Free book · New
Happy in
a Boring Life
On building a creative life that lasts, and why slower usually turns out to be faster in the end.
Download freeI had the dream life.I wasn't happy.
JoeySuki is the artist name of Joey Lelieveld, a Dutch DJ and producer from Tilburg who played Tomorrowland and Creamfields, released 'Munster' with Hardwell, and stopped in 2015 after burning out. That's me. Today I coach DJs, producers and artist managers through Artist Coaching.
01 · The career
More than twenty years in dance music. First on stage. Now behind it.
Weddings and birthday parties around Tilburg. At night I produced tracks in my bedroom.
From local bars to clubs, and a deal with Sneakerz Muzik, a sub-label of Spinnin' Records.
The track that changed everything. International bookings followed, and releases on bigger labels.
Tomorrowland, Creamfields and tours abroad. Remixing Jennifer Lopez, working with Pitbull, releasing on Spinnin', Revealed, Toolroom, Defected, Sony and Ultra.
Burned out, with panic attacks on the road. I stopped my artist career while the bookings were still coming in.
I started coaching artists, to give them everything I missed myself. Later I trained as a certified NLP Master Coach.
I coach DJs, producers and artist managers one to one, wrote two books, and host a podcast with Jay Hardway and Ralph from Bassjackers.
02 · The turning point
From the outside it looked perfect. Big stages, big names, a passport full of stamps. On the inside I was running on empty.
The anxiety had been building for a while. On a trip to India I had panic attacks the whole way through. I told myself it would pass.
Then one morning, in the middle of moving house, I woke up on the day I was supposed to fly to Asia. Two weeks on tour, alone. I couldn't stop crying. I called my manager and cancelled.
That was rock bottom. It was also the start of everything I do now.
In 2015 I stopped as an artist. A year later I started Artist Coaching, to give artists all the things I missed myself during my career. Industry experience on one side, real coaching training on the other.
I was unhappy with a dream life.
JoeySuki
03 · What I believe
Boring is a compliment to me now. Not dull. Steady. A life and a career built on who you really are, not on a mask you wear for other people.
That mask is the real enemy. Doing things for others instead of for yourself. Chasing approval online. It comes from fear of what people think and from wanting to belong, and social media makes it louder.
Stay true to yourself and you don't burn out on the way. Slower usually turns out to be faster. It's what I teach artists, and what I want to pass on to my own kids.
04 · What I do now
And the people behind them. Everything I learned the hard way, put to work.
05 · The books
The first is how it went wrong. The second is what I do differently now.
Free book · New
On building a creative life that lasts, and why slower usually turns out to be faster in the end.
Download free
Free book
My own road from bedroom producer to main stage, and why arriving there did not feel like the answer.
Download free06 · Questions
JoeySuki is my artist name. I'm Joey Lelieveld, a Dutch DJ and producer from Tilburg. I played Tomorrowland and Creamfields, released on Spinnin', Revealed, Toolroom and Defected, and worked with Hardwell, Jennifer Lopez and Pitbull. Since 2016 I run Artist Coaching, a career coaching company for DJs, producers and artist managers.
Joey Lelieveld. JoeySuki is the name I toured and released music under.
Yes. In 2011 I released 'Munster' together with Hardwell. That track opened the door to international bookings and releases on bigger labels.
I burned out. After years of touring I had panic attacks and could no longer keep a healthy life on the road. In 2015 I stopped my artist career, and in 2016 I started Artist Coaching.
I coach DJs, producers and artist managers one to one through Artist Coaching. I'm a certified NLP Master Coach, I host the Artist Coaching Podcast with Jay Hardway and Ralph from Bassjackers, and I write about building a creative career that lasts.
Two. Unhappy With a Dream Life is about my own career, from bedroom producer to main stage, and why it didn't make me happy. Happy in a Boring Life is about building a creative life that lasts. Both are free to download.
Tilburg, in the south of the Netherlands. I still live and work in the area, and coach artists from the Netherlands and abroad.
If any of this sounds familiar, let's talk. Two ways in.
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