Marshmello is known for wearing a white bucket on his head. What was his first song?
Marshmello shared his first original song on the music-sharing site SoundCloud, which was titled “Wavez,” on March 3, 2015. The artist released his first studio album on January 8, 2016, titled Joytime.
Let’s take a closer look at the marshmallow-wearing DJ’s career.
The Beginnings of Marshmello
Subsequent to Marshmello’s first original song as well as the release of other tracks published on SoundCloud, the DJ began to receive recognition from other established artists. Skrillex reposted Marshmello’s “Find Me,” on SoundCloud.
From this recognition, Marshmello was able to secure gigs at New York’s Pier 94, Pomona, California’s HARD Day of the Dead festival, and Miami Music Week, as well as a management contract with Red Light Management.
Debut Album
The DJ released his debut studio album Joytime, which consists of 10 tracks, in early January of 2016. The album reached number 5 on Billboard’s Dance/Electronic Songs chart.
The album’s only single, titled “Keep It Mello,” was certified gold in the US and reached number 25 on the US Dance chart.
The DJ released the track, “Alone,” on the compilation album Monstercat 027 – Cataclysm in mid-2016.
The song achieved moderate success on the mainstream charts but attracted a massive viewing of its music video on YouTube, which currently holds over 1.75 billion views. Watch it below:
The same year, the DJ announced a worldwide tour, and also announced the creation of his own record label—Joytime Collective.
In August of 2017, Marshmello released “Silence,” in collaboration with artist Khalid. The track topped the dance charts of Australia, the UK, and the US, as well as achieving other notable positions in several other countries.
Later in 2017, Marshmello and Selena Gomez collaborated to release the single “Wolves” which reached number 1 in Latvia, Poland, and Hungary, as well as topping the Billboard Dance/Electronic Songs chart.
In February of 2018, Marshmello and UK artist Anne-Marie collaborated on the former’s single “Friends,” which peaked at number 11 on the Hot 100 chart, as well as notable success on several countries’ charts.
Further Releases and Setbacks
Marshmello released his second studio album Joytime II in June of 2018.
The album didn’t impress critics, with Rolling Stone making the comment, “every song sounds like it has already been pre-leased for use by energy-drink companies or extreme-sports squads.”
Despite unfavorable reviews, the album topped the US Top Dance/Electronic Albums chart.
In July of 2019, Marshmello released his third studio album, Joytime III. The album features several artists, including Elohim, Flux Pavilion, Wiwek, Slushii, Tynan, Bellecour, Crankdat, and Yultron.
Who is Marshmello?
As Marshmello began to gain notoriety, the question of the DJ’s identity became the subject of much debate.
Since Marhmello’s debut back in 2015, rumors that the bucket-wearing artist was in fact DJ Chris Comstock, who also goes by the name Dotcom, started circulating.
In a taped interview with Yahoo!, Skrillex received a call and the interviewer noted, “it’s Chris.” Skrillex then responded, “Oh, Marshmello.”
A comparison between the two’s style of music had many quick-witted fans drawing a link between Marshmello and Chris Comstock.
The link was confirmed for many, when it was discovered that searching for Comstock or Marshmello on the royalty manager site BMI, brought up matching results.
However, Marshmello attempted to fool fans in mid-2016 by suggesting that his true identity was that of Dutch DJ Tiësto. The former walked out on stage wearing the same clothes that Marshmello had been and removed his headgear to reveal his face.
The link between the two was quickly debunked, however, since the pair’s tour dates overlapped and photos surfaced of the two hanging out backstage together.