Koen Heldens

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Koen Heldens
Koen Heldens.jpg
Koen Heldens (shot by @vombagram)
Background information
Origin Venray, Netherlands
Genres
Occupation(s) Mixing engineer, producer
Years active2003–present
Website www.mixedbykoenheldens.com

Koen Heldens is a Dutch-born [1] international multi-platinum, American Music Award- and Billboard Music Award-winning mixing engineer. [2] [3] [4]

Contents

Early life and education

Originally from the Netherlands, [5] Heldens began music school at the age of 6, attended the Venray School of Music, [6] and accelerated through his teenage years as a music producer and classically trained pianist. [7]

He moved to Los Angeles at 19 to start a career in the music business. [8]

Career

Heldens started his career in 2003, and rose to prominence in 2017 when he started working with the late XXXTentacion, [9] with whom he earned a Guinness World Record for most streamed song in a single day for the Billboard Hot 100 #1 single "Sad!" [10] [11]

Heldens has worked with Beyoncé, Lil Wayne, Joe Budden, Missy Elliott, Fat Joe, Rihanna, J-Lo, Run DMC, [12] Dr. Dre, Dreezy, En Vogue, Kid Ink, Lecrae, Sizzla, Timbaland, [13] TLC's T-Boz, and Wiz Khalifa.

Heldens has been nominated for a Grammy Award, [14] and has won an American Music Award [15] and a Billboard Music Award. [16]

He is often called upon to teach and speak on panels for music companies such as the National Association for Music Merchandisers (NAMM) [17] and Avid's Pro-Tools. [18] He also reviews plugins and new technologies for "quality and accuracy" for various companies. [19] [20]

Discography highlights

Singles mixed

List of singles as mixer, with selected chart positions and certifications, showing year released, performing artists and album name
TitleYearPeak chart positionsCertificationsAlbum
US US R&B US Rap ARG CAN FRA UK NZ SWE GER
"Jocelyn Flores" XXXTentacion 2017191014383947
  • United States (RIAA): 8× Platinum
  • Denmark (IFPI Denmark): 2× Platinum
  • France (SEP): (10× Platinum) Diamond
  • Italy (FIMI): 2× Platinum
  • New Zealand (RIANZ): Platinum
  • United Kingdom (BPI): 2× Platinum
  • Greece (IFPI Greece): Platinum
  • Germany (BVMI): Platinum
17
"A Ghetto Christmas Carol"

XXXTentacion

[21] [22] [23]
  • United States (RIAA): Platinum
A Ghetto Christmas Carol EP
"Up Like An Insomniac - Freestyle"

XXXTentacion

  • United States (RIAA): Gold
"Hate Will Never Win"

XXXTentacion

  • United States (RIAA): Gold
"Fuck Love (ft. Trippie Redd")

XXXTentacion

2018283--3170891935-
  • United States (RIAA): Diamond (10× Platinum)
  • France (SEP): Platinum
  • Italy (FIMI): Platinum
  • United Kingdom (BPI): Platinum
  • New Zealand (RIANZ): Gold
17
"Sad!"

XXXTentacion

111-22753312 ?
"Arms Around You (ft. Swae Lee & Maluma")

XXXTentacion & Lil Pump

282-1413251415816
  • United States (RIAA): Platinum
  • Australia (ARIA): Platinum
  • France (SEP): Gold
  • Germany (BVMI: Gold
  • Italy (FIMI): Platinum
  • Poland (ZPAV): Gold
  • Portugal (AFP): Platinum
  • United Kingdom (BPI): Gold
  • New Zealand (RIANZ): Gold
non-album single
"Royalty (XXXTentacion song) (ft. Ky-Mani Marley, Stefflon Don & Vybz Kartel)"

XXXTentacion

2019 [24] [25] Bad Vibes Forever
"How You Feel? (ft. Danny Towers, Lil Yachty & Ski Mask the Slump God)"

DJ Scheme

2020
  • United States (RIAA): Gold
"Family"
"Breakshit"

Jasiah

  • United States (RIAA): Gold
"WAR"
"Angst"

Apache 207

20211
  • Australia (ARIA): Gold
  • Germany (BVMI): Gold
non-album single
"Tu Nicht So"

Badmómzjay

10"Badmómz."
"Strip (Lena song)"

Lena Meyer-Landrut

70"Loyal to Myself"
"Rosenkrieg"

Loredana Zefi & Mozzik

1"No Rich Parents"
"Oh, Digga"

Loredana Zefi & Mozzik

27
"Nese Don"

Loredana Zefi & Mozzik

10
"Mit Mir"

Loredana Zefi & Mozzik

12
"2Sad2Disco"

Apache 207

7"2Sad2Disco"
"Vodka"

Apache 207

1
  • Australia (ARIA): Gold
"Thunfisch & Weinbrand"

Apache 207

13
"Sport"

Apache 207

10
  • Germany (BVMI): Gold
"Feuer"

Monet 192

70”Kinder der Sonne”
"Vorbei"

Monet 192

53
"Sterne"

Monet192

70
"Narben"

Monet192

78
"Bein Chula"

Khea

69non-album single
"Kippe Im Wind"

Monet192

202266"Champions Club"
"Keine Tränen"

Badmómzjay

8"Survival Mode"
"Ain't Safe (ft. Don Toliver"

Trippie Redd

981710non-album single
"Piza met Ananas"

Snelle

  • Netherlands (NVPI): Gold
“1/3”
"Sigue La Fiesta"

Justin Quiles , Dalex , Santa Fe Klan

2023 Fast X soundtrack
"Took My Breath Away (ft. Skye Morales)"

Trippie Redd

26 A Love Letter to You 5
"Last Days"

Trippie Redd

30
"Left 4 Dead"

Trippie Redd

"Take Me Away (ft. Corbin (musician))"

Trippie Redd

40
"Closed Doors (ft. Roddy Ricch)"

Trippie Redd

22
"Wind (ft. the Kid Laroi)"

Trippie Redd

25
"Sick To my Stomach"

Natalie Jane

2024Sick To My Stomach EP
"June"

Natalie Jane

"Low"

KSI

"Thick of It/Low"

"Whoa (Mind in Awe) Remix"

XXXTentacion & Juice Wrld

20251625non-album single
"Easy (ft. Lay Zhang)"

JVKE

"blooming season"

"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Other charted songs

List of songs as mixer, with selected chart positions and certifications, showing year released, performing artists and album name
TitleYearPeak chart positions Certifications Album
US US
R&B
US
Rap
"Whoa (Mind In Awe)"
XXXTentacion
2018373
  • United States (RIAA): Platinum
Skins
"I Don't Let Go"
XXXTentacion
511722
  • United States (RIAA): Gold
"One Minute (ft. Kanye West & Travis Barker"
XXXTentacion
6223
"Staring At The Sky"
XXXTentacion
6812

Awards and nominations

Guinness World Records

PublicationCountrySongRecord
Guinness World Records World Wide XXXTentacion "Sad!"Most Streamed Song in a Single Day [26]

Grammy Awards

YearNominee / workAwardResultRef.
2020 Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (soundtrack) 62nd Annual Grammy Awards Grammy Award for Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media Nominated [27]

American Music Awards

YearNominee / workAwardResultRef.
2018 17 (as mixer) Favorite Album – Soul/R&B Won [28]
2019 Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (soundtrack) (as mixer) American Music Award for Top Soundtrack Nominated [29]

Billboard Music Awards

YearNominee / workAwardResultRef.
2018 17 (as mixer) Top Album – R&B Nominated [30]
2019 Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (soundtrack) (as mixer) Top Soundtrack Nominated [31]
? (as mixer) Top 200 Album Nominated
? (as mixer) Top Rap Album Nominated
17 (as mixer) Top R&B Album Won
"Sad!" (as mixer)Top Streaming Song (audio)Nominated
"Sad!" (as mixer)Top Streaming Song (video)Nominated

BET Hip-Hop Awards

YearNominee / workAwardResultRef.
2019 YBN: The Mixtape(as mixer)BET Hop-Hop Award for Best MixtapeNominated [32]

NAACP Image Awards

YearNominee / workAwardResultRef.
2019 Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (soundtrack) (as mixer)50th NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Soundtrack/ CompilationNominated [33]

Edison Pop Awards

YearNominee / workAwardResultRef.
2024 Meau - 22NederlandstaligWon [34]

See also

References

  1. "Onbekend in Limburg, maar beroemd in de VS: Koen uit Venray werkt voor 'groten der aarde'". www.limburger.nl (in Flemish). Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  2. "Koen Heldens". Plugin Alliance. 28 September 2022. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  3. "Docenten: Koen Heldens". www.soundeducation.nl. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  4. "American Music Awards 2018 Nominees". www.theamas.com/. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
  5. "KOEN HELDENS Overzicht". www.muziekencyclopedie.nl. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  6. "International Multi-Platinum Mixing Engineer". indieentertainmentsummit.com. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
  7. LMKR, LMKR (April 2018). "Koen Heldens" (web). Genius.com. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  8. black rooster audio. "KOEN HELDENS BIOGRAPHY" (web). blackroosteraudio.com. CUREON. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  9. Witteman, Jonathan (22 July 2018). "Digitale foefjes van dit duo zijn favoriet bij 's werelds beste muziekproducers". de Volkskrant (in Dutch). Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  10. Trust, Gary (25 June 2018). "XXXTentacion's 'Sad!' Vaults From No. 52 to No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100 Following Rapper/Singer's Death". Billboard. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  11. Stutz, Colin (20 June 2018). "XXXTentacion Breaks Taylor Swift's Single-Day Streaming Record on Spotify". Billboard. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  12. "Tonelux Tilt and Tilt Live". www.pluginboutique.com. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
  13. Staff (23 September 2013). "Koen Heldens Interview" (Web). www.propellerheads.se. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
  14. "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse Receives 3 Grammy Nominations". SuperHeroHype. 20 November 2019. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  15. "Winners Database". American Music Awards. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  16. "Winners Database". Billboard Music Awards. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  17. "Softube". namm.org. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
  18. "Community Tips And Tricks - Mix Buss Tricks". www.pro-tools-expert.com. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
  19. Staff. "VLB525 compressor" (web). lsraudio.com. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
  20. Staff. "Digitale foefjes van dit duo zijn favoriet bij 's werelds beste muziekproducers" (web). volkskrant.nl. Retrieved 8 May 2019.
  21. "A Ghetto Christmas Carol" did not enter the Billboard Hot 100, but peaked at number 13 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart.
  22. "A Ghetto Christmas Carol" did not enter the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, but peaked at number four on the Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart.
  23. "A Ghetto Christmas Carol" did not enter the NZ Top 40 Singles Chart, but peaked at number 10 on the NZ Heatseeker Singles Chart.
  24. "Royalty" did not enter the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, but peaked at number ten on the Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart.
  25. "Royalty" did not enter the NZ Top 40 Singles Chart, but peaked at number eight on the NZ Hot Singles Chart.
  26. "XXXTentacion breaks Taylor Swifts Spotify Record for most streams in a single day". Forbes.com. 18 May 2018. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
  27. "62nd Annual Grammy Awards Nominations". Grammy.com. 25 November 2019. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
  28. "XXXTentacion 17 wins Favorite Soul R&B Album award". xxl.com. 18 May 2018. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
  29. "2019 American Music Awards Nominees". theamas.com. 25 October 2019. Retrieved 25 October 2019.
  30. "2018 Billboard Music Awards Nominees". Billboard.com. 18 May 2018. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
  31. "2019 Billboard Music Award Winners". Billboard.com. 18 May 2018. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
  32. "2019 BET Hip-Hop Awards Nominations". billboard.com. 12 September 2019. Retrieved 12 September 2019.
  33. "50th NAACP Image Awards Nominations". NAACPImageAwards.com. 22 September 2019. Archived from the original on 6 December 2017. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
  34. "Zangeres MEAU wint Edison in categorie Nederlandstalig". AD.nl. 5 March 2024. Retrieved 6 March 2024.