The Electric Daisy Carnival in Las Vegas brings together the top DJs in the dance world every year for an estimated 500,000 attendees to enjoy over 3 days. For many EDM artists, playing the festival is a marker for truly “making it.” This year, Toronto-native, HNTR made his EDC debut. Although he didn’t have a set on the lineup in 2025, his presence was definitely felt. His remix of Cloonee and InntRaw’s “Stephanie” which samples Young M.A’s “OOOUUU” could be heard at practically every stage.
Fast forward one year and HNTR’s dropped his new track “Holla At A Player” featuring Academy Award Winner, Juicy J. We caught up with the DJ and producer to find out how the song came together, see what his life looks like after the success of a viral remix and get to know the man behind the stagename.
At last year’s EDC, I asked a bunch of DJs what the most played track of the festival would be and Tiësto, Alison Wonderland, Alok, Morten, and Tape B all said your remix of Cloonee’s “Stephanie” would be the most played song of the year. A year later, what was it like watching that song blow up?
It was honestly unreal. When I made that remix, there was no strategy behind it. It was just something I made that purely for fun cuz I thought it would be cool to put my spin on it.
To see it go from a bootleg in my sets to a record being played by pretty much everyone was crazy. It changed my career, but more than anything it gave me confidence that there was a real audience for the sound I was building. Gotta shout out Dom Dolla. That one video changed everything
From having the most played song last year, to making your EDC debut this year, was playing Stereo Bloom everything you expected? What were you thinking going into that set?
EDC has always been a bucket list festival for me, so just being on the lineup was a huge moment. I have probably never put more effort into a set, I had my laptop in the trailer working on music till the last few minutes before I went on stage. I wanted to play as much of my own (new) music as possible.
Once I stepped on stage and saw the crowd I had a bit of a moment to myself. It was one of those times where you realize where all the hard work has taken you.
For fans who just discovered you from that track, who is HNTR? Can you tell us about your background, your influences, and what it’s taken to reach this point in your career?
I’m a producer and DJ from Toronto. It’s a city with a huge hip hop culture and a really deep dance music scene, so those influences naturally came together in the music I was making.
A lot of people told me that blending hip hop and dance music the way I wanted to wouldn’t work. But I always believed there could be an audience for it. People discovered me through Stephanie, but before that there were years of learning, experimenting, putting music out, playing clubs, throwing parties, and figuring out what HNTR actually sounded like. If you go back to the very first HNTR release you can hear that I had been trying the formula for years before it actually hit.
A lot can change in such a short period of time. What are some of your top achievements within the last year?
Obviously Stephanie was a huge moment, but making my EDC debut, touring internationally, and seeing my music supported by artists I’ve looked up to for years have all been major milestones.
What I’m most proud of is that we’ve continued building momentum beyond a single record. 8 beatport No.1s in a year was pretty dope, and entering the top 101 producers list at #46 and winning the remix of the year at the beatport awards.
The goal has always been to build something bigger than one song, and I feel like we’re doing that. Landing in Asia and meeting someone who’s influenced by my music was proof that what we’re doing it working.
A lot of artists I talk to after “over-night success” tell me it comes with some unexpected difficulties or emotions. Have you experienced that at all with the rapid changes in your life and career?
Definitely. The funny thing is people call it overnight success, but it was an overnight success 15 years in the making.
The biggest adjustment is probably the expectations. More people are paying attention and every move feels a little more magnified. But it’s also what I’ve worked toward my whole career, so I’m grateful for it and focused on keeping the same mindset that got me here.
Shifting to your new track, how did “Holla At A Player” come about and how did Juicy J get involved?
I’ve always been a huge fan of Juicy J. He’s not just one of the most influential artists to me personally but all of modern hip hop imo. The record started like any other, a loop with a simple drop idea, no real expectations.
We have a great creative relationship with Kinetica Records, who loved the idea and said “make a list in order of who you’d want to work with. I put Juicy J at the top just for a laugh, like ya sure. They got it to him within a day and he connected with the vision, and was really into it. Once his vocals came back, it felt like the record immediately jumped to another level.
He even made a surprise appearance during your set at Billboard’s The Arrival party in the Coachella Valley back in April. What was it like getting that instant feedback to your track?
Yo bro I really brought Juicy J out to preform “Slob On My Knob”, “Bandz that Make Her Dance”, and MY OWN ORIGINAL SONG… Crazy moment I’ll never forget. It’s one thing hearing a record in the studio, but it’s another seeing people react to it live and then having Juicy J perform it with you.
Those are the moments you dream about as a producer. The reaction was incredible and it made me even more excited to finally release the record.
Not to be greedy when you’ve just released a track, but what else is in the pipeline? Anything you can hint at?
There’s a lot coming. We’ve been working hard behind the scenes and I feel like we’re only scratching the surface of what the HNTR project can become.
There are more records on the way, some exciting collaborations, and some big shows and festivals coming up. The focus now is continuing to push
Who’s on your bucket list of collaborators? Rappers, vocalists, DJs, and producers, all included.
Honestly I usually just remix the people I want to hear over my sound but short list of some artists I think I could make some cool music with is: Denzel Curry, Ty Dolla, Don Toliver, Project Pat.. man I could go on for days.
On the dance side, I’m lucky to be working with a lot of them but in general I love to work with artists who are carving out their own lane. For me, it’s less about how famous someone is and more about whether they’re bringing something unique to the table.
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