Calvin Harris has revealed his unusual musical inspirations

We weren't expecting that

Calvin Harris
Author: Anna Sky MagliolaPublished 2nd Jul 2018

Calvin Harris has made a name for himself over the years for being one of the highest-paid DJs in the world, especially when it comes to dance music, however in a recent interview he has revealed that he had some rather unusual musical inspirations at the beginning of his dance music journey.

One of Calvin's inspirations was actually the rock band Nirvana, known in the 90s for their hits such as 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' and 'Heart-Shaped Box'. Calvin revealed that at the age of eight he picked up a guitar and learnt the bassline to their 1992 hit 'Lithium'.

He also revealed that Jamiroquai were another influence for the young superstar, saying their 1993 album 'Emergency on Planet Earth' was unreal and amazing.

Starting out in 2007 with his debut album 'I Created Disco', Calvin Harris, real name Adam Wiles, soon became one of the most popular DJs and producers around, with hits such as, 'Sweet Nothing', 'Summer' and last year 'Feels'.

See the full top ten Electronic Cash Kings in 2017 according to Forbes.

10. Zedd - $19,000,000

Zeed enjoyed chart success in 2017 collaborating with Alessia Cara on 'Stay' and more recently Liam Payne on 'Get Low' which was released last month.

9. Martin Garrix - $19,500,000

Martin Garrix released 'Scared to Be Lonely' with British singer Dua Lip earlier this year and in 2016 his collaboration with Bebe Rexa, 'In the Name of Love' reached the top 10 in the UK.

8. marshmello - $21,000,000

marshmello joined the electronic music scene a couple of years ago when he made a name for himself remixing Jack Ü and Zedd.

7. David Guetta - $25,000,000

David Guetta has been in the industry for many years, most recently he had a top 5 hit with Justin Bieber, '2U', the video of which featured the Victoria's Secret Angels.

6. Diplo - $28,500,000

Diplo is known as a DJ and producer, having a handful of top 40 songs in the UK charts since the early 2000s. He is also part of Major Lazer who released 'Cold Water' last year featuring Justin Bieber and MØ.

5. Steve Aoki - $29,500,000

Steve Aoki has been the subject of a Netflix documentary and set up his own record label Dim Mak Records in the mid-90s. Late last year he teamed up with Louis Tomlinson for 'Just Hold On'.

4. Skrillex - $30,000,000

As well as a DJ in his own right Skrillex teamed up with Diplo to form Jack U. They're largest hit was 'Where Are U Now' featuring Justin Bieber.

3. The Chainsmokers - $38,000,000

This year The Chainsmokers are embarking on their 'Memories... Do Not Open' tour following the success of their collaborations with Halsey on 'Closer' and Coldplay on 'Something Just Like This'.

2. Tiësto - $39,000,000

Although his music tends not to break into the UK top 40 Tiësto is a regular at dance music festivals around the world.

1. Calvin Harris - $48,500,000

This year Calvin has had hits with 'Feels', 'Heatstroke' and 'Slide'.

Last month Magnetic magazine calculated how quickly Calvin Harris makes the average US salary, and it wasn't long. According to their calculations, Calvin Harris would earn in half a day what a registered nurse does in a year!

This year Calvin's success continued when he teamed up with Dua Lipa on the amazing 'One Kiss'. In May, according to the DJ the song had become the biggest song in the WORLD! Taking to Twitter to reveal the exciting news, Calvin said, 'One Kiss @DUALIPA is the biggest song in the world rn number 1 global iTunes, Apple Music & Spotify thank you so much !!!!!!' sic

'One Kiss' was released back in April and has enjoyed a number of weeks at the top spot, giving Calvin his ninth number 1 and Dua's second number 1.

Watch the fantastic music video for 'One Kiss' below.

Whilst Calvin Harris continues to produce hits he also has a residency in a Las Vegas club and appears at a number of festivals throughout the year.

Here are 9 songs you probably didn't know that Calvin Harris had written.

You can hear some of Calvin's biggest hits on KISS.