Headhunterz Is Retiring From Performing

Legendary hardstyle producer Headhunterz (real name Willem Rebergen) has revealed his plans to retire from performing as of January 2024 in order to focus on making music.

Taking to Instagram to announce the news, Rebergen said the tough decision came “from the heart”.

“I’m slightly nervous recording this, excuse me if I stumble a little bit here and there,” confessed Headhunterz as he addressed his fans in the clip.

“Lately I’ve been in a good place, that allowed me to take a step back and evaluate a bit my own life and to ask myself important questions … I have something that makes me happy, that makes me wake up every morning with a smile on my face," Headhunterz said.

"My life feels very meaningful because I am doing something I absolutely love, and that is creating—making music. There's really not much more I could wish for in this life. I feel lucky having that."

“There’s also something I couldn’t really answer to myself – why am I still doing this that I know that since years already it’s been a struggle for me and that’s the touring side / DJing / performing,” Headhunterz confessed, adding that it had taken a toll on both his physical and mental health.

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"There are times it has taken a toll—my mental health and physical health," he continued. "Being in the place I am now, I feel ready to enter a new phase to live a little bit more of a balanced, 'normal' life."

"Creating something out of nothing, to me, is the most satisfying and most meaningful thing in my life. Even performing in front of huge crowds can not live up to that. For me, that is the ultimate sense of purpose."

Headhunterz clarified, “Saying all that sounds like a goodbye, but this really isn’t – I’m just giving up on one thing to be able to fully commit to the other.”

“I will still continue making hardstyle, that’s the thing I love,” he added, before saying he will continue to perform until the end of December 2023.

Headhunterz originally gained notoriety as a DJ at Defqon. 1 Festival, a huge hardstyle event in the Netherlands. Since then, he’s played at every major hardstyle event, including Defqon. 1 Festival, Qlimax, Q-Base, In Qontrol, Decibel and many more.