Capitol Records has signed chart-topping DJ/producer ACRAZE in partnership with Thrive Music, the acclaimed independent label founded by Ricardo Vinas. The move follows the release of ACRAZE’s global smash ‘Do It To It’ through Thrive’s deal with Capitol Music Group’s Virgin Music label. ‘Do It To It’ ft. Cherish has amassed over 8.4 billion combined global streams since its release last August.
“It’s always been a dream of mine to have a team that has believed in me from the start,” said ACRAZE. “I’m glad I get to work with Capitol and Thrive to make my vision come to life. Having two powerhouse labels by my side is so motivating, can’t wait to show you guys what’s in store.”
Carlos Alcala, General Manager/VP of A&R, Thrive Music, recalled, “Since first discovering him four years ago, ACRAZE has been one of the most undeniable talents that I’ve seen come around, both as a performer and in the studio. The family is only growing and I’m looking forward to partnering with Michelle, Jeremy, and the crew at Capitol Records to continue to push boundaries.”
According to CMG Chair & CEO Michelle Jubelirer and CMG President of A&R Jeremy Vuernick, “We are thrilled to be expanding upon our relationship with ACRAZE and Thrive Music after embarking on such a successful journey with them through Virgin with the global smash ‘Do It To It.’ ACRAZE is an incredibly talented artist and performer, Ricardo, Carlos and their team at Thrive are great label partners, and we look forward to achieving so much more together in the coming months and years.”
Tiësto, Subtronics, Andrew Rayel, Sub Focus, and Rated R are featured on ‘Do It To It’ remixes, recently released by Thrive Music. In this feature, Billboard traces the rise of ‘Do It To It’ from its first inspiration to its remarkable chart success. ACRAZE recalls seeing a friend showing off her new car in an Instagram clip, soundtracked by R&B girl group Cherish’s original 2006 version of ‘Do It To It’. His phone went glitchy and the resulting skips gave him the vision for his reimagined version of the song.
ACRAZE gave ‘Do It To It’ its live debut at a New Year’s show with Tchami – and woke up the next morning to over 500 DMs about the track. Soon he’d gained the support of such artists as Tiësto, DIPLO, DJ Snake, The Chainsmokers, Steve Aoki, Chris Lake, Zedd, Martin Garrix, and others.
After its official release in August 2021, ‘Do It To It’ ft. Cherish appeared on numerous playlists. The track took the #1 spot on the U.S. Dance Radio chart, Shazam’s Global Dance tally, and the UK’s Official Dance Singles Chart Top 40. Simultaneously, the track went viral on TikTok, with more than 3.3 million videos created using the official sound by users on the platform. Winner of the 2022 iHeartRadio Music Award for Dance Song of the Year, ‘Do It To It’ has been tapped by Pepsi Wild Cherry for a major ad campaign.
ACRAZE will be touring North America and Europe this summer, playing a mixture of clubs and festivals, including Beyond Wonderland at the Gorge in Washington state and Tomorrowland 2022 in Belgium.
Photo Credit: Lester Cohen
