Robin Schulz

Osnabrück roots

Robin Alexander Schulz was born on 28 April 1987 in Osnabrück, in what was then West Germany, and he has kept that northern city as the base of his working life. Electronic music was part of the household from the start: his father worked as a DJ in the 1980s, and Schulz bought his first turntable at fifteen. He has described himself as self-taught behind the decks, with his father's record collection as the spur that got him started.

Interviews from his breakthrough year fill in the early steps. Schulz first visited a club at fifteen and saved up his own equipment soon afterwards; he began working as a DJ at seventeen and had secured a regular club night of his own within three years. He starts producing original music in 2009, and the remixes he uploads to SoundCloud in the following years gradually build an audience before labels come calling.

The remix breakthrough

Schulz's first wide success comes from rebuilding other artists' songs. His up-tempo version of Mr. Probz's "Waves" is released as a single in early 2014 and reaches number one in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom while peaking inside the top five in several other European countries. The Recording Academy later nominates the remix for Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards.

His second major remix, of Lilly Wood & the Prick's "Prayer in C", follows in June 2014 and travels even further. Official Charts Company data show the single entering the UK chart in September 2014, spending two weeks at number one and forty-eight weeks inside the top hundred; it also tops charts across much of continental Europe. German press coverage of the period treats the two remixes as the defining hits of the summer and traces both to Schulz's habit of rebuilding gentle songs as dance records on his laptop at home.

Prayer and a first album

The debut album, Prayer, arrives on 19 September 2014 through Tonspiel, a Warner Music label. It reaches number seven in Germany, number four in Switzerland and number forty-two on the Billboard 200, and it later tops the UK Dance Albums Chart. Alongside the two signature remixes, the record carries "Sun Goes Down", recorded with the British singer Jasmine Thompson, and "Willst Du", Schulz's take on the Alligatoah track.

Schulz co-founds the Osnabrück label Lausbuben Records with collaborators from his home city, and in October 2014 he is entered into his hometown's Golden Book. The album cycle also brings his first national awards attention, with Germany's ECHO Pop honouring him in the dance category the following year.

Sugar and a pop crossover

The second album cycle opens in 2015 with "Headlights", recorded with the American singer Ilsey, and expands in July when "Sugar", featuring the Canadian singer-songwriter Francesco Yates, is released. A cover of a Baby Bash song, "Sugar" reaches number one in Germany, Austria and Switzerland and later appears on the Billboard Hot 100. The album Sugar, issued on 25 September 2015, goes to number one in Switzerland and number three in Germany and also enters the American album chart.

The sessions introduce Schulz to the German writing and production team Junkx, who work with him on subsequent releases. Further singles from the album follow, including "Show Me Love" with Richard Judge, and in 2016 "Heatwave" pairs him with Akon. The ECHO Pop awards confirm the run: he wins the national dance prize again in 2016 and also takes the award for best national act abroad.

Uncovered, film and collaborations

Schulz's third major collaborative single of the period is "Shed a Light", released in late 2016 with David Guetta and Cheat Codes, which returns him to the UK singles chart. In February 2017 the documentary Robin Schulz – The Movie premieres, following his work in Hamburg and on the road and featuring interviews with producers including Lost Frequencies, Oliver Heldens and Sam Feldt.

The third album, Uncovered, follows on 29 September 2017. Its singles include "OK", recorded with James Blunt, which reaches number two in Germany and Switzerland, and "I Believe I'm Fine". Schulz then works with an increasingly international cast: "Oh Child" with Piso 21, "Right Now" with Nick Jonas in August 2018, and "Speechless" with the Finnish singer Erika Sirola later that year.

Label years and recent records

In 2020 Schulz launches his own label, Mentalo Music, and the Winona Oak collaboration "Oxygen" becomes its first release that May. That summer his remake of Wes's "Alane" reaches number one on the German airplay chart, and he also issues an official remix of Bob Marley's "Sun Is Shining" for Island Records and the single "All We Got" with Kiddo. DJ Mag, which had ranked him in its Top 100 DJs every year from 2015, lists him at number 99 in 2020.

His fourth album, IIII, is released on 26 February 2021 together with "One More Time", made with Felix Jaehn. "Young Right Now" with Dennis Lloyd follows in November 2021, and in early 2022 "In Your Arms (For an Angel)" reunites him with Topic, Nico Santos and Paul van Dyk. The 2022 single "Miss You", credited to Oliver Tree and Robin Schulz, becomes a Billboard Hot 100 entry and prompts a widely reported dispute over a rival version by the producer Southstar.

Schulz's fifth album, Pink, appears on 25 August 2023, followed by "I'll Be There" with Rita Ora and Tiago PZK in October and the single "Embers" in 2024. His recorded catalogue now runs to five studio albums released since 2014, and he continues to perform internationally as a touring DJ.