Calvin Harris News
14 Years Ago, Calvin Harris Released ‘Sweet Nothing’
Calvin Harris and Florence Welch’s ‘Sweet Nothing’ celebrates 14 years after becoming a UK No. 1 and one of the biggest singles from the album ‘18 Months’
Fourteen years after Calvin Harris and Florence Welch released ‘Sweet Nothing’, the collaboration remains one of the most remembered songs from the 18 Months era. Released in 2012, it brought together two artists who were already having very different but highly successful years in music, with Calvin Harris also working with Florence + The Machine around the same period. What followed gave ‘Sweet Nothing’ a much bigger story than its original release, from how the collaboration happened to the success that followed on both sides of the Atlantic.
The Story Behind ‘Sweet Nothing’
Before ‘Sweet Nothing’ became one of the most beloved songs from Calvin Harris’ 18 Months era, he and Florence Welch already had history together. Earlier in 2012, Calvin Harris remixed Florence + The Machine’s ‘Spectrum (Say My Name)’, which went on to reach No. 1 in the UK. That connection later led to an original collaboration, with Kid Harpoon joining Calvin Harris and Florence Welch as a co-writer on ‘Sweet Nothing’.
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The song placed Florence Welch’s vocal in a more electronic setting than much of her work with Florence + The Machine at the time, while fitting naturally into the sound Calvin Harris was developing across 18 Months. It became part of an album that also featured collaborations with Rihanna, Ellie Goulding, Example, Kelis and Ne-Yo, helping place ‘Sweet Nothing’ within one of the most successful periods of his career.
From UK No. 1 To The Billboard Hot 100
Once ‘Sweet Nothing’ was released, the collaboration quickly became much more than another single from 18 Months. It reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart in October 2012, giving Calvin Harris another chart-topper only months after his remix of ‘Spectrum (Say My Name)’. The song also crossed over strongly in the United States, where it reached the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 and gave Florence Welch her first top 10 hit on the chart.
The success continued beyond its original chart run. ‘Sweet Nothing’ later earned a nomination for Best Dance Recording at the 2014 Grammy Awards, while 18 Months was nominated for Best Dance/Electronica Album the same year. Its music video, directed by Vincent Haycock, also became an important part of the release, pairing Florence Welch’s performance with a darker storyline that contrasted with the track’s club-focused production.
Fourteen years later, ‘Sweet Nothing’ remains closely tied to a period when Calvin Harris was becoming one of the biggest names in electronic dance music, while Florence Welch was bringing her voice into collaborations far outside Florence + The Machine. Between the story behind the record, its success in both the UK and the United States, and its place within 18 Months, the song has lasted far beyond its original 2012 chart run.
From UK No. 1 To The Billboard Hot 100
Once ‘Sweet Nothing’ was released, the collaboration became much more than another single from 18 Months. It reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart in October 2012 and gave Calvin Harris another chart-topper that year. The song also found major success in the United States, reaching the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100. It became Florence Welch’s first top 10 hit on the chart.
The success continued after its original chart run, with ‘Sweet Nothing’ earning a Best Dance Recording nomination at the 2014 Grammy Awards. 18 Months also received a nomination for Best Dance/Electronica Album that year. The Vincent Haycock-directed music video added another part to the release, following Florence Welch through a nightclub performance alongside a darker relationship storyline.
Fourteen years later, ‘Sweet Nothing’ remains closely connected to one of the most successful periods of Calvin Harris’ career. It also gave Florence Welch one of her biggest collaborations outside Florence + The Machine. Its UK No. 1, U.S. top 10 and Grammy nomination all followed a partnership that had started only months earlier with ‘Spectrum (Say My Name)’.
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Calvin Harris sells out entire 2027 Australian tour as 10-show run becomes the country’s largest electronic headline tour
After years of playing major Australian festivals, Calvin Harris is finally bringing a full headline tour to the country in 2027. What started with four dates has since expanded to 10 sold-out shows across Perth, Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne. More than 330,000 tickets have been sold, making it the largest electronic headline tour in Australian history.
From Australian Festivals to His First Headline Tour
Long before planning a tour of his own, Calvin Harris had already performed at some of Australia’s biggest dance festivals. He first appeared at Big Day Out in 2010 before returning for Stereosonic in 2011, 2012 and 2014. Years later, Festival X brought him back in 2019 and 2022, keeping his Australian appearances largely tied to major festival events.
When the 2027 tour was first announced, Calvin Harris was set to play just one show per city. Langley Park in Perth would open the run before stops at RNA Showgrounds in Brisbane and The Domain in Sydney. The original schedule would then finish at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne.
As demand increased in Sydney, Calvin Harris added more nights at The Domain, eventually taking the city to five consecutive shows from February 20 to 24. More than 150,000 tickets have been sold across those dates alone. No other headline act has previously played as many shows during one run at the venue.
Strong demand also brought two additional Melbourne dates at Flemington Racecourse, while Perth received a second show at Langley Park. Those additions took the original four-date tour to 10 shows, with Melbourne hosting the final night on February 28.
Calvin Harris Continues a Record-Breaking Year
The Australian response comes during a year in which Calvin Harris has already broken another major live record. In February 2026, an estimated 1.6 million people attended his Bloco Skol performance in São Paulo. Guinness World Records later recognised the event as the largest attendance for a DJ set by a single artist.
More than two decades into his career, Calvin Harris is now drawing audiences on a very different scale from his earlier Australian appearances. His previous visits placed him on festival lineups alongside dozens of other artists, while 2027 will mark the first time he has taken his own headline show across the country.
When the tour begins in February, it will also bring his relationship with Australian audiences into a new chapter. From Big Day Out and Stereosonic to Festival X, they have followed his career through some of the country’s biggest dance events. In 2027, they will finally experience Calvin Harris across a full Australian headline tour of his own.
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Calvin Harris sets a Guinness World Record after performing to 1.6 million people at Bloco Skol in São Paulo, marking the largest attendance for a DJ set by a single artist
Few artists have had the kind of long-term impact on the electronic dance music scene that Calvin Harris has, with a career that has included major festival appearances at Coachella, Tomorrowland, Ultra Music Festival and Creamfields, as well as collaborations with Rihanna, Dua Lipa, Ellie Goulding and Sam Smith. His work has crossed electronic music and mainstream charts for years, but his latest achievement takes that success in a completely different direction. After performing to an estimated 1.6 million people at Bloco Skol in São Paulo, Harris has now officially earned a Guinness World Record for the largest attendance for a DJ set by a single artist.
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Inside Calvin Harris’ Record-Breaking São Paulo Set
The performance took place on February 8, 2026, when Calvin Harris joined Bloco Skol during São Paulo’s pre-Carnival celebrations. The free event took over Rua da Consolação, where Calvin Harris performed from a traditional Brazilian trio elétrico near Avenida Paulista. It marked his first time performing on a trio elétrico and brought him back to Brazil after around a decade, alongside Brazilian artists Nattan, Xand Avião, Zé Vaqueiro and Felipe Amorim.
During the set, Calvin Harris wore a Brazil football shirt with “Calvinho” and the number 00 printed across the back while playing music from across his career. Guinness World Records lists This Is What You Came For, One Kiss, I Need Your Love and We Found Love among the tracks heard during the performance, as an estimated 1.6 million people gathered in central São Paulo. The Carnival setting also gave the Scottish producer a very different format from the festivals, arenas and residencies that have featured throughout his career.
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A New Guinness World Record For Calvin Harris
That 1.6 million-person attendance is officially listed by Guinness World Records as the largest attendance for a DJ set by a single artist. The record page names Calvin Harris as the holder, with São Paulo, Brazil and February 8, 2026 recorded as the location and date of the achievement. The category applies specifically to a DJ set by one artist, giving the Bloco Skol performance its own place in the organization’s record database.
For additional context, Guinness World Records also notes that Madonna’s free Celebration Tour concert at Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro attracted an estimated 1.6 million people on May 4, 2024. Reaching the same estimated attendance for a single DJ set puts the scale of Calvin Harris’ performance far beyond the audience size normally associated with festivals or stadium shows. Celebrating the recognition on social media, Calvin Harris wrote that he now held the world record for the category before adding, “only in Brazil!!!”
More than two decades into his career, the record gives Calvin Harris another major achievement alongside his international festival appearances, chart success and collaborations with some of the biggest names in music. His Bloco Skol performance will now be remembered not only for bringing him back to Brazil, but for attracting an audience large enough to earn a place in Guinness World Records.
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Head Trip announces set times for its debut festival at Empire Polo Club with Calvin Harris, Swedish House Mafia, Skrillex and more
Following Desert Trip in 2016 and Power Trip in 2023, Goldenvoice is returning to Empire Polo Club with Head Trip, a new one-time-only electronic music festival taking place in Indio on October 10–11. Its debut brings together Calvin Harris, Swedish House Mafia, Skrillex, Under Construction, Peggy Gou b2b Four Tet, Dom Dolla b2b KETTAMA and more across one main stage, with the set times now confirmed for both days. Saturday will close with Under Construction followed by Calvin Harris, while Sunday brings Dom Dolla b2b KETTAMA, Skrillex and Swedish House Mafia through the final part of the weekend. Floating Points’ Sunflower Sound System will also make its U.S. debut inside a dedicated dome, adding another element beyond the main-stage lineup.
Inside Head Trip’s Debut Lineup
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With only nine main-stage performances across the weekend, Head Trip keeps its debut centered on a small group of major names and several notable collaborations. Saturday opens with Seth Troxler b2b Ben Sterling, before Peggy Gou b2b Four Tet and Under Construction, the project from FISHER and Chris Lake. Calvin Harris takes the final slot of the night, closing a first day where three of the four main-stage performances are b2bs.
Among them, Peggy Gou b2b Four Tet is one of the bookings worth watching most closely, bringing together two artists with very different histories across house and club music. Under Construction brings FISHER and Chris Lake back together for another major festival appearance, while Seth Troxler b2b Ben Sterling adds a deeper house and techno pairing earlier in the day. The schedule places the three collaborations at 4:30 PM, 7:20 PM and 9:10 PM, before Calvin Harris closes from 11:00 PM.
Sunday starts with DJ Harvey and The Blessed Madonna, before Dom Dolla b2b KETTAMA takes the 6:50 PM slot. Their set leads into Skrillex at 8:40 PM, followed by Swedish House Mafia from 10:30 PM. Between Dom Dolla b2b KETTAMA and two major closing performances, the final hours give Sunday some of the most anticipated names on the entire lineup, while DJ Harvey and The Blessed Madonna bring respected selectors into the earlier part of the day.
What Else Head Trip Has Planned
Alongside the main stage, Floating Points’ Sunflower Sound System will make its U.S. debut at Head Trip and continue throughout both days. The custom setup includes 10 speaker stacks, mycelium acoustic panels and artwork by Josephine Chime, with Floating Points also expected to DJ alongside special guests. For anyone attending, the dome is worth keeping on the radar alongside the headline performances, especially as one of the few parts of the weekend happening away from the main stage.
Visual production comes from Romain Pissenem and High Scream, whose previous work includes [UNVRS], Ushuaïa Ibiza, Hï Ibiza and the Paris 2024 Olympic Games closing ceremony. Early previews released ahead of Head Trip have already shown the stage planned for Empire Polo Club, bringing another major production name into the festival’s debut weekend.
The Indio grounds also connect Head Trip with two earlier one-time events from Goldenvoice, after Desert Trip in 2016 and Power Trip in 2023. This edition turns the attention to electronic music, with four b2bs alongside Calvin Harris, Skrillex, Swedish House Mafia, DJ Harvey and The Blessed Madonna. Peggy Gou b2b Four Tet, Under Construction and Dom Dolla b2b KETTAMA are among the sets to watch, while the U.S. debut of the Sunflower Sound System gives attendees another reason to explore beyond the main schedule. With Goldenvoice presenting Head Trip as “2 nights. One stage. Just this once,” the festival has plenty to make its debut at Empire Polo Club one to watch on October 10–11.
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