Alesso

Alessandro Lindblad (born 7 July 1991), commonly known by his stage name Alesso, is a Swedish musician, DJ and record producer. He has worked with numerous EDM (and other) artists, including Theo Hutchcraft, Ryan Tedder, Calvin Harris, Usher, David Guetta, and Sebastian Ingrosso. He has also performed at numerous music festivals, including Coachella, Electric Daisy Carnival, and Tomorrowland. In 2012, MTV named Alesso one of the "EDM Rookies to Watch", and Madonna, who invited him to open select dates on her MDNA Tour, called Alesso "the next big thing in dance music." As of 2015, he ranks 13th on DJ Magazine's list of the top 100 DJs. His debut full-length album Forever was released on May 22, 2015 by Def Jam Recordings.

Music career

Lindblad was born in Stockholm, Sweden, and is of Italian descent. He started playing piano at age 7, but became interested in EDM when he was 16. Alesso first gained recognition with the release of his Alesso EP in 2010. In early 2011, Sebastian Ingrosso of Swedish House Mafia contacted Alesso and asked if he wanted to work together. Ingrosso introduced him to DJing and helped him with the production of tracks. Since that time, Ingrosso has acted as a mentor for Alesso, who referred to the elder Swede as a "big brother." Despite having learned to DJ in 2011, Alesso made his debut on DJ Magazine's list of the top 100 DJs at number 70 in that same year.