DJ Frank Walker is leading the charge to revive the progressive house music that dominated the 2010s.
“When I started getting exposed to electronic dance music, [Avicii] was such a big part of crossing over genres that I previously loved — folk, alternative — and melding them with electronic music in a really interesting way that no one had ever really done before,” Walker told Us Weekly exclusively ahead of his set at Breakaway Music Festival Ohio, as part of the Celsius Essential Vibes Tour, on Sunday, June 1. “That exposed me to seeing how songwriting can fit into the electronic music experience.”
Citing Avicii — the late Grammy-nominated DJ whose chart-toppers revolutionized the genre before his death in 2018 — as one of his biggest musical influences, Walker added: “He incorporated country and all these other different styles, and I think that’s coming back 10 years later. [We’re seeing] this resurgence of country dance music.”
Walker brought exactly the kind of energy you would expect at an Avicii show circa 2014 to his Breakaway set as well as a special Barry’s Bootcamp workout he DJ’d before the start of the festival.
“Breakaway is really interesting because [you go to] these really cool, smaller cities but the energy is just as high because people love the energy that dance music brings,” Walker told Us. “Getting to come out to that is a lot of fun. So it’s kind of unique in that way.”
Breakaway Music Festival is one stop on the Celsius Essential Vibes Tour, which fuels sold-out venues across the nation of festival fanatics, music lovers and artists with the energy they need to immerse themselves in unforgettable experiences.
Keep scrolling for more on Walker’s pre- and post-show routines — and how he plans to choose the music for his upcoming wedding:
What is your pre-show routine?
In my day-to-day life, I’m pretty relaxed and chill, but I definitely want to pick that energy up when I go on stage. Celsius is a great energy drink for that. The flavors are great. It’s good to have an energy drink to get you fired up to perform.
For a typical show, you need a good meal beforehand. Not too close — you don’t want to be digesting — but make sure you’ve got some energy in the system. As much as Celsius is an energy drink, you also need some real food there. Get the calories in.
If it’s a festival, I like to go see other acts to get myself in the mood to jump up on stage. If it’s a nightclub, I chill in the green room and have a little zen moment before I go into a nightclub, which can be pretty intense.
What’s on your rider?
Nothing too crazy. Veggie trays — you want a healthy meal! We usually have a disposable camera and a pack of gum. A lint roller sometimes. Got to stay looking clean.
What has been your craziest concert experience in all of your years of touring?
There’s different kinds of crazy. You have playing a main stage like Breakaway, Ultra or EDC. It’s crazy from that perspective: you have this insane production and the energy is so high and you get to see your visuals really big. But you also have crazy on the side of a small intimate nightclub. They’re both high-energy situations.
[I’ve done] lots of crazy touring, like three shows in 24 hours. It can be a little intense, but that’s what makes the career fun. It can’t be all rainbows and sunshine every single day. It sometimes has to be a little chaotic to make it where you want to go.
Related: Fletcher Takes Us Backstage for Her Ideal Post-Show Party
Abaca Press/INSTARimages Fletcher plays sold-out shows across the globe for thousands of fans, but when it comes to post-show parties, she likes to keep things simple. “[My ideal afterparty is] honestly, something low-key and low pressure, like a dive bar with pool tables or pizza in my dressing room with my speaker playing early 2000s […]
How do you decompress after a show?
It depends on where I’m at. If it’s a daytime show, I’ll hang around for a bit, get some sun, relax and have a couple of drinks. If it’s a night show, it can get very amped up at 2:30 in the morning. So I’ll usually go back home, toss a movie on, try to crash and pack my suitcase before the early flights. I need to wake up early and be ready to go — everything’s laid out.
What are your three must-have songs at an afterparty?
I have to play my own song “I Go Dancing.” It has to be in the set somewhere. There are some that are heavier afterparty songs, but no matter where you are, “Gimme! Gimmie! Gimmie!” by ABBA always [hits]. I don’t think anyone hates that song. I usually try to throw an Avicii song in there. “Levels” is a classic. Never misses.
What are you envisioning the music will look like at your wedding?
[Walker got engaged to content creator Chanel Margaux Postrel in April.]
My fiancée, Chanel, is in charge of location and aesthetic and what it’s going to look like. I’m in charge of entertainment, so we’re going to see where that goes. I obviously love a good DJ set and a good afterparty, but it’s what my life is immersed into so I’m trying to see who we can get out as a singer — some acoustic moments or a really good band to break that up. But not until some point in 2026. We need to find the venue before I cross that bridge.
I was talking to Andrew [Fedyk] from Loud Luxury who was like, “I don’t know how to book a DJ for my [wedding].” So they put up an Instagram posting saying they want to fly someone out to open for them, and I think it’s really cool — giving back to the DJ community and finding a DJ that might not be well known but has a really good sound. He said once he posted that he almost had more people texting him about the DJ set than he did congratulating him when he got engaged.
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