Marshmello

Enigmatic masked DJ/producer Marshmello makes groove-oriented, synth- and bass-heavy electronic dance music that found mainstream crossover success in the late 2010s. In the spirit of other masked DJs like Deadmau5 and Daft Punk, Marshmello (whose real identity is Christopher Comstock aka Dotcom) appears wearing a full-head-covering marshmallow mask. Despite his early anonymity, Marshmello's career blew up in 2015 when he began releasing tracks online. From there came shows at New York's Pier 94, Pomona, California's HARD Day of the Dead festival, and Miami Music Week. He also scored a number five Billboard electronic/dance album with his full-length debut Joytime, and followed up with collaborative hits with artists like Selena Gomez ("Wolves"), Khalid ("Silence"), and Bastille (the platinum-hit "Happier"). He hit a personal chart peak in 2019 with his revolutionary in-game concert Fortnite Extended Set.

A native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Comstock relocated to Los Angeles and began producing and DJ'ing under the name Dotcom before adopting the stage persona of Marshmello. In 2015, he began anonymously posting songs to his SoundCloud page, including remixes of Zedd's "Beautiful Now," Jack Ü's "Where Are U Now," and others. Soon, he was drawing fans and gaining vocal support from peers like Skrillex, who reposted Marshmello's track "Find Me." High-profile live DJ appearances followed, with shows at Ultra Music Festival and California's HARD Day of the Dead festival, among others. In 2016, Marshmello released a compilation of his previously released tracks, Joytime, which reached number five on the Billboard electronic/dance albums chart and number one on a digital top electronic albums chart. Included on the album was the single "Keep It Mello" featuring rapper Omar LinX.

Also in 2016, after a set at Electric Daisy Carnival, Dutch DJ Tiësto jokingly emerged from under Marshmello's mask, fallaciously proclaiming he was the mysterious DJ. However, in a 2017 Forbes article, it was revealed that Comstock was in fact the man behind the mask, with the magazine pointing to BMI and ASCAP royalty credits as proof. Nonetheless, Marshmello never officially revealed his identity. He continued to perform and release singles throughout the year, later starting his own Joytime Collective record label. More collaborations followed in 2017, including "Silence" with Khalid and "Wolves" featuring Selena Gomez. Both tracks became Top 30 hits and were certified platinum around the world.

In 2018, Marshmello added another hit collaboration to his roster, pairing with British vocalist Anne-Marie for their multi-platinum hit single "Friends." After delivering his second full-length album, Joytime II, he dropped non-album single "Happier," which featured Bastille's Dan Smith on vocals. The song quickly became his highest-charting track to date, rising into the Top Three in the U.S., U.K., and Australasia. As the popularity of "Happier" continued to rise, Marshmello scored his highest-charting effort to date with the revolutionary Fortnite Extended Set, a 30-minute mix taken from his 2019 in-game concert that attracted millions of video gamers. ~ Matt Collar