Felix Yen is a 26-year-old German with short blond hair, similar and unlike fellow citizens of the same age. He values the family, is tolerant, active in social networks.
He monitors his health - he does not drink (although he can for a long time, by age). Year was a vegetarian (but never became a vegan). He is cheerful. On his Twitter you can read: "It's sunny in Berlin and I'm in a great mood!".
But the main difference between a guy and others is that they start their careers at his age, and Felix has already become a star. He is a DJ and producer, first became world famous at the age of 19. A rare example of a German DJ who became famous outside of Germany.
Felix Yen's childhood
Felix Kurt Yen (Felix Kurt Jähn - this is how his name and surname were originally written. In the stage name, one letter was added to the surname - Jaehn, and "Kurt" disappeared). Felix Kurt was born on August 24, 1994 in Hamburg.
But he had to spend his childhood in Schoenberg, a tiny town with a population of 5 thousand people in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Felix himself in an interview called Schoenberg "a small village on the Baltic Sea", where it was not customary to differ from others.
Musical education
From the age of 5, the boy played the violin, but he never became a classical musician - he was attracted to more relevant music. At the age of 16 he became a DJ, and at the age of 17 he went to London, where he studied for a year at Point Blank College.
It was not a school for classical musicians. The educational institution offered courses in electronic music composition, DJing, sound engineering, singing, and also thanks to him he learned to navigate the modern music industry.
The well-known British jungle musician Goldie and the American-Portuguese hip-hoper Tariq Mishlavi studied here. What an aspiring DJ and author of his own tracks needed was in his favorite tropical house style.
Felix also studied a little at the famous Humboldt University of Berlin, where he studied business management.
Fame and DJ career
In 2013, Felix also remixed songs by Phil Collins, alternative artist James Young and indie folk artist RYX (they were not included in the albums) and released a low-profile single Sommean Meer.
But a year later, everything changed - that's what it means to find a good theme for a remix! The composition of the Jamaican reggae artist OMI Cheerleader turned out to be a stellar discovery: about a musician who fell in love with a girl from a support group. She became for him not only a living entourage for performances, but also his best friend: "She is always there when I need her."
Felix created a dance remix that became a success selling over 6 million copies. The song became a hit and took 1st position in the charts in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Great Britain, even the USA with Canada. The hit "thundered" also in India!
What is not work is success!
Felix's next notable work is April 2015, a remix of Chaka Khan's Ain't Nobody, performed by Jacqueline In Thompson. 2nd position in the UK chart, 1st position in the German Singles Chart, 100 million music video views on the Internet.
In the same 2015, Felix, as a producer and DJ, launched the Eff project with the participation of German vocalist Mark Forster. Their debut composition Stimme topped the German, Austrian and Swiss charts for 3 weeks.
Two years later, Ian successfully collaborated with Dutch DJ Mike Williams and was already thinking about releasing a full-length album. In 2018, the album I combined all the "platinum" and "gold" singles of the musician.
DJ's personal life
On February 23, 2018, Felix came out. He admitted to the authoritative German publication Die Zeit (correspondent Christopher Dallah) that he was bisexual.
Previously, the musician did not share the details of his personal life with the press. His new album I prompted him to do this.
“Over the past year, it has become very clear to me that I want to be more open about my feelings. My album was a driving factor, it's very personal. It's called "I" and when you choose that title, it's time to open up.
There is a song on the album Don't Say Love that perfectly describes my life: “I'm afraid of what I feel, you're ready and I'm ready.
This song is about a situation I had with a girl a few years ago. Then I realized that she wanted more from me. There were doubts that I could give her what she wanted. I knew that I liked boys too, and I could fall in love with a man. This internal conflict has always distracted me from strong personal connections.
Felix spoke about being told as a child in a "small village" that it was not normal to fall in love with guys. This made him a very insecure teenager. But he found the courage to tell his brothers about his orientation - and they simply supported him.
Later, he shared with his parents and friends - and felt safe.
Felix Yen today
In 2020, Ian's social media pages are filled with promotions for the amazing new single Sicko. The track was created in collaboration with rapper Gashi and vocalist Charlie Storvik. Charlie Storvik performs under the pseudonym Fangs (Faangs).
Despite the dance rhythm, this is a serious thing about misunderstanding and rejection of a person by society. Even relatives, if he is somehow different from them. If he has a dark, hidden half. According to Felix, any person has it. And personally, at a certain time, she completely controlled his life.
Fangs says: “The process of creating Sicko was very special. This track exudes everything that I'm passionate about as an artist - dark, bright lyrics and an energy wave. This is what Felix is famous for. This is my first time participating in his project, and that evening in the studio when we recorded the track was unforgettable. Felix is one in a million - both as an artist and as a friend. This project really excited me. Real Halloween in the club!
