Steve Aoki is one of America’s most successful disc jockeys. Highly energetic during his shows, Aoki is known for his stage antics which include stunts in the crowd, sticking fully baked cake on the bodies of some lucky fans and covering them with champagnes. The last two have become a bit of a ritual.
The Electronic Dance Music (EDM) star started making international waves in late 2009 and today boasts a Grammy-nominated record and earns tens of millions of dollars a year from her passion.
Steve Aoki Facts/Bio
Steven Hiroyuki Aoki was born on November 30, 1977, in Miami, Florida, the third child of Hiroyuki “Rocky” Aoki, founder of Japanese-American millionaire in Japan, Benihana and his first wife, Chizuru Kobayashi. Steven grew up in Newport Beach, California, where he attended Newport Harbor High School in 1995.
After high school, Steve proceeded to the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he earned not one but two bachelor’s degrees; one in women’s studies and the other in sociology. However, Aoki’s love of music led him into the world of entertainment. In 1996, in his early twenties, Aoki started his own music label, Dim Mak.
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Aoki slowly developed Dim Mak into a brand by throwing parties and quickly became popular among American colleges. Subsequently, he moved to Los Angeles to further develop his brand. Along the way, Aoki joined several bands, including Blake Miller, This Machine Kills, The Fire Next Time, and Esperanza.
He released his first mix album Pillowface and His Airplane Chronicles in early 2008. By the end of 2009, Aoki had remixed songs from many established artists and even collaborated with some artists, from Drake to Kanye West to Snoop Dogg. . By 2012, Aoki had gained his breakthrough. He earned a Guinness World Record for the most traveled musician of all time, averaging 250 shows a year in at least 40 countries.
His first solo album Wonderland (2012) received a Grammy nomination, according to Aoki, is his greatest achievement so far. Since then, Aoki has never looked back, releasing an album on average in two years.
Dad, sister
Steve Aoki’s father was also very popular. He was best known for founding the Japanese food restaurant chain Benihana, a business he started with the $10,000 he saved selling ice cream from a truck in Harlem. Within a few years, the restaurant turned into a chain making him a millionaire.
Born in Tokyo, he came to the United States as a wrestler after several schools offered him scholarships because of his wrestling skills. He was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1995.
Aoki’s father also piloted cars, hot air balloons and boats. He founded a porn magazine and started a social club, but both ventures didn’t last. Throughout his life, Rocky Aoki set records. Known for his love of women, he married three times. He was married to his third wife, Keiko Ono Aoki, at the time of his death in 2008. He had a total of 7 children.
Aoki has an equally popular sister, Devon Aoki. Born August 10, 1982, she is a model who replaced Naomi Campbell in the face of Versace. Devon acts occasionally and has appeared in films such as 2 Fast 2 Furious, Sin City and DOA: Dead or Alive. She is married to James Bailey and has at least two children.
Net worth: $75 million
Contrary to what many would think after learning that Steve’s father was famed restaurateur Benihana, Steve didn’t inherit a penny of his father’s estimated $100 million estate, but had to work his way up. at the top.
He started his independent record label Dim Mak with $900 and it was by no means his father’s money, Aoki and two of his friends had to bring $300 each for the label to operate. However, Steve thanks his father for teaching him to be financially independent. Despite being raised around money, Senior Aoki taught his son to be humble and value his money.
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“I was neither safe nor spoiled. All the money I made, I made it myself… He worked from scratch so he wanted to give that to his kids – that concept,” Aoki said of his multi-millionaire father.
From cooking for his father Benihana at his father’s restaurant, to telemarketing in college, and as a bicycle courier for a fast food joint, Aoki has also done odd jobs.
Aoki slowly built a fan following and his personality helped a lot. Dim Mak, named after his favorite childhood hero Bruce Lee, started making waves in the mid-2000s.
Soon, his earnings were enough to land him a place on the Forbes list of the world’s highest-grossing DJs. He reached No. 1 in 2012, and in 2017 he made a profit of $29.5 million, his record with 70% of his many tours.
In addition to DJing, Aoki bolsters his income with other gigs ranging from endorsement deals to comedians and comedians. He taught his voice to a character from Charming (2017). Its endorsement partners include Japan Airlines ANA, French wine brand Luc Belaire and more. He owns Dim Mak Collection, a luxury streetwear line for men. All of these efforts and more contribute to giving Steve Aoki a net worth of $75 million.
Wife, Girlfriend – Tiernan Cowling
Ever since he rose to celebrity status, Steve Aoki has been linked to only one woman – Tiernan Cowling. After years of dating, Aoki proposed to her in 2010. In December 2015, they married in a private ceremony in Maui, Hawaii with close family members present.
Cowling is an Australian model born in 1991.
