On the Verge: Alesso saves the day with EDM 'Heroes'

USA TODAY's spotlight on breakthrough artists this week is on Alesso.

Need a heroine: Gathered together with members of his label in Sweden and sampling tracks of up-and-coming artists, Alesso was holding out for a hero he could collaborate with. That hero eventually presented herself as evocative Swedish pop singer Tove Lo, who set the charts ablaze with brash hit Habits (Stay High) this fall. Hearing her music for the first time, "it was honest, it was genuine, it was real," says the Swedish DJ, sitting in Def Jam's New York offices. "A lot of stuff on the radio doesn't really say anything, but when I heard her, I was like, 'Yes. Finally.' "

Superhuman success: Once they were introduced, the Stockholm natives hit the studio together and wrote Heroes (We Could Be), a euphoric slice of dance-pop empowerment featuring Tove's yearning vocals that has soared to No. 18 on USA TODAY's top-40 airplay chart. While it may be Alesso's first stride into Billboard's Hot 100 (hitting No. 64 last week), the fast-climbing anthem is just the latest in a string of triumphs for the EDM wiz, ranked No. 15 on DJ Mag's Top 100 list this year. After all, Heroes accounts for 31 millionof his more than 230 million streams on Spotify, boosted by collaborations with Calvin Harris, OneRepublic and Sebastian Ingrosso of the now-split Swedish House Mafia.

Chance meeting: "Seb," as Alesso calls him, has been his mentor since he started out five years ago, but he has Ingrosso's dad to thank for the introduction. Although he began editing and creating his own tracks at 15, it wasn't until Alesso was 18 that he met Ingrosso's father through his girlfriend at the time, who worked at a coffee shop. "She met him every day and he started speaking to (her), and he was like, 'Yeah, maybe you know who my son is,' and she was like, 'Yeah, my boyfriend is a big fan and he makes music as well,' " says Alesso, 23, born Alessandro Lindblad. "He was like, 'Really? Well, maybe I can give it to Seb and he can hear it.' " Two days after passing along a CD of his songs, Alesso was in the studio working with Seb.

High on music: The lean, dark-haired DJ considers his fiery set at Tomorrowland festival in Belgium to be his most memorable this year, but he counts those where young people overdose on drugs as the worst — and one part of the EDM world he'll never get used to. "Usually, you find out after a show, and that sucks, it's horrible," Alesso says. Through social media and interactions with fans, "I try to get them to remember, 'Stay safe, have fun, but you don't have to do drugs to have fun.' I don't do drugs and I have loads of fun. I get high off the music ... and I don't need drugs for that. Never tried, never will."

Looking ahead: Alesso plans to release his debut album early next year, which will include Heroes as well as electro-house track Tear the Roof Up, whose music video debuted on Snapchat in September. Beyond that, he says he would love to net collaborations with punk-pop singer Charli XCX, and most especially, Coldplay's Chris Martin. "He's one of the few artists that every time he writes something, it always tells me something and I always get a certain feeling," Alesso says. "I've never met him and he probably doesn't know who I am, but just through his music, I feel a connection that I haven't with others."

Coffee addiction: On an average day, Alesso pours through at least four cups of joe, sometimes tallying as many as 10 or 15. As for how he takes his coffee? "On the weekends, I like cappuccinos. During the day, I like something a little easier to drink," Alesso says. "I don't like Starbucks that much. I think it's overrated."