to create and inspire
Originally rooted in the harder styles and now steadily evolving in the house scene, AWAKN carves out his own unique place in the house and electronic music industry bit by bit with a clear mission: to create and inspire. By telling meaningful stories with depth and emotion, he aims to inspire his listeners and evoke a true and lasting sense of connection.
2018 | THE FIRST CREATIONS
Years ago, Noah van Leijen made a spontaneous decision that would quietly change the course of his life: he bought a pair of studio monitors and opened a DAW for the very first time. What started as pure curiosity quickly turned into late nights of experimenting with every sound and style imaginable. From tropical house to rap and everything in between, the genre didn’t matter, what mattered was the feeling the music stirred inside him. Years of experimenting passed.
Then, through a close friend, he discovered hardstyle. The energy, the intensity, the raw emotion, it lit a fire unlike anything before. From that moment on, hardstyle became his creative home. Countless experimental tracks followed, each one a new exploration of sound and identity, though only a few ever found their way into the world…
2022 | THE FIRST STYLE
Once hardstyle had been found, the intention to share it with the world soon followed. Under the banner of Project Eternalize, Noah decided it was time to release his creations. After countless days in the studio, he completed his very first track. Imagination was born, symbolizing his dream of reaching a wide audience and inspiring people through sound. Within just two months, his next track followed: The Awakening, a reflection of his progress and passion, and his desire to channel that energy into the world through music. Not long after came Are We Dreaming?, a track that captured the essence of his journey at the time: pride in his growth, and the courage to bring his creations into the light.
And yet, the music never truly took off. Popularity remained scarce, and the many personal challenges he still had to overcome in order to fully unfold his artistry slowly began to dim his inner fire. Life demanded his attention elsewhere, areas that needed growth before true progress could be made. Though countless unreleased tracks held great potential, and though each studio session allowed him to translate raw emotions into reality, his journey within the hardstyle scene came to an end after just a year…
2023 | THE SILENCE
Shortly after the start of his hardstyle ventures, music was no longer a priority in his life. Instead, Noah devoted his time to self-development, making progress in many areas. His social skills sharpened, he became more disciplined in sports, and above all, he cultivated a wide range of specific skills: video editing, content design, marketing, and sales. At that time, his mind was set on one thing only: building a career that could provide him with stability, a secure income, and a future.
It was during this period that a fellow athlete at his gym introduced him to something entirely new: spirituality. At first, he was skeptical of everything that came with it, but he decided to give it a chance. What followed were countless hours spent in meditation, yoga, and exploring the inner landscape. Here, he encountered much “mud”, facing shadows and realizing how much still needed to be healed and improved. Yet in that struggle, a new goal was born: to grow inwardly and seek a higher purpose in life. Years of discovery, hardship, and transformation followed, until he eventually came to a standstill. Was this truly what life was about? Where is this all heading? Then he realized something else: that there is nowhere to go. Only the present can create a future worth living.
With this realization, and finally being in a calmer state of being, something shifted. A flame that had long been extinguished began to flicker back to life. Step by step, Noah realized that deep within, buried beneath layers of identity, lay a forgotten longing. A longing that once meant everything to him, but which over time had transformed from passion into fear: a fear of not getting recognized by others, a fear of his music being disliked. He understood that there had to be another way: a path led not by fear, but by pure passion. A passion to inspire others through his creations. And in that moment, all the skills and knowledge he had built over the years converged into a single decision…
2025 | THE RETURN OF PASSION
The decision was made to embark on another journey, alone, traveling for the first time to Spain and Portugal. Inspiration began to flow, and upon returning home, he quickly found his way back to music production. Within just a few weeks, his first track was finished, and he stood face to face with the decision that had long been buried within him: would he take on the challenge once more? When a close friend of his chose to share his own musical art with the world, He felt inspired. The period of hesitation came to an end, and AWAKN was born; with a name that symbolized the rediscovery of his passion, and a commitment to finally walk the path toward the full realization of his dream.
His first track, Hold Me Tight (Sparkle), was released and received an overwhelming response from listeners. Within just one month, it reached over 1,000 streams and inspired people through his sound. Riding this newfound momentum, his next track soon followed: Stars Calling, a collaboration with JNDST, representing both artists’ shared dream of achieving success and striving toward a higher purpose fueled by pure passion for music. Shortly after, during his second solo journey through the Balkans, track number three was born: Give It All Up (Gone). It reflected his ongoing journey of identity growth: an inner process that was especially amplified by his solo travels. This track too reached 1,000 streams within a month. At this point, challenges and difficult emotions no longer discouraged him; they became opportunities for growth. He embraced them with love and clarity; clarity in realizing his maximum potential, and in sharing his creations with the world.
In just three months, AWAKN accomplished more than he had in an entire year of producing hardstyle. He realized he had been given a second chance. No matter how he looked at it, music was, and always would be, an integral part of his purpose on this earth. From this point forward, he vowed to dedicate himself fully to inspiring others through his art: to use the gift of life to chase dreams, to make an impact on those around him, whether big or small, and in doing so, to help create a more beautiful world.