Nicholas Stewart

Stewart in December 2024

Shaggy Amadeus

Dr. Rendezvous

Busy Beaver

### Occupation

Astronaut, engineer, fighter pilot, signer-songwriter, producer, label executive, comedian, playwright, actor

### Alma Matter

United States Military Academy, B.S. (2019)Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sc.D. (2026)

### Spouses

Gina Walterz (2010-11)Amala Harris (2023-)

### Relatives

Tabitha Adameșteanu (mother)Gregory Stewart (father)

Mitch Stewart (brother)

Thalia Stewart (sister)

Stefan Nastase (half-brother)

Cristian Nastase (half-brother)

Daniel Nastase (half-brother)

## Musical Career

### Genres

Alternative pop, alternative rock, ska, grunge, pop punk, R&B, trap, rap, rap metal, nu metal, synth pop, neo soul, disco, funk, indie pop, indie rock, lo-fi pop, jazz, reggae

### Instruments

Vocals, Piano, Electric Guitar, Drums, Banjo, Bass, Flute, Synthisia, Ukulele

### Labels

Sunrise Records (1995-2016)Sunset Records (2017-present)

### Associated Acts

Paul McCartney, Taylor Swift, Viper Hamato, Olivia Rodrigo, Jenny Grace, Ashley Bunny, Drake, Kendrick Lamar

## Space Career

### Time in space

6 months, 14 hours, 12 minutes and 30 seconds

## Signature

**Nicholas Miles Dan Marcus Adameșteanu Stewart** (born December 29, 1974) is an American-Romanian astronaut, engineer, fighter pilot, singer-songwriter, producer, label executive, comedian, playwright, and actor. Noted for his narrative lyricism, style transcending influences, eccentric public image and contempt for the music industry, Stewart has earned critical praise and influenced many contemporary singers. Known as one of the most versatile musicians in the industry, he has explored different musical genres throughout his career such as alternative rock, punk, trap rap, and new wave pop

Born in Constanta, Romania, Stewart's family migrated to Huntington, New York, U.S. in 1985 to continue his exchange student scholarship and decided to pursue his music career. He broke into the grunge music scene with his eponymous debut studio album in 1997, signed under now-defunct Sunrise Records, which includes the singles "Rescue Me" and "Under Pressure". Stewart achieved mainstream prominence with his second studio album *Miles*, which became the second best-selling album in the US and worldwide, also the best-selling album in Europe. Stewart continued his grunge style with his third studio album *Venom* released in 2000 and spawned his biggest hit "Year 3000". The song was also featured on the soundtrack album of the 2000 hit film *Leyman Needs Help*. He then embarked his 3-year long Journey To The Year 3000 World Tour which became the first-ever tour to gross more than $1 billion.

Stewart then showcased a new pop punk sound with his fourth studio album *Sweet Dreams*, inspired by the long-term insomniac nightmares he faced since his younger years and was further worsened during his touring. Critics and fans were divided and said "it was too dark at this time period" and commercially oversold expectations. Stewart's genre shift popularized the emo pop rock genre and was dubbed as the "King of Emo". Stewart then expanded to synth-pop with his 2007 release "In Colors", which even showed darker themes despite the upbeat atmosphere of its tracks. Due to the elongation and the silliness of its tracks, the media described it more as a "parody album" in which Stewart denied. Billboard named him as the "Artist of the Decade 2000s" in the Billboard Music Awards in December 2009.

Drawing inspiration from classic rock and metal, his fifth and sixth studio album *Shades of Yellow* and *Nicky Stew* were known as his most personal albums, with the latter being the plain opposite from the former, mainly due to the darker themes it had. "Nicky Stew" became his most controversial album at that time, filled with themes about drug abuse, suicide, and self-harm.

Stewart then generated a big shift from classic rock to trap with his 2015 album *OPERATION CANCELLED.*, influenced by the traumatic experience he went through and the backlash he faced during that time. (See: Nicholas Stewart 2013 Ambush). It was considered as one of the greatest comebacks of all-time and the album broke sales and streaming records, expanding Stewart to the streaming demographic. The album spawned the best-selling digital single "OUT OF ORDER." and was met with widespread acclaim. Stewart continued his status as a crossover rap artist with his 2017 release *Ozymandias* which met the similar success his previous album received and became Stewart's most critically-acclaimed album, ranked #5 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time List. The album spawned six #1 hits in the US and ten top ten hits, becoming the album to have the most top ten entries.

In 2018, Stewart released his self-directed Netflix documentary *Ozymandias: The Movie*, tackling more about battling anemia and his bipolar disorder diagnosis in 2014. He then embarked his "Ozymandias World Tour" which also grossed over $1 billion, becoming the artist that achieved this feat. twice. It also became the highest-grossing world tour of all time. During the preparation of the tour, Stewart decided to make a full-Romanian album as a gift to his hometown. To coincide his Bucharest night concert in April 2019, his tenth studio album and first non-English album *Dor De Casa* was released.

Stewart made another huge genre shift to pop with his lo-fi, neo-soul 2020 album "ready. set. launch.", inspired by his childhood dreams of becoming an astronaut and becoming the another man to land on the moon. He then experimented to synth pop and disco with his 2024 album "After Party". These albums both spawned #1 hits such as "Take Me Anywhere", "Interstellar", "Lost In The Dancefloor", "After Party", and "Surviving Tenth Drink" which made him become the second artist to top the Hot 100 in four different decades (1990s, 2000s, 2010s, 2020s).

With sales over 700 million records sold worldwide, Stewart became one of the best-selling artist of all-time. His accolades include 81 Grammy Awards (including six Album of The Year wins), four Emmy awards, three Tony awards, 41 Brit Awards, 56 MTV Video Music Awards (including six Video of the Year wins). 256 Billboard Music Awards (the most by any artist), and 125 American Music Awards (the most by any artist). With a revenue of over U.S. $6.1 billion from his concert tickets, he remains the highest-grossing touring act of all time. Stewart was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2021, his first year of eligibility.

In his acting career, Stewart starred on many movies (five of them as the main cast). Since 2026, Stewart became one of the main hosts of Saturday Night Live after he appeared twelve times and hosted four times before. Stewart is also known for starring and creating Broadway musicals *Bloodfly*, the broadway musical adaption of the 1985 sci-fi film *Back To The Future* titled *Back to the Future: The Musical*, and Figarro: The Space Wonderer. He gained wider recognition in Broadway for writing the script, music and lyrics for *Bloodfly*, which has been acclaimed as a pop culture phenomenon since its Broadway premiere in 2027. The show earned the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album, and was nominated for a record 16 Tony Awards, of which it won 11, including Best Musical, Best Original Score and Best Book. For portraying the titular role, Stewart won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical. The *Bloodfly* cast recording spent twenty weeks atop *Billboard*'s Top Rap Albums chart in 2027.

Earning over $5.2 billion throughout his career, Stewart was listed as the wealthiest and the richest musician in the world. Part of his total gross were earnings from his popular perfume Granite State Est. 2017.

After earning a Sc.D. degree in astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stewart was selected as a member of NASA's Astronaut Group 10, making him the one of the few astronauts with a doctoral degree. His doctoral thesis was *Line-of-Sight Guidance Techniques for Manned Orbital Rendezvous*, earning him the nickname "Dr. Rendezvous" from fellow astronauts. His first space flight was in 2029 on Gemini 12 during which he spent over four hours on extravehicular activity. Four years later, Stewart set foot on the Moon at 03:15:16 on February 5, 2035 (UTC), while command module pilot Michael John remained in lunar orbit. His launch to the moon was live telecasted. After staying in the moon for 6 months, 14 hours, 12 minutes and 30 seconds, the mission broke the record for longest stay in the moon.

## Life and Career

### 1974-1992: Early Life

Nicholas Miles Dan Marcus Adameșteanu Stewart was born on December 29, 1974 at Constanta, Romania. His father, Gregory Stewart moved from Los Angeles, California, United States to Romania in 1969 to pursue his cooking career and owned a well-known restaurant. His mother, Tabitha Adameșteanu was a former lawyer and was also a former assistant of his father's restaurant. His parents also gave birth to two children in a span of two years, named Mitch and Thalia. At age 3, Stewart's parents were divorced and his mother married another man. At age 6, Stewart was promoted to third grade education due to his advanced intelligence. During his childhood, he learned how to play a lot of musical instruments with the help of his father's friend Angelus Moldova which was also a co-owner of their restaurant. As a child who was struggling to sing, he didn't mind how he sounded as long as he vibe on what he was playing, although he was taught vocal lessons by Moldova. Before songwriting became his hobby, Stewart was a well-known poet in his town and joined poem-writing competitions and was also joining annual mathematics quiz competitions on his elementary years before his family migrated to Huntington, New York, United States in 1985. His father decided to not go back to his Californian hometown to avoid confrontations from his parents and relatives, who somewhat held grudge at him for running away.

Stewart studied at Huntington Public High School and had difficulty interacting with other students due to his biracial history and his outlying intelligence which spited a jealousy among higher year students. He met his two close friends John Amadeus and Tripp Smith whom he hangs out with every day. Despite already learning English language at his younger years, Stewart's deep Romanian accent was the reason why he was disqualified from poem recitation contests in their school. Stewart spent years trying to speak in an "American" way and saw a lot of improvements as his friends described. Instead of joining writing competitions, Stewart decided to join the music club and showcase his musical talents and band competitions and became his school's competing musician whenever an interschool band competition happens. He spent weekends performing at festivals with selected bandmates by the event planner. Every event, he met different people who work as his band members and decided to go solo and became tagged as the "white boy with a guitar". In 1988, he stopped his singing gig and decided to focus more on his education and finish high school. Ever since a child, he dreamt of becoming an astronaut, a worker in NASA and hoped he could be that another man who can land on the moon. It became his motto in his high school yearbook. In 1990, Stewart become the youngest valedictorian in his high school, finishing senior high school two years earlier than normal.

### 1993-1998: Career beginnings and debut album

Instead of studying on universities, Stewart decided to just stay at town and study on a community college to be closer to his family and work as a waiter on a nearby eatery as a part-time job to at least provide money. At that time, his father Gregory was fired from his factory job and Stewart had to find another job to earn more money. Stewart had to drop out college to work on two part-time jobs to pay their apartment rent. Every past time, he grabbed his notebook (which he called "Nick-Notes") and wrote some random thoughts and make some tunes for fun. In 1992, his former music club mentor Harry Nimbus gave him a songwriting job for their band "Nimbus and the Rippers" in which he still hasn't earned enough to support his family due to the lack of attendees on their shows. In 1993, Nimbus encouraged Stewart to send the demo tapes he's been recording since high school to major music labels, hoping he could be accepted one day and didn't got an answer to one of them. To add his job list, he worked as a stand-up comedian and musician in a night club at 19.

At an open mic night in Shake Shack Cafe in 1995, Stewart caught the attention of many record label executives attending that night. Sunrise Records executive Jimbo Cary became the first to approach him a day after that night and offered him a Lifetime Recording Contract in 1995. Alongside Ashley Bunny and The Ultimatos, Stewart became one of the first signings of Sunrise Records. He began to work on his eponymous debut album shortly after. Stewart decided to be just the only writer on his debut album, saying he wanted this record to be what he likes to be. Cary became hesitant with this decision as he wasn't sure if this could pull of great results until he heard one of his recorded demo tapes. Around early 1996, for the preparation of his album launch, Stewart embarked on a tour with Sugar Ray and opened on their shows to promote his debut album which was prepared to be released in June. However, Stewart decided to move this to a later date to polish all of the tracks included on the record. He wrote 30 new songs for this record and picked 6 songs he wrote during his teenage years and only 12 of them made into the cut. His debut single "Rescue Me" on October 28, 1996 and was a radio sleeper hit. Stewart and his family helped deliver the CD singles on boxes and send it to radio stations. The single topped the radio chart 4 months later and peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 for five weeks and stayed on the chart for thirty-nine weeks. Stewart embarked on another tour in November 1996 to promote his new album to be released next year, with booked radio and television appearances. During that time, wasn't used to being watched by a TV audience and was hesitant to continue this promotion. His family decided to be there on every event he is in to calm him down before the interview. Stewart learned to overcome his "before-show" anxiety as time went by.

    His debut album, *Nicholas,* was released on February 3, 1997, which was considered a late period release for new rising artists. Cory stated that it would be better to release post-January slump for bigger sales and nothing to worry about competition because grunge is on a rising popularity. Despite the popularity of his debut single, Stewart wasn't expecting his album to sell that much on its first week. The album debuted at #10, selling 70,000 copies first week. After two months of fluctuating inside the top 15, the album re-entered on the top ten and started increasing as time went by, peaking at #1 on its twenty-fifth week after Stewart's SNL performance. The album went to stay on the chart until mid 2000. Lee Harriot of *The New York Times* described it as "easy on the ears," stating that "its straight-ahead professionalism makes it a pleasurable listen for post-grungers". David Grad of *Entertainment Weekly* described the album as "balancing a cheery ear for harmonies with a finely honed sense of despair". However, Daniel Rope from *Billboard Magazine* gave a mixed review and describe it as "catchy but not understandable", criticizing Stewart's difficulty on pronouncing normal English words. Stewart accepted this criticism and said "Over the past years since I transferred here, I have been trying to improve my American accent and glad I heard some comment after hearing my songs. Thanks, I should still improve more."

The album went on to have three chart entries, including two top ten singles and its only #1 hit "So Far Away". Stewart spent most of summer 1997 being booked with numerous television appearances and had decided to release a live album to solidify his status as a live artist. His first-ever live album, *Acoustic Sessions and More*, was released on November 24, 1997, showcasing stripped versions of his songs from his debut album and covers. The album debuted at #5 on the Billboard 200, with staggering first-week sales of 226,000 copies sold and went on to sell strongly on the remainder of the holidays, reaching a peak of #2, selling 625,000 copies during Christmas week.

In early 1998, Stewart was nominated for numerous music awards and won Top New Artist at the 40th Annual Grammy Awards.

### 1998-2000: *Miles*, acting debut, rise to international prominence, and mental health struggles

During the first quarter of 1998, Stewart had a long hiatus from touring and promoting after a full year of doing it. The writing process for his next studio album already began in mid-1997 and Stewart noticed that a lot of them are themes about homesickness and being out of place, which was mostly he experienced during his high school years. Stewart then decided for it to be the main theme of his sophomore album. Despite being inactive most of the year, his first two releases were still selling strongly and kept fluctuating on the top twenty. Statisticians expect a huge debut for his sophomore album.

Stewart's second studio album "*Miles*", was released on November 23, 1998 and debuted at number one, selling 596,000 copies on its first week. During holiday week 1998, it had its biggest week ever, selling 791,000 copies. Stewart achieved mainstream prominence with this record which became a sleeper hit worldwide. Stewart's reputation as a half-European artist was widely known in his home continent which made his album sell strong on that area and became one of the few records to sell more than 10 million copies in Europe, becoming the best-selling album in the continent. *Miles* went on to lead for nine weeks at #1 and spent fourteen weeks at #2 behind Jenny Grace's debut album *Not Going To Get Us.* The album ended up to become listed as the top-selling album by Billboard on the 1999 year end list. As of 2030, it had sold 55 million copies worldwide.

Four singles were released throughout 1998 and 1999, with his debut single "Every Morning" leading for seven weeks in 1998 and became the best-selling single at the end of the year. Its follow-up single "Someday" was released around Spring 1999 and also became a top ten hit peaking at #2. The album spawned two another #1 hits "Miles" and "Unrepeatable". The album went on to sell over 20 million copies just in the US ater 2000, Stewart went on to embark on his first-ever headlining tour "Miles Away", which grossed over $99M, while also being endlessly booked for different television shows. Stewart admitted during the summer, he could only sleep two hours at night but that didn't stop him from working all day long. The media was surprised and impressed with his over-workaholic trait. Howard Fern from *NBC Late Night Talk* commented about this: "An artist busy like this could even lead to a burnout. I'm shocked this hell of a man could pull it all."

*Miles* received widespread acclaim. Paul Pearson of AllMusic wrote, "a great balance of pop rock and grunge greatness." Kiana Justice from *Entertainment Weekly* described this record as "a timeless masterpiece and should be taken note by rising rock artists." Malik Rami from *Billboard Magazine* described "could be the greatest pop rock album at our time."

In October 1999, Stewart became the host of Saturday Night Live's Season 25 premiere and performed at the end of the block. That episode alone had an estimated viewership of 49 million which was astonishingly big for a reality show and was the highest-rated episode of Saturday Night Live. His witty catchphrases from his introductory monologue became popular and used as a parody for the later episodes. Stewart had his first acting role as Jerry the cable guy on the sixth season of hit sitcom show *Friends* and was praised for his comedic acting skills. He went on to star cameo roles in two movies on 2000. Because of his acting gigs, Stewart became more known to be a comedian rather than a musician, in which he didn't expect was supposed to happen, even thought he was amazed. To prove everyone, Stewart performed a three-minute guitar solo after performing "Every Morning" at the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards and received a standing ovation from the audience.

While at the peak of his career, Stewart was struggling with his sleeping routines. His father, Gregory, also noticed his weird behavior since they moved out of their apartment to live on their New York penthouse, thinking maybe it's just one of his homesickness episodes. Stewart even refused to get an appointment from a psychologist as suggested by his brother, Mitch.

*"I love my family, but it's just that, every minute, every hour, they think I'm acting abnormal and I'm not that way, really."*

Stewart won his first MTV VMA in 1999 with "Every Morning" winning Best Rock Video. Stewart won Best Pop/Rock Artist and Best Pop/Rock Album for *Miles* on the 1999 American Music Awards. Stewart also won four awards on the Billboard Music Awards, including Top Artist and Top Billboard 200 Album of the Year and Decade with *Miles.* He also received a lot of nominations at the 2000 Grammys Awards and won three out of five including Album of The Year.

### 2000-2004: *Venom*, drug abuse accusations and more personal struggles

Stewart made a tradition of self-producing and self-writing on every record he makes. Songwriting for his third studio album already began as early as Spring 1999. Stewart shared: "My notebook is messy, and even messier during the second half of last year because I had a rough experience and had to write the thoughts that randomly pop up of my mind and I couldn't help it." Recording began immediately in January 2000 and ended on August 2000. Stewart said he would sleep for the whole day and come to the studio in the middle of the night because he felt that recording at nighttime would make him even more motivated on his work. His family and his record executives noticed his behavioral pattern of being a nocturnal, workaholic artist and this habit shouldn't even be done longer but Stewart defended himself that his sleeping clock has been changed ever since the production of his sophomore album in 1998 and they have nothing to worry about.

In October 9, 2000, Stewart released "Year 3000" as the lead single of his third studio album "Venom" and also as the lead single of the soundtrack album of the 2000 hit film *Leyman Needs Help*. The song was the first song he had written for the album and stated that it's one of his favorite songs he had ever written as he has been a fan of time travel movies and also this song is about Stewart's experience on fulfilling his dreams. The single reached #1 on the Hot 100, leading for six weeks. The chart success worldwide was similar and exceeded expectations. The single became his biggest hit worldwide. Stewart's highly-anticipated third studio album *Venom* was released on November 27, 2000, almost exactly two years after the release of his eponymous sophomore album *Miles*. With the massive popularity of its lead single "Year 3000", the media expected once again for the album to sell big on its first week just like Stewart's previous album. Within one day of release, the album already sold 1 million copies worldwide, becoming his fastest to do so. *Venom* opened at #1 and led for seven weeks on the Billboard 200, selling 2.7 million copies on its first week, his biggest week ever. The album was also a massive commercial success worldwide despite not matching the success of his last album. *Venom* fell short in Asia but still managed to sell 900,000 copies on the region.

As of 2020, "Venom" sold 19 million copies in the United States and 35 million copies worldwide. The record received widespread acclaim from critics. Most of reviewers described this record as the most rocking sound among his first three studio albums. Ken Chan from Variety News described: "Not your typical pop rock record because you could barely hear pop." Throughout 2000-2002, after the album release, five other singles were released, "Low Tide", "Venom", "More Than I Can Say", "Torch Song", and "Not This Time". All except "Venom" were top ten hits. Stewart achieved his sixth #1 single in the US when "More Than I Can Say" hit #1 in 2001.

At the 44th Annual Grammy Awards in 2002, Stewart won Best Rock Album for "Venom" and Record of the Year for "Low Tide", which he performed during the ceremony. Stewart also won seven of his ten nominations at the 2000 Billboard Music Awards including Top Hot 100 Song for "Year 3000". The following year, Stewart went on to rack eleven nominations at the 2001 Billboard Music Awards and won four of them including Top Billboard 200 Album of the Year with "Venom". The album was considered as one of the last rock albums that went big on mainstream.

Stewart embarked his Journey To The Year 3000 World Tour which started its first show in March 21, 2001 and had its last show in March 29, 2004, making it one of the longest world tours of all time, with 431 shows. The world tour grossed over $1.2 billion which held the record as the highest-grossing tour of all time until his Ozymandias World Tour surpassed it in 2019. Stewart shared that his favorite part of the tour is going back to his hometown, Constanta, Romania for the first time since they migrated to the United States in 1985. Additional footage of Stewart having a takeover the town was included on his 2002 live/video album Journey To The Year 3000!! Live.

In the entirety of 2001, the media can't help but to notice Stewart's gloomy and pale appearance on every award show he attended or even his music videos. Rumors about him abusing drugs have been circulating online but Stewart defended himself "I didn't come and do a modelling career. I am an aspiring musician who only wants to do and share his music and anything related about my appearances are not welcome." Some may suspect that it is because of Stewart's non-stop working and promoting on radios and live television. Stewart has been known as one of the most workaholic public identities during the early 2000s, as he can be shown on any media formats 24/7 in the middle of 2001 and also is busy for rehearsing for his world tour. His family felt very concerned about him but Stewart just decided to continue working on something he has to.

    Matters worsen when Stewart began touring outside the United States with limited amount of rest time as he used his free time for rehearsing. On February 28, 2003, after his last show in Hamar, Norway, Stewart was hospitalized after collapsing backstage. He was admitted to Sykehuset Innlandet, a nearby hospital in Hamar and remained under doctor's care for two weeks. Fortunately, it was also the last show on the European Leg and no dates were cancelled. The remaining dates for Oceania and Asian Legs were moved to October 2003. During the same year, he was diagnosed with anemia, the reason for his long-term over exhaustion. He was advised to not do anything business or music-related for two months until he is fully-recovered. In the middle of his recovery period, Stewart was also diagnosed with Psychophysiologic insomnia. He often complained before about his restlessness and disability to sleep at night since the beginning of the millennium and got even worse during the touring.

*"All I do, is work, work, work, rehearse, perform, uhm...write. Non-stop and I didn't complain about it. I was born like this and won't accept any failures so I strive hard. It's like I don't care if I get tired and soon pass out, it's just my routine and it should be. But it still wasn't worth it."*

*-Nicholas Stewart, 2003, Late Night With Barbara Walters*

In a 2003 interview with Barbara Walters, Stewart opened up with his obsession of working. He said he mind about the consequences but as long as he was enjoying it but he regretted it. He shared that he would always have his personal notebook every time or else he would go insane. Before resuming his world tour, Stewart starred for a cameo role in the 2003 hit parody film "Scary Movie 3" and also starred for cameo role in the 2004 hit blockbuster "Mean Girls".

### 2004-2007: *Sweet Dreams* and recovery

Most of his remaining tour dates in late 2003 and early 2004, Stewart was on therapy instead of rehearsing. His management decided to do the meet & greet session before the concert for Stewart to be able to rest after the show. During his 2006 MTV special, he shared that he would immediately "doze off to bed after shows during that time which turned out better than expected". He would hold his "Nick-Notes" notebook during his sleep in case a nightmare happens. At that time, Stewart's family was still a lot worried about his complaints that he hasn't still able to have a good sleep despite the therapy going on. He would often share about his recurring dreams about his "monster self" chasing him to death which soon became an inspiration for his next album.

In November 2003, Stewart proposed a meeting with the label executives to plan for his new album that would be released sooner than what they think. He was offered to collaborate with co-producers but still, Stewart decided that this work would be better if he done it all just like what he imagined it to be. Recording sessions began in December 2003 and ended in May 2004. Stewart would turn off the lights while recording and scream all the lyrics while people from the studio were extremely worried about his condition. Sunrise Records executive Jimbo Cary opened up about him almost calling an exorcist to check on Stewart.

On July 12, 2004, Stewart released "Get Wasted, I Drank A Vodka", the lead single from his fourth studio album "Sweet Dreams". At the time physical sales were at its rock bottom, the single was doing poorly. It debuted at #78 and went on to gradually climb and enter the top ten on its fourteenth week at #9. It went on to spend 37 weeks inside the top ten and reached #1 on its 38th week of charting, having the longest climb to #1 due to being overshadowed by songs dominating digital sales. On November 08, 2004, Stewart's fourth studio album *Sweet Dreams* was released. The media just expected it to sell under 500,000 copies considering his lead single didn't even reach number one at that time. The album outsold and exceeded expectations and shocked many as it sold faster than his previous release *Venom*, debuting at #1 with over 2.1 million copies, despite the decline of album sales. Executives assumed the public may have been more hyped for the album than the singles itself. As a result, only three songs were singles throughout 2004-2006, "Get Wasted, I Drank A Vodka", "The Devil's Garden (Hallelujah)" and "Fingers For Breakfast, Tacos For Dinner." The album went on to spend eight weeks atop and spend eighty-seven weeks inside the top ten, twenty one weeks more than what his previous album *Venom* spent on that region. As of December 2026, it is certified 23x Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, for selling over 23 million units in the US and has sold 32 million copies worldwide, an impressive feat. for an album in the digital era. It instantly became the best-selling album of 2004 and won Top Billboard 200 Album in the 2005 Billboard Music Awards.

*Sweet Dreams* was met with widespread acclaim, praising Stewart's sudden shift to a darker tone in his music. Some critics also had a mixed review stating that the record was "too dark at its time". Years later, Stewart was tagged as the "King of Emo", paving way for musicians to showcase emo pop punk music in the late 2000s. Stewart embarked his Sweet Dreams Tour which only has 60 shows in total compared to the 431 shows his previous world tour had, to prevent the incident that happened to him in the recent years.

On the 48th Annual Grammy Awards, *Sweet Dreams* won Best Rock Album and also made Stewart rack up his second Album of the Year win. Its lead single "Get Wasted, I Drank A Vodka" also won Video of the Year in the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards, making it his first to do so.

On May 6, 2006, MTV aired a 2-episode documentary titled *In Your Sweetest Dreams: Nicky Goes Live*, where it showed Stewart's full live performance of his show from Madison Square Garden, New York City in September 6, 2005 for his Sweet Dreams Tour and also features specials.

### 2007-2009: *In Colors* and more acting gigs

By the end of 2005, Stewart has already written more than 50 new songs on his notebook during his touring. He shared "meeting with a lot of fans and having a proper rest between shows, I think it's a great combination of being very satisfied and not overworking. I also had a lot of experience with the new and broken relationships I had on this period so my notebook is handy." At that time, he was still in the middle of his touring period and the public was already questioning his insanity even the previous year, tagging him as the "emotional sad boy of America".

As a response, Stewart decided to have more feels for his new record. He would admit that he still enjoyed wearing dark outfits for the "era" people are still seeing, and also going on tour and didn't care about what everyone said. As early as March 2006, Stewart already headed to the studio to work on new material while his Sweet Dreams Tour was still ongoing. Days passed and Stewart shared that he felt that the lyrics he wrote for the next record were even darker and more explicit than his previous record *Sweet Dreams* and was a bit confused on what he was doing. Recording sessions lasted very long and concluded in February 2007, with a lot of polishing by Stewart. In late 2006, headlines about Stewart's outfit every day were a trend (e.g. "What Did Nicky Wear?.com") and were surprised to see one time when he wore a colorful suit in Christmas Eve. Stewart told on an interview with Oprah Winfrey in January 2007 that he found this silly considering that a lot of people wear different outfits every day.

During the planning of the record release, Stewart then decided to focus less on dark colors on his album cover. On June 25, 2007, Stewart released "Euphoria", which is the lead single for his fifth studio album, *In Colors*. The single was his first #1 single on iTunes and debuted at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and instantly debuted at #1 on all countries except Europe. The following two weeks, the single shot to #1 on the Hot 100 due to strong sales. "Euphoria" was included on the Billboard's Top Ten Songs With The Most Ironic Titles, due to the lyrical content of the song being opposite of the title. On August 20, 2007, Stewart's fifth studio album *In Colors* was released. The album incorporates new genres for Stewart such as synth-pop and hyper-pop, but the record was still mainly focused on being a pop punk and rock record. The album debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 with first week sales of 1.5 million copies. Stewart became one of the artists who had four consecutive albums that sold more than 1 million copies on their first week of selling. As of December 2026, *In Colors* is certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America(RIAA). Despite the decline of sales in United States, *In Colors* experienced massive success outside the country. Except Asia, *In Colors* sold a lot more than his previous album *Sweet Dreams. In Colors* generally received positive reviews but divided critics on its genre-spanning sound: praise directed at Stewart's versatility, and criticism targeted the inconsistency.

Throughout 2007-2008, six songs were released as singles, "Euphoria", "Tongue Twisters", "Nicky-Icky", "23 Street", "Alphabet Aerobics But I Changed The Title", and "Sex Is Nice But Euphoria Is God Level". Except "23 Street", all of the singles became top ten hits in the US, with four of them being #1 hits, making *In Colors* one of the albums that spawned four or more #1 hits. To promote the album, Stewart embarked his In Colors Tour which ran from January 2008 to April 2008, with 60 shows and grossing $179 million upon completion. In 2008, Stewart hosted Saturday Night Live for the second time and was praised for his witty performance throughout the episode. Stewart also starred on two shows that year. He played Ryan Tedders on 3 episodes of the fourth season of How I Met Your Mother and played a guest role as himself on Nickelodeon's hit sitcom show iCarly. In 2008, he played Dan on one episode of Modern Family's first season. During that time, Stewart has been finally open about his relationship as he started dating with Filipino-American actress Gina Walterz. In December 2009, Stewart received *Billboard*'s Artist of the Decade Award 2000s for being the best-selling artist in the 2000s decade.

### 2010-2011: *Shades of Yellow*, *Insidious*, and marriage

In mid 2009, Stewart began working for his sixth studio album *Shades of Yellow,* a record which he called very different from the past works he have done. The title refers to the euphoric feeling he's been experiencing the recent year, getting inspired to write a lot of songs about happiness and found love. Stewart decided to make his craft to lean more towards classic rock rather than being either a pop rock album, or just a straightforward pop album.

In January 2010, Stewart and his partner Gina Walterz got married on a private island in Hawaii. Three months later, they gave birth to their first child Caroline Stewart. Exactly one year later, they gave birth to their second child Denise Stewart.

Stewart released *Shades of Yellow* on July 5, 2010. *Shades of Yellow* was Stewart's fifth consecutive studio album to sell more than 500,000 copies in one week in the US, making Stewart became the first artist to do so. The album spawned three top ten hits ("The Start of Something Grand", "Make A Stand", and "Tell Me The Truth") and one top fifteen single ("I Found You"). It became Stewart's lowest-selling album at that time. It spent four weeks atop the Billboard 200. *Shades of Yellow* was mostly received by positive reviews but was also criticized for sounding too generic rock. The album was nominated for three awards on the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards and won Best Rock Album. Stewart decided to not embark a tour for associating his album *Shades of Yellow* to focus more on his personal life, especially after getting married and giving birth to children.

The same year, Stewart starred as a main character in the 2010 horror film Insidious, playing Josh Lambert. He also played the same character on the 2013 sequel. His performance was nominated for "Best Male Actor" on the Oscar Awards 2012.

### 2011-2013: *Nicky Stew*

After his separation with Walterz, Stewart was in no place to do back in the studio or promote something in shows due to isolation. His scheduled production for a country album as his label requested was cancelled that year. He was left to take care of his eldest daughter, Caroline, after the divorce. In December 2011, Stewart began working on his new album, with at least 60 new songs written throughout the 6-month hiatus. He shared: "My mind is overloaded and I needed to take down notes. But there's still something lacking for me and I'd go crazy if I don't even let this earworm out of my mind."

Stewart's request of making another rock album was accepted by the label, giving him more creative control for the next record. Recording sessions ended in March 2012. At that time, Stewart still hasn't decided what to name for his album. After choosing the 12 songs for the album, he decided to name his next album, *Nicky Stew*, a name called to him by his friends in the recent years. It became his third eponymous record after *Nicholas (1997)* and *Miles* (1998), due to this record being based on his personal experiences and real-life incidents from his late friends. Its lead single "Cross Off" was released on May 7, 2012 and climbed its way to the top ten during the release of the album. It peaked at #1 on its twenty-second week of charting. Stewart's seventh studio album *Nicky Stew* was released on July 2, 2012 and experienced commercial success worldwide. It sold 930k copies on its first week in the United States, debuting at #1 and spent 5 weeks atop the Billboard 200 and was a major improvement compared to his previous record *Shades of Yellow* in terms of both acclaim and commercial performance*.* It became the best-selling album of 2012. The album was met with widespread acclaim, with Rolling Stone deeming it as Stewart's most crafty work so far. *Nicky Stew* became his most controversial album at that time, tackling timely issues such as drug addiction, suicide, and self-harm. In contrast to his previous album *Shades of Yellow*, *Nicky Stew* dodged away from any euphoric themes and was very opposite, leaning on heavier tones. Stewart went on to embark his Lucid Dreaming Tour to promote his album, grossing over $226 million upon completion.

Throughout 2012-2013, five songs were released as singles, "Cross Off", "It Was Good (Until You Ruined It)", "Xanny", "Late Night", and "Lucid Dreaming", which became the biggest hit of the album. The album showed a new side of Stewart's artistry, as it incorporates new genres such as nu metal, and rap rock. Due to most of its tracks featuring at least one rap verses, the album confused the media whether to call it a rock album or a rap album.

### 2014-2017: Hiatus and *OPERATION CANCELLED.*

After being discharged from the hospital on January 2014, Stewart had to undergo a year-long therapy following the severe injuries he suffered from the ambush and abduction a month prior. Sunrise Records gave him an option to cancel his final album to be released before his contract with the label ends but Stewart refused and told them to give him an indefinite rest and some time to figure it all out. Stewart's eldest daughter Caroline was given custody to his ex-wife Walterz, for twelve months to to make way for his recovery. During his seclusion from the public, Stewart alone worked secretly on something new for his next record as early as mid 2014, without telling anybody, including his psychologists and his family. He told Rolling Stone in a 2017 interview that he would write new verses every day instead of suppressing his loud thoughts inside his mind or screaming out loud. He would start making his songs on his piano and later develop a random beat.

Stewart began his recording sessions in October 2014, playing his recorded demos to his executives. He then decided to work his new record and made his first-ever official full rap album, *OPERATION CANCELLED.* Stewart was inspired to have a new direction on his music after having given more creative control during the conception of his 2012 release *Nicky Stew*. Influenced by late 90s/early 2000s hip hop music, Stewart severed ties with the rock sound of his previous albums, and marketed *OPERATION CANCELLED.* as his "first documented, official rap album." On August 24, 2015, Stewart unexpectedly released his new single "OUT OF ORDER." on digital platforms without prior announcement or promotion. The single broke streaming and sales records, with its music video being viewed 89 million times on its first day of release. "OUT OF ORDER." debuted at #1 on all countries around the world. It became his first #1 debut on the Billboard Hot 100 after his single "Year 3000" did 2000, with over 800,000 downloads and 160 million streams on its first week, becoming the first song to be streamed more than 100 million times a week. By the end of 2015, it had already sold 31 million units globally and became the best-selling digital single of all time. The album's second single "HOAX." was released on October 26, 2015 and peaked at #2 for five weeks, blocked by "OUT OF ORDER." Until February 2016, Stewart decided to not have television appearances during the promotion of his new album as he wasn't ready to face the public. Despite the limited promotion, Stewart remained the most popular public figure in 2015 since the 2013 incident.

On November 30, 2015, Stewart's eighth studio album *OPERATION CANCELLED.* was released and garnered massive success worldwide. Selling 1.6 million units in the United States on its first week, it became his album to sell more than a million units on its first week since his 2007 album *In Colors.* It debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 and went on to spent a record-breaking sixteen nonconsecutive weeks atop the chart and spent its first 70 weeks inside the top ten. It was the best-selling album of 2015 and 2016, and has sold 11 million pure copies since, an impressive feat. amidst the decline of physical sales. The album was met with widespread acclaim and most critics tagged the record "a traumatic journey to survival". On the week of the album release, Stewart also broke the record for most songs charted inside the Hot 100, with nine of its tracks charting at the same week. The two remaining tracks also charted later on the album's run. As of 2025, *OPERATION CANCELLED.* remains Stewart's most-streamed album and the most-streamed album ever on every streaming platform except Spotify. Throughout 2015-2017, six songs were released as proper singles and all of them peaked inside the top two, "OUT OF ORDER.", "HOAX.", "BRAP BRAP PEW PEW.", "NO REMORSE.", "SMASH.", and "LUST.".

On February 13, 2016, Stewart had his first television appearance in Tonight With Barbara Walters, after not appearing on television for four years. He explained making the record was one of the major ways to cope his post-traumatic attacks and episodes and opened up about his near-death experience during the 2 weeks of his disappearance. Stewart also complained and wanted him to be more well-known for the content he makes rather than the disaster that happened to him in the past years. He extended his therapy sessions for another one year to make sure he is ready to do something he planned long ago. To prepare for his world tour, Stewart had his first public performance on the 2016 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival as the headliner of the third day. He embarked his WORLDWIDE OPERATION. tour starting April 2016 and had its last show in October 2016, grossing $802 million upon completion, becoming the second highest-grossing tour in history at that time just behind his own 2002-04 world tour Journey To The Year 3000!! Live. Most of its tour dates were from Europe, where Stewart felt like 'he was at home' and had a brief four-day visit on his home country, Romania before continuing the remainder of his tour. Stewart told "he could've stayed longer if it wasn't for the tight schedule but I promised I will stay longer next time."

On the 59th Annual Grammy Awards in 2017, Stewart won five of his six nominations, including his third Album of the Year win with *OPERATION CANCELLED.* and Record of the Year for "HOAX." On the 2016 Billboard Music Awards, Stewart swept and won all of his thirteen nominated categories, becoming the artist with the most wins in one night, and also bringing his total BBMAs wins with 39, extending his record for most BBMAs wins. At that night, Stewart was named Artist of The Year for the twelfth time and won Top Billboard 200 Album sixth time.

### 2017-2020: *Ozymandias*, masters dispute, and *Dor De Casă*

*OPERATION CANCELLED.* was Stewart's last album under his over-extended 22-year old contract with Sunrise Records. In November 2016, he signed a new multi-album deal with newly-found record label Sunset Records, a label found by former Sunrise Records executive Jimbo Cary, who was fired in 2007 because of disagreements from the Sunrise Records executives. His subsequent releases were promoted under the Sunset Records imprint. Stewart said the contract included a provision for his to maintain ownership of his master recordings.

Motivated by the widespread acclaim of his eighth studio album *OPERATION CANCELLED.,* Stewart decided to produce and write another full-rap album, the one he wanted to make long time ago. He told *Billboard* in a 2018 interview that he already wanted to make a rap album during the conception of his 2007 album *In Colors*, but his label haven't gave him enough creative control to make another big shift on his style. Stewart started writing new songs for the album while on a month-long trip with his brother Mitch outside the country in late November 2016. Devastated by the current political stance of America that time, Stewart was inspired to write more politically-themed tracks for his album. He named his next album *Ozymandias*, named after a political sonnet written by English Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley. During his trip to the Sahara Desert, Stewart was inspired to make his album desert-themed, representing isolation.

During the conception of Stewart's next album, he became involved in a publicized dispute with his former friend and business partner Zark Mockingbird and his former label Sunrise Records, regarding the acquisition of the masters of his back catalog. Stewart stated on his Tumblr blog that Sunrise Records promised him as early as 1997 that he could buy the masters of his catalog with a condition, if only his next albums would sell a lot more and earn more money for the label to pay for the business contract, but they still didn't allow him to. In November 2017, Mockingbird sold Stewart's masters, videos and artworks, to The Blackstone Group Inc. for a reported $1.3 billion. Stewart began re-recording his back catalog in December 2017.

Recording began in February 2017 and ended in July 2017. The music of *Ozymandias* incorporates a variety of styles from traditional African-American music, including jazz, funk, soul, spoken word, and avant-garde. Stewart stated "I decided to add some more flavors for this record, rather than being heavily focused on trap." The album's lead single "Dance Until You Sleep" was released on September 18, 2017 and debuted inside the top ten and peaked at #1 on its fifth week. Stewart's ninth studio album *Ozymandias* was released on November 27, 2017. Selling over 5.8 million units worldwide on its first week, it became the biggest first-week units sold ever. *Ozymandias* debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200, selling 2.2 million album-equivalent units on its first week, including 1.5 million copies and broke the country's streaming record with 1.05 billion streams in its first week. In its first day of release, *Ozymandias* broke Spotify's one-day global record for album streams with 146.09 million streams. On its release week, twelve of the album tracks debuted inside the Hot 100. The four remaining tracks also charted later on the album's run. Its album's third track "Dead Freight" debuted atop the *Billboard* Hot 100 the same week its parent album debuted atop the *Billboard* 200, making Stewart the first artist to debut atop both the U.S. singles and albums charts simultaneously. The album was met with rave reviews and became the highest-rated album in Metacritic, with a whooping 99/100. In 2018, articles by *The Guardian* and *Rolling Stone* called him "one of the long-lasting definitive pop stars on every generation" and "perhaps [the] biggest post-Michael Jackson male pop star of the new millennium", respectively. Stewart was later featured on the cover of *Rolling Stone*, with editor Josh Eells writing he's "arguably one of the most talented musician of his generation." As of 2025, *Ozymandias* is certified 13x Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), for selling over 13 million units in the country.

On the 61st Annual Grammy Awards in 2019, Stewart won all of his six nominated categories, including his fourth Album of the Year win with *Ozymandias* and Record of the Year for "To'Hajilee". On the 2016 Billboard Music Awards, Stewart swept and once again won all of his thirteen nominated categories, extending his record for the artist with the most wins in one night. At that night, Stewart was named Artist of The Year for the fourteenth time and won Top Billboard 200 Album seventh time. At the American Music Awards of 2018, Stewart won four awards, including Artist of the Year and Favorite Rap Male Artist. After the 2018 AMAs, Stewart garnered a total of 36 awards, extending his record for the most awarded musician in AMA history, already 10 awards ahead of the previous record-holder Michael Jackson.

Throughout 2017-2018, seven singles were released as proper singles: "Dance Until You Sleep", "Dead Freight", "Bazooka", "To'hajilee", "La Paz", "Granite State", and "Corrupted Minds". Except "To'hajilee", these singles all went to #1, with "Corrupted Minds" being the biggest hit of the album, which was certified 18x Platinum, by the Recording Industry Association of America, making it his third Diamond-certified single. The documentary *Ozymandias: The Movie*, which chronicles part of Stewart's life and career, and tackles about battling his current life condition premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival and was released on Netflix on May 25, 2018. The documentary received critical acclaim. In support of *Ozymandias*, he embarked on his Ozymandias World Tour, which ran from May 2018 to November 2019. With 292 shows worldwide, the tour grossed over $1.4 billion upon completion, surpassing his own 2002-04 tour for being the highest-grossing worldwide tour in history.

During the preparation of his tour, Stewart was already planning on making his first-ever full Romanian album, *Dor De Casă* (translated in English: homesick), while also planning a three-week long stay on his home country, Romania while touring. He said on his radio interview in EuropaFM, translated from Romanian, "It was such a great experience on looking back to those songs I wrote before in Romanian and I'm very happy to share all of my songs sung in my home language." Coinciding on his first night in Bucharest, Romania, Stewart's tenth studio album and first non-English album *Dor De Casă* was released on April 29, 2019. The album's first half is rap-oriented while the second half were mostly alternative rock, and punk, going back to Stewart's rock roots. It was generally received positively by critics and was a massive hit in Europe, certified eight times platinum by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI Europe), becoming his best-selling album in terms of pure sales since his 2012 album *Nicky Stew* and his highest-certified album since his 2007 album *In Colors.* The album became the first full non-English album to debut at #1, selling 552,000 equivalent album units and was certified 2x Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Two singles were released in Europe: "Urăsc" and "La Revedere", with the latter being a top 40 hits in the US despite no promotion. In October 2019, Stewart became the main host for the third time on Saturday Night Live's season premiere. In late 2018, Stewart met actress and comedienne Amala Harris during his Ozymandias Tour and began dating in mid 2019.

On December 29, 2019, Stewart released his Ozymandias World Tour's accompanying concert film, titled Ozymandias: The World Tour on Netflix, coinciding Stewart's 45th birthday.

### 2020-2024: *ready. set. launch.* , re-recordings, and Broadway debut.

While finishing a degree in NASA, Stewart decided to start working on his new album on December 2019. The following year, he won Record of the Year for "Corrupted Minds" on the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards on January 26, 2020, one of his three nominations. Recording for the new album began in February 2020 and was polished on June 2020. Stewart wrote, recorded and produced the album on his home recording studio while in isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic. His eleventh studio album *ready. set. launch.* was released on August 31, 2020 and received critical acclaim upon release. Two of its singles "take me anywhere" and "interstellar" peaked at #1, with the latter spending nine nonconsecutive weeks at #1. The other three singles "sweet ride", "run", and "never knew" were also top ten hits as well, peaking at the region during the album release. The album became his seventh to sell over 1 million units in the US on its first week and spent nine nonconsecutive weeks at #1 and spent fifty nonconsecutive weeks on the top ten. The album incorporates genres such as lo-fi, neo-soul, synth-pop, and trap. Inspired by his childhood dream of going to space, Stewart made his album mostly space-themed and fulfilling dreams. The music videos for "take me anywhere", "sweet ride", and "run" were tagged as the Journey To The Red Moon Trilogy, with its music videos linked into one story. To further extend this concept, Stewart released 1 hour long film titled *ready. set. launch.: the not-so-short film* on September 10, 2021, on YouTube for free. All of its proceeds went to the Dreamers' Foundation. To support the album, he went on to embark his Journey To The Red Moon world tour which ran from January to July 2022. On November 21, 2021, Stewart released his third live album *ready. set. acoustic.* which contains tracks recorded in an isolated place Stewart performed. It peaked at #1 on the Billboard 200. At the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards, *ready. set. launch.* won Best Pop Vocal Album, Best Engineered Album, and made Stewart rack his fifth Album of the Year win.

While promoting *ready. set. launch.* in 2021, Stewart released his first two re-recording albums of his back catalog. Following the masters controversy, Stewart released *Miles (Nicky's Version)* on May 3, 2021. The re-recording of his eponymous 1998 album *Miles* peaked atop the Billboard 200 and was supported by two singles: "Every Morning (Nicky's Version)" and "Runaway (From The Vault)". "Every Morning (Nicky's Version)", the re-recording of Stewart's 1998 single "Every Morning" became the first-ever re-recording to top the Billboard Hot 100. The second re-recording of his back catalog, *Sweet Dreams (Nicky's Version)* — the re-recording of his 2004 album *Sweet Dreams*, was released on August 16, 2021. The album also peaked atop the Billboard 200 and received widespread acclaim, being a timely release in the dark period of the pandemic. The album was supported by two singles: "Get Wasted, I Drank A Vodka (Nicky's Version)" and "Don't Tell Him, I'm Haunting Him (From The Vault)".

The third re-recording of Stewart's back catalog, *Shades of Yellow (Nicky's Version) —* the re-recording of his 2010 album *Shades of Yellow*, was released on April 11, 2022. The album peaked at #1 and was supported by two singles: "The Start of Something Grand (Nicky's Version)" and "We Live In A Castle (From The Vault)", with the latter being his first vault song to top the Billboard Hot 100. The fourth re-recording of Stewart's back catalog, *Nicky Stew (Nicky's Version)* — the re-recording of his eponymous 2012 album *Nicky Stew* was released on July 4, 2022. To promote the album, Stewart released three singles over a span of one month ahead of the album release: "Cross Off (Nicky's Version)", "Still Not Over You (From The Vault) (featuring Olivia Rodrigo)", and "Lie Once, Lie Twice (From The Vault) (featuring Taylor Swift)". The two vault songs both debuted at #1 on their first week of release. *Nicky Stew (Nicky's Version)* also peaked atop the Billboard 200. On November 21, 2022, Stewart released *In Colors (Nicky's Version)* — the re-recording of his 2007 album *In Colors*. The album peaked atop the Billboard 200 and was supported by two singles: "Euphoria (Nicky's Version)" and "You're Friendzoned, Oh No (From The Vault) (featuring Hayley Williams".

The final three re-recordings of Stewart's back catalog were released in 2023. On April 10, 2023, Stewart released the re-recording of his 2000 album *Venom* titled *Venom (Nicky's Version)* and was supported by two singles that both went #1: "Year 3000 (Nicky's Version)" and "Start Over Again (From The Vault)". Just like the original version, "Year 3000 (Nicky's Version)" also debuted at #1. The album debuted atop the Billboard 200. On September 4, 2023, Stewart released the re-recording of his eponymous 1997 debut album *Nicholas* titled *Nicholas (Nicky's Version)*. The album peaked atop the Billboard 200 and was supported by two singles: "Rescue Me (Nicky's Version)" and "The Last Night I Saw You (From The Vault)". The re-recording of his 1996 debut single "Rescue Me" surpassed the peak of its original version, peaking at #1. On November 27, 2023, Stewart released the re-recording of his 2015 album *OPERATION CANCELLED.* titled *OPERATION CANCELLED. (NOT THE CANCELLED VERSION)*, without prior announcement or promotion. Two of its tracks "OUT OF ORDER (NOT THE CANCELLED VERSION)" and "RUNOVER. (FROM THE VAULT)" went to #1. The album became his first re-recording to spend more than one week at #1.

During late 2020, Stewart started the production of his first Broadway musical *Back To The Future: The Musical (Original Broadway Cast Recording),* a musical adaption of the 1985 sci-fi film *Back To The Future*. The musical premiered off-Broadway at The Public Theater in February 2022, directed by Thomas Kail.

### 2024-2029: *After Party, Figarro, Bloodfly, Super Bowl LXI show and Saturday Night Live*

During the release of his final re-recording *OPERATION CANCELLED. (NOT THE CANCELLED VERSION),* Stewart wrote on his latest post that he has been working on something for the past couple of years that might 'satisfy anybody'. During the releases of his re-recordings and also starring on his ongoing Broadway musical in 2023, he started mixing on random beats for fun for a couple of days which turned into an album-making process. After releasing his critically-acclaimed 2020 album *ready. set. launch.* , Stewart was inspired to make another pop record which is a lot different than his previous pop crossover album. His twelfth studio album *After Party* was released on November 25, 2024 and received critical acclaim upon release. It was preceded by three singles "Blue Hour", "Soul Control". and "Are We Alone Yet?" and became top three hits, with the latter hitting #1. After the album's release, three more singles, "Lost In The Dancefloor", "After Party", and "Surviving Tenth Drink" were impacted on radio and became number one hits. "Lost In The Dancefloor" made Stewart achieved his fifth single to surpass ten million units sold in the US, tying Bruno Mars for most singles achieving the feat. *After Party* experienced massive success worldwide. On the Billboard 200, the album sold over 1.31 million units on its first week, debuting at #1 and stayed on the summit for six nonconsecutive weeks. As of 2040, it is certified ten times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for selling over 10 million units in the country. To support the album, Stewart went on to embark his After Party World Tour which ran from August 2026 to July 2027.

Stewart performed as the headlining act during the Super Bowl LXI halftime show on on February 7, 2027. It attracted 99.5 million viewers in the United States, exceeding the game's 83.3 million viewers and also exceeded the viewership of the previous year's halftime show's 91.3 million viewership with a big leap. His 14-minute performance began with the arena opening intro of "We Party Like It's 1974", the opening track of his recent album *After Party* and concluded with "Surviving Tenth Drink". In 2030, *Billboard* ranked it as the greatest Super Bowl performance ever since 2007. The show resulted in a surge in streaming and downloads for all of Stewart's albums as well as for the eight other songs he performed. He made history on the Billboard 200 as he charted 12 albums on the Billboard 200 simultaneously, with three of them charting inside the top ten. Stewart earned an Emmy nomination in the Outstanding Special Class Program category for the performance.

In January 2025, *Figarro: The Space Wonderer,* a Broadway musical Stewart wrote during the previous years influenced by his first space missions, premiered off-Broadway to critical acclaim. The musical went to Broadway on August 2025. Stewart played a supporting character named 537-CFD, an alien variant. The broadway musical was nominated for 13 Tony Awards, winning four, including Best Musical and Best Original Score. It also won the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album. It wasn't until late 2027 when Stewart got to more well-known and recognized as a Broadway star and playwright when *Bloodfly* premiered. While on tour, Stewart was inspired to write poems about rare red-colored birds who had a very relatively short life span compared to other birds. Immediately after his world tour concluded, the rehearsals started. *Bloodfly* premiered off-broadway at The Public Theater in November 2027, directed by Thomas Kail. Stewart wrote the book and score and starred as the lead character. The show received highly positive reviews, and its engagement was sold out. Stewart received the 2027 History Makers Award from the New York Historical Society for their work in creating the musical. The show began previews on Broadway in July 2027 at the Richard Rodgers Theatre and officially opened on August 1, 2027, earning positive reviews. On the first night of *Bloodfly* previews, over 700 people lined up for lottery tickets. The *Bloodfly* ticket lottery evolved into Ham4Ham, a series of outdoor mini-performances for lottery participants that was hosted daily by Stewart and cast members for over a year, until July 4, 2029. Stewart earned a 3% royalty on each performance of *Bloodfly*, earning him additional $12.7 million by December 2029, having a total of $60.7 million earned combined to his music royalties. *Bloodfly* won the Tony Award for Best Musical; Stewart won the Tony Awards for Best Original Score and Best Book of a Musical and received a nomination for Best Actor in a Musical. Stewart won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for the musical, and the *Bloodfly* cast album won the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album. In May 2030, for his work in the role of Peter Wreck, Stewart received the Drama League Distinguished Performance Award.

Stewart joined the cast of *Saturday Night Live* with the show's 53rd-season premiere, which debuted on September 27, 2027, after appearing on the show for eighteen times and hosted five times. His debut garnered critical acclaim, with his most noted skits during the season.

### 2029-present: *Old Shack of Copenhagen*, *Sun Down, Time Flies Fast Don't Be Behind, and NASA Career*

During a trip to Denmark, Stewart was inspired to make new music again after years of doing Broadway and studying Astronomy. His thirteenth studio album *Old Shack of Copenhagen* was released on February 5, 2029 and received critical acclaim. Stewart wrote and recorded the songs in mid-2028 and decided that to release another album. While recalling the writing process, he revealed that it has been one of his easiest works since he didn't have to keep it a secret or follow an allotted time because the album release wasn't scheduled. The album debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200, selling 786,000 album equivalent units, including 496,000 pure album sales, making it his twenty-sixth number one album on the chart. During its release week, all of its tracks charted on the Billboard Hot 100, with its opening track "Early Morning" debuting at #1. It was the only single on the album and was promoted on radio. It went on to spend twelve nonconsecutive weeks at #1 and twenty-five weeks inside the top ten. Despite the limited promotion, the album still had commercial success. By the end of 2029, it became the best-selling album of the year.

After earning a Sc.D. degree in astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stewart was selected as a member of NASA's Astronaut Group 10, making him the one of the few astronauts with a doctoral degree. His doctoral thesis was *Line-of-Sight Guidance Techniques for Manned Orbital Rendezvous*, earning him the nickname "Dr. Rendezvous" from fellow astronauts. His first space flight was in 2029 on Gemini 12 during which he spent over four hours on extravehicular activity. In 2031, Stewart made his last appearance on *Saturday Night Live*'s season finale and went on to continue his Astronomy works.

By June 2034, *Old Shack of Copenhagen* has already spent 300 nonconsecutive weeks on the chart. It was certified 4x Platinum by RIAA that year. Stewart was chosen to become one of the astronauts to land on the moon the following year. Before leaving Earth, Stewart already teased his new music project as a farewell gift to his home planet. He went on to experiment new styles as the album incorporates a mix of jazz and reggae. His fourteenth studio album *Sun Down* was released on Christmas Day 2034, four days before his 60th birthday. The album debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200, spending three weeks on the spot. One of its tracks "Where Do Flat-Earthers Go?" became a fan-favorite therefore it was promoted on radio. Debuting at #6 during the album's release, it peaked at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 on its 28th week due to massive popularity. *Sun Down* went back into the top ten for awhile before leaving the chart two years later. Stewart set foot on the Moon at 03:15:16 on February 5, 2035 (UTC), while command module pilot Michael John remained in lunar orbit. His launch to the moon was live telecasted. After staying in the moon for 6 months, 14 hours, 12 minutes and 30 seconds, the mission broke the record for longest stay in the moon.

At the rest of the 2030s, Stewart continued his work as a co-producer and co-writer on many artists while also continuing his work in NASA. With the Apollo program coming to an end, Stewart, now a colonel, saw few prospects at NASA, and decided to return to the Air Force on July 1, 2041. On June 13, 2044, Stewart published his book "Time Flies Fast, Don't Be Behind" which explains many concepts of time and relates them into his life story, on his almost 7 decades of living. The book became a number one *New York Times* Best Seller after its first week of release. On October 2044, Stewart appeared on the latest issue of TIME Magazine and was named the "Most Influential Man of the Century". On December 2044, Stewart made his grand comeback performance on the Billboard Music Awards and received the first-ever Mega-Icon Award.

## Artistry

The BeatlesQueenBruce SpringsteenRolling Stones
### Influences

One of Stewart's earliest musical memories is listening to his father's friend, Angelus Moldova, sing and perform at his father's restaurant. As a child, he enjoyed watching action movies: "My dad noticed that, once I had run out of lines to say, I just make up my own." Stewart said he owes his confidence to his brother Mitch who taught him how to overcome anxiety for facing lots of people in the crowd. Stewart was drawn to the storytelling aspect of rock music, and was introduced to the genre listening to "the great rock acts ever known"— The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Queen, Bruce Springsteen and Journey. Paul McCartney, both as a songwriter and performer, was his biggest musical influence. Freddie Mercury was Stewart's childhood role model: "Everything he said, on interviews, I mimic it, and pretend that I'm a grown man with a mustache under his nose and say 'Hallelujah!!'". (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction by The Rolling Stones was the first song Stewart learned to play on the guitar. He has also expressed his admiration towards Italian's greatest male tenors such as Luciano Pavarotti, Adriano Celentano and Al Bano. Many musicians from his home country, Romania, has also inspired Stewart such as Maria Tănase, Sfinx, and Taraf de Haïdouks.

Stewart has also been influenced by various pop, soul, hip hop artists. He lists "Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, 2Pac, The Notorious B.I.G. and Mobb Deep" as some of them. Stewart's vocal technique was was influence by Jackson; his breathy voice registers on his early career was something Jackson had always used on his songs. He also admitted to have adapted the bold attitude of 1990s rappers such as Tupac Shakur who Stewart described as: "one of the people who don't give a sh\*t". Broadway stars such as Ethel Merman, Patti LuPone, Gwen Verdon, and Julie Andrews were also Stewart's inspirations.

### Musical style, vocal style and rapping technique

Over the course of his career, Stewart developed a five-octave vocal range. Ever since a child, Stewart has been trained to sing and still struggled to control his voice, even at the beginning of his music career, receiving complaints about it. As years passed by, due to endless touring and free time vocal lessons, he tried to improve and learned to prolong his highest highs and lowest lows. He finally showcased high registers on his 2004 album Sweet Dreams and managed to extend into a wider range, especially on Broadway. Highlights on his vocal range include the fifth octave register from Devil's Garden (Hallelujah) and Lucid Dreaming, the harmonic bass register at the beginning of OUT OF ORDER. and most of his songs coming after that, especially his Bloodfly solos. The difference between his voice on his first eight albums and their re-recordings cannot be unnoticed. In 2005, *Variety* critic Annie Baker said that Stewart has developed "remarkable" control over his vocals, never allowing a "flourish or a tricky run to compromise the clarity of a lyric", while doing "wonders within his register" and "exploring its further reaches".

During most of the 2010s, Stewart leaned more on to rapping lyrics, instead of just singing them, remarkably starting on his 2012 album *Nicky Stew* which incorporates rap and nu metal. In *How to Rap*, Guerilla Black notes that Stewart studied other MCs to hone his rapping technique: "Nicky listened to everything and that's what made him one of the greats". In the book, other MCs also praise aspects of his rapping technique: varied, humorous subject matter, connecting with his audience, carrying a concept over a series of albums, complex rhyme schemes, bending words so they rhyme, multisyllabic rhymes, many rhymes to a bar, complex rhythms, clear enunciation, and the use of melody and syncopation. Stewart is known to write most of his lyrics on paper (documented in *Ozymandias: The Movie*), taking several hours or even minutes to craft lyrics, being a "workaholic" and "stacking" vocals.

Stewart's music, in different points of his discography, has been described as alternative pop, alternative rock, ska, grunge, pop punk, R&B, trap, experimental hip hop, rap, rap metal, nu metal, synth pop, neo soul, disco, funk, indie pop, indie rock, lo-fi pop, jazz, reggae. Musical instruments that he plays are piano, electric guitar, drums, banjo, bass, flute, synthesia, and ukulele. Stewart described himself as a rock artist in the early 2000s until he started changing musical styles over the years.

### Songwriting and themes

In an interview with *The New Yorker*, Stewart characterized himself primarily as a songwriter: "I write songs, and my voice is just a way to get those lyrics across." In his early songs, Stewart's life experiences were a common inspiration. Employing a "diaristic" approach, Stewart began writing a song by identifying an emotion before proceeding with the melody. He described songwriting as a way to help him "get through love and loss and sadness and loneliness and growing up". Recurring themes were love and romance. His debut album depicts unrequited love, heartbreak, failures, and growing up. Some of these themes will be continued on *Miles,* mixed with homesickness, depression, and found family. On *Venom*, Stewart explored themes such as maturity, dream catching, and toxic relationships. *Sweet Dreams* leaned more on darker themes such as sleep deprivation, sleep paralysis, escapism, and depression. To clear his dark image, *In Colors* depicted satire themes, toxic friendships, and sex. *Shades of Yellow* detailed his realization of deep love and euphoria. *Nicky Stew* was a polar opposite of *Shades of Yellow*, exploring explicit themes such as drug addiction, suicide, and ghosting. *OPERATION CANCELLED.* was inspired by traumatic experiences Stewart went through and anxieties. *Ozymandias* depicts political corruption, isolation, losing sanity, and issues such as racism and homophobia. *Dor De Casa* showed what it would be like if *Miles* found its way home. *Ready. set. launch* is mostly made of songs exploring high hopes, melancholy and found love, which is the theme continued in *After Party.* His two recent album *Old Shack of Copenhagen* and *Sun Down* were inspired by escapism and romanticism to explore fictional narratives.

## Public image

Stewart's personal life is a subject of widespread media attention. Mostly in the 2000s, Stewart's current mood state and fashion sense always captured the attention of people. Due to his emotional experiences and dark themed music, he was always tagged as the "Emo Boy of America". In a 2006 interview of *The New York Times*, Stewart slammed people who make fun of people with mental disorders and some people who say "Having a mental illness is just a phase and it's not that serious", calling it an ableist remark. They questioned whether Stewart was in the midst of a "quarter-life crisis". He is reluctant to publicly discuss his personal life, believing that doing so can be "a career weakness". In the *In Colors* single "Tongue Twisters", the title references to tongues of people speaking nonstop rumors about his life.

*Rolling Stone* remarked on his polite manner: "If this is Stewart's game face, it must be tattooed on because it never drops", and noted his "ease with glad-handing". *The Hollywood Reporter* described Stewart as "the Best People Person since Bill Clinton". According to *The New York Times* and marketing executive Matt B. Britton, Stewart's business savvy has helped him "excel as an authentic personality who establishes direct connections with his audience", "touch as many people as possible", and "generate a kind of advocacy and excitement that no level of advertising could".

Stewart is one of the most-followed people in social media. As of September 2021, he has approximately 188 million followers on Instagram, 95.2 million followers on Twitter, 78.1 million subscribers on YouTube and is also very active on Tumblr. Stewart is known for his frequent and friendly online interactions with his fans. He has visited fans in hospitals and delivered holiday gifts to them by mail and in person, an event dubbed "Santa Nicholas" (a reference to Santa Claus' full name Saint Nicholas), and considers it his "responsibility" to be conscious of his influence on young fans. He has called his relationship with his fans "the longest and best" he has ever had.

Often labeled by the media as "America's Man Next Door", a sobriquet based on his down-to-earth personality and boy-next-door image with a class, Stewart insists he does not "live by all these rigid, weird rules that make me feel all fenced in. I just like the way that I feel like, and that makes me feel very free". On the early years of his career, he refused to take part in overtly sexualized photo shoots, although *Bloomberg* already viewed him as a sex symbol. He has been recognized as a fashion icon; *Vogue* named him an Icon of American Style in 2005 and 2015. In 2006, he topped *People*'s annual best-dressed list. On October 2044, Stewart appeared on the latest issue of TIME Magazine and was named the "Most Influential Man of the Century".

## Legacy and impact

Nicholas Stewart has built a legacy that transcends music and has been studied by sociologists, historians and other scholars, contributing to the rise of Nicholas studies, a subfield of American cultural studies. According to Rodrigo Fresán, "saying that Stewart is just a rockstar is as inappropriate as saying that Coca-Cola is just a soda. Nicholas Stewart is one of the classic symbols of the planet." *Rolling Stone Spain* wrote, "Nicholas was everywhere; in the almighty music television channels, 'radio formulas', magazine covers and even in bookstores. A grunge dialectic, which allowed him to keep on the edge of trend and commerciality." He is recognized as the Most Successful Entertainer of All Time by *Guinness World Records*. He is considered one of the most significant cultural icons of the 21st century, and his contributions to music, dance, and fashion, along with his publicized personal life, made him a global figure in popular culture for over four decades. Following Stewart's rise to fame, independent labels have become more interested in signing young singers who write their own music. With his autobiographical narratives revolving around romance and heartbreak, Stewart introduced the genre to a younger generation that could relate to him personally. *The Guardian* opined Stewart leads the rebirth of poptimism in the 21st-century with his ambitious artistic vision. Stewart won Artist of the Decade of the 2000s by *Billboard* and also earned the title Artist of the Decade (2000s) at the American Music Awards. He won the Brit Awards' Global Icon Award "in recognition of his immense impact on music across the world".

His onstage performance with on the spot emotional aura and expressions contributed to the "Nicholas Stewart factor", a phenomenon to which the rise in number of young children and teens auditioning for adult contemporary Broadway musicals, a demographic not often regarded. *Pitchfork* stated that Stewart changed the contemporary music landscape forever with his "unprecedented path from young adult post-punk prodigy to global pop sensation" and a "singularly perceptive" discography that consistently accommodates both musical and cultural shifts. Music journalist Nick Catucci wrote that, in being personal and vulnerable in his songs, Stewart helped make space for later pop stars in the next decades to do the same.

At the time music consumption was slowly collapsing, Stewart became one of the only artists to have each of their albums in the 2000s sustain high sales for years. Publications consider Stewart's million-selling albums in the 2010s an anomaly in the streaming-dominated music industry, following the decline of the album era. He is the only artist to have seven albums sell over a million copies within one week since Nielsen SoundScan started tracking sales for the *Billboard* 200 in 1991. For *New York* magazine, Stewart's million sales figures prove that he is "the one bending the music industry to his will". According to *Rolling Stone*, Stewart's opposition to low royalty from streaming services, such as Spotify and Apple Music, and efforts to claim ownership to his masters, were two of the defining moments for the music industry in the 2010s decade. His actions have fostered debate over reforms to on-demand music streaming and prompted awareness of intellectual property rights among younger musicians. *Quartz* regarded Stewart the most important artist of the millennial and Generation Z era.

Nicholas Stewart is credited with popularizing mainstream interest in punk rock in the United States, particularly with the album *Sweet Dreams*, which was cited by Fuse as the most important pop-punk album of all time and named the best alternative album of 2004 by *Rolling Stone*. It was also placed on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's "Definitive 200" list of 200 classic albums, specifically on the top ten region. *Sweet Dreams* became one of his six albums that appeared on *Rolling Stone*'s list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. His goth fashion in the mid-2000s was also one of the highlights of the decade aside from his music, as he was often tagged as "The Goth Supreme".

His musical innovations and commercial success inspired musicians worldwide. Many artists have acknowledged Stewart's influence and enjoyed chart success with covers of his songs. On radio, DJs would see a rising trend of listeners whenever his song is played all over again, even on different genre stations. Stewart would soon explore different music genres on his next eras that DJs don't care if they're playing his song on the wrong genre radio station or segment. His genre-shifting and genre-fusion trend inspired many artists to explore new musical styles on their own and choose a different path for reinvention. He has been referred as the "Musical Axis" for this act, as many media critics described that the general public always revolve around his musical career regardless of the style or genre, without alienating his demographic.

President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, declared April 20, 2019, as the "Ziua lui Nicholas Stewart" (English: Nicholas Stewart Day) in the country, honoring Stewart's arrival for his three tour dates (April 22, 24, 26) at the Arena Națională in Bucharest. He stated that, "through his personal and honest music, Nicholas Stewart has energized and inspired not only Romanians, but people all over the world, and is a positive influence on his fans through his example of truthfulness, grace, extensive philanthropy, and strength of character". Established in 2027, Global Nicholas Day is an annual holiday on his birthday December 29 each year that honours and celebrates the ideals of Nicholas Stewart.

Various sources deem Stewart and his music to be illustrative and paradigmatic of the millennial generation. *Quartz* identified his as the most important millennial artist, citing his consistent commercial success, critical appreciation, musical versatility, live shows, and corporate sponsorships as factors. *Vox* called him the "millennial Bruce Springsteen" for telling the stories of a generation through his songs. Billy Joel has called Stewart "that generation's Beatles." Student societies focusing on Stewart have been established in various higher education institutions around the world, such as the universities of Oxford, York, and Cambridge. Some of Stewart's most popular songs, such as "Under Pressure", have been added to the database of evolutionary psychologists studying the relationships between popular music and human mating strategies, and "OUT OF ORDER.", which have been studied as a song to cope anger and frustration.

## Awards, achievements, and accolades

*See also: List of awards and nominations received by Nicholas Stewart*

Stewart has won 41 Grammy Awards (including six Album of The Year wins), four Emmy awards, three Tony awards, eight Brit Awards, 20 MTV Video Music Awards (including six Video of the Year wins). 62 Billboard Music Awards (the most by any artist), and 55 American Music Awards (the most by any artist). Stewart was included on *Rolling Stone*'s list of the 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time in 2015, ranked at #3. At the 64th BMI Awards in 2017, Stewart was honored with an award named after its recipient. His albums *Miles, Venom, Sweet Dreams, Nicky Stew, OPERATION CANCELLED., and Ozymandias were* featured on *Rolling Stone*'s 2020 revision of their 500 Greatest Albums of All Time; his music videos for "Lucid Dreaming", "OUT OF ORDER.", and "interstellar" were named to *Rolling Stone*'s 100 Greatest Music Videos of All Time in 2021; and his songs "OUT OF ORDER.", "Corrupted Minds", "The Devil's Garden (Hallelujah)". "NO REMORSE.", "Late Night", and "Granite State" were included on *Rolling Stone*'s 2021 revision of their 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

As of May 2040, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certifies that Stewart had sold over 300 million units in the US, more than any artist. As of 2035, he held the record for most number-one hits on the *Billboard* Hot 100, with forty. He has amassed seven Diamond or higher albums, of which three of them sold more than 20 million units, and six Diamond or higher certified singles. In 2019, *Billboard* placed him second on its Greatest of All Time Artists Chart, just behind The Beatles. And in 2029, *Billboard* confirmed that he surpassed the band on the list. Stewart is the longest-reigning act of *Billboard* Artist 100 with 72 weeks at number one on the chart, the solo act with the most cumulative weeks (130) atop the *Billboard* 200. He holds several *Billboard* Hot 100 chart records; he has the most charted songs of any artist (246), the most simultaneously charted songs in a single week (27), the most debuts in a week (24), the most top 10 singles (82), and the most top 10 debuts (54). Worldwide, Stewart has amassed more than 708 million units in global album consumption, which includes 402 billion streams, as of May 2041. He also holds as the artist with the most number one singles in UK (43), Europe (47), and Australia (53).

He also has the most albums in the Billboard 200 that spent over a year in the top ten region, with 6. He is also the first artist to have three albums *Sweet Dreams, Ozymandias,* and *After Party* chart for more than 15 years on the Billboard 200. Stewart also broke the record for highest-grossing tour of all time in 2004 with his Journey To The Year 3000!! World Tour which was the first world tour to gross over $1 billion, unadjusted for inflation. He once again broke his record with his Ozymandias World Tour. He is currently the highest grossing touring act of all time.

Stewart has appeared in various power listings. *Time* included him on its annual list of the 100 most influential people in 2005, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2025 and 2040. On October 2044, Stewart appeared on the latest issue of TIME Magazine and was named the "Most Influential Man of the Century". From 2004 to 2045, he leads the the *Forbes* Top-Earning Musicians list. He also topped the magazine's list of the 100 highest-paid celebrities in 2016 with $2.8 billion—a feat recognized by the *Guinness World Records*—and again in 2019 with $3.2 million. He was the most googled music artist of 2014, and the highest-paid musician of the of all time with earnings of $5.2 billion.

In 2021, Stewart was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, his first year of eligibility. In 2023, the *Guinness Book of World Records* recognised Stewart as the "most honored composer and performer in music", with 200 gold discs, sales of over 100 million singles and 300 million albums, and as the "most successful song writer", he wrote jointly or solo 63 songs which sold one million or more records between 1997 and 2023.

## Other activities and ventures

### Philanthropy

Stewart's philanthropic efforts have been recognized by the Do Something Awards and the New York Disaster Services. He has received The Big Help Award for his "dedication to helping others" and "inspiring others through action" and the Ripple of Hope Award for his "dedication to advocacy at such a young age". To aid the victims of the September 11 World Trade Center Attack in 2001, Stewart donated $500,000 to the Red Cross and was one of the headliners of The Concert for New York City, a benefit concert that took place on October 20,2001 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. In 2005, Stewart used a dress rehearsal of his Sweet Dreams Tour as a benefit concert for victims of Hurricane Wilma in Florida, U.S., raising more than $800,000.

Stewart is a supporter of the arts. He is a benefactor of the Songwriters Hall of Fame and, in 2000, donated $75,000 to Huntington's Public High School to help refurbish the school auditorium. In 2002, he pledged $4 million to fund the building of a new education center at the Rock Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Huntington. That year, he also partnered with textbook rental company Dennie to donate $60,000 to the music departments of six U.S. colleges. In 2003, Stewart donated $100,000 to the New York Symphony. Stewart also promotes children's literacy; in 1999, he donated $250,000 to various schools around the country to improve education. He also donated thousands of books to New York City schools.

In 2005, Stewart became one of the spokespersons for Anemia Disease Association of America. In 2010, Stewart participated in the Stand Up to Anemia telethon, performing "I Found You", a song he wrote in memory of a six-year-old boy who died from sickle-cell anemia. The song was made available for digital download with all proceeds donated to cancer-related charities. The song was later included on his 2010 album *Shades of Yellow*. In 2016, Stewart partnered with the National Association of Chiefs of Police to launch a campaign to protect children from online predators. In 2019, Stewart recorded a Sound Matters public service announcement (PSA) to raise awareness for the importance of listening "responsibly" to prevent hearing impairment. He has donated items to several charities for auction, including the Elton John AIDS Foundation, the UNICEF Tap Project, MusiCares, Worldwide Bipolar Awareness Program, Stand Up for ADHD Awareness, and Feeding America. He has also worked with the Make-A-Wish Foundation and Habitat for Humanity. In 2016, he donated $100,000 to the V Foundation for Cancer Research and $50,000 to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Stewart has encouraged young people to volunteer in their local communities as part of Global Youth Service Day.

In 2019, he donated $113,000 to the LGBT organization Tennessee Equality Project, as well as to the media advocacy organization GLAAD in support of Pride Month. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Stewart donated to the World Health Organization and Feeding America and offered one of his signed guitars as part of an auction to raise money for the National Health Service. Stewart performed "La Revedere" during *One World: Together At Home* television special, a benefit concert curated by Lady Gaga for Global Citizen to raise funds for the World Health Organization's COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund. In June 2020, he donated to the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund in light of the murder of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement and urged fans to do the same. In 2021, Stewart donated to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network in honor of Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month. In addition to charitable causes, he has made donations to many of his fans.

In September 2021, Stewart released a 60-minute long film based on his 2020 album *ready. set. launch.*, titled ready. set. launch. (the not-so-short-film). All of its proceeds benefit the Dreamers' Foundation, in which provides individualized social, emotional, and academic support to young people ("Dreamers") from under-resourced communities from kindergarten all the way through college, along with guaranteed tuition support. Stewart became one of the spokespersons of NASA, with the motto "Learning Space Is Fun".

### Product endorsements

In 1999, Stewart signed a deal with shoe company Skechers, and a $8-9 million promotional deal with Pepsi, their biggest entertainment deal at the time. He appeared on the Rock-It-Pepsi TV commercial. In 2005, Stewart signed a deal with Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) and appeared on numerous KFC commercials throughout the late 2000s. He became a spokesperson for the National Hockey League's (NHL) and Sony Cyber-shot digital cameras. While promoting his ninth studio album, *Ozymandias*, Stewart offered exclusive album promotions through Target, Starbucks, and Subway. He became a spokesmodel for Diet Coke, and Keds sneakers, and released his first-ever perfume, named Granite State Est. 2017. Stewart partnered with companies AirAsia and Qantas during the Asian leg of his Ozymandias World Tour. The companies acted as the official airlines for the Australian and Asian legs; Magnum sponsored the European and Asian leg of the tour. While promoting *ready. set. launch.,* Stewart had tie-ins with Burger King and Xfinity.

### Controversies

#### 2013 ambush

(See: Nicholas Stewart 2013 Ambush)

On August 2013, Stewart was accused of running an illegal drug factory in Monterrey, Mexico. He has been tagged as a look-a-like of the deceased Mexican drug lord Gonzalo Dávalos. Police raided Stewart's penthouse in September and found cocaine and marijuana on Stewart's bedroom, together with papers that Dávalos owned before his demise. Stewart denied and didn't know about those things, thinking his place was abducted by Dávalos' companions. To be proven innocent, he was invited to the Supreme Court together with the goons of Dávalos in October 1, 2013 and was proven not guilty after shown proofs and Dávalos' partner Emiliano Martínez was charged with trespassing of property. Stewart opened up at the press about his anxiety attack during and after the hearing, sharing: "I didn't know this was gonna happen, I didn't know someone was attempting to frame me of something I didn't do. I was devastated and confused."

The matter still wasn't settled down after the court hearing. On December 1, 2013, Stewart's vehicle was found blocking the road on Moses Dingle Rd, Summerton, South Carolina. A footage has been shown happening exactly 9:34pm, Stewart was being held hostage by four men in masks. When he attempted to run, he was shot two times in the back and was beaten down in the ground before being abducted. Stewart wasn't found for two weeks. His disappearance received widespread media coverage, leading him to being the most googled person of 2013 and 2014 ahead of Paul Walker, Cory Monteith and Robin Williams. Radio stations worldwide told listeners that they would pay money if someone could find him. The news spread worldwide and search-and-rescue operations began as soon as the news spread.

Two weeks later, on December 16, 2013, Stewart was found lying on the main highway, Coconino Country, Arizona, USA, with bruises and cuts all over his body, and healed gun wounds on his back shoulder, after being dropped by a running car. The police immediately followed it and arrested five men involved with Stewart's abduction: Diego Molina, Bernabé Feijoo, Cristóbal Saavedra, Facundo Costa, and Jaime Cadaval, who were revealed to be Dávalos' workers. To make things worse, Stewart was mistakenly taken into a mental facility instead of an actual hospital. Stewart remained in comatose for two days before waking up. He was under monitor by a psychologist for two years to undergo therapy. Stewart's eldest daughter, Caroline, was left under custody to his ex-wife Gina Walterz for twelve months. In 2014, he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

#### Masters controversy

During the conception of Stewart's 2017 album *Ozymandias*, he became involved in a publicized dispute with his former friend and business partner Zark Mockingbird and his former label Sunrise Records, regarding the acquisition of the masters of his back catalog. Stewart stated on his Tumblr blog that Sunrise Records promised him as early as 1997 that he could buy the masters of his catalog with a condition, if only his next albums would sell a lot more and earn more money for the label to pay for the business contract, but they still didn't allow him to. In November 2017, Mockingbird sold Stewart's masters, videos and artworks, to The Blackstone Group Inc. for a reported $1.3 billion. Stewart began re-recording his back catalog in December 2017.

## Personal Life

### Relationships

Stewart remained private about being in a relationship until he began dating Gina Walterz in late 2008 and they were married on January 29, 2010 in a half-million dollar ceremony at a private island in Hawaii. They gave birth to two children over the course of one and half years, Caroline and Denise Stewart, on March 31, 2010 and April 2, 2011, respectively. During that time, Stewart experienced his own personal struggles and had a hard time to keep up with his new family. They announced their separation on May 20, 2011 because of disagreements. Stewart was given the custody of his eldest daughter Caroline.

In late 2018, Stewart met actress and comedienne Amala Harris during his Ozymandias Tour and began dating in mid 2019. They were married on April 3, 2023 in Stewart's hometown, Constanta, Romania.

### Health

As a child, Stewart was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). At 28, Stewart was diagnosed with anemia in February 2003, during his Journey To The Year 3000!! World Tour. He has been showing symptoms already as early as 15 but often refused to get checked up by the doctor, believing he's a healthy person since birth. Since then, he has been in and out of the hospital due to repetitive dizziness and has been monitored every year. He later became one of the spokespersons for Anemia Disease Association of America.

#### Mental health struggles

Since 1999, Stewart's family has been complaining about his weird behavior he's showing after they moved out of their apartment. Stewart would refuse to acknowledge this until he opened up about his bipolar disorder diagnosis in 2014, along with his long-term depression in 2011 after his divorce, on his 2018 Netflix documentary Ozymandias: The Movie. Recently, he has sought out treatment in the form of medication and therapy. He shared: "Every day, when I go outside to do a press or something, all I do is act cool and remain neutral, remain my good guy side but in reality, I always wanted to punch a wall." He has also suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and anxiety following the 2013 ambush.

## Discography

*Main Articles: Nicholas Stewart albums discography, Nicholas Stewart singles discography, List of songs recorded by Nicholas Stewart*

### Studio Albums

* *Nicholas* (1997)
* *Miles* (1998)
* *Venom* (2000)
* *Sweet Dreams* (2004)
* *In Colors* (2007)
* *Shades of Yellow* (2010)
* *Nicky Stew* (2012)
* *OPERATION CANCELLED.* (2015)
* *Ozymandias* (2017)
* *Dor De Casa* (2019)
* *ready. set. launch.* (2020)
* *After Party* (2024)
* *Old Shack of Copenhagen* (2029)
* *Sun Down* (2034)

### Re-recordings

* *Miles (Nicky's Version)* (2021)
* *Sweet Dreams (Nicky's Version)* (2021)
* *Shades of Yellow (Nicky's Version)* (2022)
* *Nicky Stew (Nicky's Version)* (2022)
* *In Colors (Nicky's Version)* (2022)
* *Venom (Nicky's Version)* (2023)
* *Nicholas (Nicky's Version)* (2023)
* *OPERATION CANCELLED. (NOT THE CANCELLED VERSION)* (2023)

### Live Albums

* *Acoustic Sessions and More* (1997)
* *ready. set. acoustic.* (2021)

### DVD

* *Journey To The Year 3000!! Live* (2002)

### Compilations

* *The Best of Nicky (2003)*
* *The Sweet and Colorful Collection (2009)*

### Soundtracks and Original Cast Recordings

* *Back To The Future: The Musical (Original Broadway Cast Recording)* (2023)
* *Figarro: The Space Wonderer (Original Broadway Cast Recording)* (2025)
* *Bloodfly (Original Broadway Cast Recording)* (2028)
* *Bloodfly: The Mixtape* (2030)

## Tours

*Main article: List of Nicholas Stewart live performances*

* Miles Away Tour (1999)
* Journey To The Year 3000!! World Tour (2001-2004)
* Sweet Dreams Tour (2005-2006)
* In Colors Tour (2008)
* Lucid Dreaming Tour (2013)
* WORLDWIDE OPERATION. Tour (2016-17)
* Ozymandias World Tour (2018-19)
* Journey To The Red Moon Tour (2022)
* After Party World Tour (2026-27)