BIOGRAPHY
Armin van Buuren was born in Leiden, Netherlands, on 25 December 1976. Van Buuren started making music when he was 14. He was inspired by French electronic music composer Jean Michel Jarre. He graduated from the Stedelijk Gymnasium Leiden in 1995, and studied law at Leiden University. He began working as a DJ in Club Nexus, playing multiple sets a week, most of which lasted six or more hours. As his musical career began to take off he put his law degree on hold, although he returned to graduate from law school in 2003. He has hosted a weekly radio show called A State of Trance, which currently is broadcast to more than 37 million weekly listeners in 84 countries on over 100 FM radio stations. This radio show propelled him to stardom and helped cultivate an interest in trance music around the world.
Van Buuren has won a number of accolades. He has been ranked the No. 1 DJ by DJ Mag a record of five times, five years in a row. He is currently ranked No. 4 on DJ Mag list for 2015. In 2014, he was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording for his single "This Is What It Feels Like" featuring Trevor Guthrie, which makes him the fourth trance artist ever to receive a Grammy Award nomination. In the United States, he holds the record for most entries, twenty-one, on the Billboard Dance/Electronic Albums chart. His 2008 studio album, Imagine, entered the Dutch album chart at No. 1, a first for a trance artist in Dutch music history.
On 16 October 2015 Armin van Buuren released the second single from his sixth album "Embrace" called "Strong Ones" featuring Cimo Fränkel.
2010 Cimo Fränkel participated in the television program "My Name Is Michael" where protagonists were casted for a theathershow about the life of Michael Jackson.
In 2011 he wrote together with Fouradi a charity-song for mentally handicapped children. The song was recorded by many Dutch celebrities, including Do, Adlicious Caribbean Combo Gers Pardoel, Najib Amhali, Damaru, Phatt, Kim Feenstra, Jochem van Gelder and Inge de Bruijn.
Since 2013 he wrote for many Dutch artists including Wildstylez, Coone, Headhunterz, Yellow Claw, Rochelle (winner of X Factor Season 4), Aliyah (winner of Holland's Got Talent season 4), B-Brave and Haris Alagic (winner of X Factor Season 5).
