In a new episode of PLAFONDDIENST, Cryex opens up about the highs and lows of his career. After his massive breakthrough, being crowned Talent of the Year at the 2022 Hardstyle Awards, nothing seemed to stop him. But everything changed when APEX Records came to an end, and he increasingly lost himself in the hectic life of an artist.
ALSO READ: Cryex joins End of Line
“If I hadn’t tackled it, Cryex would have been finished by now”
“When we stopped with APEX, a lot had to change for me,” Levi explains. “I had to work a lot on my mental health. In 2023, I did 97 shows. For me personally, that became an issue, things got complicated in my private life too and then you just can’t keep that focus anymore.”
The pressure even affected his biggest moments. He describes Qlimax as a highlight that, in hindsight, became a turning point: “I’ve often said that Qlimax was a big moment for me, but I can also tell you that the two weeks after I was sitting on the couch thinking: ‘I’m the worst artist there is.’ You start focusing on the negative things. If I hadn’t tackled that, Cryex would have been finished. I probably would’ve been applying for a regular job by now.”
He therefore decided to take a step back: “We stopped with APEX, and there wasn’t much inspiration to make music. So what do you do? Do you force yourself into the studio, or do you take a step back to work on yourself? I chose the latter. It was really necessary to sort a lot of things out in my head. I had also lost that spark a bit.”
Finding the spark again
That decision paid off. Cryex slowly regained his passion: “Since then, I’ve had way more motivation and drive to pick everything up again, and you find that spark again because you take your rest. You go back into the studio, and suddenly things start going really well. Then you make a new track, and another, and another. You get into a flow and think: this is what I want to do, this is how we’re going to do it.”
This renewed energy eventually led him to End Of Line: “End Of Line and I found each other. I put everything on the table and said: ‘Guys, I’m on fire, and it sounds insane.’ They immediately loved it too. Now I’m in a good place mentally, my private life is in order and I have a lot of time in the studio. So there’s a lot coming up.” With his spot at End Of Line, new music on the way, and a refreshed mindset, Cryex seems stronger than ever. “This is what I want to do, and this is the shit I love,” he says with determination. Fans can look forward to a new chapter in the hardstyle DJ’s career.
Cryex in the new episode of PLAFONDDIENST / The Hardstyle Podcast
In episode nineteen of PLAFONDDIENST – The Hardstyle Podcast, Cryex talks openly about his rise, the hectic period after APEX Records ended, his mental reset, joining End Of Line, and everything that’s coming next. Listen to the full episode now on YouTube or your favorite podcast platform.
Footage via: Cryex
