Nathan Aspinall surprised fans during his German Darts Grand Prix semi-final by walking out to Eminem's 'Lose Yourself' instead of his usual track, The Killers' 'Mr Brightside'. The change sparked speculation that it might have been an accident, but Master of Ceremonies Philip Brzezinski clarified on social media that it was intentional. Brzezinski wrote in German: "It wasn't a mistake. Nathan has wanted that song for a while now, and today we gave it a try for the semifinals."
Asp has previously hinted at altering his walk-on music, especially on the European Tour. In a past interview, he explained his desire for variety, saying: "It really did! Obviously, everyone loves Mr. Brightside, but I hear it about 490 million times a year. I’m a massive Eminem fan, and I wanted to add something a bit different at the start. The DJs were amazing on the Euro Tour, so who knows — we might introduce it to Sky and ITV as well." He has often cited Eminem as his idol.
The European Tour has become a testing ground for walk-on changes among top players. Damon Heta uses 'Links Rechts' by Snollebollekes in Germany but not in main PDC TV tournaments. Martin Schindler previously used 'Ich Will' by Rammstein and now uses Eminem's 'Without Me' on TV. Years ago, Alan Norris used 'Maria (I Like It Loud!)' by Scooter on the European Tour, compared to 'Can't Take My Eyes Off You' for English audiences.
While Aspinall's switch to Eminem was met with some surprise, it aligns with a trend of players adapting their entrances for local crowds. Whether he will make the change permanent in major tournaments remains to be seen, but for now, the European Tour allows such experimentation. A video of his new walk-on was shared on social media with the caption: "Nathan Aspinall’s new Eminem walk-on music has gone down well with the crowd!!"
