio albums, with selected chart positions and certifications
Title Album details Peak chart positions
GER
[37] 		AUT
[38]
Miles 67 70

Singles

[edit]
Title Year Peak chart positions Certifications Album
GER
[37] 		AUS
[39] 		AUT
[38] 		CAN
[40] 		IRE
[41] 		NLD
[42] 		SWI
[43] 		UK
[44] 		US
Dance/
Elec.
[45]
"Light It Up"
(with Jona Selle) 		2014 — — — — — — — — — Miles
"Real Stars"
(with Marco Minella) 		2015 — — — — — — — — —
"Miles"
(with Krism) 		— — — — — — — — —
"Home"
(featuring Nico Santos)[46] 		12 11 10 — — — — — —
"Fly Away"
(with Lili Pistorius) 		— — — — — — — — —
"Find You"
(with Jake Reese) 		2016 57 — 63 — — — — — — Non-album singles
"Break My Habits" 2017 58 — 73 — — — — — —
"Perfect"
(with Ally Brooke) 		2018 98 — 73 — — — — — 38
"Sólo Contigo"[48]
(with Juan Magán and Lena) 		— — — — — — — — —
"Breaking Me"
(with A7S) 		2019 3 4 2 9 3 2 4 3 3
"Like I Love You"
(with Nico Santos) 		2020 24 — 32 — — — 54 — — Nico Santos
"Why Do You Lie to Me"
(with A7S featuring Lil Baby)[54] 		98 — — — — — 86 — 17 Non-album singles
"Lost"
(with Samra) 		3 — 7 — — — 8 — —
"Your Love (9PM)"
(with ATB and A7S)[55] 		2021 6 18 8 77 8
[56]		 12 6 8 9
"Chain My Heart"
(with Bebe Rexha) 		100 — — — — — — — 16
"Drive"
(with Clean Bandit featuring Wes Nelson) 		— — — — 30
[57]		 — — 17 25 TBA
"My Heart Goes (La Di Da)"
(with Becky Hill) 		87 100 — — 6
[57]		 — — 11 26
  • ARIA: 2× Platinum[58]
 Only Honest on the Weekend
"Ich bin weg (Boro Boro)"
(with Samra featuring Arash) 		9 — 16 — — — 12 — — Non-album singles
"In Your Arms (For an Angel)"
(with Robin Schulz, Nico Santos and Paul Van Dyk)[59] 		2022 36 — — — — — 61 — 33
"Solo Para Ti"
(with Alvaro Soler)[60] 		57 — 65 — — 77 52 — —
"Kernkraft 400 (A Better Day)"
(with A7S)[61] 		26 — 34 — — 29 100 — —
"All or Nothing"
(with Hrvy)[62] 		— — — — — — — — —
"Forget You"
(with Fast Boy) 		2023 73 — — — — — — — —
"Lucid Dream"[63] — — — — — — — — —
"One by One"[64]
(with Robin Schultz featuring Oaks) 		2024 — — — — — — — — — TBA
"Peakin'" — — — — — — — — —
"I Adore You"
(with Hugel and Arash featuring Daecolm) 		12 — 42 — — 16 11 69 25
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released.

Remixes

[edit]

Awards and nominations

[edit]
Year Organization Award Work Result Ref.
2016 MTV Europe Music Awards Best German Act Himself Nominated [67]
2016 1 Live Krone Best Single Home (with Nico Santos) Nominated [68]
2018 Teen Choice Awards Choice Electronic/Dance Song Perfect (with Ally Brooke) Nominated [69]
2020 LOS40 Music Awards Best Dance Act Himself Won [70]
2020 1 Live Krone Best Single Breaking Me (with A7S) Nominated [71]
2020 1 Live Krone Best Dance Act Himself Nominated [72]
2021 Audi Generation Award Music Himself Won
2022 BRIT Awards Best International Song Your Love (9PM) (mit ATB & A7S) Nominated [72]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "Musik: Topic ist als Produzent auf der Erfolgsspur - aber singen will er lieber nicht". Südkurier (in German). 17 January 2017. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
  2. ^ "In-Producer Topic aus Solingen startet auch international durch". neuH Magazine (in German). 10 July 2016. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
  3. ^ Zvijezda svjetskih top-lista je Hrvat: 'Navijam za hrvatsku reprezentaciju i ljetujem u Puli'
  4. ^ "Topic: Dagi Bees bester Freund über sein lässiges Leben als DJ". Bravo (in German). 5 April 2018. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
  5. ^ Radtke, Guido (4 June 2016). "Solingen: Topic spielt neuen Song zum ersten Mal in der Festhalle". RP ONLINE. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
  6. ^ Einck, Henry. "Musikvideo » Topic feat. Nico Santos - Home". Dance-Charts.de (in German). Retrieved 26 January 2018.
  7. ^ "Topic, Robin Schulz, Nico Santos, Paul Van Dyk - In Your Arms (For An Angel)". schmusa.de (in German). 29 January 2022. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  8. ^ "Music Video - TOPIC - Home Ft Nico Santos". Retrieved 26 January 2018.
  9. ^ "MusikWoche News Sony/ATV gewinnt". www.mediabiz.de (in German). Retrieved 26 January 2018.
  10. ^ ""best german act": Die Beginner sind für die MTV EMAs nominiert". www.universal-music.de (in German). Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  11. ^ "Topic released Break My Habits mit einem filmreifen Musikvideo". It's All About The Music (in German). 14 January 2017. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
  12. ^ "Fifth Harmony's Ally Brooke Releasing Debut Solo Single 'Perfect,' Collab With Topic". Billboard. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
  13. ^ Vacco-Bolanos, Jessica (12 August 2018). "Teen Choice Awards 2018: All the Nominees and Winners". Us Weekly. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  14. ^ Hummel, BS-Live! Sascha. "TOPIC x Juan Magan x Lena "SOLO CONTIGO" (CD)". www.bs-live.de. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  15. ^ Hummel, BS-Live! Sascha. "Topic- The less I know (CD)". www.bs-live.de. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  16. ^ Chartsurfer.de. "Breaking Me von Topic feat. A7S". www.chartsurfer.de. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  17. ^ "Topic". Billboard. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  18. ^ "Topic". Spotify.
  19. ^ Nico Santos & Topic - Like I Love You (in German), retrieved 9 November 2022
  20. ^ "Offizielle Deutsche Charts - Offizielle Deutsche Charts". www.offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  21. ^ "germancharts.de - Airplay Charts Deutschland". germancharts.de. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  22. ^ "Google Calendar - Sign in to Access & Edit Your Schedule". accounts.google.com. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  23. ^ ATB X Topic X A7S - Your Love (9PM) (in German), retrieved 9 November 2022
  24. ^ "ATB collaborates with Topic to reimagine "Your Love (9pm)". Datatransmission.co. 15 January 2021.
  25. ^ Chartsurfer.de. "Your Love (9PM) von ATB x Topic x A7S". www.chartsurfer.de. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  26. ^ "2022 International Song of the Year nominees announced!". BRIT Awards. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  27. ^ Chartsurfer.de. "Drive von Clean Bandit & Topic Feat. Wes Nelson". www.chartsurfer.de. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  28. ^ Chartsurfer.de. "My Heart Goes (La Di Da) von Becky Hill & Topic". www.chartsurfer.de. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  29. ^ Topic X Robin Schulz X Nico Santos X Paul van Dyk - In Your Arms (For An Angel), retrieved 9 November 2022
  30. ^ Köln, Radio. "Alvaro Soler, Topic - Solo Para Ti". Radio Köln (in German). Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  31. ^ Emmers, Kevin R. (2 September 2022). "Topic & John Martin veröffentlichen ihren Track "Follow Me"". frontstage-magazine.de (in German). Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  32. ^ "Topic John Martin Follow Me". 2 September 2022. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  33. ^ "Topic | Top 100 DJs 2022". DJMag.com. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  34. ^ We Are Tomorrow l Documentary, 20 September 2022, retrieved 9 November 2022
  35. ^ Germany, DJ MAG (20 September 2022). ""We Are Tomorrow": Tomorrowland-Dokumentation über ikonische Rückkehr". www.djmag.de (in German). Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  36. ^ Emmers, Kevin R. (15 July 2022). "TOPIC enthüllt mitreißende Überarbeitung seines globales Hits "Breaking Me" für Tomorrowland". frontstage-magazine.de (in German). Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  37. ^ a b "Discographie von Topic". GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
  38. ^ a b "Discographie Topic - austriancharts.at". austriancharts.at. Retrieved 6 November 2024.
  39. ^ a b Peaks in Australia:
  40. ^ "Topic, Canadian Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  41. ^ "IRMA – Irish Charts". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
  42. ^ "Discografie Topic". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
  43. ^ "Discographie Topic feat. A7S". hitparade.ch. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
  44. ^ "Topic ft. A7S | full Official Chart history". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
  45. ^ "Topic Chart History: Dance/Electronic Songs". Billboard. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
  46. ^ "Urban Dance". Warner Music Germany (in German). 29 March 2016. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  47. ^ a b c d e "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank". Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  48. ^ "Sólo Contigo - Single by Topic, Juan Magán & Lena on iTunes". iTunes. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
  49. ^ a b "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2021" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
  50. ^ a b c d "British certifications – Topic". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 19 July 2022. Type Topic in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  51. ^ a b c d "Austrian single certifications – Topic" (in German). IFPI Austria. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
  52. ^ a b "Canadian certifications – Topic". Music Canada. Retrieved 30 May 2021.
  53. ^ "American certifications – Topic". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
  54. ^ "Topic, A7S - Why Do You Lie To Me (Lyric Video) ft. Lil Baby". YouTube. 27 August 2020. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  55. ^ "Your Love (9PM) – Single". Apple Music. 15 January 2021. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  56. ^ "Top 100 Singles, Week Ending 5 March 2021". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
  57. ^ a b "Top 100 Singles, Week Ending 12 November 2021". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  58. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2024 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
  59. ^ "Topic, Robin Schulz, Nico Santos & Paul Van Dyk - In Your Arms (For An Angel)". mix1.de (in German). Retrieved 28 January 2022.
  60. ^ ""Solo Para Ti" von Alvaro Soler & Topic – Titel auf Apple Music". Apple Music (in German). Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  61. ^ "Kernkraft 400 (A Better Day) by Topic & A7S on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  62. ^ "Topic and HRVY Unleash 'All or Nothing'". Broadway World. 16 December 2022. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
  63. ^ "TOPIC veröffentlicht seine neue Single "Lucid Dream" + Lyric-Video". magedburg-klickt.de (in German). 16 June 2023. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  64. ^ "Robin Schulz and Topic Unleash Electrifying Dance Anthem "One By One" Featuring Oaks". Clubbing TV. 19 January 2024. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  65. ^ "Natural Blues (Topic Remix) [feat. Gregory Porter & Amythyst Kiah] - Single by Moby & Topic on Apple Music". Retrieved 31 May 2021 – via Apple Music.
  66. ^ "You (feat. Troye Sivan & Tate McRae) [Topic Remix] - Single by Regard on Apple Music". Retrieved 30 June 2021 – via Apple Music.
  67. ^ "Solingen: Solinger Discjockey für MTV-Award nominiert". Rp-online.de. 10 October 2016. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  68. ^ "1Live Krone 2016 : Die Nominees stehen fest" (PDF). Presse.wdr.de. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  69. ^ "Entertainment Weekly". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 13 August 2018.
  70. ^ "LOS40 Music Awards 2020". LOS40.com. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  71. ^ "Die Nominierten in der Kategorie "Beste Single", 1LIVE Krone 2020 I Beste Single - Beste Single - Nominierte - 1LIVE Krone - Radio - WDR". Archived from the original on 19 May 2021. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
  72. ^ a b "Die Nominierten in der Kategorie "Bester Dance Act", 1LIVE Krone 2020 I Bester Dance Act - Krone 2020 - Events - 1LIVE - Radio - WDR". Archived from the original on 18 November 2020. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
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