Armin van Buuren (born Armin Jozef Jacobus Daniël van Buuren, December 25, … Read Full Bio ↴Armin van Buuren (born Armin Jozef Jacobus Daniël van Buuren, December 25, 1976) is a trance (mostly progressive trance and uplifting trance) music producer and DJ from the Netherlands. His musical career started in 1995.
He has been named number one in the prestigious DJ MAG Top 100 poll four times in a row, from 2007 till 2010 and for the 5th time in 2012. He's the first DJ in the history of the DJ Magazine to achieve that and an indication of his prolific output over more than 14 years he’s been dj’ing and producing. Being the official World’s Most Popular DJ is just one of his many achievements, but the driving force behind his success is an overriding passion for electronic dance music.
2008 began with the success that the number one DJ seems to attract; he was awarded with the prestigious Buma Cultuur Pop Award in January. This was followed by being voted as the Best Trance Artist in the Beatport Music Awards in March; judged on the musician’s artistic achievements, national and international success, it is evident that Armin van Buuren has become one of the decade’s most influential trance acts.
Even a basic list of recent successes reads like a lifetime of work: ‘Best Album’ for artist album ‘Shivers’ at both the Dutch Release Dance Awards and the prestigious Edison Awards; ‘Best Compilation’ for ‘A State Of Trance’, in 2006, claiming the ‘Best European DJ’ award in 2007 and ‘Best Mix Radio Show’ at the Miami Winter Music Conference in 2006 and 2007, for radio show ‘A State Of Trance’ – now broadcasting on a massive 40 FM stations as well as satellite and internet radio, with over 26 million listeners a week; a 5th year residency in Ibiza at Amnesia and over 50,000 downloads every week from podcasting high end chart-bothering positions all over the world for singles, albums and compilations , with single “Rush Hour” used as the theme tune to the UEFA European Youth Championship; the #1 entry in the Dutch album charts with his artist album ‘Imagine’, the #1 entry of the DVD registration of ‘Armin Only ‘ Imagine’ – the landmarks just keep coming!
The 350th episode and the 7th year of the hit radio show ‘A State of Trance’ was celebrated in May 2008 with an eight hour live broadcast from Antwerp in Belgium to over 40 radio stations internationally. Fans were invited to a free party with a line up that had been voted for by the show’s listeners; another example of the importance the DJ places on the satisfaction of his fans. Considering the popularity of the radio show the introduction of ‘A State of Trance Podcast’ was a natural progression. The weekly podcasts which contain highlights and Armin’s favourite tracks from the previous episode ensure that trance lovers across the world will never miss another episode!
Sold-out shows for Armin Only in 2005 and 2006 created eager anticipation of the third edition, which kicked off in a sold-out Jaarbeurs in Utrecht in 2008; over 16,000 fans attended and were enthralled by the DJ’s nine hour set. The theme of the night was ‘Imagine’, described by Armin as “the celebration of our sensations both in life and in clubland.” Fans all around the world should not despair, as ‘Armin Only’ tour dates have also been set for Romania, Poland, Belgium and Australia; the DJ will also be touring in England, Scotland, Ibiza, Brazil, Mexico, Canada, and the USA, with expected dates in, for an example, the Czech Republic.
Born in Leiden, Holland (on December 25, 1976) to a musical family, Armin indulged his passion for music from a young age. He spent all the money he earned with his paper round on records. His mum won a computer when he was 10, gaining Armin’s interest. “So as a little nerdy kid I was writing my own basic programmes, and learnt about the technology from there.” He progressed from making low-profile mix tapes for friends to higher profile mixes when he discovered experimenting with different sequences on his computer through his uncle. “I was so stunned by what I saw him doing on the computer, that I got addicted to creating music right there and then!”
“I loved dance music immediately – this great rebellious sound that was so different to the ‘beautiful’ songs of the years before”. Armin cites electronic pioneer Jean Michel Jarre as a major influence (famed for his awesome visuals as well as his groundbreaking synth sounds), as well as Dutch producer Ben Liebrand, who later mentored him in his mixing and producing.
In the early days, Armin thought it was wise to have something extra in case the DJ’ing didn’t work out. So he studied for a law degree. The final year of his course was inevitably stretched as he juggled his studies with his increasingly hectic schedule; his rise to fame included lots of productions and remixes, as well as playing out to packed clubs every weekend. It took him three years to graduate, but his determination made him succeed!
Armin’s own productions have all made a huge impact and quickly gain worldwide acclaim; his latest artist album titled ‘Imagine’ entered the Dutch Album Top 100 Chart at number one; this is the first time a dance producer has ever accomplished such a feat in the history of Dutch music. The first single to be taken from this album, ‘Going Wrong’ with DJ Shah featuring Chris Jones, entered the Dutch Singles Chart at number five. The ‘Armin Only DVD’ was also released and reached the acclaimed number one spot in its second week. His back catalogue includes Blue Fear, Communication, Sound of Goodbye, Shivers, Rush Hour, Burned With Desire, Exhale, Love You More, This World Is Watching Me, and Yet Another Day. While the remix offers flood in, Armin only takes on tracks that he really loves. He uses exactly the same criteria for his compilations, meaning that every release from Armin or his long-running Armind label is a bone fide stormer that’s earned its place. His output includes tracks for the cult TV series 24, and the likes of Motorcycle’s As The Rush Comes.
Armin is a dedicated trance lover, but isn’t imprisoned by a single genre, saying “What makes trance work so well is that it doesn’t stick to one style, and can incorporate electro, minimal, whatever it likes.” His desire to showcase more of the great music he hears, along with the number of people sending him tracks they wanted to release, led to the obvious step of starting his own label, Armada, in 2003.
The label is a joint venture between Armin, Maykel Piron (former head of A&R for Warner Music) and David Lewis, who'd previously managed Armin. "What we wanted was a company that could offer everything for an artist: representation, a booking agency, and a record company. Artists can choose full management, or to just release a record or play out at gigs. Armada lets the artists choose what they want without telling them what to do".
Armin is now a fully-fledged artist in his own right, having made his songwriting debut on his album, the award-winning Shivers; The events continue to get bigger and bigger, and Armin regularly headlines the likes of Sensation White, Global Gathering, Dance Valley, ZoukOut, Mysteryland, Coachella, Beats In Brazil, Trance Energy, Fort Dance, Summer Days – basically whether you’re in Australia, Russia, the Middle East, the US or Europe, you can catch Armin van Buuren at a club or festival near you!
"This is just what I really want," says Armin. "It’s not just love for music, it’s my passion. It goes beyond liking, and beyond a hobby, it’s about a way of living. Music is essential to my life”.
He has been named number one in the prestigious DJ MAG Top 100 poll four times in a row, from 2007 till 2010 and for the 5th time in 2012. He's the first DJ in the history of the DJ Magazine to achieve that and an indication of his prolific output over more than 14 years he’s been dj’ing and producing. Being the official World’s Most Popular DJ is just one of his many achievements, but the driving force behind his success is an overriding passion for electronic dance music.
2008 began with the success that the number one DJ seems to attract; he was awarded with the prestigious Buma Cultuur Pop Award in January. This was followed by being voted as the Best Trance Artist in the Beatport Music Awards in March; judged on the musician’s artistic achievements, national and international success, it is evident that Armin van Buuren has become one of the decade’s most influential trance acts.
Even a basic list of recent successes reads like a lifetime of work: ‘Best Album’ for artist album ‘Shivers’ at both the Dutch Release Dance Awards and the prestigious Edison Awards; ‘Best Compilation’ for ‘A State Of Trance’, in 2006, claiming the ‘Best European DJ’ award in 2007 and ‘Best Mix Radio Show’ at the Miami Winter Music Conference in 2006 and 2007, for radio show ‘A State Of Trance’ – now broadcasting on a massive 40 FM stations as well as satellite and internet radio, with over 26 million listeners a week; a 5th year residency in Ibiza at Amnesia and over 50,000 downloads every week from podcasting high end chart-bothering positions all over the world for singles, albums and compilations , with single “Rush Hour” used as the theme tune to the UEFA European Youth Championship; the #1 entry in the Dutch album charts with his artist album ‘Imagine’, the #1 entry of the DVD registration of ‘Armin Only ‘ Imagine’ – the landmarks just keep coming!
The 350th episode and the 7th year of the hit radio show ‘A State of Trance’ was celebrated in May 2008 with an eight hour live broadcast from Antwerp in Belgium to over 40 radio stations internationally. Fans were invited to a free party with a line up that had been voted for by the show’s listeners; another example of the importance the DJ places on the satisfaction of his fans. Considering the popularity of the radio show the introduction of ‘A State of Trance Podcast’ was a natural progression. The weekly podcasts which contain highlights and Armin’s favourite tracks from the previous episode ensure that trance lovers across the world will never miss another episode!
Sold-out shows for Armin Only in 2005 and 2006 created eager anticipation of the third edition, which kicked off in a sold-out Jaarbeurs in Utrecht in 2008; over 16,000 fans attended and were enthralled by the DJ’s nine hour set. The theme of the night was ‘Imagine’, described by Armin as “the celebration of our sensations both in life and in clubland.” Fans all around the world should not despair, as ‘Armin Only’ tour dates have also been set for Romania, Poland, Belgium and Australia; the DJ will also be touring in England, Scotland, Ibiza, Brazil, Mexico, Canada, and the USA, with expected dates in, for an example, the Czech Republic.
Born in Leiden, Holland (on December 25, 1976) to a musical family, Armin indulged his passion for music from a young age. He spent all the money he earned with his paper round on records. His mum won a computer when he was 10, gaining Armin’s interest. “So as a little nerdy kid I was writing my own basic programmes, and learnt about the technology from there.” He progressed from making low-profile mix tapes for friends to higher profile mixes when he discovered experimenting with different sequences on his computer through his uncle. “I was so stunned by what I saw him doing on the computer, that I got addicted to creating music right there and then!”
“I loved dance music immediately – this great rebellious sound that was so different to the ‘beautiful’ songs of the years before”. Armin cites electronic pioneer Jean Michel Jarre as a major influence (famed for his awesome visuals as well as his groundbreaking synth sounds), as well as Dutch producer Ben Liebrand, who later mentored him in his mixing and producing.
In the early days, Armin thought it was wise to have something extra in case the DJ’ing didn’t work out. So he studied for a law degree. The final year of his course was inevitably stretched as he juggled his studies with his increasingly hectic schedule; his rise to fame included lots of productions and remixes, as well as playing out to packed clubs every weekend. It took him three years to graduate, but his determination made him succeed!
Armin’s own productions have all made a huge impact and quickly gain worldwide acclaim; his latest artist album titled ‘Imagine’ entered the Dutch Album Top 100 Chart at number one; this is the first time a dance producer has ever accomplished such a feat in the history of Dutch music. The first single to be taken from this album, ‘Going Wrong’ with DJ Shah featuring Chris Jones, entered the Dutch Singles Chart at number five. The ‘Armin Only DVD’ was also released and reached the acclaimed number one spot in its second week. His back catalogue includes Blue Fear, Communication, Sound of Goodbye, Shivers, Rush Hour, Burned With Desire, Exhale, Love You More, This World Is Watching Me, and Yet Another Day. While the remix offers flood in, Armin only takes on tracks that he really loves. He uses exactly the same criteria for his compilations, meaning that every release from Armin or his long-running Armind label is a bone fide stormer that’s earned its place. His output includes tracks for the cult TV series 24, and the likes of Motorcycle’s As The Rush Comes.
Armin is a dedicated trance lover, but isn’t imprisoned by a single genre, saying “What makes trance work so well is that it doesn’t stick to one style, and can incorporate electro, minimal, whatever it likes.” His desire to showcase more of the great music he hears, along with the number of people sending him tracks they wanted to release, led to the obvious step of starting his own label, Armada, in 2003.
The label is a joint venture between Armin, Maykel Piron (former head of A&R for Warner Music) and David Lewis, who'd previously managed Armin. "What we wanted was a company that could offer everything for an artist: representation, a booking agency, and a record company. Artists can choose full management, or to just release a record or play out at gigs. Armada lets the artists choose what they want without telling them what to do".
Armin is now a fully-fledged artist in his own right, having made his songwriting debut on his album, the award-winning Shivers; The events continue to get bigger and bigger, and Armin regularly headlines the likes of Sensation White, Global Gathering, Dance Valley, ZoukOut, Mysteryland, Coachella, Beats In Brazil, Trance Energy, Fort Dance, Summer Days – basically whether you’re in Australia, Russia, the Middle East, the US or Europe, you can catch Armin van Buuren at a club or festival near you!
"This is just what I really want," says Armin. "It’s not just love for music, it’s my passion. It goes beyond liking, and beyond a hobby, it’s about a way of living. Music is essential to my life”.
Who Is Watching
Armin van Buuren Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Is it stinging
The acid in your stream
Hear the ringing
Voices in between
You picked this tune to play
And you've had to have your way
Got your masterpiece
But you don't seem pleased
So here it is, custom made
You wrapped the world around your finger
Did you take on an endless tower?
Has your spring turned into winter?
You're frozen cold
A one man show
But who is watching?
There's no one watching
No one watching
No one's watching
Oh, ooh, ooh
No, no
Now, you got it then
Everything you asked
Burned your bridges
So, why you turning back?
My doors won't fit you through
Your head's too heavy to
What could I give you now?
I'm still the same tale
So here it is, custom made
You wrapped the world around your finger
Was it all a big mistake?
Has your spring turned into winter?
You're in control
A one man show
But who is watching?
There's no one watching
So here it is, custom made
You wrapped the world around your finger
You're claim to fame turned out a shame
Has your spring turned into winter?
You held your own
One man show
But no one's watching
No, no one's watching
But no one's watching
No, no one's watching
But no one's watching
No, no one's watching
But no one's watching
No, no one's watching
But no one's watching
No, no one's watching
You can't go back
And you can't come back
And you can't go back
And you can't come back
And you can't go back
(But who is watching?)
And you can't come back
(There's no one watching)
And you can't go back
(But who is watching?)
And you can't come back
(There's no one watching)
But who is watching?
There's no one watching
But who is watching?
There's no one watching
(Watching)
No one watching
(Watching)
No one's watching
(Watching)
No one's watching
(Watching)
Oh, oh, ooh, oh
No, no, no
The acid in your stream
Hear the ringing
Voices in between
You picked this tune to play
And you've had to have your way
Got your masterpiece
So here it is, custom made
You wrapped the world around your finger
Did you take on an endless tower?
Has your spring turned into winter?
You're frozen cold
A one man show
But who is watching?
There's no one watching
No one watching
No one's watching
Oh, ooh, ooh
No, no
Now, you got it then
Everything you asked
Burned your bridges
So, why you turning back?
My doors won't fit you through
Your head's too heavy to
What could I give you now?
I'm still the same tale
So here it is, custom made
You wrapped the world around your finger
Was it all a big mistake?
Has your spring turned into winter?
You're in control
A one man show
But who is watching?
There's no one watching
So here it is, custom made
You wrapped the world around your finger
You're claim to fame turned out a shame
Has your spring turned into winter?
You held your own
One man show
But no one's watching
No, no one's watching
But no one's watching
No, no one's watching
But no one's watching
No, no one's watching
But no one's watching
No, no one's watching
But no one's watching
No, no one's watching
You can't go back
And you can't come back
And you can't go back
And you can't come back
And you can't go back
(But who is watching?)
And you can't come back
(There's no one watching)
And you can't go back
(But who is watching?)
And you can't come back
(There's no one watching)
But who is watching?
There's no one watching
But who is watching?
There's no one watching
(Watching)
No one watching
(Watching)
No one's watching
(Watching)
No one's watching
(Watching)
Oh, oh, ooh, oh
No, no, no
The first verse starts with asking about the acid in the listener's stream, which could be interpreted as a metaphor for pain and negativity. It also mentions "voices in between", which could represent the inner conflicts that someone experiences when making decisions. The second part of the verse talks about someone who has created a masterpiece, but doesn't seem pleased with it. This person has become so absorbed in their own success that they are no longer enjoying it.
The chorus repeats the question "who is watching?" and states that no one is watching the one man show that the person has created. The listener is then told that they can't go back and can't come back, which suggests that they are stuck in their current situation.
The second verse talks about how the person has burned their bridges and is now turning back. They have become too heavy-headed and cannot fit through the doors. The chorus repeats, emphasizing the fact that no one is watching the one man show that the person has created.
Overall, the song seems to be a cautionary tale against becoming too absorbed in one's own success and losing sight of reality. It warns against burning one's bridges and becoming too isolated, as this can lead to a sense of emptiness and loneliness.
Line by Line Meaning
Is it stinging
Are you in pain?
The acid in your stream
Are you being hurt by the negativity around you?
Hear the ringing
Do you hear the noise of people talking about you?
Voices in between
Are you hearing different opinions that are putting you in a dilemma?
You picked this tune to play
You chose this life path for yourself
And you've had to have your way
You always want things to go your way
Got your masterpiece
You have achieved something great
But you don't seem pleased
You are not happy with the outcome
So here it is, custom made
This is something you designed yourself
You wrapped the world around your finger
You have complete control over your surroundings
Did you take on an endless tower?
Did you set yourself up for an unachievable goal?
Has your spring turned into winter?
Has your happy life turned into a sad one?
You're frozen cold
You are emotionless
A one man show
You are doing everything on your own
But who is watching?
Is anyone actually paying attention to what you're doing?
There's no one watching
No one is paying attention to you
No one's watching
Nobody is watching
Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing, Peermusic Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Cloud9
Written by: ASHKAN FARDOST, ARMIN VAN BUUREN, NADIA ALI
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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