It was almost a given that Jamie Iovine would end up in the entertainment biz. After all, his father is the legendary music industry figure and record label pioneer Jimmy Iovine.
“I guess you could say I was destined to be involved in music in some shape or form,” Jamie says. “I tried doing the corporate office thing and at one point worked for my old man, but none of that was for me. I found I enjoyed being onstage and performing, being an entertainer, and that drew me closer to the DJing aspect.”
For the younger Iovine, who returns to play at Rehab at the Hard Rock this weekend, spinning is just one aspect of a diverse entertainment career. He has DJ’d at WrestleMania and worked as a backstage producer for the WWE. He has toured with some of the biggest names in the business, including Kaskade and Steve Aoki, back when his sound was more EDM-oriented. (“I just like to have more room to experiment and see what works and what doesn’t, to play music from a broader spectrum.”) And he’s co-owner of the beloved Meltdown Comics and Collectibles store on Sunset Boulevard in his native LA, the culmination of a life spent as a comic-book fan. “Ever since I could drive I was there every day after school, under false pretenses, as I was supposed to be going to after-school tutoring,” Iovine says. “Eventually I got caught, but [my parents] knew it was a passion of mine, so they let me go back.”
Now that he has found multiple creative outlets to feed the beast, Iovine is feeling settled and productive and plans to have a single out this summer. “As a DJ I like to be very interactive, very high-energy,” he says. “I try to leave everything out there every time. That’s why Vegas crowds are the most amazing for me, because everyone is just out there to have fun.” Jamie Iovine at Rehab at the Hard Rock Hotel, May 12.
