Jackson Stell (born 1990), known by his stage name of Big Wild, is an American electronic producer, composer, vocalist and sound engineer. As a performer, his live shows often consist of switching between multiple instruments (drum pads, synths, keyboards and live vocals). Coinciding with the release of his debut album, ''Superdream'', Big Wild kicked off a world tour in the Spring of 2019.

Career

Stell began his music career as a hip-hop beat producer, known as J Beatz, in his native Massachusetts at the age of 14. Stell graduated from

Northeastern University Northeastern University (NU) is a private university, private research university with its main campus in Boston. Established in 1898, the university offers undergraduate and graduate programs on its main campus as well as satellite campuses in ...

and worked as a composer for an advertising agency before moving to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, where he switched his focus to producing

electronic music Electronic music is a genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means ( electroac ...

and singing under the moniker Big Wild. In 2015, Big Wild began touring with electronic duo

Odesza Odesza (; stylized as ODESZA) is an American electronic music duo originating from Bellingham, Washington. It consists of Harrison Mills and Clayton Knight, known individually as Catacombkid and BeachesBeaches. They formed in 2012, shortly bef ...

; later that year, he collaborated with the duo on a remix of their track "Say My Name". Big Wild's first breakout track, "Aftergold" featuring

Tove Styrke Tove Anna Linnéa Östman Styrke (; born 19 November 1992) is a Swedish singer and songwriter. She gained popularity as a contestant on '' Swedish Idol 2009'', finishing in third place. After the show, she started a solo career in electropop. Sh ...

, was released in April 2015, topping the

Spotify Spotify (; ) is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 456 million monthly active us ...

Global Viral chart upon release. He released his debut EP, ''Invincible'', in February 2017. In February 2019, after signing with Counter Records, Big Wild released his debut album, ''Superdream''. The new album debuted Big Wild as the primary vocalist, lyricist, and songwriter for the first time. Rooted in electronica, the album also features elements of energetic pop, indie and disco. In September 2022, Big Wild released his second album, ''The Efferusphere''.

Personal life

Stell lives with his wife in

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

. Many members of Stell's family are also musicians; his father played guitar and participated in a few bands throughout college, his mother was a life long choir singer, and his grandmother was a

big band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s an ...

vocalist in the 1930s and 1940s. In late September 2013, Stell was diagnosed with

thyroid cancer Thyroid cancer is cancer that develops from the tissues of the thyroid gland. It is a disease in which cells grow abnormally and have the potential to spread to other parts of the body. Symptoms can include swelling or a lump in the neck. C ...

. He announced he was "healthy and cured" in an Instagram post, in which he also shared his struggles with depression. His experience battling and recovering from thyroid cancer inspired the song "Maker" on his album ''Superdream''.

Discography

Albums

Extended plays

Singles

Remixes

References

External links

* American DJs People from Lancaster, Massachusetts Living people American electronic musicians Foreign Family Collective artists Electronic dance music DJs 1990 births {{Electronic-band-stub