Who is Marshmello? Since 2015, the masked DJ and producer has amassed legions of EDM fans by working with stars like Skrillex and Selena Gomez. But despite his success, the artist—whose net worth is reportedly more than $40 million—manages to remain a mysterious figure. Marshmello never shows his face and rarely gives interviews.
Journalists and internet sleuths believe the man behind the $55,000 face covering is someone named Christopher Comstock. How can we be sure when fellow DJ Tiesto and comedian Will Ferrell are among the people who’ve worn Mello’s signature mask? It begs a second question: What does Marshmello look like? Find out the real identity of the electronic wunderkind—and learn why it’s been so hard for the world to get to the truth.
Who Is Marshmello?
Marshmello is an American music producer and DJ known for producing countless multi-Platinum EDM singles. Since 2016, he’s released three studio albums: Joytime, Joytime II (2018), and Joytime III (2019).
In addition to his music career, Marshmello runs a YouTube channel with 51.6 million subscribers. Content includes two popular series: Cooking with Marshmello and Gaming with Marshmello. The latter isn’t just an excuse to zone out to Call of Duty—the DJ has used his skills to help charities that are close to his heart. In 2018, he teamed up with superstar gamer Ninja to take down a Fortnite tournament. They won the grand prize of $1 million to be donated to charities of their choice.
Even if you’re not into EDM, you probably recognize Marshmello. His brand is synonymous with the signature white helmet that he wears during performances. Much like fellow musicians deadmau5 and Daft Punk, Marshmello has never revealed his face to his audiences. But that hasn’t stopped him from gaining a large, obsessive fan base. Check out the music video for his 2016 single “Alone,”—it has over 1.9 billion YouTube views to date:
Why Does Marshmello Hide His Face?
Some people believe that Marshmello’s hidden identity is a marketing tactic used to sell records. It’s true that his costume piques people’s curiosity, but there’s more to it.
“We were like, ‘How do we create something that’s not driven by who it is, or what it’s about?'” Marshmello’s manager Moe Shalizi told Forbes in August 2017. “We’re creating more of a faceless brand.”
But a second reason for concealing his face is the simple wish to remain a regular guy. In 2017, Marshmello insisted via Twitter that he has no desire to be famous:
Marshmello ultimately wants fans to focus on his music. Media coverage of his personal life would be a distraction.
“There’s a percentage of people that think it’s a gimmick and it’s cheesy,” said Shalizi. “But if it was a gimmick, it wouldn’t have lasted this long.”
Marshmello Is Actually Christopher Comstock
Marshmello is the alias of Christopher Comstock, a 28-year-old who hails from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In November 2017, Forbes confirmed fan theories about his identity by researching a public database belonging to BMI, his music royalty manager. Marshmello and Comstock were linked to all of the same songs, and after Forbes e-mailed the artist’s managers for comment, Comstock’s name was wiped from BMI’s records.
Marshmello may prefer anonymity, but it hasn’t gotten in the way of a healthy dating life. He was last linked to Instagram influencer Kelsey Calemine—a dead ringer for Kylie Jenner. (There’s no official word on their current status, but Calemine wrote in a recent post that she was spending Valentine’s Day alone.)
Comstock also makes music under the stage name Dotcom. This means he carefully juggles a social media presence for multiple versions of himself. Even though his identity is an open secret, he makes no mention of Marshmello on his Dotcom social media accounts, and vice versa.
Marshmello Is Still Making Music In 2021
Covid may have put a damper on music festivals and nightclub appearances, but Marshmello is still hard at work making music. In January, he announced that his highly-anticipated fourth album, Joytime IV, was complete.
The news was celebrated by fans who’ve been waiting on a finished product ever since he first announced plans for the record in 2019. A Twitter update in April 2020 claimed that the album was 80 percent done, but another vague tweet about it at year’s end didn’t include a release date.
In the meantime, Marshmello continues to work with A-list producers and pop stars on epic collaborations. In October 2020, he and Kazakh producer Imanbek released “Too Much” featuring Usher. Check out some behind-the-scenes clips from the music video while you wait for the next installment of Joytime: