Pop & Rock Solo Artists Codexery

David Guetta

French DJ and producer behind the hit "Titanium".

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David Guetta

Thomas Bonte from Gent, Belgium · CC BY 2.0

David Guetta is a French DJ and record producer who has achieved global commercial success, selling over 10 million albums and 65 million singles worldwide, with more than 40 billion streams on Spotify. He has been voted the number one DJ in the DJ Mag Top 100 polls five times, in 2011, 2020, 2021, 2023, and 2025. His track "When Love Takes Over," featuring Kelly Rowland, was ranked by Billboard in 2013 as the greatest dance-pop collaboration of all time.

2023-11-16 Gala de los Latin Grammy, 22 (David Guetta)
2023-11-16 Gala de los Latin Grammy, 22 (David Guetta). Image: Junta de Andalucía · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Guetta’s career began in Parisian nightclubs, where he worked as a disc jockey while studying economics and social policy at Paris Nanterre University. He released his debut album Just a Little More Love in 2002, followed by Guetta Blaster (2004) and Pop Life (2007). Mainstream breakthrough came with his fourth album One Love (2009), which included hits such as "When Love Takes Over," "Gettin' Over You," "Sexy Bitch," and "Memories." His fifth album Nothing but the Beat (2011) continued this success with singles like "Where Them Girls At," "Little Bad Girl," "Without You," "Titanium," and "Turn Me On." In 2018, he released his seventh album 7, which featured twelve tracks under his alias Jack Back. The following year, he co-created the EDM subgenre "future rave" with producer Morten Breum, releasing the collaborative EP New Rave in 2020.

His 2022 single "I'm Good (Blue)" with Bebe Rexha became the third longest-running number one on the US Dance/Electronic chart. Guetta’s accolades include two Grammy Awards, an American Music Award, six Electronic Dance Music Awards, and a Billboard Music Award. In June 2021, he sold his recorded music catalogue for between US$100 and US$150 million.

DavidGuetta
DavidGuetta. Image: Michael Grech · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Last updated 2026-09-28 from the source article.

Background

David Guetta's song "Titanium" was originally written for and featured vocals from American singer Mary J. Blige, whose version leaked online in 2011. Guetta discovered Sia's music online and picked her to appear on Nothing but the Beat. He told an insider, "I was totally amazed by Sia ... This has made me more curious to study her music more because I was really impressed." American singer Katy Perry was the first to be offered the track but turned it down because she felt its message was too similar to her song "Firework". According to Sia's manager, Sia wrote the song for Alicia Keys.

Guetta considered approaching other female singers, but Perry advised him to keep Sia on the track. Guetta eventually decided to release Sia's version, explaining, "The first time I heard what Sia did ... I fell in love with it ... I didn't even want to give it to anyone else; it was perfect the way it was." Sia later revealed that Guetta did not tell her her vocals would be released, saying, "And then he took [Blige's] vocal off it, and put my vocal back on, my demo vocal, without asking and released it. And I never even knew it was gonna happen, and I was really upset."

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is David Guetta?

David Guetta is a French DJ and record producer born on 7 November 1967, widely recognized for helping push electronic dance music into the global mainstream. He has built a career spanning both club-focused tracks and chart-topping pop collaborations.

How many times has David Guetta been voted the number one DJ?

He has claimed the top spot in the DJ Mag Top 100 DJs poll five separate times: 2011, 2020, 2021, 2023, and 2025. No other artist in that poll's history has matched that streak of first-place finishes.

What is David Guetta's most celebrated collaboration?

His 2009 track "When Love Takes Over" featuring Kelly Rowland stands out as his signature crossover moment. In 2013, Billboard named it the number one dance-pop collaboration of all time.

What genre is David Guetta primarily associated with?

He is rooted in electronic dance music production, but much of his best-known output sits in the dance-pop and mainstream pop space. His work is often described as a bridge between club culture and radio-friendly pop.

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Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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