All Episodes

November 6, 2024 12 mins
Alesso has made history! And we're honored to break the news to him on America's Dance 30!! 

He has become the first artist in the history of the Mediabase dance chart to knock himself out of the #1 position with ANOTHER one of his songs, going back-to-back at #1 w "I Like it" and "Never Going Home Tonight"

Alesso shared how "Never Going Home Tonight" was born between him and David Guetta, how long ago they started working on it, and how many Vs there were of the song before its release.

We also got to know Alesso better w #FinkysFirsts!

Find out about:
  • if music was the first thing he wanted to get into when he was growing up
  • the first dance song that made him fall in love w EDM
  • if 'Alesso' was his first choice for his artist project name
  • who the first big artist was that lifted him up early in his career
  • the first sad song he thinks of

Follow: @AmericasDance30 on all socials!

Count down the biggest dance songs in the country every week with Brian Fink on America’s Dance 30; listen on stations around the world!
Mark as Played
Transcript

Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
Dance counting down the biggest dance songs in the country.

Speaker 2 (00:17):
This is America's Dance.

Speaker 3 (00:19):
Thirty unless so, welcome back to America's Dance thirty.

Speaker 2 (00:23):
It has been way too long.

Speaker 1 (00:25):
Yeah, how's it going.

Speaker 2 (00:26):
It's going great now. I don't know if you know this,
but do you know that you just made history?

Speaker 1 (00:31):
No?

Speaker 3 (00:31):
I did, how so I have in fact checked this myself.
But Carrie Vance, from one music av who knows the
dance chart better than anyone, shared with me that you
are the first artist in the history of the media
based dance chart to knock yourself out of the number
one position with another number one.

Speaker 1 (00:53):
Oh wow, that's incredible. Wow, I had no idea.

Speaker 2 (00:57):
That is beyond amazing.

Speaker 3 (00:58):
Congratulations on I like it going number one last week
and never going home tonight going number one this week.

Speaker 1 (01:06):
Wow, you can't get rid of me.

Speaker 2 (01:09):
And we've tried a less So we've tried.

Speaker 1 (01:13):
That's awesome.

Speaker 2 (01:14):
Congratulations on that.

Speaker 3 (01:16):
We're going to be talking about both songs and find
out how they were born. Coming up, but first, let's
get to know a Lesso a little better with Finky's first,
all right, So, I always love finding out the origin
story of artists. I know that you started playing piano

(01:38):
at a really young age, like six, right, was music
the first thing you wanted to get into when you
were growing up or was there something else you wanted
to be It was definitely.

Speaker 4 (01:48):
Music because I was playing piano, I was doing like
performances for my parents and in school, you know, when
I was like dancing and singing mostly mimic it, like
not really singing, just performing, I guess, and I love that,
and I love music in general. And then the older
I got, you know, the more I got into dance music,

(02:11):
I noticed that I really liked high energy music, you know,
and so you know, songs like beat It or Billy Jean,
you know that has that up up tempo music, you
know Michael Jackson I'm talking about, you know, really really
really caught my attension. And so then eventually, when I

(02:32):
got like thirteen fourteen, I started really getting into house
music and I was obsessed with that.

Speaker 3 (02:39):
Yeah, well, speaking of house music back then, do you
remember the first dance song that made you fall in
love with DM?

Speaker 1 (02:46):
There was one.

Speaker 4 (02:47):
There's one song by Roger Sanchez called Another Chance that
really really made me fall in love with dance music
because you know, it's kind of emotional, but it has
that classic house groove and the melodies are just incredible.

Speaker 1 (03:03):
So yeah, that was one. It was not just one,
so I was a bunch of song, but that one
I remember very well. It was like, Wow, this music.

Speaker 4 (03:11):
Has so much diversity too. You know, there's so much
to to to to hear from house music or dance
music in general. You know, there's so many subgenres and yeah,
that's why I love it.

Speaker 1 (03:24):
You never get bored of it.

Speaker 3 (03:25):
And that's such an amazing song, especially the remake of
it by Late Night Alumni Cascades remix of It's such
a beautiful song. Now, of course, you have played festivals
and shows all over the world.

Speaker 2 (03:39):
Ps is there anywhere you haven't played yet?

Speaker 1 (03:41):
The Moon? I want to go there.

Speaker 2 (03:43):
Okay, let's get that taken.

Speaker 1 (03:45):
Care of and that'll be the first to DJ there.

Speaker 2 (03:50):
That would be incredible.

Speaker 3 (03:52):
Now do you remember your first time ever performing for
a crowd?

Speaker 4 (03:57):
I mean it started off DJing in my ba BA
meant for like friends, you know, that's kind of how
I started doing performance or DJing. But the first official
show was in Sweden before Sebastian Gross, so he had
a show and I opened up for him, and.

Speaker 1 (04:14):
I think it was like two thousand people. They're fifteen
hundred maybe.

Speaker 4 (04:19):
And that was the first time under the name Lesso,
and like my name was on a flyer, and I
was just so nervous. I remember I had stage fright
right before I was going to go on.

Speaker 1 (04:32):
I didn't I didn't.

Speaker 4 (04:32):
Want to go up because I was like, oh my god,
it's so much pressure, like people are their night is
dependent on what I play. So but then when I
got up there and I started playing it, within like
ten fifteen minutes, I started like loving it again, you know. So, yeah,
it was a very interesting and amazing time.

Speaker 2 (04:53):
Isn't it incredible how our anxiety does that.

Speaker 3 (04:55):
Like I still get nervous the second I'm about to
go out on stage, But the second I'm out on
the stage, I'm like, this is the most incredible thing ever.

Speaker 1 (05:03):
Yeah, it's I think it's good to be a little nervous.
It means you care.

Speaker 4 (05:08):
But I think, you know, still to this day, I
get a little nervous. Or it's just you know, when
you have so many eyes looking at you. It would
be one thing just playing for a club and people
didn't really know that you were DJing. You're just you know,
the house DJ. You know, then people are not really

(05:29):
paying as much attention to you. But when you do
these kind of other DJ performance, when your name is
on the flying, people pay tickets.

Speaker 1 (05:37):
You know, you feel the pressure for sure.

Speaker 2 (05:39):
Absolutely.

Speaker 3 (05:50):
Now, when you were deciding on an artist project, name
was a lesso the first name you were going to
go with or were there are the names you were considering?

Speaker 1 (05:57):
There were some others.

Speaker 4 (06:00):
My first name is Alessandro So and I was thinking, like,
how do how do I? I wanted a name that
I could present myself with too, in case people like
don't remember my real name, and you know, we always
you know, when you meet Cascade, you know, I said,
I still call him Cascade, you know what I mean?

(06:20):
So I want I didn't want a name that was
like too far off from my real name.

Speaker 1 (06:26):
And then at some point it was like Alessio.

Speaker 4 (06:29):
And then I remember, right before I was going to
put out my first release, I was I removed the eye.

Speaker 1 (06:34):
I was like, so, I guess that sounds pretty good.

Speaker 4 (06:37):
I was like, sounds a little weird, but and yeah,
because it's not a real name. And no, until now
it seems to be a lot of people naming their
kids that I've had so many people come up to me,
and I feel honored, you know, because I remember then
when I was choosing, I was googling.

Speaker 1 (06:56):
I couldn't find anything on the less.

Speaker 4 (06:58):
I think there was like a city or something and
that was called that, but it was not like an
official name that people were naming people.

Speaker 2 (07:04):
So, boy, I'll tell you what.

Speaker 3 (07:05):
That is the honor of all honors to have people
naming their babies after you.

Speaker 1 (07:09):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (07:10):
I remember last year at DC, this couple came up
to me and then they showed me and it was
very beautiful and emotional.

Speaker 1 (07:17):
I was very thankful. I was like, wow, I can't
believe it. So great. Keep naming the kids Alesso. I
love it. As long as you raise them right.

Speaker 2 (07:26):
Keep the name going. Now.

Speaker 3 (07:29):
You just posted an amazing video of playing your new
song Lonely Heart with John Alto and talking about lifting
new producers up when you were coming up. Who was
the first big name to lift Alesso up?

Speaker 1 (07:45):
It was definitely a Sebastianoso.

Speaker 4 (07:47):
I scientists label and management, and he, you know, we
did callaps together and helped me get remixes done, and
so yeah, shout.

Speaker 1 (08:01):
Out to him.

Speaker 4 (08:02):
He was my bigger brother and really took me in
under his wings, and you know, we're still best friends.

Speaker 1 (08:09):
But yeah, by kend of the day, it was he
helped a lot.

Speaker 2 (08:13):
That's so awesome.

Speaker 3 (08:14):
Now, finally, in Thinky's first in honor of Never Going
Home Tonight going number one, it starts with the lyrics
DJ play that sad song one more time. When I
mentioned sad songs, what's the first song that comes to
your mind?

Speaker 4 (08:30):
Just in general, those sad songs that are combined with
dance music, they people people relate to them, you know,
And it's it's that I don't know if there's a
specific song. Maybe if I Lose Myself is up there too,
I guess, because it's you know, it's about losing yourself
to someone and that you want to be with that

(08:51):
person when if it happens, and uh, and I think
it's a kind of a crazy but amazing feeling.

Speaker 1 (09:01):
You were like crying and emotional but having the best
time at the same time.

Speaker 4 (09:06):
Because yeah, very you for a melancholy, I would say
it's not a melancholic, So.

Speaker 1 (09:13):
Yeah, I guess I'll say for alismas well.

Speaker 2 (09:16):
Let's talk about this smash first.

Speaker 3 (09:18):
You know, I talked to Madison Love earlier and she
talked about how incredible it was getting to work with
you guys. How was never going home tonight born with
you and David Ghetta.

Speaker 4 (09:29):
So me and David had just done a back to
back in Abiza and we both had the best time.
And then he was saying, you know, we should do
a song together and we should make you know, something big,
and I was like, I would love to, and I said,
if you have any ideas, send me. So he sent
me a folder of rough ideas demos and I'm when

(09:51):
I heard the demo, I'm Never going Home and I
was like, wow, this is insane, sounds so beautiful. So
asked him send the part and we started going back
and forth. I remember I was in Cabo on the
sitting and making melodies and I sent it to him
and he said.

Speaker 1 (10:10):
Not we need more of a more euphoria, more bigger,
and I was like, okay, I got you. Let me
working on.

Speaker 4 (10:17):
And then I sent the draft and then we went
back and forth. You know, we changed also the intro
of the song because there's a demo version out there
with another piano rift that some people have heard, and
we changed it because we wanted something more unique and
something we really wanted two worlds in it. We wanted

(10:37):
his world in my world combinedent I feel like you
can really hear it.

Speaker 1 (10:41):
So, yeah, it didn't take too long to finish it.

Speaker 2 (10:45):
But how long ago did you guys start working on it?

Speaker 3 (10:47):
Because I saw videos of him testing it, like eight
months ago, I think.

Speaker 1 (10:52):
Yeah, beginning of the year we.

Speaker 4 (10:55):
Started having a demo version of the first version of it.

Speaker 1 (11:00):
Yeah, I can't remember exactly, but I think the.

Speaker 4 (11:02):
Beginning of the year that's when we really started getting
closer and closer with it.

Speaker 1 (11:06):
And yeah, eight months.

Speaker 2 (11:08):
Later, here we are now.

Speaker 3 (11:09):
Something I'd love to find out about songs is how
many different v's there are from when you start working
on it, all the tweaking that goes on to when
you finally master it and put it out with you
guys going back and forth so long. Do you have
any idea what the final VI was of never going
home tonight?

Speaker 4 (11:25):
We have let me look, I'm on my computer right now.
We have twenty two different versions of it.

Speaker 1 (11:31):
I was like, oh, we need to change that. Oh,
I'm hearing that that sounds weird.

Speaker 4 (11:36):
Let's go and usually, like when you work on so
many versions, you usually go back.

Speaker 1 (11:42):
We ended up going back to version five.

Speaker 4 (11:45):
I remember we were like, this one is the best
version and sounds the best.

Speaker 3 (11:50):
So yeah, that's so annoying. Now let's talk about your
other number one. How was I like it? Born with
Nate Smith?

Speaker 1 (12:00):
I love Nate.

Speaker 4 (12:01):
It was so fun to have him on board on
this and he really really loved being on the record,
which is awesome. And that one went by much quicker.
We finished a song within like a month, you know,
from the idea to him coming on board, you know,
adjusting it to his world and mine, and you know,

(12:23):
finishing it.

Speaker 2 (12:24):
Yeah, that's incredible.

Speaker 3 (12:26):
Well, congratulations on not only two number ones, but back
to back number ones and making history.

Speaker 2 (12:35):
Congratulations, Alesso.

Speaker 1 (12:37):
That's awesome. Thank you, Thanks for having me.

Speaker 3 (12:40):
It is always great catching up with you. Thank you
so much for your time with us on America's Dance thirty.

Speaker 1 (12:45):
Thank you, I'll see you soon.

Speaker 2 (12:47):
America's Dance thirty Counting down the biggest dance songs in
the country.

Speaker 1 (12:52):
America's Dance thirty
Advertise With Us

Popular Podcasts

Stuff You Should Know
Dateline NBC

Dateline NBC

Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Special Summer Offer: Exclusively on Apple Podcasts, try our Dateline Premium subscription completely free for one month! With Dateline Premium, you get every episode ad-free plus exclusive bonus content.

On Purpose with Jay Shetty

On Purpose with Jay Shetty

I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!

Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.