Guetta crises from global underground, conquers the globe (Created February 27, 2013)

It's no surprise that once David Guetta conquered the charts in France, he set his sights on a much more global audience. From the Black Eyed Peas to Usher and Nicki Minaj, this French DJ, producer and singer-songwriter has worked with some of the biggest names in the industry. In the process, he has risen from the global underground to one of the most talented DJs to bring non-stop pop from Europe to North America.

Born to a Moraccan father and a Belgian mother, music was in Guetta's blood. By the time he was 17 years old, he was spinning music at the Broad Club in Paris. Before long, he not only held residence at the venue by hosting his own nights, but eventually branched out into places like the Rex, Le Centrale, Folies Pigalle and other clubs. The ambitious nature extended beyond the booth when he cut his first track, a collaboration with hip hop artist Sidney Duteil for the album "Nation Rap."

After starting Gum Productions with Joachim Garraud in 2001, Guetta released his first hit single "Just a Little More Love" featuring Chris Willis. It was not only featured on Guetta's debut album in 2002, but Willis returned for the follow-up album, "Guetta Blaster," in 2004. As it turned out, it was just the start of a long list of mainstream artists looking to mesh with Guetta's signature sound of electro, house and dirty pop.

Guetta's third album, "Pop Life" was released in 2007. By 2009 he had climbed to No. 3 on the Top 100 DJs list by DJ Magazine, and had been named "Best House DJ" at the DJ Awards. His next album, "One Love," featured vocals by a handful of well-known artists, and he climbed the mainstream pop charts by joining forces with The Black Eyed Peas on "I Got a Feeling." By the release of his fifth studio album, "Nothing But the Beat" in August 2011, he added Usher, Jennifer Hudson, Snoop Dog and Afrojack to the mix. The album would be rereleased twice, as "Nothing But the Beat 2.0" and "Nothing But the Beat Ultimate," eventually adding the song "Play Hard" by Ne-Yo and Akon.

Guetta most recently wrote, produced and is featured on Rihanna's album "Unapologoetic," and is the opener for the European leg of her upcoming Diamonds World Tour.