Biography
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Born
12 September 1985 (age 38)
Also known as 1/2 of Project One
Willem Rebergen, better known as Headhunterz, kicked off his DJ career in 2003. That year, a friend gave him a ticket to Qlimax, and it was love at first sight. Discovering hardstyle music and its dedicated scene changed his life. From that moment on, he committed himself to becoming the best producer in the hardstyle genre. He locked himself up in his tiny bedroom studio, in the attic of his parents’ house in Veenendaal, and quickly learned the ropes of producing. Unaware of the revolution he would start, the foundations of the Headhunterz sound were made.
After 3 years of perfecting his sound, he signed his very first record deal, with ‘Aiming For Ur Brain’ landing on Scantraxx Special – followed by ‘The Sacrifice’ EP. Both releases unlocked a firestorm within the scene, as their melodic approach to hardstyle instantly made them stand out. Many more future classics would follow, with tracks like ‘Dragonborn’, ‘Victim of My Rage’ and ‘Rock Civilization’ earning the hearts of the hardstyle community. In 2007, ‘The Power of the Mind’ became the official anthem of Qlimax 2007 – only 4 years after Heady’s first visit to the very same event. In 2009, ‘Scrap Attack’ was the anthem to DEFQON.1, the biggest hardstyle event in the world. Collaborations with The Prophet, Noisecontrollers and Wildstylez, along with his originals and headliner performances at countless festivals and events around the globe, made Headhunterz grow from a rising talent into an established name.
He already had his own sublabel (Scantraxx Reloaded) at The Prophet's hardstyle label 'Scantraxx'. And now, your label is Art of Creation, with Wildstylez, Sound Rush, and Project One. Popular releases by Headhunterz are 'Rock Civilization', 'Forever Az One' and 'End of my Existence'.
Headhunterz’ new take on Hardstyle music made the genre grow into an international phenomenon. It was no longer just the sound of European raves, but became something worldly. Headhunterz made new audiences fall in love with the unstoppable energy of Hardstyle music. 7 years after visiting his very first hardstyle party he was on top of his career, with each new track captivating both his fanbase and artists outside the scene. ‘Colors’ ft. Tatu, the first hardstyle track ever released on Ultra Records, became a golden record. Major EDM names like Hardwell and Kaskade requested Headhunterz’ remix skills, and a collaboration with Krewella soon followed.
As often happens to creative people, a different challenge started itching Headhunterz’ mind. In 2014, he made a drastic change to branch away from Hardstyle and have a taste of whatever else was out there. He did main stage performances at EDM festivals and collaborated with artists like W&W, Steve Aoki and R3hab. His break from Hardstyle allowed him to think outside the box, and helped grow his musical perspective. It made him explore the boundaries of his own, musical imagination and discover new territories within the electronic dance scene.
Playing the Defqon.1 2016 Legends show, after being away for 2 full years, made Headhunterz realize how much he missed his beloved hardstyle scene. After a special Project One performance at Qlimax later that year, rumors started to spread about Headhunterz’ potential return to Hardstyle. And so he did. At DEFQON.1 2017, in front of 60,000 ecstatic fans, Headhunterz announced his grand return to hardstyle. Following the announcement of the ‘Return of Headhunterz’ show, he sold out the Ziggo Dome within 30 minutes – for the second time in his career. The hardstyle community welcomed him back wholeheartedly, as his world tour took Heady to no less than 125 performances across 34 countries.
His journey inspired him to create ‘The Return of Headhunterz’, an album that tied past, present and future together –clocking up more than 55 million streams, and growing. One of its tracks, ‘Destiny’, made it as the number 1 track in the Hardstyle Top 100 of 2017 and became a golden record in 2019. ‘Our Church’, a collaborative production with Sub Zero Project, was also featured on the album and became an important track to the hardstyle community. It planted the seeds to the Orange Heart movement, with its lyrics defining the meaning behind it: “To every owner of an orange heart, know that nothing shall tear it apart. When the world will try to divide us, then this music will reunite us.”
Connected to the album was Headhunterz’ Up Close and Personal night – combining spectacular visuals, live music and an intimate setting to tell the story behind it all. Selling out Amsterdam’s Paradiso and Tilburg’s 013, both fans and Heady enjoyed a night to remember. ‘The Return of Headhunterz’, as well as the personal shows that followed its release, showed that Headhunterz will always find a warm welcome at his home base, no matter what.
At Qlimax 2019, in front of 30.000 people, Headhunterz was at the brink of breaking down. Suffering a heavy burn-out, he cancelled nearly all of his international shows in December 2019, but did perform the kick-off of the Orange Heart event, at Paradiso. Headhunterz needed time off, by limiting the stress that’s an inevitable part of his professional life. Time to rest, recharge and focus on his health. The Covid-19 pandemic that hit only a few months later gave him the chance to focus on personal growth and development, as he finally had time to master the art of playing piano, work out and reflect upon the rollercoaster ride his career has brought him. He learned to take better care of himself, and found happiness again. Headhunterz: “I have a new definition for quality of life these days. Sober, fit, solo, at peace with myself and everything that’s going on around me, inspired to create music.”
During the corona crisis, Headhunterz has done several live sessions on Twitch and Discord, along with a livestream set for Defqon.1. While perfecting his studio work, he also focused on setting up ‘The Art of Production’. A platform that’ll launch in 2021, on which he will be teaching masterclasses to ambitious producers, providing special courses and live feedback sessions from his studio. The same place where Headhunterz music comes to life and plans to conquer new territory for Hardstyle are forged. It’s here, where the one thing reigns that will always remain Headhunterz’ greatest achievement; the music from within.
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