Tiësto

Solo Artist · The Godfather of EDM

Photo: Brandon Lim · CC BY-SA 2.0
Active 1994-present
Origin Breda, Netherlands
Albums 7
Tracks 86
Most frequent collaborator DJ Waakop Reijers-Fraaij · 27 tracks
Genres Electronic Dance MusicTranceHouse
Complete Artist
97%
Authorship

Holds writing credit on 83 of 86 tracks

Does Tiësto write his own music?

Yes, as a producer. Tiësto composes and produces his own tracks, credited under his legal name Tijs Verwest, and works with co-producers and guest vocalists who write and sing the toplines. His instrumental trance work like 'Adagio for Strings' is his own, while vocal hits such as 'The Business' and 'Jackie Chan' are collaborations.

By the Numbers

7
Studio Albums
86
Tracks Credited
97%
Self-Written
32
Years Active
231
Collaborators

Authorship Breakdown 83 / 86 self-written

Who wrote the songs?

Across all 86 tracks: how many Tiësto wrote alone, how many they co-wrote, and how many were written by others. The bracket marks every track they hold any writing credit on.

Tiësto has a writing credit97%
6%
91%
3%
Sole author5tracks6%
Co-written78tracks91%
Outside writers3tracks3%

Role Fingerprint how they contribute

Lyricist Performer Composer Producer
Tiësto's roles across the catalogue

Share of all 86 tracks where they are personally credited, by role.

Lyricist (words)0%
Composer (music)97%
Producer100%
Performer35%

Authorship Over Time writing credit per album

Tiësto's writing credit per album, in release order. Hover any bar for the album.

avg 97%
100%
90%
92%
100%
100%
100%
92%
2001In My Memory
2004Just Be
2007Elements of Life
2009Kaleidoscope
2014A Town Called Paradise
2020The London Sessions
2023Drive
Early · 94% written
Mid · 100% written
Late · 92% written

Authorship by Decade track-weighted

96%
2000s
In My Memory, Just Be +2 more
100%
2010s
A Town Called Paradise
96%
2020s
The London Sessions, Drive

Authorship Spectrum pure performer to complete author

Where Tiësto sits on the scale from a pure performer (0%, sings songs written by others) to a complete author (100%, writes everything). The bright marker is their catalogue authorship score, plotted against other artists on the site.

Tiësto
Other artists on the site

Reference artists spread across the scale, closest by genre and era.

Kenny Chesney20%
Britney Spears32%
NSYNC41%
Kelly Rowland53%
Destiny's Child69%
Spice Girls81%
Shania Twain89%
97%Tiësto
Pure Performer0%
Songwriter~50%
Complete Author100%

Who Really Wrote the Hits signature songs

Love Comes Again
Just Be
Written by BT, Tijs Michiel Verwest
Co-wrote
Just Be
Just Be
Written by Judie Tzuke, Kirsty Hawkshaw, Tijs Michiel Verwest, James Wiltshire
Co-wrote
Escape Me
Kaleidoscope
Written by C.C. Sheffield, Tijs Michiel Verwest, DJ Waakop Reijers-Fraaij, Nico Chiotellis
Co-wrote
I Will Be Here
Kaleidoscope
Written by Connie Mitchell, Tijs Michiel Verwest, DJ Waakop Reijers-Fraaij, Angus McDonald
Co-wrote
Red Lights
A Town Called Paradise
Written by Michel Zitron, Wayne Hector, Tijs Michiel Verwest, Carl Falk, Rami Yacoub, Måns Wredenberg
Co-wrote
Wasted
A Town Called Paradise
Written by Matthew Koma, Tijs Michiel Verwest, Nick Audino, Lewis Hughes
Co-wrote
Jackie Chan
The London Sessions
Written by Austin Post, Louis Bell, Tijs Michiel Verwest, Julian Dzeko, Luis Raposo Torres, Raynford Humphrey
Co-wrote
Ritual
The London Sessions
Written by Grace Barker, Wayne Hector, Tijs Michiel Verwest, Guy James Robin, Michael Stonebank, Fraser Thornycroft-Smith
Co-wrote
The Business
Drive
Written by Julia Karlsson, Tijs Michiel Verwest, Anton Rundberg, James Bell
Co-wrote
The Motto
Drive
Written by Pablo Bowman, Claudia Valentina, Amanda Koçi, Tijs Michiel Verwest, Peter Rycroft, Sarah Blanchard
Co-wrote

Discography 7 albums

Covers all seven Tiësto studio albums with published credits: In My Memory (2001), Just Be (2004), Elements of Life (2007), Kaleidoscope (2009), A Town Called Paradise (2014), The London Sessions (2020), and Drive (2023). His CLUBLIFE / Club Life series and the In Search of Sunrise series are DJ-mix compilation albums, not original studio albums, and are excluded. Live albums (Parade of the Athletes, Copenhagen) and remix albums are also excluded.

Collaborator Network who they worked with most

Tiësto86 tracks
DW27DJ Waakop Reijers-Fraaij, 27 tracks GH4Geert Huinink, 4 tracks B4BT, 4 tracks 4Matthew Koma, 4 tracks 3Kirsty Hawkshaw, 3 tracks SE3Stefan Engblom, 3 tracks OC3Olle Cornéer, 3 tracks DS2Daniël Stewart, 2 tracks CB2Christian Burns, 2 tracks D2Danja, 2 tracks WH2Wayne Hector, 2 tracks MN2Matt Nash, 2 tracks DS2Dave Silcox, 2 tracks DF2Disco Fries, 2 tracks SJ2Sjoerd Janssen, 2 tracks WJ2Wouter Janssen, 2 tracks RH2Rebecca Hill, 2 tracks BH2Becky Hill, 2 tracks LT2Luis Torres, 2 tracks SB2Sarah Blanchard, 2 tracks LN2Linus Nordstrom, 2 tracks G2Goldfingers, 2 tracks PR2Peter Rycroft, 2 tracks L2Lostboy, 2 tracks JK2Julia Karlsson, 2 tracks AR2Anton Rundberg, 2 tracks JB2James Bell, 2 tracks H2Hightower, 2 tracks PH2Paul Harris, 2 tracks JJ1Jan Johnston, 1 track NH1Nicola Hitchcock, 1 track TH1Tom Holkenborg, 1 track JX1Junkie XL, 1 track RV1Ronald van Gelderen, 1 track JL1Jo Lloyd, 1 track JI1Jon Ingoldsby, 1 track DM1Dan Muckala, 1 track NS1Naomi Striemer, 1 track MH1Matt Hales, 1 track MS1Michael Scherchen, 1 track JG1Josh Gabriel, 1 track JT1Judie Tzuke, 1 track JW1James Wiltshire, 1 track SB1Samuel Barber, 1 track JB1Jes Brieden, 1 track J1JES, 1 track JT1Julie Thompson, 1 track CM1Charlotte Martin, 1 track MJ1Maxi Jazz, 1 track on Faithless's page HZ1Hans Zimmer, 1 track KB1Klaus Badelt, 1 track GZ1Geoff Zanelli, 1 track JÞ1Jón Þór Birgisson, 1 track J1Jónsi, 1 track CS1C.C. Sheffield, 1 track NC1Nico Chiotellis, 1 track KA1Kianna Alarid, 1 track CM1Connie Mitchell, 1 track AM1Angus McDonald, 1 track SS1Sneaky Sound System, 1 track PA1Priscilla Ahn, 1 track CB1Cary Brothers, 1 track KO1Kele Okereke, 1 track CH1Calvin Harris, 1 track TQ1Tegan Quin, 1 track SQ1Sara Quin, 1 track TA1Tegan and Sara, 1 track NF1Nelly Furtado, 1 track RN1Rick Nowels, 1 track FE1Frank E, 1 track EH1Emily Haines, 1 track MZ1Michel Zitron, 1 track CF1Carl Falk, 1 track RY1Rami Yacoub, 1 track MW1Måns Wredenberg, 1 track JC1Josef Cruickshank, 1 track FW1Freddy Wexler, 1 track BL1Brandon Lowry, 1 track JP1Justin Prime, 1 track AP1Ash Pournouri, 1 track C1Cruickshank, 1 track JJ1John James Newman, 1 track PK1Pete Kirtley, 1 track SC1Sacha Collisson, 1 track D1DBX, 1 track ZB1Zac Barnett, 1 track RA1Ron Aniello, 1 track RV1Robbert van de Corput, 1 track H1Hardwell, 1 track AM1Andreas Moe, 1 track HB1Hiten Bharadia, 1 track PM1Phillipa Margret Brown, 1 track JV1Jurre van Doeselaar, 1 track TB1Tim Benjamin Smulders, 1 track F1Firebeatz, 1 track L1Ladyhawke, 1 track NA1Nick Audino, 1 track LH1Lewis Hughes, 1 track AJ1Aino Jawo, 1 track CH1Caroline Hjelt, 1 track OH1Oscar Holter, 1 track MS1Marcus Sepehrmanesh, 1 track AR1Alexander Reuterskiöld, 1 track IP1Icona Pop, 1 track CH1Charles Haddon, 1 track AK1Anders Källmark, 1 track S1Showtek, 1 track OE1Ou Est le Swimming Pool, 1 track ND1Nicholas Ditri, 1 track DB1Daniel Boselovic, 1 track JD1Jonnie Davis, 1 track PH1Paris Hampton, 1 track MK1Mick Kastenholt, 1 track SG1Simon Gain, 1 track K1Kaaze, 1 track AL1Anna Luisa Daigneault, 1 track OA1Ossama Al Sarraf, 1 track NS1Ned Shepard, 1 track S+1Sultan + Shepard, 1 track Q1Quilla, 1 track JY1Jahan Yousaf, 1 track YY1Yasmine Yousaf, 1 track KT1Kris Trindl, 1 track K1Krewella, 1 track HB1Hannah Barney, 1 track JW1Joshua Wilkinson, 1 track M1Mabel, 1 track KP1Karen Poole, 1 track KG1Kye Gibbon, 1 track MR1Matthew Robson-Scott, 1 track RC1Ryan Campbell, 1 track JR1Joshua Record, 1 track OG1Oliver Green, 1 track GC1Gorgon City, 1 track AD1Austin Donawa, 1 track RF1Romika Faniel, 1 track JP1Jamil Pierre, 1 track D1Deputy, 1 track TK1The Kid Daytona, 1 track R1Roe, 1 track GB1Grace Barker, 1 track GJ1Guy James Robin, 1 track MS1Michael Stonebank, 1 track FT1Fraser Thornycroft-Smith, 1 track JB1Jonas Blue, 1 track S1Stonebank, 1 track RO1Rita Ora, 1 track AP1Austin Post, 1 track on Post Malone's page LB1Louis Bell, 1 track JD1Julian Dzeko, 1 track

Bubble size = tracks worked on together. Showing the 150 most frequent of 229. DW DJ Waakop Reijers-Fraaij · GH Geert Huinink · B BT · SE Stefan Engblom

Photo credits

Portraits in the web and the rail come from Wikimedia Commons. The artist's own photo carries its credit under the picture.

The Authorship Story

Data Insight

Tiësto sits at the producer end of the authorship scale: his name, under the legal credit Tijs Michiel Verwest, is on the music of nearly every track he releases, but the lyric authorship moves around. On his instrumental trance records the writing is almost entirely his own work with DJ Waakop Reijers-Fraaij, and there are no separate lyricists because there are no lyrics. As his career turned toward vocal dance-pop, the words came from the featured singers and outside topline writers, so the lyricist column fills with guest names while Verwest stays in the composer and producer credits. The result is a catalog where Tiësto is the through-line on the music and the vocalists are the authors of the words.

Quick Facts

  • Real nameTijs Michiel Verwest, Dutch DJ and producer
  • HonorVoted the Greatest DJ of All Time by Mixmag
  • GrammyBest Remixed Recording for his remix of John Legend's 'All of Me' (2015)
  • OlympicsFirst DJ to perform live at an Olympics, at the 2004 Athens opening ceremony
  • Later hits'The Business' and 'Jackie Chan' with Post Malone
  • Studio albumsSeven, from In My Memory (2001) to Drive (2023)

Creative Fingerprint

A producer-as-artist: Tiësto composes and produces his tracks, credited under his legal name Tijs Verwest, and brings in guest vocalists and co-producers to write and sing the toplines.

The Story

Tiësto is a Dutch DJ and record producer, born Tijs Michiel Verwest, and one of the most successful electronic artists in history. He rose to global fame in the early 2000s as a trance pioneer, voted the world's number one DJ for three straight years, before reinventing himself across electro house, progressive house, and chart-focused dance-pop. As a producer he is the constant author of his music: he builds the tracks and shares writing on the instrumentals with longtime studio partner DJ Waakop Reijers-Fraaij, while the words on his vocal songs come from the featured singers and topline writers he brings in. His early studio albums lean heavily instrumental, and his later ones move toward collaborative pop with guest vocalists, which shifts where the authorship sits from track to track. He has won a Grammy, performed at the Olympic Games, and remains a defining figure in dance music.

Awards & Recognition

Grammy Award for Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical, for his remix of John Legend's 'All of Me' (2015)
Voted the Greatest DJ of All Time by Mixmag
First DJ to perform live at an Olympic opening ceremony (Athens 2004)

Frequently Asked Questions Tiësto

Does Tiësto write his own music?
Yes, as a producer. Tiësto composes and produces his own tracks, credited under his legal name Tijs Verwest, and works with co-producers and guest vocalists who write and sing the toplines. His instrumental trance work like 'Adagio for Strings' is his own, while vocal hits such as 'The Business' and 'Jackie Chan' are collaborations.
Why is Tiësto called the Godfather of EDM?
Tiësto earned the title 'Godfather of EDM' for helping bring electronic dance music to arenas and the mainstream in the 2000s. He was also voted the Greatest DJ of All Time by Mixmag and was the first DJ to perform live at an Olympic opening ceremony.
Did Tiësto win a Grammy?
Yes. Tiësto won the Grammy Award for Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical, at the 2015 ceremony for his remix of John Legend's 'All of Me.' It was a landmark win for a dance producer.
Who sings on 'Jackie Chan'?
'Jackie Chan' is a 2018 collaboration produced by Tiësto and Dzeko featuring @@mdlink0@@ and Preme on vocals. It appears on Tiësto's album The London Sessions and became one of his biggest later hits.
What is Tiësto's most famous song?
'Adagio for Strings,' his 2005 trance reworking of Samuel Barber's classical piece, is among his most iconic tracks, alongside later crossover hits like 'Red Lights,' 'The Business,' and 'Jackie Chan.' His style shifted from trance to pop-oriented dance over his career.
How many albums has Tiësto released?
Tiësto has released seven studio albums, from In My Memory (2001) through Drive (2023). His early albums were trance-focused, while later ones like A Town Called Paradise and Drive leaned into mainstream EDM and pop.
Was Tiësto really at the Olympics?
Yes. Tiësto performed live for about 90 minutes during the 2004 Summer Olympics opening ceremony in Athens, becoming the first DJ to play at an Olympics. It was a milestone moment for electronic music's mainstream acceptance.
Who wrote 'The Business'?
'The Business' was produced and co-written by Tiësto and released on his 2023 album Drive. The minimalist dance track became a global streaming hit and one of his biggest songs of the 2020s.

Sources

Wikipedia: Tiësto discography Wikipedia: Tiësto