Steve Aoki Is All In on the Metaverse

A Steve Aoki stage performance can involve many things. Stunningly elaborate visual effects. Strobe lights. Cake throwing. A collection of unconventional elements held together by a seasoned performer with a passion for giving fans an invigorating experience. But when the Covid-19 pandemic halted in-person events for nearly two years, the world-renowned DJ, producer, record executive and artist had to pivot. "When you don't know what's going on or how long it's going to last, you think you're going to get right back into the thick of it until you realize: You're here. It's changing. You better get used to this," Aoki said. "Then I started thinking, 'Let's make use of the time.'" Aoki went from doing more than 250 shows a year globally to focusing on his music at home and deepening his connection with his many, many fans—more than 9 million of whom follow him on Instagram alone. After releasing the final installment of his four-album Neon Future music series in April 2020, he—like many artists at the time—explored the world of digital performances. Aoki's curiosity, paired with a lifelong interest in the future of science and technology, has ballooned into a gripping fascination with emerging tech and its place in music. From an online Sonic the Hedgehog-themed concert for his 44th birthday to an immersive set in Meta's Venues app for the Oculus VR headset, Aoki's career exemplifies the powers of adaptability and a boundless imagination—the main driving forces behind his success as an artist. "Steve has an entirely unique personality and brand," Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park told Adweek. "He’s the definitive hard worker, always looking to explore and redefine what his name means in the cultural lexicon." Now, with an eye toward the future, Aoki is making his own mark in the world of emerging tech with A0k1verse, an NFT membership community powered by Passport that Aoki says will give fans exclusive digital and in-person experiences. The venture aligns with an overarching pro-NFT movement currently happening in the music industry, with artists like Snoop Dogg, The Weeknd, Shawn Mendes, and South Korean entertainment companies HYBE and SM Entertainment all entering the NFT space. For Aoki and his supporters, A0k1verse represents the future of fandom. "A0k1verse is challenging the boundaries of IRL and Web3 in a way that you can tell he’s in it for the long haul," said Tyler Howard Winklevoss, founder of Winklevoss Capital Management and Gemini cryptocurrency exchange. "The vision is for the future, not just for right now. It speaks to his boundless hard work and authenticity." A developing presence in the metaverse is just one aspect of the unique mark he's making on the entertainment landscape. With an array of unexpected partnerships, eccentric music collaborations and his expanding Dim Mak brand, Aoki—Adweek's 2022 Creator Visionary of the Year—continues to demonstrate how leaning freely into one's curiosity can lead to promising moments of innovation. Aoki spoke to Adweek about his approach to creativity and why he's so invested in the future of tech. (This interview has been condensed and edited.) Adweek: In interviews, you refer to live performance as this intense experience that requires you to train physically, mentally and spiritually. What's the key to maintaining that energy both in-person and virtually?Steve Aoki: I think balance is important. I'm a very all-in individual. Whenever I'm really excited or passionate about something, I tend to just dive in. But it's dangerous to be all in on your passions. In business, if you go all in on something and the deal falls through, you're left with nothing. So I think one important lesson I've learned throughout the many, many years of me failing really hard or losing a big chunk of myself in that process is balance. I communicate with the world through my passion. Once I find it, my next step is creating off of it. It doesn't matter if it's musically, in business, in art or in culture. Whatever it is, I'm going to create, and there will be a Steve Aoki collaboration or creation. I like to collaborate with people that are either more knowledgable in the space and can share that wisdom with me, or have a completely different process than me to create something for the world that is different than they would expect. There's nothing more exciting than doing something that people don't know about and they have to stop what they're doing and sniff around. That's why I'm here on this planet. It's not just music. Dim Mak CollectionAoki has expanded his Dim Mak brand beyond its record label origins to include clothing that reflects some of his deep interests, collaborating with IPs like Dragonball Z and The Matrix. World Poker TourIn January 2022, Aoki joined the World Poker Tour as an ambassador with a role in the brand’s revamp, timed to its 20th anniversary season. OrangetheoryAoki became the fitness brand’s first-ever chief music officer in March 2022, curating unique playlists as the score of 10 original workouts. LamborghiniIn April 2022, Aoki became a consultant for the customization for Lamborghini’s Aventador LP 780-4 Ultimae, the last-ever gas-powered Aventado. The vehicle was designed by Krista Kim and will be up for auction alongside a unique NFT. He also created a soundtrack for the campaign. ZegnaItalian fashion house Zegna partnered with Aoki to create a version of the popular Triple Stitch sneaker. Part of the brand’s “Modern Voices” community, the redesigned shoe featured the Steve Aoki logo on the back. Your Neon Futures album series seems to encapsulate your passion for unique collaborations. The list of featured artists is fascinating, from BTS and Daddy Yankee to Zooey Deschanel and Bill Nye. Would you say your guiding philosophy when choosing collaborators is to explore the unexpected?Exactly. I've always surrounded myself with all different kinds of attitudes, personalities, behaviors, cultures and languages. If it's something I don't understand, I'm even more curious. Being a world traveler has allowed me to really think outside of my own comfort zone. I'm like [a] student—I'm just there to learn and absorb. When you get invited into that culture as someone that's on the outside, that happiness is incredible. People know me as a creator, so they're like, "You're welcome to collaborate with how we celebrate our experiences." And a lot of that is musical. So I'm just very, very fortunate to be a part of all that. And then I go back to my own world, lay it all on the table and say, "Here's all these experiences that I've been a part of. Now you guys can be a part of that." It's a beautiful array of different worlds coming together. And whether it's Neon Future or the next project, I'm always going to have that approach. Aoki performed at Calibash Las Vegas 2022 at the T-Mobile Arena. Was it that same curiosity that first pulled you into the metaverse and NFTs? What sparked your interest in emerging tech?The beginning spark really was being stuck at home [during the pandemic]. If I was traveling so much, I probably wouldn't have had the time to dive so deep into the space. If you give me time, I'm going to go in deep. This was very exciting because it has so many different layers of things that I love: collectible culture, art and community—I'm talking subversive or underground communities that are really small and driven by passion. When I got into music, it was just like that. We were a very small group of people that were absolutely obsessed with what we were doing, and not many people understood it. We just did our own thing and would find other people that love it too. That connection is so deep.So it's that kind of energy. The thing about the metaverse, Web3 and NFTs is that right now, it's so early that it feels like you're doing Morse code in a postapocalyptic time, trying to find any sign of life. And when you find one, you're like, "I'm willing to walk across the field of zombies to get to this person." Interestingly enough, you now have this huge fandom as you continue to build your own NFT community, A0k1verse. As we witness the early days of Web3 and NFTs, there seems to be a real divide between people who are creating inroads in that community and those who don't quite understand it just yet or have criticisms of it. Since you're building this huge community among your millions of followers, what do you feel is going to be the key in bridging that gap?I remember when I signed [English rock band] Bloc Party back in 2003. They made a song called "Banquet," and when I heard it, I was like, "This song is going to permeate culture. This song is going to literally take over. And I want everyone to know it because I know it's inevitable. It's going to happen. I swear to it." That's how I feel about where we're going with Web3—it's inevitable. Everyone will be a part of Web3 the way everyone is a part of Web2. We've already enlisted into Web2. All the little lines of text [you see] on Facebook basically say, "You can come into our playground, but we own everything. You can come into our house and party, but when you leave, you leave naked—we own your clothes." Web3 says, "You can come into any house, but you leave with your clothes on. You own everything." That's the difference. In Web2, they own everything. In Web3, we—the people going to the party—own everything. I think when you bring just the philosophy of what Web3 is to people, it's an easy decision. "Hey, do you want to own it, or do you want them to own it?" Answer that question first, and then we explain how that looks moving forward with NFTs. Because an NFT is simply a symbol, something that you own that you identify with. That's how I see it. It's a technology of communication, an asset that grows with you that you can also sell. That's how I look at A0k1verse. It's a community membership where people join my world with my whole social network. With A0k1verse, you have the potential to introduce the concept of Web3 to a lot of people. Did that add any sort of pressure to build a very specific experience?After my first NFT dropped in February 2021, I began to understand how important community was for all these different projects that I was interested in looking into. Whenever I look into a project, I look for the more vibrant, passionate communities. The best shows are the ones with the most vibrant, passionate audiences. The same goes for any sort of community in the metaverse. You're looking for that kind of attention and excitement. You're trying to create a world where more people can jump in. You want to think, "How do we make it more fun, engaging and entertaining?" That's what I'm constantly thinking about when I play. They came for the hits, so I'm going to play the hits. But I'm also going to play things they would never expect. You have to always bring new ideas to the table.

Creative Disruption

When It Comes to the Future of Fandom and Tech, Steve Aoki Is All In

Adweek's Creator Visionary of the Year lets his passion lead him to unconventional places—including the metaverse

Shannon Miller

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Shannon Miller