Darude

Darude
Darude in 2014
Darude in 2014
Background information
Birth nameToni-Ville Henrik Virtanen
Also known as
  • Rude Boy
  • Da Rude
Born (1975-07-17) 17 July 1975 (age 49)
Eura, Satakunta, Finland
OriginTurku, Finland
Genres
Occupations
  • DJ
  • record producer
Years active1997–present
Labels
Websitedarude.com

Toni-Ville Henrik Virtanen (Finnish: [ˈtoniˌʋilːe ˈhenrik ˈʋirtɑnen]; born 17 July 1975), better known by his stage name Darude (/dəˈruːd/), is a Finnish DJ and record producer from Eura, Satakunta.[1] His music is characterised by its progressive/uplifting style.[2] He started making music in 1995 and released the platinum-selling[3] hit single "Sandstorm" in late 1999. His debut studio album, Before the Storm, was released on 18 September 2000, and sold 800,000 copies worldwide,[1] earning Darude three Finnish Grammy Awards.[1] It peaked at number one on Finland's Official List[4] and number 6 on the Billboard Dance/Electronic Albums chart in the United States.[5] Darude's second studio album, Rush, reached number 11 on the Billboard dance chart in 2003[6] and number 4 on weekly album chart in Finland.[4]

His third studio album, Label This! was released in 2007.[7] Though it did not chart as high as his previous albums, Gawker praised the album's single "In the Darkness" as "a floating, gossamer piece of trance music... it's tightly composed, easy to dance to, and has a soaring, undeniable hook."[8] In 2011, he co-founded the record label EnMass Music, through which he has released a number of mix compilations related to his radio show Salmiakki Sessions. After performing at festivals such as the tenth anniversary of Tomorrowland in 2014[9] and Future Music Festival in 2015,[10] he released his most recent studio album, Moments, on August 14, 2015, followed by a tour of the United States and Canada in September 2015. He represented Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019, alongside singer Sebastian Rejman, with the song "Look Away". Darude now occasionally performs on Tallink Silja cruises for mildly enthusiastic audiences.

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