A few years ago, David Guetta was just another house music DJ who was huge in Europe and not nearly as well known here in the United States.
Then came 2009, the year that the Parisian (one of France's top DJs since at least the late '80s) released his fourth album, One Love, and produced "I Gotta Feeling" for the Black Eyed Peas.
One Love, which paired Guetta with American pop titans like Akon and Kelly Rowland (on "Sexy Bitch" and Billboard number-one hit "When Love Takes Over," respectively) did more to advance dance music's march into the American mainstream than any release that didn't bear the name of Lady Gaga.
Meanhwile, "I Gotta Felling" became the most downloaded song of all-time in the U.S., with more than 7.5 million MP3s sold.
Now, Guetta, who topped DJ Mag's Top 100 DJs poll for the first time in 2011, can claim to be the world's most popular turntable operator no matter what country he's in at the time. Even India, where the 44-year-old DJ has just finished touring for the first time.
The success of last year's One Love follow-up, Nothing But the Beat, studded with hit singles like "Without You" co-starring Usher and "Where Them Girls At" with Nicki Minaj and Miami's own Flo-Rida, has further cemented his place as dance music's pop ambassador
This year's Ultra Music Festival sees Guetta co-headline the fest's third and final day -- Sunday, March 25 -- with Armin Van Buuren, who he supplanted atop DJ Mag's poll after the Dutchman held that title for four consecutive years -- in fact, every year the poll's been taken.
In a sense, you could consider Guetta's Ultra set to be his coronation party.
Ultra Music Festival 2012. Friday, March 23, to Sunday, March 25. Bayfront Park, 301 Biscayne Blvd., Miami. Tickets are sold out. Visit ultramusicfestival.com.
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