Illenium is the recording alias of Nicholas Miller, a Bay Area electronic producer and DJ who brings unabashed sentimentality and melodicism to festival-ready dubstep and trap. After debuting with several singles in 2014, he began releasing guest-heavy full-lengths starting with 2016's
Ashes and continuing with his first appearance on the Billboard 200, 2017's
Awake, home to the gold-certified "Feel Good" with
Gryffin and
Daya. In 2019, his third set
Ascend hit number one on the U.S. Dance chart, boosted by his biggest hit to date, the chart-topping, platinum-certified
Chainsmokers collaboration "Takeaway" with
Lennon Stella. He scored his second consecutive number one in 2021 with fourth LP
Fallen Embers.
Originally from San Francisco, Miller began producing electronic music in 2008 and moved to Denver in 2013, where he performed and released music as
Illenium. His self-titled debut EP appeared on Los Angeles-based Prep School Recordings that year, followed by Risen in early 2014. The releases were well-received within the EDM community, and Miller issued additional singles as well as remixing songs by
ODESZA,
Dawn Golden,
Oh Wonder, and others. He's performed at festivals including Decadence NYE and Global Dance Festival, in addition to solo tours. His single "I'll Be Your Reason" was released by Nest (a sublabel of
Skrillex's OWSLA label) in 2015, and his full-length debut,
Ashes, appeared in early 2016 on Seeking Blue and reached number six on Billboard's Top Dance/Electronic Albums chart.
In 2017,
Illenium returned with his second long-player,
Awake, which peaked at number three on the Billboard Dance/Electronic Albums chart and yielded his first certified hit, "Feel Good" with
Gryffin and
Daya. A remix set of that album arrived the next year, along with a slew of singles, including "God Damnit" with
Call Me Karizma and "Gold (Stupid Love)" with
Excision and Shallows. More singles continued to appear in 2019, including "Pray" featuring
Kameron Alexander and the platinum-certified "Good Things Fall Apart" with
Jon Bellion, leading up to the August release of
Illenium's third LP,
Ascend. Issued by Astralwerks, the record topped Billboard's Dance/Electronic Albums chart and reached number 14 on the Billboard 200, helped by the success of the multi-platinum hit single "Takeaway," a collaboration with
the Chainsmokers and singer
Lennon Stella. A collection of remixes of
Ascend tracks appeared in May 2020. Ascend (REMIXES) included contributions from
Crystal Skies,
X Ambassadors,
Bipolar Sunshine, and many others.
Illenium spent 2020 focused on singles like "Paper Thin" with
Angels & Airwaves and "Hearts on Fire" with
Dabin and
Lights, both of which later appeared on his fourth album, 2021's
Fallen Embers. Upon release, the LP landed at number one on the Dance chart and produced additional hits such as "First Time" with
Iann Dior and "Heavenly Side" with
Matt Maeson. "Shivering," a collaboration with
Spiritbox, appeared in 2022. ~ Paul Simpson