Above and Beyond are one of the most popular and successful musical groups of the last two decades. The trio makes electronic music and is comprised of British DJs and record producers Juno Grant, Paavo Siljamäki, and Tony McGuiness. They also own their own EDM labels called Anjunabeats and Anjunadeep.
At first, they kicked off their career by making remixes for high profile songs like the popular Madonna hit, What It Feels Like for a Girl, but they soon broke into the mainstream music industry. Many of their songs have been certified hits and have topped music charts in the U.K and the U.S. They are the first British DJs to sell out the iconic Madison Square Garden. They have also sold out The Hollywood Palladium and London’s Alexandra Palace.
The group’s major genre focus is trance, progressive house, and big room house; over the years, they have put a spell on numerous listeners across the world. They became famous overnight in the underground music scene. Their very first full-length show brought in a massive 8,000 audience. A few years later, over a million fans gathered in Rio de Janeiro to watch them perform at a New Year’s gig. Above and Beyond has also broadcast a radio show called Trance Around The World. Considering their massive fan base, it is mostly not a surprise that the show has managed to reach an audience strength of 30 million since it first went on air in 2004.
As one would expect of a musical group of this calibre, there are abundant questions that people have been asking about Above and Beyond. From a detailed description of each of its member’s life to their career life and other useful facts, you will find answers to most of the questions often asked about these guys below.
Who Are The Above And Beyond Musical Group?
Jono Grant
Jono Grant is one-third of the world’s leading music group, Above and Beyond. He was born and raised in Britain where he learnt to play the piano the classical way. He began composing some if his own music, going on to college to study Music Business and Production. It was while in the university that he met his soon to be partner and friend, Paavo Siljamäki.
Paavo Siljamäki
Paavo Olavi Siljamäki is a trance and dance musician from Finland. He is the second member of Above and Beyond. It is said that Paavo took an interest in music after his parents brought home a piano when he was five years old. He soon learned to play the Piano and Cello. As his passion for music soared, it was only a matter of time before he started making music with computers. By the age of 15, he had composed his very first musical. He attended Finland’s top-rated music high school, Sibelius Lukio, then moved to England where he bagged a degree in Music Business from the University of West Minister. He met Jono Grant while at the university. They bonded over their love for EDM and decided to form a group called Anjunabeats, which later became the name of their label. His debut single, Remember (Summer Sun) became a recognised anthem, as did his second single, Gravity.
Tony McGuiness
The third member of Above and Beyond, Tony McGuiness plays the guitar for Sad Lovers & Giants, an English indie group. Tony also had a very lucrative and successful career as a marketing director for Warner Music Group; he received awards for several of his campaigns. While working with Warner, he made the switch from alternative rock to EDM. Tony later created a group with his brother called Nitromethane, it is known that the group made electronic dance music.
As fate would have it, Tony was asked to make a remix of Chakra’s Home, so he sought out Anjunabeats to collaborate with them on the project. The remix turned out to be an instant hit when it was released, and Tony, Paavo, and Jono decided to form a new band consisting of all three of them. This marked the birth of the Above and Beyond music group.
Their Career Accomplishments
The newly formed group got right back to work, creating a remix for Madonna’s What It Feels Like for a Girl, which was released in 2000 and received praises from all quarters. Offers started pouring in from labels and artists seeking remixes. They remixed songs like Ordinary World by Aurora, Everytime You Need Me by Fragma, In the City by Adamski, Nobody Knows Me by Madonna, Everytime by , Sand in My Shoes by Dido, and The Sound of Goodbye by Perpetuous Dreamer. The success of these tracks cemented their growing reputation as one of the world’s top remixers of vocals. As their fame grew, they became regulars at some of the biggest music festivals in the world, thrilling thousands of fans with their performances.
In 2004, Above and Beyond released their single titled No One On Earth, with Zoe Johnston singing vocals. It was voted one of the top tunes of the year.
The trio released their debut album, Tri-State in 2006 and it was widely praised as a brilliant effort. A number of songs from the album including Air for Life, Alone Tonight, Can’t Sleep, and Home, raked in a couple of awards. On new year’s eve 2007, they headlined their biggest show at Barra Beach, Rio de Janeiro, with about one million people in attendance.
Above and Beyond performed at Virgin Galactic’s launch of SpaceShipTwo in the Mojave Desert. The event was hosted by Sir Richard Branson and had important personalities like on the guest list.
The eclectic musical group released their second album, Group Therapy on June 6, 2011. It received critical acclaim, reaching No. 1 on the iTunes Dance Album charts. It was hailed as the Artist Album of the year by Mixmag. While Billboard called the official album single, Sun & Moon, the saddest dance music song of all time, DJ Magazine described the trio as the “biggest DJ/production collective the UK has ever produced”. The group went on tours to promote the album and continued headlining or performing at dance music festivals. They celebrated the 50th episode of Group Therapy radio – their 500th overall radio show – at Alexandria Palace, London. The show was also aired live.
In 2014, Above and Beyond celebrated the 100th show of Group Therapy radio at Madison Square Garden, completely selling out the venue. They performed for two hours, debuting never-before-heard music from their soon to be released third album, We Are We All We Need.
The group released the singles, Tightrope, My Own Hymn, Northern Soul, and Always in 2017, as a prequel to their fourth album, Common Ground, which was subsequently released on the 26th of January and in the year 2018.
On the side, Above and Beyond ran a radio show called Trance Around The World. It aired weekly from 2004 to 2012, reaching 30 million listeners across 35 countries. It is one of the world’s most listened to radio shows. They launched a new show called Group Therapy in 2012, it has also pulled in millions of listeners and fans across the world.
What’s Their Net Worth?
Among other things that people have shown interest in knowing about the Above and Beyond music group is the extent of the wealth which they have accumulated from their musical endeavours. This has inspired more than a handful of sources to make an estimate of what they believe the total value of their wealth is.
Sadly, it has been difficult for us to authenticate any of the figures quoted as their net worth. So, we would just point out that these guys have had such a successful musical career that translates into many millions in earnings. They are regarded among the richest electronic DJs in the world.
Interesting Facts You Need To Know About Them
Here are some interesting facts you should know about the awesome musical collective known as Above and Beyond.
1. Their band name was inspired by a slogan used by an American motivational trainer who shared the same name with one of the group’s members, Jono Grant. The group’s Jono had one of the other’s motivational posters on his wall with the slogan “Above & Beyond” boldly inscribed on it. When they began searching for a name for their group, the slogan was right there for the taking, so they ran with it.
2. The group once played a full acoustic set while flying in a hot air balloon. An amazing feat no doubt.
3. Jono Grant has composed music for over 300 episodes of TV shows, including for channels like MTV, Family Channel, as well as for the LifeTime Movie, An Officer and a Murderer.
4. Tony McGuiness became obsessed with electronic dance music after he went clubbing for the first time at 26. He is a man of many talents, and one of them is scuba diving. Tony is a certified rescue diver.
5. Paavo Siljamäki is the man behind the incredible visual systems that can be seen at every Above and Beyond show.
6. At some point over their career, the group has released music or performed, using other stage names including OceanLab, Tongue of Gold, Rollerball, and Tranquility Base.
