Nicky Romero

Hailing from the Netherlands, the DJ known as Nicky Romero has risen to prominence in electronic dance music circles on the strength of his productions, which merge progressive house with pop in ways that are both ambitious and broadly appealing. Early remixes for figures such as David Guetta and Hardwell paved the way for wider recognition when the clip for his track “Toulouse” spread rapidly online at the start of 2012; the decisive breakthrough arrived the following year through his U.K. number-one collaboration with Avicii on “I Could Be the One.” Since that point he has become a regular headliner at major events including Coachella, Tomorrowland, and Ultra Music Festival. Additional credits include co-production work for pop artists such as Rihanna and Britney Spears, plus a 2015 joint single titled “Future Funk” with Chic’s Nile Rodgers. He oversees the Protocol Recordings imprint and its accompanying Protocol Radio podcast, through which he has issued joint tracks with Nervo, Deniz Koyu, and Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, along with solo projects such as the 2022 EP Perception. Under the Monocule moniker he continues to explore progressive house, exemplified by the 2025 release “Don’t Let Go.”

Born Nick Rotteveel in Utrecht province in 1989, he honed his rhythmic instincts during childhood as a drummer in a marching band; by his teenage years he was already performing sets that mixed R&B and house for local Dutch crowds. In 2008 he began issuing club-focused instrumentals on modest imprints including the nascent Once Records, later placing material on larger outlets such as Toolroom and Spinnin’. An unsolicited email from David Guetta requesting a remix led to an eventual meeting during a Guetta performance in Ibiza; the resulting friendship prompted the French producer to mentor Romero in combining pop and club aesthetics. Attention grew further when Romero’s take on Guetta’s Kelly Rowland collaboration “When Love Takes Over” circulated in 2009, and endorsements from fellow Dutch DJs including Hardwell and Fedde Le Grand generated additional remix assignments the next year, among them a reworking of Kylie Minogue’s “All the Lovers.”

Expansion into the European festival circuit followed in 2011, while early 2012 brought another high-profile remix commission on Madonna’s “Give Me All Your Luvin’.” A main-stage slot at Belgium’s Tomorrowland that summer reinforced his standing, and in May 2012 he launched Protocol Recordings to champion emerging dance producers. Around the same period the video for “Toulouse,” depicting masked figures traversing Hamburg, appeared on YouTube and accumulated hundreds of millions of views. Later that year he was enlisted to produce a song for Rihanna’s Unapologetic album. Mainstream momentum continued with the Avicii collaboration “I Could Be the One,” fronted by Noonie Bao; the single achieved substantial worldwide sales and topped the U.K. chart by February 2013.

Further successes arrived via “Symphonica” and the Krewella joint “Legacy,” while by year’s end he had co-written and produced Britney Spears’ “It Should Be Easy” from the album Britney Jean. A 2014 single with Dutch vocalist Anouk, “Feet on the Ground,” preceded co-production duties on two tracks from Guetta’s 2014 album Listen and one track from the Japanese band Sekai no Owari’s 2015 release Tree. Also in 2015 came singles with Danny Shah (“Lighthouse”) and Stadiumx (“Harmony”), plus a remix of One Direction’s “18.” The following year yielded the Nile Rodgers collaboration “Future Funk,” succeeded by 2017’s “Sober” with Cheat Codes and 2018 releases including “Here We Go (Hey Boy, Hey Girl)” with Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike and “Me on You” with Taio Cruz.

In 2019 Romero paired with Olivia Holt on the dance-pop single “Distance,” with DallasK on “Sometimes” featuring XYLØ, with Florian Picasso on “Midnight Sun,” and with Stadiumx on “Love You Forever” featuring Sam Martin; he also delivered a remix of Kygo and Rita Ora’s “Carry On.” The Monocule alias debuted with the EP Vol. 1 in 2020 and Vol. 2 the next year. As Romero he issued joint tracks with Deniz Koyu, Timmy Trumpet, Armin van Buuren, Teamworx, and others. The year 2022 brought the EP Perception together with singles such as “Techtronic” and “Stay a Little Longer” featuring DubVision and Philip Strand. Releases in 2023 included “Turn Off the Lights,” “Forever” with Nico & Vinz, “All You Need Is Love” with Jonas Blue and Nico Santos, and the Nightvision EP.

Over a dozen singles appeared in 2024, among the most streamed being “Tomorrow Comes” with Deniz Koyu and Jaimes, “Where Do I Go” with Vikkstar, Alpharock, and Oaks, and “Here We Go Again” with Timmy Trumpet and GESES. Under the Monocule name he issued “Don’t Let Go” featuring WHAT EVA in 2025.