We caught up with Steve Aoki at the 2019 ARDYs where he dished on his love for cross-genre collabs & working with K-Pop icons BTS on ‘Waste It On Me.’

The 7th annual ARDYs were a star-studded affair and there was no shortage of celebrities to hit the red carpet! HollywoodLife was sure to catch up with Steve Aoki, 41, on all his latest projects, who EXCLUSIVELY told us why he was so thrilled to collab with BTS on his song, “Waste It On Me.” “They have become Bruce Lee of our generation,” he said when speaking on BTS and their iconic status. “Bruce Lee was the single asian guy to actually encapsulate the entire asian culture to the western world. The western world knew about Bruce Lee and they didn’t just know about him, they loved him. BTS is the Bruce Lee of our time. They just have to keep on doing what they are doing!”

For the DJ, it’s breaking through musical borders that excites him the most, and he admits that’s exactly why he was keen on linking up with the K-Pop superstars. “I mean for me, I am looking for what is next and before I was a DJ, I am still and was a record label owner,” he explains. “I am always listening to demos and listening to new demos and people doing different things and listening to cultures that are brewing in different worlds and how they are able to transcend outside their own cultures. K-POP has been great for a long time and so has Latin. I have been focusing on Latin and the K-POP world and looking outside to different worlds, you have to step outside your box to step in the roots of other people’s labor to find ways to connect and find a new bridge,” he tells HollywoodLife.

For Steve, the grind never stops and fans know that there’s much more to his success than just music! In addition to running his label, Dim Mak Records, he has a book hitting shelves this fall. “I have my book coming out in September, but I always have something up my sleeve and until right before I drop I don’t like to give it away,” he tells us. “I think the best parts of the entertainment industry is the element of surprise. So all my big things have been like boom and if you missed it the its too late,” he adds with a laugh.

Other stars in attendance at the 2019 ARDYs on June 16 included Avril Lavigne, Andy Grammer, Meg Donnelly, Fetty Wap, lovelytheband, Gabby Barrett, JD McCrary and Shahadi Wright Joseph, Cameron Boyce, Booboo Stewart, Laine Hardy, and more!