One day, not too long ago, Stephen Wrabel had what he describes as an “out of body experience.” Superstar Dutch DJ and artist Afrojack had fallen for a song that the Los Angeles-based singer, songwriter, and musician had written called “Ten Feet Tall.” Using Wrabel’s emotionally affecting vocal and piano tracks, Afrojack remixed the song and declared it the first U.S. single from his upcoming album. The DJ, who plays to hundreds of thousands of people a night at top electronic music festivals like Tomorrowland, began spinning his remix of “Ten Feet Tall” at his live shows. Clips started popping up on YouTube.
“Literally every morning I would wake up, go to my computer, look for it on YouTube and cry,” Wrabel says. “Just watching 150,000 dancing to my song with disco lights flashing, it was like, ‘Holy crap, this is really cool.’ Afrojack blew the lid off the essence of the song. I can’t listen to it without having a perma-grin on my face.’” Last October, Wrabel flew to Amsterdam to perform “Ten Feet Tall” live with Afrojack before a crowd of 7,000 people. “There were canons shooting out fire and dancing ladies in silhouette,” he marvels. “And let’s just say I’m used to playing to smaller rooms,” he adds wryly. “If 30 people show up, it’s like, ‘You guys, Hotel Café is f**king packed right now. I can’t even see the exit; this has to be a fire hazard.’”
With Afrojack’s remix of “Ten Feet Tall” being used in a Bud Light ad that premiered during the Super Bowl to an audience of more than 108 million viewers (plus an upcoming video, featuring Wrabel, shot by Hype Williams), Wrabel should get used to the attention. “Ten Feet Tall” will also appear on Wrabel’s Island Records debut album, which is shaping up to be a collection of lushly melodic and heartfelt, but bittersweet songs that he calls a series of snapshots from his life over the past two years. He describes “Ten Feet Tall” — a love song “about that first month of a relationship before reality kicks in” — as the happiest song on the album. “I’m not a big talker, relationship-wise, so writing songs gives me the freedom to say things I’m thinking that I might not be brave enough to say in person.”
