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Parov Stelar
Austrian DJ and producer (born 1974)
Austrian DJ and producer (born 1974)
| Field | Value | |
|---|---|---|
| name | Parov Stelar | |
| background | non_performing_personnel | |
| image | Parov Stelar 2024 (c) Tanja Schalling (cropped).jpg | |
| caption | Stelar in 2024 | |
| birth_name | Marcus Füreder | |
| birth_date | ||
| birth_place | Linz, Austria | |
| genre | {{flatlist | |
| occupation | {{flatlist | |
| years_active | 1998–present | |
| label | Etage Noir Recordings | |
| website |
- Electro swing
- house}}
- Composer
- record producer
- disc jockey
- visual artist}}
Marcus Füreder (born November 27, 1974), known professionally as Parov Stelar, is an Austrian music producer and DJ. He is considered a pioneer of electro swing and is one of the most internationally successful artists from Austria. In addition to his music, he is also known for his visual artwork, which has been shown in numerous galleries and exhibitions.
His musical style blends electronic music with elements of jazz, swing, and blues, characterized by a fusion of modern beats, vintage sounds, and distinctive brass sections. Many of his tracks have been used in films, commercials, and TV series, and remain in demand worldwide.
He first gained recognition in the international club and festival scene in 2004 with the release of the EP KissKiss, followed shortly by the album Rough Cuts. These early works laid the foundation for his distinctive sound. With later tracks such as Catgroove, Booty Swing and All Night, he became one of the most-streamed electro swing artists and played a key role in shaping the genre. His music has consistently charted, including reaching #1 on the US iTunes Electronic Charts with The Sun (2018) and Voodoo Sonic Pt. 2 (2020). His song All Night received double platinum certification in Italy (2017), and platinum in Germany (2023) and Austria (2025).
Since 2005, Parov Stelar has brought his music to the stage with the Parov Stelar Band, a blend of DJ set and live instrumentation. The band has toured around the world, performing at major festivals such as Coachella (US), Glastonbury (UK), Sziget (HU), and Lollapalooza (DE) and in sold-out venues like PlayStation Theater in New York, Alexandra Palace in London, and Zénith in Paris.
To date, Parov Stelar has released ten studio albums, one live album, and more than twenty EPs. He has received ten Amadeus Austrian Music Awards for his work.
Life and career
Early life and musical beginnings
Marcus Füreder grew up in Linz and developed a passion for music and art at an early age. He began his career as a DJ in local clubs, performing under the pseudonym Plasma or his real name, drawing inspiration from jazz, soul, house and electronic music. These influences would later shape his distinctive musical style.
To pursue his creative vision independently, Füreder founded his own record label, Etage Noir Recordings, in 2003. He has been releasing music under the name Parov Stelar through the label ever since. His early releases, including the EP Kiss Kiss (2004), followed shortly by the album Rough Cuts, quickly gained international attention in the club and festival scene.
Breakthrough and musical development
With the albums Seven and Storm (2005) and Shine (2007), Parov Stelar refined his sound by incorporating elements of jazz, house, and broken beat into his productions. These early works laid the foundation for his later success, which saw a stronger emphasis on electro swing with the release of Coco (2009).
The two-part album Coco marked his definitive breakthrough and established him as a leading figure in electro swing. It featured the track Catgroove, which went viral and has amassed millions of streams. In February 2010, Canadian dancer Michael Startsev posted a video to YouTube (under the username "takeSomeCrime") in which he dances to Catgroove; it has gained over 55 million views as of July 2025.
In 2012, Stelar released the double album The Princess, which included globally recognized hits like Booty Swing and All Night. His subsequent albums, The Art of Sampling (2013) and The Demon Diaries (2015), continued to evolve his sound. With The Burning Spider (2017), Parov Stelar departed from his classic electro swing sound, bringing blues and jazz elements to the forefront.
In 2020 he released Voodoo Sonic - The Trilogy, a three-part album series that combined his musical roots with new influences, showcasing different facets of his sound. His 2022 album, Moonlight Love Affair, took a more melodic direction, blending elements of pop and electronic dance music with his signature style in tracks such as Candy Girl and Toxic Lover.
Throughout his career, Parov Stelar has worked with internationally renowned artists such as Lana Del Rey, Bryan Ferry, Marvin Gaye and Lady Gaga. He has also remixed two songs by fellow Austrian artist Falco: Vienna Calling, released in 2017 as part of the Falco 60 anniversary compilation, and Der Kommissar, released as a standalone single in 2022. Falco – Der Kommissar (Parov Stelar Remix)|website=Discogs |date=2022}} Falco – Falco60|website=Discogs|date=2017}}
Live performances and band
In addition to his work as a producer, Parov Stelar is also an active live performer. In 2005, he performed with a full band for the first time, blending electronic beats with live instrumentation. His high-energy shows combine music, elaborate visuals, and elements of improvisation.
Parov Stelar and his band have played at many of the world's leading music festivals, including Coachella (US), Glastonbury (UK), Sziget (HU), Hurricane, Southside, and Lollapalooza (DE), Pukkelpop (BE), Vieilles Charrues and Solidays (FR), NOS Alive! (PT), Untold Festival (RO), Frequency (AT), and Fête de l’Humanité in Paris, which drew a crowd of 100,000. He has also performed at renowned venues such as the O2 Academy Brixton in London and Zénith in Paris. His tours regularly take him across Europe, North America, and beyond. By combining live instruments with electronic sounds, he sets himself apart from traditional DJ sets and creates a distinctive live experience.
Music in commercials, film and TV
Parov Stelar gained international recognition through the widespread use of his music in advertising, film, and television. His tracks have been featured in global campaigns for major brands including Audi, Bacardi, BMW, Coach, Colgate, Courvoisier, Escada, Ferrero, Fiat, Google, Microsoft, Target, Telecom Italia, Vodafone, Paco Rabanne and Cosmopolitan.
His music has also been featured in films, TV series, and documentaries — for example, in the movies The Spy Who Dumped Me, Hector and the Search for Happiness, Samba, and Traumfrauen, and in TV series such as Dollface, Love 101, Valeria, and Maestro in Blue. He also composed the soundtrack for season one of the German series Wo wir sind, ist oben, as well as the documentary Scatter My Ashes at Bergdorf's.{{Cite web|url=https://www.tunefind.com/show/love-101/season-2/106488|title= Love 101 (aka Ask 101) Soundtrack|website=tunefind online}}
Visual art
The Upper Austria-born artist studied painting and graphic design at the University of Art and Design in Linz and at the University of the Arts in Berlin. In the summer of 2021 Parov Stelar gave a first insight into his work as a visual artist in his hometown Linz. The Francisco Carolinum Museum presented 25 large-format paintings such as "HELLO Mom" and "I'll be OK soon" as well as "Toxic Lover" in which he reflects on autobiographical events and fears, processing them artistically. Just like in his music, text plays a crucial role in his visual artworks.
Following his debut exhibition in 2021, Parov Stelar's visual art has been showcased in a number of exhibitions. In 2022, his solo show danke, gut was presented at Galerie Schloss Parz. In 2023, his work was featured in the Music Lounge exhibition series at the Technisches Museum Vienna. He continued in 2024 with multiple solo exhibitions, including blind date at the Glascubus Ursulinenhof, Linz, second date at Galerie Haas & Gschwandtner in Salzburg, and a presentation at Salon Bucherer in Vienna.
Personal life
Stelar was married to Barbara Lichtenauer (better known by her stage name Lilja Bloom), with whom he co-founded the design label Stelarbloom. Stelar and Bloom divorced in early 2020.
Discography
Albums
| Year | Album | Details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | AUT | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FRA | ||||||||||
| GER | ||||||||||
| GRE | ||||||||||
| Parov Stelar in Greek charts: | NLD | |||||||||
| SWI | ||||||||||
| Parov Stelar in Swiss charts: | ||||||||||
| 2001 | Shadow Kingdom | 2×12" Vinyl & CD, Bushido Recordings, as Plasma | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2004 | Rough Cuts | CD, Etage Noir Recordings | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2005 | Seven and Storm | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 2006 | Charleston Butterfly | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 2007 | Shine | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 2008 | Daylight | CD, Rambling Records | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009 | That Swing – Best Of | CD, Etage Noir Recordings | — | — | — | 7 | — | — | ||
| Coco | 65 | — | — | 10 | — | — | ||||
| Coco, Pt.1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| Coco, Pt.2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| 2010 | The Paris Swing Box | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| La Fete | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| 2012 | The Princess | CD, Etage Noir Recordings | 4 | — | 35 | 8 | 86 | 9 | ||
| The Princess, Pt.2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| 2013 | The Invisible Girl | |||||||||
| (Parov Stelar Trio) | 18 | — | — | 4 | — | 40 | ||||
| Parov Stelar & Peter Kreuzer Pres.: Klangwolke 2013 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| The Art of Sampling | 2 CDs, 2 LPs, CD, DD Etage Noir Recordings, Island Records, Universal Music Germany | 6 | 117 | 35 | — | — | 27 | |||
| 2015 | The Demon Diaries | 2x12" LP, CD, Etage Noir Recordings | 1 | 93 | 8 | 1 | — | 9 | ||
| 2016 | Live @ Pukkelpop | CD, Etage Noir Recordings | 9 | — | 89 | — | — | 64 | ||
| 2017 | The Burning Spider | 1 | 49 | 23 | — | — | 9 | |||
| 2019 | Voodoo Sonic Trilogy, Part 1 | Etage Noir Recordings | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020 | Voodoo Sonic Trilogy, Part 2 | Etage Noir Recordings | 33 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| Voodoo Sonic Trilogy, Part 3 | Etage Noir Recordings | 45 | — | — | — | — | 80 | |||
| 2022 | Moonlight Love Affair | Etage Noir Recordings | 4 | — | 83 | — | — | 20 | ||
| 2025 | Artifact | LP, CD, DD, Etage Noir Recordings | 5 | — | — | — | — | — |
Singles & EPs
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Album / EP | Certifications | AUT | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FRA | |||||||||
| GER | |||||||||
| GRE | |||||||||
| SWI | |||||||||
| 2009 | "Catgroove" | — | — | — | — | — | Coco, Pt.2 | ||
| 2010 | "The Phantom" | 69 | — | — | — | — | The Phantom EP | ||
| "Booty Swing" | — | — | — | — | — | The Paris Swing Box | |||
| 2012 | "Jimmy's Gang" | 43 | — | — | — | — | Jimmy's Gang EP | ||
| "Nobody's Fool" | |||||||||
| (featuring Cleo Panther) | 60 | — | — | — | — | The Princess | |||
| 2013 | "The Mojo Radio Gang" | — | 72 | — | — | — | Coco | ||
| "Keep on Dancing" | |||||||||
| (featuring Marvin Gaye) | 45 | — | — | — | — | The Art of Sampling | |||
| 2014 | "All Night" | 42 | 46 | ||||||
| 35 | — | 57 | The Princess | ||||||
| "Clap Your Hands" | 52 | — | — | — | — | Clap Your Hands | |||
| "The Sun" | |||||||||
| (featuring Graham Candy) | 31 | 110 | — | 2 | — | The Sun EP | |||
| 2015 | "Hooked on You" | ||||||||
| (featuring Timothy Auld) | — | 126 | — | — | — | The Demon Diaries | |||
| "Six Feet Underground" | |||||||||
| (featuring Claudia Kane) | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| "When I Find My Love" | |||||||||
| (as Stelartronic and Anduze) | — | 97 | — | — | — | ||||
| 2016 | "Grandpa's Groove" | — | — | — | — | — | Single | ||
| 2017 | "Step Two" | ||||||||
| (featuring Lilja Bloom) | — | 90 | |||||||
| — | — | — | The Burning Spider | ||||||
| 2018 | "Taking Over" | ||||||||
| (featuring Krysta Youngs) | — | — | — | — | — | Single | |||
| "Mambo Rap" | |||||||||
| (featuring Claudia Kane) | — | — | — | — | — | Single | |||
| "TROUBLE" | |||||||||
| (featuring Nikki Williams) | — | — | — | — | — | Single | |||
| 2019 | "Gringo" | ||||||||
| — | — | — | — | — | Single | ||||
| "Snake Charmer" | |||||||||
| (with Kovacs) | — | — | — | — | — | Single | |||
| "Go Wake Up" | |||||||||
| (with Lilja Bloom) | — | — | — | — | — | Voodoo Sonic (The Trilogy, Pt. 1) EP | |||
| 2020 | "Brass Devil" | ||||||||
| — | — | — | — | — | Voodoo Sonic (The Trilogy, Pt. 2) EP | ||||
| "Don't You Forget" | |||||||||
| (featuring Anduze & Lilja Bloom) | — | — | — | — | — | Voodoo Sonic (The Trilogy, Pt. 2) EP | |||
| "Go Wake Up" | |||||||||
| (with Lilja Bloom) | — | — | — | — | — | Voodoo Sonic (The Trilogy, Pt. 1) EP | |||
| "Tango Del Fuego" | |||||||||
| (with Georgia Gibbs) | — | — | — | — | — | Single | |||
| "Pink Dragon" | |||||||||
| — | — | — | — | — | Single | ||||
| "Silver Line" | |||||||||
| — | — | — | — | — | Single | ||||
| 2021 | "Keine Melodien...1,2,3,4,5" | ||||||||
| with (Jeans Team) | — | — | — | — | — | Single | |||
| "Chambermaid Mash Up Swing" | |||||||||
| — | — | — | — | — | Single | ||||
| 2022 | "Candy Girl" | ||||||||
| (featuring Vallemarie) | — | — | — | — | — | Single | |||
| "AKH Odessa" | |||||||||
| (with The Gentlemen Music Club) | — | — | — | — | — | Single | |||
| "Toxic Lover" | |||||||||
| — | — | — | — | — | Single | ||||
| "FIRE" | |||||||||
| — | — | — | — | — | Single | ||||
| "Gringos Revenge" | |||||||||
| — | — | — | — | — | Single | ||||
| 2023 | "Future" | ||||||||
| (featuring James Deacon) | — | — | — | — | — | Single | |||
| "Breathe" | |||||||||
| (with Stelartronic) | — | — | — | — | — | Single | |||
| 2024 | "Boy Met Girl" | ||||||||
| — | — | — | — | — | Single | ||||
| "Pink Electric Shoes" | — | — | — | — | — | Single | |||
| "In Between" | — | — | — | — | — | Single | |||
| "Drum" | — | — | — | — | — | Single |
Use of music in film, series and documentaries
| Production Title | Type | Episode (for series) | Release year | Country of origin | Song(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bob Mackie - Naked Illusions | Documentary | 2025 | USA | "Chambermaid Swing", "Diamonds", "Red Cat", "Lights Off" | |
| 15 Minutes of shame | Documentary | 2021 | USA | "The Princess" | |
| Ice To Ice - Michael Strasser | Documentary | 2020 | AUT | "All Night", "Voodoo Sonic", "The Fall" | |
| Always at the Carlyle | Documentary | 2018 | USA | "Let's Roll", "The Burning Spider", "State Of The Union" | |
| Scatter my ashes at Bergdorf's | Documentary | 2012 | USA | 25 songs featured | |
| The Spy Who Dumped Me | Film | 2018 | USA | "Six Feet Underground" | |
| Love Machine | Film | 2018 | AT | "Hooked On You" | |
| Womit haben wir das verdient? | Film | 2018 | AT | "Jimmy's Gang" | |
| The Wilde Wedding | Film | 2016 | USA | "Booty Swing", "Chambermaid Swing", "Jimmy's Gang", "Catgroove" | |
| Ray Meets Helen | Film | 2016 | USA | "La Calatrava", "Jimmy's Gang", "Letoile", "For Rose" | |
| Figjar 2 | Film | 2015 | TR | "All Night", "Milla's Dream" | |
| Samba | Film | 2015 | FR | "Catgroove" | |
| Traumfrauen | Film | 2015 | DE | "Hooked On You", "Hit Me Like A Drum", "The Sun", "All Night" | |
| Der perfekte Wurf | Film | 2014 | DE | "All Night" | |
| Hector's search for happiness | Film | 2014 | USA | "Room Service" | |
| Weisses Rössl | Film | 2013 | DE | "Dust In The Summer Rain" | |
| In Vogue: The 1990s | Series | 2024 | UK | "All Night" | |
| Maestro Blue | Series | Season 2, Episode 203 | 2024 | GR | "The Princess" |
| Wo wir sind ist oben | Series | Episode 1-8 | 2024 | DE | Multiple songs featured |
| Valeria | Series | Season 3, Episode 6 | 2023 | ES | "Booty Swing" |
| Dollface | Series | Episode 201 | 2022 | USA | "Booty Swing", "Libella Swing" |
| Love 101 | Series | Season 2, Episode 203 | 2021 | TR | "The Princess" |
| Tod von Freunden | Series | Episode 1,3 | 2021 | DE | "The Burning Spider" |
| The Hills: New Beginnings | Series | Episode 104 | 2019 | USA | "Trouble" |
Awards and achievements
Stelar has won ten Amadeus Austrian Music Awards (7x Best Dance/Electronic, 2x Best Live Act, 1x Best Album):
- 2012: Electronic/Dance
- 2013: Electronic/Dance
- 2013: Album of the Year for The Princess
- 2013: Best Live Act
- 2014: Best Live Act
- 2015: Electronic/Dance
- 2016: Electronic/Dance
- 2019: Electronic/Dance
- 2020: Electronic/Dance
- 2021: Electronic/Dance
His music has consistently charted, including reaching No. 1 on the US iTunes Electronic Charts with The Sun featuring Graham Candy in May 2018, as well as with the release of Voodoo Sonic Pt. 2 in 2020.
His track All Night achieved double platinum status in Italy in May 2017 for 100,000 units sold, and was later certified platinum in Germany (2023) and Austria (2025)
References
References
- Pilar, Sylvia. (16 March 2017). "Kunst trifft Handwerk".
- (2018-05-08). "Parov Stelar number 1 in the iTunes Electronic Charts in the USA".
- (2020). "Parov Stelar number 1 in the USA again".
- (2017). "Parov Stelar. All Night. Double Platin, Italy (2017)".
- (2023). "Parov Stelar. All Night. Platin, Germany (2023)".
- (2025). "Parov Stelar. All Night. Platin, Austria (2025)".
- (19 October 2011). "Parov Stelar Band".
- (18 April 2016). "Parov Stelar at the legendary Coachella".
- (13 August 2018). "The half-naked madness: Sziget Festival 2018 - Part 2".
- (2015). "Performances by Parov Stelar at Lollapalooza Berlin".
- (September 2021). "Amadeus Awards 2021: these are the winners".
- (29 August 2013). "Parov Stelar Release New Single".
- (2025). "Parov Stelar - Profile, Songs & Concerts".
- (2007). "Parov Stelar - Shine (Album Description)".
- (2010-02-20). "Parov Stelar - Catgroove (TSC - Forsythe)".
- Snowdon, Wallis. (6 March 2017). "Meet the Edmonton dancer behind an internet mystery". CBC News.
- Seibold, Ulrike. (2012). "Parov Stelar: Extravaganz ale Genuss".
- (10 May 2017). "Parov Stelar - The Burning Spider".
- (14 December 2020). "Parov Stelar - A two-year creation on the Voodoo Sonic Album".
- (29 August 2022). "Parov Stelar - Moonlight Love Affair".
- (20 April 2013). "Lana Del Rey - Dark Paradise (Parov Stelar Official Remix)".
- (6 September 2013). "Parov Stelar meets Marvin Gaye: New single "Keep On Dancing" on the heels of "Got To Give It Up"".
- (7 October 2014). "I Can't Give You Anything But Love - Parov Stelar Mix".
- "About Parov Stelar".
- "Bad Spies Soundtracks".
- "Hector and the Search for Happiness Soundtracks".
- "Samba Soundtracks".
- "Traumfrauen".
- "Valeria Soundtrack".
- "Wo wir sind ist oben".
- (3 May 2013). "Scatter My Ashes at Bergdorf's: Film Review".
- "Parov Stelar. I'll be OK soon".
- (September 2022). "Parov Stelar's work on display at Parz Castle".
- (June 2023). "Music Lounge".
- (June 2024). "blind date" exhibition: Parov Stelar shows his latest paintings in Linz".
- (November 2024). "Parov Stelar: Second Date".
- (May 2024). "Parov Stelar presents his works in an upscale setting".
- (14 April 2018). "Stelarbloom has been granted the celebrated Golden A' Design Award".
- (8 November 2019). "Der Maler Parov Stelar".
- [https://www.lescharts.com/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Parov+Stelar Discographie Parov Stelar] (in French). lescharts.com. Retrieved 10 November 2013.
- "Discographie von Parov Stelar". GfK Entertainment.
- [https://dutchcharts.nl/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Parov+Stelar Discografie Parov Stelar] (in Dutch). dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 6 September 2013.
- {{cite certification
- "IFPI Greece Digital Singles".
- "Le Top de la semaine : Top Singles Téléchargés - SNEP (Week 13, 2017)". [[Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique]].
- "German Certifications - Parov Stelar". Bundesverband Musikindustrie (BVMI).
- "Italian Certifications - Parov Stelar". FIMI Italy.
- "Le Top de la semaine : Top Singles Téléchargés – SNEP (Week 24, 2017)". [[Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique]].
- (2 May 2012). "Das war die Verleihung der Amadeus Music Awards 2012".
- (2 May 2013). "Amadeus Austrian Music Award 2013".
- (2 May 2013). "Amadeus Austrian Music Award 2013".
- (2 May 2013). "Amadeus Austrian Music Award 2013".
- (12 December 2018). "Amadeus-Verleihung 2014". Wikipedia.
- (30 March 2015). "Amadeus: Parov Stelar ist bester Electronic/Dance-Act".
- (4 April 2016). "Amadeus Austrian Music Awards 2016: Die Gewinner im Überblick".
- (26 April 2019). "Die Gewinnerinnen und Gewinner des Amadeus Austrian Music Awards 2019".
- (23 September 2020). "Amadeus Austrian Music Awards 2020 - Winners".
- Zeidler, Thomas. (9 September 2021). "Amadeus Awards 2021: Die Sieger".
- (8 May 2018). "oe3.orf.at". Hitradio Ö3.
- (8 November 2019). "Parov Stelar wieder Nummer 1 in den USA".
- (2017). "Parov Stelar. All Night. Double Platin, Italy (2017)".
- (2023). "Parov Stelar. All Night. Platin, Germany (2023)".
- (2025). "Parov Stelar. All Night. Platin, Austria (2025)".
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