How Heidi Klum Teamed Up With Tiësto and Proved the Dancefloor Knows No Age
Whether you're among the shyest of wallflowers or the breeziest of social butterflies, behind every pair of dark sunglasses lies a secret identity.
For fashion icon Heidi Klum, it's dance music diva. From judging talents to unleashing them, she rides the crescendoing wave of Tiësto's latest glimmering house production as a vocalist.
The Victoria's Secret lynchpin has traded the runway for the rave, joining forces with one of EDM's most prolific Renaissance men for a rework of Corey Hart's 1984 synth-pop song "Sunglasses at Night."
Released today by Warner Music Central Europe, the duo's candescent cover is pure confidence fuel. An anthem for the introverted, the surprise collaboration proves that two international icons can capture the shy midnight courage we all seek when the lights go down and the beats rumble.
"I love dancing, I love listening to great music—it's a fun outlet to let loose," Klum told EDM.com in an interview. "So I thought this track would also help people to let loose, even when they have their sunglasses on. Because I also think that it gives you this kind of shield for people who are introverted or maybe a little bit shy so they can be more outgoing… and if that helps you, wear your sunglasses and let's go."
Once rife with the forbidden fruit of lasers and late nights, the dancefloor is now a fountain of youth for Klum, 50. Even for someone with a perpetual flame of creativity irrespective of the industry in which it flickers, keeping the candle alight is difficult after having children.
"For many years I went to bed at like 9, 9:30 because they were up in the night or up early in the morning," she recalls. "And with four, you're just exhausted by the end of the day. I had many, many years of going to bed early, and they're all older now so, you know, life rearranges itself. Now I'm out more and enjoying more of this adult life again."
The new version of "Sunglasses at Night" is also the theme song for the upcoming season of Germany's Next Topmodel, a German offshoot of America's Next Top Model. Klum is an executive producer of the reality television series and serves as both its host and lead judge.
She came up with the idea to breathe new life into the song and "straight up asked [Tiësto] one day" to produce a record. He was down immediately, she said, so she recorded her vocals and sent over the stems.
"It just happened actually quite fast," says Klum, who had been a friend of Tiësto and his wife Annika prior to the endeavor.
The unexpected collaboration is a reminder that even your idols have idols. As Tiësto helps Klum saunter into her black-shaded Dark Angel era, her giddy pride for working with the legendary producer is palpable.
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"For me, Tiësto is like my EDM god... I'm the biggest fan," she gushes, adding that her kids often bop around the house to the DJ's song "Boom," a global festival hit. "He's everywhere, putting so much joy into so many people. And that he said yes to little old me to do this thing, made me so proud and so beyond happy."
So where exactly is Klum heading after this unpredictable foray into electronic dance music? Now that her name appears on streaming platforms alongside one of the genre's all-time greats, fans have to wonder whether the road ahead is paved with the rave-fueled rapture of confetti cannons or the high-heeled heartbreak of broken stilettos.
Having strutted down catwalks with fashion critics staring like wolves waiting to shred couture dreams into tattered scraps, Klum could easily command the music stage. The idea of her sashaying across the world's biggest clubs and festival stages alongside Tiësto isn't as absurd as you might think.
When asked if she's interested in performing "Sunglasses at Night" live, she didn't even hesitate.
"I don't have a big plan but if Tiësto wants to take me on his next tour, I'm down—I’m going," she says with a laugh.
Despite over a century of age between Klum and Tiësto, they're proving that today's dancefloors turn a blind eye to superficial stigmas. And that should be celebrated in an image-obsessed era often marred by mirror maze manipulation on social media.
"If he lets me, I'm down. I'm always up for a surprise," Klum says of performing live with Tiësto. "I don't like to be pigeonholed or just be put in one drawer, like, 'Oh you can only do this.' I get excited about things that I haven't done before or trying new things out."
"And I think also that’s how the world should be now," she continues. "I feel like we can be multifaceted. We can do many different things. Years ago when I first started in my career, you were only allowed to do one thing. You could only do that thing... I feel like now people are allowed to do many different things. There's more freedom."
You can stream "Sunglasses at Night" here.
Follow Heidi Klum:
X: x.com/heidiklum
Instagram: instagram.com/heidiklum
Facebook: facebook.com/HeidiKlum
Spotify: tinyurl.com/2ctcssn3
Follow Tiësto:
X: x.com/tiesto
Instagram: instagram.com/tiesto
Facebook: facebook.com/tiesto
Spotify: spoti.fi/3dVvySo
