InstagramSkrillex is definitely not new to the music scene, but with Jack Ü's recent collaboration with Justin Bieber for "Where are Ü Now" blowing up on the charts, the music mastermind seems to be everywhere.
But while sitting down with Katie Couric for her Yahoo News web series, Conversations with Katie Couric, recently, the 27-year-old showed a softer, more vulnerable side that we aren't used to seeing. We melted.
(Skrillex, can we keep you?)
Couric chats with him about everything from the EDM scene to his childhood, and they even step into the studio together—and, well, it's magical.
Here are our top 5 reasons we are more in love with Skrillex than ever...
1. Haters Gonna Hate and Skrillex Could Care Less: Couric starts the conversation by asking Skrilley about the Jack Ü collab with Bieber, which she calls "the song of the summer."
Skrillex reveals that he and Diplo met Bieber—who he affectionately calls "The Biebs"—at a NYC club during fashion week last year.
"He was super polite and that night he sent us over an acapella he just recorded. Justin just sounds so vulnerable and real in it. It kind of makes sense where he is at in his life right now," the deejay said.
Couric also brings up the backlash from "hardcore" fans about the collabo, but the 27-year-old cuts her off saying it's not his hardcore fans who weren't happy.
"I think my hard core fans like get what I do and like like the fact that I don't care and like I'm not—not afraid to fail or i'm not afraid to do something that everyone doesn't like," Skrillex responded.
She then asked what he would say to people who think all he does is "push a lot of buttons" and turn a lot of knobs," and he fired back, "It's easier for people that feel like they don't understand something to immediately bash it because they feel insecure that they dont undertand what's cool and what's new. All I say is, hey if it's that easy—you can go do it, too, then."
Preach.
2. He's Besties With His Dad: When Skrillex talks about his family the amount of love he has for them is plastered all over his face and you can hear it in his voice.
Skrillex was home-schooled at the age of 11, and after learning he was adopted at 16, he left home to tour with a band he met online called From First to Last for two years. The musician says he needed that time to discover himself and that his parents supported him all the way.
"My dad is like my best friend. He is the only person I can get advice from."
He also shared the tragic news that his mom recently passed away and tells how his family is coping.
"My mom passed away only a couple of months ago—She was also the most caring woman in the whole world. I think what she taught me ultimately was just taking care of your people," Skrillex softly said.
Couric offered her condolences and asked how his father is doing to which Skrillex said, "my dad's awesome. My dad's the strongest person in the world. We can express our emotions for things together—with my sister as well. We are there for each other."
3. Hugs Not Drugs, People: If you don't want to give Skrillex a big ole hug by now, you'll definitely want to after this. When Couric asked him about the drug rep that comes with the EDM world, Skrillex assures her that he is only about the music.
"EDM is known for a couple of other ingredients and I am talking about drugs like molly, ecstasy, LSD," Couric stated. She then quotes a 2013 article in The Guardian that credits the rise of molly to the rise of Skrillex.
"I always did it for the music. I don't do molly. I'm not telling kids to do molly. My music is...I feel like not that good for those types of drugs cause its so much more intense. I wouldn't be able to do 300 shows a year if I was doing drugs. It would be impossible. I would rather just do music—that's cool for me."
4. He's "Not Mad" at Zac Efron, But He's Gotta Be Honest: EDM is at the forefront of music right now so of course the film industry is getting in on the madness. Zac Efron is set to star as an EDM deejay in We are your Friends.
Couric read Skrillex the line from the trailer: "If you're a deejay, all you need is a laptop, some talent and one track."
Skrillex's response was honest and raw: "Zac Efron is an actor. He should be in movies, I'm not mad at him. The trailer looks so corny, I gotta be honest. It's a movie. It's supposed to be entertainment. It's not what my life is about. It's not an accurate representation of what I've done and where I've come up through and what I am doing currently."
A precious moment happened between Skrilley and Couric when he explained that EDM is "young music" and says "No offense, I don't want to make music for, no offense, old people." LOL!
Couric let out a good laugh and said, "No offense taken."
Skrillex added, "I'm so young at heart, ya know? I am 27, I'm not young. I feel like I am 16 and I've always made music for the 16-year-old in me, as cheesy as that sounds."
5. This Skrillex & Katie Couric Collabo Is Everything: It's about marshmellows and maple syrup.
Just. Press. Play.