GUETTA WHILE THE GOING IS GOOD

He is one of the world’s leading DJs and a go-to guy for major artist collaborations and remixes, but David Guetta has suddenly become just as famous as the superstars whose music he works on.

The French-born Guetta began DJ’ing at the Broad Club in Paris at the age of 17 in the mid-‘80s, discovering house music when he heard a funk track on local radio. It wasn’t until his fourth studio album, One Love, was released in 2009 that he broke through, thanks to his smash “When Loves Takes Over,” featuring Kelly Rowland.

That song went to #1 on the U.K. singles chart and topped the radio playlists of several other countries around the world. Thanks to subsequent singles like “Sexy Bitch,” featuring Akon, “One Love,” with Estelle, “Memories,” featuring Kid Cudi and “Getting’ Over You” with Chris Willis, Fergie and LMFAO, the album went on to sell three million copies worldwide and nab a Grammy for Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical.

After producing The Black Eyed Peas’ worldwide smash, “I Gotta Feeling,” Guetta released his fifth studio album on Astralwerks/Capitol, Nothing but the Beat, on Aug. 30. Inspired by bands like Kings of Leon and Coldplay, Guetta added rock touches to his sound.

Released as a double album, the first disc features collaborations with artists from the R&B, hip-hop and pop world such as Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj, Usher, Jennifer Hudson, Jessie J and Sia Furler. Also making appearances are will.i.am and Akon, both of whom collaborated with Guetta on his fourth album. A second disc features purely instrumental tracks.

Nothing but the Beat debuted at #5 on the HITS Album chart, with 55k in first-weeks sales, his highest ever entry, while entering the U.K. chart at #2. It went to #1 in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Portugal, Spain and Switzerland.

Rolling Stone raved that the album "shows how good Guetta is at making Eurohouse's thumping trounce and jet-engine synth whoosh feel like natural elements in the hip-hop, R&B and even rock continuum.”

The album’s first single, “Where Them Girls At,” featuring Flo Rida and Nicki Minaj, sold more than a million copies, while the current single, “Without You,” featuring Usher, has sold 330k+. Another track from the album, “Turn Me On,” also featuring Minaj, has moved more than 140k single sales.

With a 360-degree deal at EMI, Guetta’s career has taken off like a runaway train, boasting annual earnings that dwarf most rock stars. His Facebook likes are off the charts at 24+ million, while Greg Thompson and his EMI promotion team has made him a fixture at radio, with increased sales for each release.