Sonny Moore, better known by his stage name Skrillex and also known by his original stage-name Twipz, is an American Producer and DJ. He is known to be one of the key artists in popularizing Dubstep, one of the top Spotify streamed EDM artists,[1] being awarded with 8 Grammys and 14 Nominations,[2] and for even being labeled as the "King of Dubstep".
Biography[]
Sonny Moore was born on January 15, 1988, in highland park in northeast LA. He was given up by his birth mother and raised by two loving adoptive parents. The family moved to the forest hill neighborhood of San Francisco when Sonny was 2. By the age of 5 he'd become obsessed with music, Michael Jackson in particular, which at every chance he could he would dress up as him, he had the shoes, the glove, the shirt and the hat, which he would wear to school. At the age of 9 his parents gifted him his first guitar. The first Albums he ever brought were Marilyn Manson's "Antichrist Superstar" as well as Nine Inch Nails "Broken" EP. At 10 he attended a boarding school located out in the Mojave-desert, and at 12 his family relocated back to northeastern California. There he was enrolled in a private academy specializing in arts. He said his big musical turning point was when he discovered Warm Wreckers when he was only 12, specifically the music of Aphex Twin. Due to relentless bullying at school it was decided when Sonny was 14 that he would be homeschooled by his adoptive parents. By this time Sunny had already formed two bands with friends he had met at rock concerts, on top of all this he also joined another group know as the Risk, but young Skrillex, a nickname that had been given to him by his band buds, well he was getting fed up with everyone else, because no one wanted to put in the hard work as much as he did. At 16 his family broke the new to him that he was adopted and at this point in time he felt really unsure because everyone around him apparently they knew and no one told him, he then decided to pack his bags and move out of his parents house. Thankfully he had a new career awaiting him as he had been messaging From First to Last a band who were in need of a guitarist. Skrillex got the gig and moved to Georgia, which as soon as he started working with the band they decided to make him the lead vocalist, which at the time Skrillex was in an angry mood so the work as a screaming vocalist worked out for him, that was for 3 years until he had to undergo throat surgery. By 2007 there was a lot of beef amongst the band members and Skrillex had realized that being a singer wasn't that his heart was into, he decided he would go for a solo career, and a few months later after quitting the band, he got a deal with Atlantic Records. From there he moved to LA, and poured all his energy into making new music and at this time he was operating under the name Twix, which by 2010 he would have adopted the nickname Skrillex that he grew up with. He then released his debut EP "Skrill", and soon after the Dubstep game changer released "My Name is Skrillex". That same year he worked with Metalcore group Bring Me the Horizon, and toured with Deadmau5, which he would later be signed to popular EDM label mau5trap owned by Deadmau5, which would be the label he'd release his debut album "Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites" through, which would chart within the top 50 on the Billboard hot 200. He followed his this up with his first remix album "More Monsters and Sprites", which this release included the single "First of the Year (Equinox)" which was accompanied by a Grammy nominated music-video. Also in 2011 Skrillex launched his own label and collaborated with artists such as new metal band Korn, Electro house duo Knife Party, and DJ producer Kaskade. By the end of that year Skrillex released his EP "Bangarang", which not only did it manage to reach the Billboard 200 top 20, it also topped the Billboard Dance/Electronic Albums chart. In 2012 the industry and the mainstream took notice of this up-and-comer when he was awarded 3 Grammy Awards at the 54th Grammy Awards. He later went on to gain popularity from the mainstream, and even get noticed by artists like Justin Bieber, which he would later go onto produce music for Justin Bieber that year for his album "Purpose" featuring Justin Bieber's hit song produced by Skrillex named "Sorry", which would ern them a Grammy Award, over 1 billion streams on Spotify and over 3 billion view on YouTube. Later producing more work for Justin Bieber, forming a duo with Diplo named Jack Ü and release their hit single featuring Justin Bieber named "Where Are Ü Now", which would ern them a Grammy Award, over 900 million streams on Spotify and over 1 billion view on YouTube. With his popularity and awards building up he has been labeled as one of the best EDM artists of all time.
Discography[]
Studio albums[]
- Purpose (2015) (Justin Bieber) [Production credits]
- Skrillex and Diplo Present Jack Ü (2015) (Jack Ü with Diplo)
- Recess (2014)
Extended plays[]
- Turn Off the Lights (2019) (with Dog Blood and Boys Noize)
- Make It Bun Dem After Hours (2012) (with Damian Marley)
- Bangarang (2011)
- More Monsters and Sprites (2011)
- Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites (2010)
- My Name is Skrillex (2010)
Key Accomplishments[3][]
- Skrillex's fifth EP, 2011's "Bangarang" hit No. 14 on the Billboard 200
- Skrillex earned his first three GRAMMY wins for 2011 at the 54th Grammy Awards for Best Dance/Electronic Recording "Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites", Best Dance/Electronica Album "Scary Monsters And Nice Sprites" and Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical "Cinema (Skirllex Remix)"
- Skrillex's fifth EP, 2011's "Bangarang" earned two GRAMMY wins in 2013 at the 55th Annual Grammy Awards for Best Best Dance/Electronic Recording and for Best Dance/Electronic Album
- Skrillex's debut full-length album, 2014's "Recess" peaked at No. 4
- Skrillex's scored his first Top 10 hit with "Where Are Ü Now" featuring Diplo and Justin Bieber
Grammy Awards and Nominations[4][]
| Nominee title | Award |
|---|---|
| Himself (2012) | Best New Artist (Nominated) |
| Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites Song (2012) | Best Dance Recording (Won) |
| Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites EP (2012) | Best Dance/Electronica Album (Won) |
| Cinema (Skrillex Remix) Single (2012) | Best Remix Recording (Won) |
| First of the Year (Equinox) Music Video (2012) | Best Short Form Music Video (Nominated) |
| Bangarang Song (2013) | Best Dance Recording (Won) |
| Bangarang EP (2013) | Best Dance/Electronica Album (Won) |
| Promises (Skrillex & Nero Remix) Single (2013) | Best Remix Recording (Won) |
| Where Are Ü Now Single (Jack Ü with Diplo and Justin Bieber) (2016) | Best Dance Recording (Won) |
| Skrillex and Diplo Present Jack Ü Album (Jack Ü with Diplo) (2016) | Best Dance/Electronica Album (Won) |
| Purpose Album (with Justin Bieber) (2017) | Album of the Year (Nominated) |
| Purple Lamborghini Song (with Rick Ross and Beat Billionaire) (2017) | Best Song Written for Visual Media (Nominated) |
| Midnight Hour Single (with Ty Dolla Sign and Boys Noize) | Best Dance Recording (Nominated) |