Steve Aoki is an American DJ, electro house musician, record producer and music executive. He’s known for his crazy dance party DJ-ing skills and also for his ability to transform tracks from many artists and bands such as Lil Wayne, Kanye West, The Killers, Drake or Michael Jackson and put them on every dancefloor in the world.
During the last years, the world has seen him at almost every festival performing solo, becoming the highest grossing dance artist in North America from his tours and also one of the highest paid DJ’s. His net worth today stands at the nice sum of $100 million in 2021.
Early Life
Steven Hiroyuki Aoki was born on November 30, 1977 in Miami, Florida and grew up in Newport, California. He is of Japanese descent, son of the wealthy Rocky Aoki who founded the popular restaurant chain Benihana. Raised by his mom in Southern California, he only saw his father in New York a few times a year, but the experiences were always unforgettable.
Aoki graduated from Newport Harbor High School in 1995 and then attended the University of California in Santa Barbara from where he obtained two bachelor of arts degrees, in feminist studies and sociology.
While still in college, he began producing records and holding underground concerts and he also founded Dim Mak Records which started releasing music for several electronic artists.
Music Career
After founding his own label in 1996, Aoki began collaborating with various artists and bands for producing remixes but didn’t go on his own until several years later.
Aoki started to DJ and build up his reputation in the mid 2000’s. In 2008, he released Pillowface and His Airplane Chronicles, his debut mix album which put the Japanese-American artist on the map, receiving many positive reviews.
In 2012 he released his first solo album called Wonderland, featuring artists like LMFAO, Lil Jon or Kid Cudi. The album received a Grammy nomination for Best Dance/Electronica Album in 2013. A huge impact had his relentless touring schedule, performing an average of 250 shows a year, making him the highest grossing dance artist in North America in 2012.
But he owns his success to… cakes. Yes, Aoki has this rare ability to… throw huge cakes into the crowd, which apparently his fans love so much.
His next album, which is a two part album, Neon Future I and Neon Future II, had both halves peak at number 1 on Dance/Electronic Albums in the US, with the first part released in 2014 and the second in 2015.
Since then, Aoki continued to grow his career and gain in popularity, with massive numbers of fans around the world waiting for his next set of cakes… pardon me, I meant to say his next album, Kolony which was released a year later.
Other Work and Ventures
Aoki kept and continues to manage his Dim Mak record label, which released over 800 records so far and also features a lifestyle and clothing line.
Besides that, he composed a soundtrack for the movie The Hive and he even had a few appearances in other films or television episodes. The most important mention here is the documentary I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead, which talks about Aoki’s life and what fuels his passion in everything that he does.
Houses and Cars
Steve Aoki’s new house is a subject of mystery, since not much information has surfaced. We did find out that in 2014 he sold his previous property in Hollywood Hills for a little over $1 million. The house featured 5 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms and a recording studio.
Our guess is that he may not have a house at all anymore because he doesn’t sleep anyways. He only naps between shows during his grueling global schedule.
About his ride we can tell you that he designed it himself. Called the Scion FR-S, the car features a mixing station, a custom-built Pioneer sound system and a fog machine built into the interior. Clearly he didn’t need a car, but a DJ party kit on wheels.
Steve Aoki Net Worth Over Time
Back in the 2000’s when he started on this path, Steve Aoki he met some financial difficulties, but got over them and his first album and tours started to pay off.
Making around $90,000 per show, in 2012 he earned $12 million, which increased to $14 million one year later. Forbes reported that in 2014 Aoki’s net worth rose to $23 million. In 2015, which seems to have been a very good year for him, he earned a decent $24 million.
Fast forward to today and his net worth already amassed a pretty sum of $100 million, and the summer festivals are hopefully beginning again.
Last update: January 2021.
