Nicholas Miller records under the name Illenium as a Bay Area-based electronic producer and DJ whose approach emphasizes overt emotional resonance and strong melodies within dubstep and trap formats built for large-scale events. Several singles marked his entry in 2014 before he shifted toward full-length projects crowded with featured artists, opening with Ashes in 2016 and proceeding to Awake in 2017. That release became his first to reach the Billboard 200 and included the gold-certified “Feel Good” alongside Gryffin and Daya. Ascend, his third album, arrived in 2019 and topped the U.S. Dance chart, driven largely by the chart-topping, platinum-certified “Takeaway,” a multi-artist single uniting the Chainsmokers with Lennon Stella. Fourth album Fallen Embers delivered his next consecutive chart-topping placement in 2021, while the self-titled fifth album surfaced in 2023.
Miller grew up in Chicago, began making electronic music in 2008, and relocated to Denver in 2013, at which point he started performing and issuing material as Illenium. His debut EP, also self-titled, came out that year on the Los Angeles label Prep School Recordings and was followed in early 2014 by Risen. Both projects found favor inside the EDM scene, prompting further singles and a series of remixes for ODESZA, Dawn Golden, Oh Wonder, and additional acts. Festival appearances have included Decadence NYE and Global Dance Festival, supplemented by headline tours. The single “I’ll Be Your Reason” was issued in 2015 by Nest, an OWSLA sublabel, and Ashes, his first full-length, followed in early 2016 on Seeking Blue, reaching number six on Billboard’s Top Dance/Electronic Albums chart.
Awake, the second album, surfaced in 2017, climbed to number three on the Billboard Dance/Electronic Albums chart, and produced the first certified success, “Feel Good” with Gryffin and Daya. A remix edition of the album appeared the subsequent year together with new singles such as “God Damnit” featuring Call Me Karizma and “Gold (Stupid Love)” with Excision and Shallows. Further singles arrived throughout 2019, among them “Pray” with Kameron Alexander and the platinum-certified “Good Things Fall Apart” alongside Jon Bellion, setting the stage for Ascend’s August release on Astralwerks. The album led Billboard’s Dance/Electronic Albums chart and reached number 14 on the Billboard 200, propelled by the multi-platinum “Takeaway.” Ascend (REMIXES) followed in May 2020 and featured reworkings by Crystal Skies, X Ambassadors, Bipolar Sunshine, and additional contributors.
Throughout 2020 Miller concentrated on standalone tracks including “Paper Thin” with Angels & Airwaves and “Hearts on Fire” with Dabin and Lights, both later included on fourth album Fallen Embers. Released in 2021, that LP debuted at number one on the Dance chart and generated further singles such as “First Time” featuring Iann Dior and “Heavenly Side” with Matt Maeson. “Shivering,” a collaboration with Spiritbox, emerged in 2022. Additional tracks, some pairing him with Skylar Grey and Nina Nesbitt, preceded the fifth album, Illenium, in 2023.
