2015 | Electronic Album of the Year | Deadmau5 | | The JUNO Awards

They simply happen. There’s also typically an enigmatic figure at the forefront of those aforementioned creative shifts. Canadian native Joel Zimmerman, more commonly known as deadmau5 (pronounced “dead mouse”), didn’t set out to become a groundbreaking electronic artist. He just made some music and it happened to change the game and pop culture as we know it. Isn’t that the best way for it to work though?

Up to this point, his career stands earmarked by a series of firsts and shattered records. At the 54th annual Grammy Awards in 2012, he gave a monumental performance as part of the prestigious ceremony’s first-ever telecast celebrating electronic music. He’s also the first electronic artist in history to grace the cover of Rolling Stone. His sold out show at Toronto’s Rogers Centre, documented on the MEOWINGTONS HAX 2k11 DVD, and London’s Earl’s Court, documented on the deadmau5 live @ earl’s court DVD, made him the first Canadian artist as well as the first electronic artist to headline both venues.