David Guetta Discusses Working With The Black Eyed Peas

March 29, 2012 4:00 PM

(Photo by Mark Sullivan/Getty Images)

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David Guetta released a documentary, Nothing But the Beat, about the history of electronic dance music and Guetta’s place in the genre. Through interviews and narration, Guetta takes the viewer from the disco-based roots of EDM to the present. But perhaps most illuminating is his account of creating his breakthrough American hit: the Black Eyed Peas’ “I Gotta Feeling.”

Before Guetta became a solo artist, he was producing dance tracks and DJing, largely in Europe. will.i.am heard Guetta’s Euro mega-hit with Kelly Rowland, “Love Takes Over,” and asked Guetta to send him some beats for the Peas’ album.

Guetta found working on the hit single to be a very different experience from his usual style. “I went to Los Angeles to finish the record with [will.i.am]. I was shaking, literally. I was so afraid,” Guetta recalled. “I was used to working in a home studio or with my laptop. And in those seconds I was there in a bad ass studio with the Black Eyed Peas. Everybody was coming to say hello…like Puff Daddy and Busta Rhymes and Chris Brown. That was all on the same day.”

“I Gotta Feeling” would go on to win a Grammy and become the first single in history to break the 7 million digital sales mark. “‘I Got A Feeling’ changed everything,” Guetta said. “[It] changed my life. I think it also changed [the] Black Eyed Peas’ life. And I think it changed pop music.”

Guetta has experienced a lot of crossover success since, including his current hit single featuring Nicki Minaj, “Turn Me On,” which is currently at #10 on Billboard’s Hot 100. Guetta will release a video for his next track, “The Alphabet” soon — a short teaser is available now.

-Courtney E. Smith, CBS Local

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