Our team had the opportunity to have an exclusive Valentine’s Day interview with the legendary German-American DJ, producer and label owner Markus Schulz.
During our time in Romania we had a conversation about Valentine’s Day obviously, his relationship with Adina Butar, their wedding, what he love the most about the country, his thoughts about the incredible UNTOLD festival and many more.
Check out the full interview below.
1. First of all, happy birthday, Markus! You just turned 45 on the 3rd of February, how do you feel?
I had a great time! We were in Berlin for my birthday, we went out, had a nice dinner and a relaxing time. I wanted to relax and I’m glad I got to do it.
2. How did you celebrate your birthday and what do you wish for this year?
What do I wish for this year? Health. You know, last year was very difficult for my family, so I wish health for everybody – my friends and my family. I think that’s the most important thing.
3. Valentine’s day is here. Are you and Adina fans of this day? Do you celebrate it?
Yes we do celebrate it, but we’re usually in a hotel somewhere. This time we are in a hotel in Sofia, so, you know, we’ll have a nice romantic night in Sofia. I have a show there on Friday night and then Saturday morning we go to Amsterdam so, you know, we don’t get to celebrate too long, but Valentine’s day it’s usually a quiet night between Adina and I, obviously.
4. Let’s talk about your love story. You heard Adina’s voice and liked her, so you proposed to work together and she accepted. When you invited Adina to work together did it ever cross your mind that you’ll fell in love and live such a beautiful life together?
No, of course not. When I first met Adina we were very professional, there was obviously chemistry, but we were both very professional and never did I imagine that our relationship will just grow and grow and grow to the point where we are now. All of our friends and all of our family say it’s just an amazing love story and I can say yeah, it has been an amazing.
5. At first you both focused on your professional relationship, but you knew it was love at first sight. How did you decide to tell her what you feel?
I think it was the third time Adina came to Miami. We we’re walking to the airport, I was walking her to the gate at the airport and I just grabbed her hand. I don’t know what it was, I just said “you knowm I have to grab your hand right now” and I grabbed her hand and it was the most amazing feeling! I mean it was just… I remember exactly where we were, I remember the feeling, I just grabbed her hand in the airport and we just smiled.
6. You are very open and you both talk about your special connection, that maybe you knew each other in a previous life. You created the track “Destiny” to describe your relationship. You always talk so beautiful about your love life. I know you love words and give them a special attention. How would you describe Adina? As a person, as an artist, as your soulmate.
Wow… she’s everything that I’m not and she’s everything that I am, so it’s like… it’s perfect, you know. She’s an artist which we can relate to each other, at the same time she’s even more rebel than I am, if you can believe that, and in the same time it’s like me. I’m very disciplined, very strict with my work and everything and along comes Adina, the rebel that turns everything upside down and there’s a lot of excitement from that, so you know I knew that she’s like the air to my fire, you know a fire can’t burn without oxygen and she’s definitely the oxygen that my fire needs.
7. You proposed Adina on New Year’s Eve in LA in front of the crowd and planned your wedding on 1st of June 2019, to start the summer as husband and wife. How was your wedding and how was your first summer as husband and wife?
It was an amazing wedding, we had the wedding on 1st June 2019, in Ibiza. We chose Ibiza because it was where all of my friends from the USA have always wanted to go there, all of her friends and family in Romania have always wanted to go there and all my friends and family in Germany as well have always wanted to go there, so that’s why we chose that destination. Otherwise, if we were to do it in USA, we would have had to do over a hundred of visas for all of her Romanian friends and family, but it was fantastic.
You know one of the most beautiful things about it was that there were so many people all over the world that came and most of them didn’t even know each other, but when they met… you know we always like to surround ourselves with good people so it was like good people meeting other good people and they got away right away. Like people told us you know oh I met so and so, what an amazing guy, I met so and so, there were so many connections and friendships that were made at our wedding and I think that’s what makes us the most proud because, like I said, we like to surround with good people and when other good people meet good people there’s a lot of good chemistry there.
The rest of the summer as husband and wife… well, you know *laughing* it was fantastic! We were.. you know, we got back to it. It took some time after the wedding, the honeymoon period and then it was back to work. You know, I’ll be honest with you, the wedding, Adina and I, we already… I mean it was already written in the stars that we are together, you know, and the wedding was for all of our friends and families, it was a proclaim of our love in front of everybody. But after the wedding, between Adina and I not much really changed because we were already together, it was already all written in the stars.
8. Where do you like to spend your holidays?
Oh wow. We love Bali, we try to go to Bali as often as possible, obviously we love Miami, we live in Miami, it’s hard to have a holiday in Miami because we live there and, you know, our business is there and we’re building a place in Sarmizegetusa right now, which I absolutely love that area so I’m looking forward to spending more time in Sarmi as well.
9. You said you spend 200 nights per year in a hotel, other nights home in Miami or Romania. Would you like to settle in just one place or where do you feel is your home?
You know when I’m home too long I get nervous so I enjoy the travel, I love seeing new places and exploring, but in the same time, settling down roots both in Miami and Romania is something that I like.
10. When and how long have you lived in Bucharest, Timisoara and Deva?
In Bucharest I think this was at the beginning of my relationship with Adina, she was working a lot here in Bucharest in the studios and we were spending a lot of time in Bucharest and Timisoara is where she went to her university, so she had her apartment in Timisoara so when we came to Romania we would spend a lot of time between Timisoara and Bucharest. And Deva is where her parents live so we spend a lot of time, holidays and things like that with her parents in Deva as well.
11. Is your house from Sarmizegetusa ready?
It is not ready yet, actually we’ve been delayed on the construction because it’s such a historic area that they had to go some archeology research to make sure that everything was ok and they finished that so we’ve got the approval now and so this summer we will start the building. You know we’re gonna be between Miami and Sarmizegetusa I think during the summers will spend time up there and in the winters in Miami.
12. What do you love the most about Romania?
I think what I love most about Romania is the countryside. The first time I went to Sarmizegetusa I fell in love with it and I knew that I want to build a house in that area. You know it’s an energy there that feels like it’s a total recharge. I remember the first time I went there, I just took out my shoes and walked around in the grass and I could feel my body being energized.
13. Are you guys thinking to have a baby?
Laughing. Yes, I think that’s the next, the obvious next step in our relationship.
14. You are very connected to your inner self and you said many times before that music is in your blood and this is what you are supposed to be doing. You’ve been through many phases, from dark to light… From your project Dakota to The Nine Skies album to We are the light. Did The Nine Skies bring you closer to the light? Or how “We are the light” album was born?
I think that The Nine Skies project was a response from all the stuff that was going on in the world at that time. I was really depressed and was having a hard time kind of putting together you know with all those things. I think the biggest thing was the Pulse night’s club shooting in Orlando, Florida.
When that happened it just crushed me and to be able to just get back up on stage and to pretend that everything was fine was very difficult for me so I wanted to make a musical outlet for these feelings and that’s how The Nine Skies were born. It was out of all of the things that were going on on that time.
Now once I got that out of my system, We are the light became like an answer, response to that, because We are the light album it was rebelling against everything that was going on, it was like..with all of the stuff that is going on we are the light that the world needs to hear right now, we are the light that the world needs to see and we are the example that the world needs to follow.
15. You have collaborations with Smiley and Alina Eremia. What do you think about Romanian artists? Do you plan to go further with them and have more projects together?
Yeah, you know, spending a lot of time here in Romania… you know I’m a studio junky so I always go to somebody’s studio when I’m in Romania to work and so I did form a good bond with the guys over in Hahaha Production, Adina’s a very good friend with Alina so these were all natural working relationships that were forged.
I don’t know what the future brings, there’s a lot of talent here in Romania, at the same time I think that most of the Romanian music is made in the Romanian language which is a little bit difficult to export internationally, but you know… who knows what the future brings, that’s for sure.
16. What do you think about UNTOLD festival?
I think UNTOLD is getting to be a national treasure here. I know how proud Romania is of this festival and it shows during the event, the city, Cluj, is an amazing host city and therefore I am very proud, I think it’s a beautiful city and I think the people are absolutely warm and, like I said, they show so much love to all the people and it is just growing and growing and I mean… just think that is only 5 years old and it’s you know like I said it is a Romanian treasure. It is one of the top festivals in the world already after only 5 years.
