Controversial EDM Grammy Nominee Al Walser to Haters: "Eat It"

FUSE TV - Controversial EDM Grammy Nominee Al Walser to Haters: "Eat It"

When the Grammy nominations for Best Dance Recording were announced in December, one name stood out among global superstars Skrillex, Swedish House Mafia, Avicii and Calvin Harris: Al Walser. While the Liechtenstein-born producer/DJ has, by his own account, "become an international entertainment expert and mogul who has produced, written, and performed in front of millions around the globe before the age of 30," few Americans had ever heard of Walser before last month. ("I Can’t Live Without You," his nominated song, had 1,000 views on YouTube before the nomination.) 

But thanks to Grammy365, a social networking site for Grammy members, Walser was able to network and promote his track, eventually securing enough votes to land inclusion into the category. After the announcement, his nomination was greeted with widespread bemusement and mockery by the music press. We spoke to Walser from Los Angeles to get his side about his unlikely nomination, his potential acceptance speech and "having attorneys on auto-pilot."

Were you surprised at the reaction to your nomination?

That’s a very open question so I don’t know how deep you want me to get into that. I was surprised to even get nominated so I’m very humbled for being a nominated artist. I wasn’t too surprised that a lot of people would look into it and be interested like, "Who is this guy?" That’s normal. But I was surprised by how fast people came to judgment and said, "Oh, it’s gotta be fraud."

If you know the way I grew up—a non-white kid in the smallest country in the world—I was used to having fingers pointed at me from an early age in so many regards. People were always looking at me weird and this is not much different. It’s just bigger and more amplified. A lot of people were very biased—and still are—but at the end of the day, that’s okay. That’s how human beings are. But I got tons of great reactions as well. If you have 100 people and 99 love it and one doesn’t, that one will unfortunately always be louder than the rest.

And even you guys, I’m on your website now, you called it a "laughably bad song". If we’re talking about the music video, whether it’s low production, you could certainly come to a conclusion on that. But if people start to judge whether a song is bad or good, you already lost the discussion because I don’t think there’s bad or good music. You ask 10 people and you’ll get 10 different opinions. 

Do you have a thick skin about these kind of things?

Definitely. If you can’t take it, you can’t make it. It’s still a process and I’m still a human being and growing as I’m going but overall, I couldn’t care less. If people don’t like it, they’re not paying my bills.

You talk about being surprised, but you told Vice about your "close relationships" and "email newsletters" and "nourishment," so it seems like this was, at least in part, a planned-out campaign.

Let me ask you something: This is called the music business, right? So we have music—whether you call it good or bad. And there is a business there. And you go about the business as good as you can with the tools that you have. If I had millions of dollars to invest, my campaign would have probably been a bit different. If I don’t have the millions, my campaign is the way it is.

Work the angles that you have and as long as it’s in a legal parameter, everything goes and everything is fine. It comes down to connecting your music to the people and that’s exactly what we’ve done. But the way people ask it like, "Oh, there was a campaign. How could you? He was strategizing." You have to be kidding me. Everybody’s having a campaign.

I’m not accusing you of anything. I’m just trying to reconcile the two statements.

It’s like, "You’re not supposed to touch this club of a few artists. They’re supposed to play in their golden sandbox. You’re not supposed to interrupt them. How dare you." I don’t care. I’m in there to have my music out there. You listen to the radio and go, "How come I hear the same song over and over again? How come this person got a record deal in the first place?"

If you would continue to investigate as a journalist, you’ll come to the conclusion that there are a lot of things going on in the background, from sexual favors to corruption to money under the table. Everything goes, I guess. I wasn’t involved in this, but a lot of people were. So everybody is moving their career with the best tools they have.

Where Is It Illegal To Eat Frogs?!

14m

Where Is It Illegal To Eat Frogs?!

Daters and Haters

22m

Daters and Haters

Latin Grammys

21m

Latin Grammys

Meet LA Radio Host and EDM Master Jason Bentley

2m

Meet LA Radio Host and EDM Master Jason Bentley

Got to Be in it To Win it: America's Obsession with the Lottery

2m

Got to Be in it To Win it: America's Obsession with the Lottery

Take It. Own It. ROCK IT!

20m

Take It. Own It. ROCK IT!

It's Hard To Raise Yourself These Days

20m

It's Hard To Raise Yourself These Days

Suck It Up and Go to Mars

21m

Suck It Up and Go to Mars

Is It Illegal To Trip A Horse Up?

7m

Is It Illegal To Trip A Horse Up?

Where Is It ILLEGAL to Send Unwanted Pizzas?

6m

Where Is It ILLEGAL to Send Unwanted Pizzas?

Love It or Leave It

20m

Love It or Leave It

DeRay Mckesson Addresses Shaun King Controversy (Extended Cut)

13m

DeRay Mckesson Addresses Shaun King Controversy (Extended Cut)

Worth It

20m

Worth It

Check It

1h 24m

Check It

Flaunt It

22m

Flaunt It

It's Not a Vacation, It's a Movie

20m

It's Not a Vacation, It's a Movie

Jimmy Eat World Does Magic Backstage With Smoothini

2m

Jimmy Eat World Does Magic Backstage With Smoothini

It's Quitting Time

45m

It's Quitting Time

Asking For It

1h 21m

Asking For It

Shake It Up!

22m

Shake It Up!

It's Probably Illegal

21m

It's Probably Illegal

Check It - Trailer

1m

Check It - Trailer

Kick It Up

22m

Kick It Up

How Much Is too Much When It Comes to Sex with Weezy

6m

How Much Is too Much When It Comes to Sex with Weezy

Vacations: It’s Not a Luxury, It’s a Necessity

2m

Vacations: It’s Not a Luxury, It’s a Necessity

Al Madrigal, Retha Jones

45m

Al Madrigal, Retha Jones

Al Madrigal, Cain Lopez

45m

Al Madrigal, Cain Lopez

OMG, It’s Beyonce!

20m

OMG, It’s Beyonce!

It Just Got Real

41m

It Just Got Real

It's Hard Being Precocious

21m

It's Hard Being Precocious

It's Offensive, Not Artistic

24m

It's Offensive, Not Artistic

Asking For It - Trailer

2m

Asking For It - Trailer

It’s Soul Food

20m

It’s Soul Food

Putting It On Wax

23m

Putting It On Wax

Britney Spears: Workin' It

55m

Britney Spears: Workin' It

Get It Done/Get Wasted

20m

Get It Done/Get Wasted

What's It Gonna Be, Boys?

21m

What's It Gonna Be, Boys?

LGBTQIA+ Rights, Let's Talk About It

2m

LGBTQIA+ Rights, Let's Talk About It

Eddie Murphy: Laugh 'Till It Hurts

40m

Eddie Murphy: Laugh 'Till It Hurts

Dwayne Johnson and The Blue Devils Break It Down In Hawaii

3m

Dwayne Johnson and The Blue Devils Break It Down In Hawaii

License to Breed

23m

License to Breed

Welcome To Hollywood

21m

Welcome To Hollywood

Care to Laugh

1h 16m

Care to Laugh

Two to Tango

46m

Two to Tango

Toe to Toe

1h 43m

Toe to Toe

Right To Twerk

20m

Right To Twerk

Maid To Order

45m

Maid To Order

Filmmakers To Watch

Filmmakers To Watch

Welcome to the Jungle

46m

Welcome to the Jungle

Hail To The King

22m

Hail To The King

Go Back to China

1h 21m

Go Back to China

Sea to Shining Sea

1h 21m

Sea to Shining Sea

Toe to Toe - Trailer

2m

Toe to Toe - Trailer

Welcome to The 212

20m

Welcome to The 212

Who Came To Win?

20m

Who Came To Win?

Down to the Wire

45m

Down to the Wire

Care to Laugh - Trailer

2m

Care to Laugh - Trailer

Whitney: Born to Sing

41m

Whitney: Born to Sing

Sea to Shining Sea - Trailer

2m

Sea to Shining Sea - Trailer

George Michael: Easy to Pretend

56m

George Michael: Easy to Pretend

Go Back to China - Trailer

1m

Go Back to China - Trailer

That Farm To Table Ish

20m

That Farm To Table Ish

Bruce Springsteen: Born to Rock

41m

Bruce Springsteen: Born to Rock

How To Be A Disruptor

20m

How To Be A Disruptor

Time To Take 'Em Down

20m

Time To Take 'Em Down

Taylor Swift: Dare to Dream

41m

Taylor Swift: Dare to Dream

That Back To The Future Ish

20m

That Back To The Future Ish

We Need To Talk About America

We Need To Talk About America

Get to Know Gil: Fluffy Fanatic

1m

Get to Know Gil: Fluffy Fanatic

Comedians React to SHOCKING US Laws!

6m

Comedians React to SHOCKING US Laws!

The Legend of Baron To'a

1h 39m

The Legend of Baron To'a

Get To Know Deana: Fluffy Fanatic

1m

Get To Know Deana: Fluffy Fanatic

How to Make Ally Brooke's Enchiladas

44s

How to Make Ally Brooke's Enchiladas

Back To The Heart Attack Grill

2m

Back To The Heart Attack Grill

How to Make DaniLeigh's Pastelón

1m

How to Make DaniLeigh's Pastelón

King Keraun Attempts to Fly Board

6m

King Keraun Attempts to Fly Board

Get To Know Mariposa: Fluffy Fanatic

1m

Get To Know Mariposa: Fluffy Fanatic

Women's Rights & Strengths Coming To Light

8m

Women's Rights & Strengths Coming To Light

King Keraun Goes "Back to the Future"

6m

King Keraun Goes "Back to the Future"

Fat Joe Brings Smoothini to Rucker Park

2m

Fat Joe Brings Smoothini to Rucker Park

How to Make T-Pain's Beef Pie

1m

How to Make T-Pain's Beef Pie

Immigrants Are Starting To Take A Stand!

5m

Immigrants Are Starting To Take A Stand!

Danny Trejo Welcomes You to Trejo's Tacos

2m

Danny Trejo Welcomes You to Trejo's Tacos

The Legend of Baron To'a - Trailer

1m

The Legend of Baron To'a - Trailer

What Not To Ask A Trans Woman

1m

What Not To Ask A Trans Woman

Wearing Your Shower Curtain to the Club

41m

Wearing Your Shower Curtain to the Club

King Keraun Attempts to Become A Ventriloquist

6m

King Keraun Attempts to Become A Ventriloquist

What To Expect On Clash of the Corps

1m

What To Expect On Clash of the Corps

Marissa Challenges Her Mom To A $50 Bet

1m

Marissa Challenges Her Mom To A $50 Bet

We're Here to Help: LGBTQIA+ Resources & Charities

1m

We're Here to Help: LGBTQIA+ Resources & Charities

Here's What to Expect on "Saturday Morning Fever"

2m

Here's What to Expect on "Saturday Morning Fever"

Mom Wants Me to Find a Tinder Match

20m

Mom Wants Me to Find a Tinder Match

How to make Dave East's Steak and Eggs

49s

How to make Dave East's Steak and Eggs

Can Devon and Crystal Come to Some Resolution?

2m

Can Devon and Crystal Come to Some Resolution?

King Keraun Attempts to Become An "Archery Master"

6m

King Keraun Attempts to Become An "Archery Master"

We Need To Talk About America - S2 Trailer

1m

We Need To Talk About America - S2 Trailer

Casey Brings Her Hosting Skills To iCandy Nightclub

1m

Casey Brings Her Hosting Skills To iCandy Nightclub

Comedians React to Unbelievably Strange Laws in the US

6m

Comedians React to Unbelievably Strange Laws in the US

Jesus Trejo Gets People to Revel their Deepest Confessions

2m

Jesus Trejo Gets People to Revel their Deepest Confessions

Will Bambiana's Anger Issues Lead to Termination: First Look

37s

Will Bambiana's Anger Issues Lead to Termination: First Look