Inside the Life of Electronic Producer and DJ Illenium

Before Illenium was the iconic producer and DJ, we all have come to love he was initially Nick Miller from the Bay.

Born in 1990 in the suburbs of Chicago, Illenium, aka Nick Miller, moved around before his parents eventually settled in San Francisco. His San Francisco roots proved crucial in his artistic growth, as it was in this city that he first encountered electronic music. Miller started producing music in 2008 when attending the University of Colorado Denver. However, it wasn’t until a 2012 Bassnectar show at Red Rocks that coerced him to start producing more seriously.

After he set his sights on a music career, Nick Miller began his official journey as Illenium. He released a self-titled EP in 2013 that has seemingly gone missing from streaming platforms and a follow-up EP, ‘Risen,’ in 2014. While ‘Risen’ gave a peek into the budding bedroom producer’s repertoire, it wasn’t until Illenium’s third album ‘Ascend’ that he became a star.

After his debut album ‘Ashes’ in 2016 gained acclaim for its production quality, Illenium solidified himself as an artist to watch. He did remixes for Flume and The Chainsmokers, released his sophomore album ‘Awake,’ and had hit after hit chart on the Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart. Riding the momentum of his growing popularity, Illenium released “Take You Down,” showing us a part of him we have never seen.

“Take You Down” was the first single of Illenium’s third album ‘Ascend.’ With the release, Illenium penned a heartfelt letter detailing the harrowing reality of addiction. In the letter, he wrote, “Six years ago I almost overdosed on heroin… “Take You Down” is about my struggles with addiction and what it can do to families and loved ones.” Since the overdose in 2012, Illenium has been clean and attributes that to “finding my passion and being surrounded by the most loving people I could ever ask for.” Illenium has also partnered with End Overdose, a non-profit that teaches how to respond in an overdose emergency.

One of these loving people that Illenium surrounds himself with is his wife, Lara McWhorter. The couple met in college and started dating in 2019. In June of 2022, Illenium took Lara on a trip to Italy that ended with a surprise engagement. She said yes, and they officially said their “I do’s” on October 1st, 2023.

Illenium’s journey from Nick Miller to a celebrated DJ is a testament to his perseverance. Over the past ten years, he has struck a chord with global audiences through his heartfelt dance music and candid account of overcoming addiction. Illenium’s journey is nowhere close to over, but it reminds us that we can all grow and leave a lasting legacy.

Alex Ortiz

My name is Alex Ortiz. I am originally from the suburbs of Chicago but now reside in Brooklyn, NY. I have always had an affinity for music and I find inspiration in the way music unites and connects communities. As a writer, I aspire to uplift artists, regardless of genre, to give them a platform to share their art with the world.

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