Bizarre reason Calvin Harris changed his name when he was 22-years-old

When I met you in the Summer, your name was Calvin Harris.

As it turns out, the DJ has been using a stage name all this time and none of us knew.

And it seems chart-topping producer - who has worked with the likes of Dua Lipa, Rhianna and The Weeknd - had a very particular reason why he changed his name when he was 22.

The Scottish songwriter, now 40, says he made an early decision in his career to use a stage name.

He explained back in 2009 why he made the move.

He told the Shortlist: "My first single was more of a soul track, and I thought Calvin Harris sounded a bit more racially ambiguous.

"I thought people might not know if I was black or not. After that, I was stuck with it."

David Becker/Getty Images for Spotify

And as for his real name?

The DJ was born as Adam Wiles.

But while fans may only really recognise his stage name, he said his family and friends continued to call him Adam.

He added: "No one calls me Calvin. It's horrible and it's not my name. You might as well be calling me Mr Blobby.

"At the start of my career people were meeting me for the first time and I let it slide. It was sort of a nickname."

But if that wasn't shocking enough, there's more.

Some years back, people watching the Brit Awards were stunned to find out that Harris was, in fact, Scottish.

The hit-maker was at the awards to accept the British producer of the year gong, but people at home couldn't quite get their heads around the fact he was speaking with a Scottish accent.

Ya know, because he's Scottish.

BBC

One wrote: "What the f**k, Calvin Harris is Scottish? And such a broad accent. Shook."

Another posted: "Genuinely didn't know Calvin Harris was Scottish."

A third said: "I don't think I've heard Calvin Harris speak and it's really freaked me out."

Others were aware he was Scottish, but taken aback by quite how strong an accent he actually has, with a lot of folks realising they'd never heard him speak before.

One fan said: "Never heard him speak before - was a shock to hear just a strong Scottish accent even though I knew he is from Scotland. Well done on the award."

Topics: Celebrity, Music, UK News

Anish Vij

Anish is a GG2 Young Journalist of the Year 2024 finalist. He has a Master's degree in Multimedia Journalism and a Bachelor's degree in International Business Management. Apart from that, his life revolves around the ‘Four F’s’ - family, friends, football and food. Email: [email protected]

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