My favourite things DJ Hardwell

Robbert van de Corput, better known as Hardwell, travels the world to play his music, but tells Saeed Saeed he is very close to his family and attached to the city he grew up in

My favourite city

is definitely Breda. It is where I was born and raised, and where all my friends and family live. It’s in the south of Holland and is completely flat – it looks a little Scandinavian. It is not even a tenth of the size of Amsterdam. It’s very quiet, but it’s where I was born and raised, so I love it there.

If I had to choose a favourite meal,

I’d definitely go for steak. Lately I’ve been thinking about becoming vegan, but I love steak so much.

My favourite song

is the Franky Rizardo remix of Cola by Camelphat and Elderbrook. I picked the Cola song up this summer in Ibiza, and it’s definitely my favourite jam at the moment.

My favourite item of clothing

is a black T-shirt; I think I have about 50 of them.

The best piece of advice I’ve ever received…

DJ Tiësto always told me: Believe in yourself and follow your heart. No matter what people say, if you think this is the right decision for you, go for it. Maybe in the end, you find out that it wasn’t the right decision, but you can always learn from your mistakes.

I am so grateful

that I am still able to share all my crazy experiences with my mum and dad. That’s probably the most valuable thing I have in my life.

The best thing about my job

is that I get to meet up with so many people from all around the world.

I launched a fragrance because

it felt like a good next step. I always like to think on the creative side. I was very involved in the process – in the design of the bottle, the smell of it, everything. Normally, when you have a spicy fragrance, it’s too dark or too heavy, but Eclipse is fresh and spicy at the same time.