If there is anybody who has been able to successfully use intrigue to make a name for themselves in the music world, that person is Chris Comstock. The sensational DJ had many people wondering who he was when he began releasing music under the alias of Marshmello. He was further able to keep curiosity aroused as he would perform with his identity concealed, masking himself with a white bucket.
As time went by, however, people were able to draw similarities between Marshmello’s musical style and that of Comstock. His identity was eventually revealed to the public thanks to an article by Forbes Magazine who drew concrete lines between the once supposed different individuals. With Marshmello’s true identity no longer being a secret, other things people did not know about the DJ have slowly come to light. Here are six things we bet you did not know.
6 Facts You Should Know About Chris Comstock
1. He Previously Went by the Name Dotcom
Prior to him launching the Marshmello project in the early months of 2015, Chris Comstock was known in and around the music world as Dotcom. The Philadelphia, Pennsylvania native’s work under that name was, however, less successful and polished than anything he has released as Marshmello, something that clearly fueled him to embark on the “hidden identity” idea to gain his work some attention.
But despite him having enjoyed unprecedented success as Marshmello, Comstock has not forgotten about his Dotcom alias. Through the social media accounts of Dotcom, the DJ announced that the alias would be releasing new music in 2019. While it is not clear when exactly this would be happening, fans appeared to be excited to listen to what Comstock would be dishing out this time.
2. The Identity Masking Idea Was Inspired By Another Electronic Music Producer and DJ
As mentioned above, Comstock hid his true identity from the public as he performed as Marshmello. While many speculated that it was him, nobody outside of his inner circle truly knew this for a fact until 2017 when a Forbes article confirmed the beliefs of many. While publishing their list of 30 richest music artists under 30 for the aforementioned year, the wealth assessment authority magazine stated boldly that Marshmello was one and the same person as Dotcom, whose birth name is Chris Comstock.
It was further pointed out that the DJ was inspired to do this following the success Canadian electronic music producer and DJ Deadmau5 enjoyed by doing so. Deadmau5, which is his own way of writing dead mouse, further wears a dead mouse mascot head when performing.
3. He Has Released RIAA-Certified Gold and Platinum Songs
Under the alias of Marshmello, Chris Comstock has released a number of songs that have been certified either gold or platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). His first song to receive a gold certification is “Keep It Mello” featuring Mexican rapper Omar Linx from his debut studio album Joytime which reached a peak position of number five on Billboard’s Dance/Electronic Songs chart. His first song to receive platinum certification is “Alone” which featured on the Canadian independent record label Monstercat’s compilation album titled Monstercat 027 – Cataclysm. The song peaked at number sixty on the Billboard Hot 100 and at number nine on the Dance/Electronic Songs chart. Its music video has further amassed over 1 billion views.
4. Chris Comstock Has an MTV Europe Music Award to His Name
Chris Comstock has won a number of awards from the several nominations he has received. In 2016, he was nominated by the International Dance Music Awards for Best Break-Through Artist (solo) and by the DJ Mag’s Top 100 DJs for the Highest New Entry which he won. The following year, he was nominated by the Radio Disney Music Awards, WDM Radio Awards, MTV Woodie Awards, Electronic Music Awards and the Remix Awards in a variety of categories. He however only managed one win, taking home the Best Use of Vocal Awards at the Remix Awards.
In 2018, Comstock again only managed to win one award; Best Electronic at the MTV Europe Music Awards despite receiving a flurry of nominations from bodies like the Billboard Music Awards and Teen Choice Awards among others. 2019 saw him take home the Best New Pop Artist and Dance Artist of the Year awards at the iHeartRadio Music Awards and Best Song (Pop/Electronic) at the International Dance Music Awards.
5. Forbes Named Him Amongst the Highest-Paid DJs in the World in 2017
Ever since he started wearing a mask, Chris Comstock has been able to live the dream as his career has moved to a whole other level. Forbes confirmed the success the DJ has enjoyed as it named him amongst the highest-paid disc-jockeys in the world in 2017. It is reported that Marshmello raked in $21 million to be ranked eighth on a list that includes people like Tiesto and David Guetta.
6. Chris Comstock Has Other Interests Outside of Music
In addition to his music career, Marshmello has a passion for gaming and cooking. On his YouTube channel, he has published videos of his gaming and cooking in different video series titled “Gaming with Marshmello” and “Cooking with Marshmello”. The DJ has further competed in the Epic’s E3 Celebrity Pro Am charity tournament where he played alongside professional gamer Tyler “Ninja” Blevins to win prize money of a million dollars which they donated to charity.
Also Read: Top 10 Richest People in the world with full biography and details.
