Armin van Buuren was born on a cold winter day in 1976. He was born in the Dutch city of Leiden, which is known for its canals and beautiful architecture. Growing up, Armin was always interested in music. His inspiration comes from French electronic music composer Jean-Michel Jarre and Dutch DJ and remixer Ben Liebrand. In 1995, Armin graduated from the Stedelijk Gymnasium.
He started out as a DJ in Club Nexus in 1996, playing multiple sets a week, most of which lasted six or more hours. In 1999, he met Dave Lewis who introduced him to the DJ scene in England and the United States. As his musical career began to take off, he put his law degree on hold, but he did return to graduate later on.
On September 18th, 2009, Armin van Buuren married Erika van Thiel. In July 2011, they welcomed their daughter, Fenna. Just hours before van Buuren was set to headline the main stage at Tomorrowland, he announced that his wife had given birth to a son, Remy. On February 16, 2018, van Buuren explored his family history on an episode of the TV series Verborgen verleden, the Dutch version of the UK series Who Do You Think You Are?