Nicky Romero wipes the slate clean, plans fresh start for 2016

Last month, Nicky Romero revealed his struggle with anxiety and how it’s kept him in the dark in terms of music production. Romero still managed to tour and perform at all the major festivals thanks to his management’s thoughtful scheduling.

The Protocol boss recently had a sit down with Billboard Magazine and went deep into how he overcame his anxiety problems, he also revealed his plans for 2016 which included upcoming collaborations.

I didn’t know what was going on with me so it took me a while before I realized that it was not just depression or lack of sleep. It was a pattern that I was stuck in. Rest would not solve the problem. I read about 10 books and spoke to 12 different therapists and they all had their techniques on how to recover, but they didn’t understand what I was going through. I didn’t know how to describe what was going on to other people. How can one possibly recover from something that people, even doctors, don’t understand? The book Paul wrote really describes everything perfectly — that there’s hope and how to actually recover as long as you follow the procedure.

Nicky also spoke about fellow DJ, David Guetta and how he supported him through the hard times.

David was very patient. He was very positive as a friend and never put any pressure on me, which I’m really thankful for. He was one of the few people who was a true friend and still is. He told me he had similar symptoms a long time ago, at the beginning of his career, and found out how to get through it with his life. That was very inspiring to me because if David was able to do it with all the pressure, then I would say everybody can do it because he is one of the biggest stars among us. There was relief that I could actually do this work without having these symptoms.

It seems a lot of artists have been affected by similar problems. The constant touring, fan pressure and music production certainly takes a toll on an individual. One half of Blasterjaxx also suffered with the same issue Nicky and Guetta faced.

One of the members of Blasterjaxx was suffering from depression so I called him up and had a long conversation with him. I told him that if he needed my support, I would be glad to talk about it with him. I also sent him the book. I just try to share my knowledge and help people deal with it.

Romero is all better now with multiple releases lined up in the coming months. He’s also given credit to his devoted fan following and how they’ve given him positive energy to keep doing what he’s doing. Nicky drops a bomb-shell when asked about his plans for the next year.

We are working on this trilogy — this three-song-based video clip. “Lighthouse” is part one. I finished a really cool record with Nile Rodgers — he’s a guitarist, producer, writer. He co-wrote “Get Lucky” by Daft Punk and so many other records. He’s a legend. I also wrote a song that is 120 bpm. I’m trying to find a gap in the market, just like everyone else. In my case, it’s a little more groovy stuff that’s still melodic, and stuff like Kygo — it’s a little different. I think I may have found something here that is a little different than all the other stuff going on. I’m working on another song called, “The Moment Is Here.” I am working with a really big band on a new song as well, but can’t say much about it yet. I’m focusing on a lot of new music for 2016.

It looks like 2016 is going to be a colossal year for dance music with Nicky Romero coming back in full swing. We personally can’t wait to hear the follow-ups to Lighthouse. Romero also plans to ditch the classic 128 bpm and perhaps migrate to deep house waters which should be very interesting to watch.

You can read the full length interview on Billboard.com here.