TheFatRat Biography: Height, Age, Wife, Children, Net Worth, Parents, Songs, Unity

Biography

TheFatRat, whose real name is Christian Friedrich Johannes Büttner, is a celebrated German DJ, record producer, and electronic musician born on June 1, 1979, in Göttingen, Germany.

He began his career in 2001, producing background music for TV, radio, advertisements, and other DJs. In July 2011, he adopted the stage name TheFatRat—a childhood nickname—and began releasing solo electronic tracks, specializing in glitch-hop, EDM, progressive house, and gaming-inspired music.

He gained massive popularity on YouTube with viral hits like “Unity” (2014), “Xenogenesis,” and “Monody,” amassing billions of views across user-generated content thanks to his forward-thinking copyright policy, which allowed free use in videos.

His tracks have been featured in games such as Dota 2 and Rocket League, and he released the album Parallax in 2021, along with EPs like Jackpot (2016) and his own label, The Arcadium.

German DJ, record producer, and electronic musician
TheFatRat
Wiki Facts & About Data
Real Name:	Christian Friedrich Johannes Büttner
Stage Name:	TheFatRat
Born:	1 June 1979 (age 46 years old)
Place of Birth:	Göttingen, Germany
Nationality:	German
Education:	N/A
Height:	152 cm
Parents:	Anna Büttner, Hans Büttner
Siblings:	Michael Büttner
Spouse:	Svea Büttner (m. 2012)
Girlfriend • Partner:	Not Dating
Children:	Flavia Büttner
Occupation:	DJ • Record Producer
Net Worth:	$5 million-$15 million (USD)

Early Life

Christian Friedrich Johannes Büttner, professionally known as TheFatRat, was born on June 1, 1979, in Göttingen, a university town in Lower Saxony, Germany.

He grew up in a supportive, musically inclined household in this small central German city, which he has fondly called “in the middle of nowhere.” His early exposure to music came through his mother, Anna Büttner, who played piano at home; as a toddler of two, he would sit on her lap, initially tapping random keys that soon began harmonizing with her melodies, sparking an intuitive lifelong bond with music.

His father, Hans Büttner, a craftsman whose family carried forward the traditional German surname Büttner—historically linked to coopers skilled in crafting wooden barrels—provided a stable home environment that encouraged his son’s artistic pursuits.

The family maintained typical German cultural roots, with ethnicity firmly German, reflecting centuries-old heritage in regions like Lower Saxony and broader Germanic areas.

Büttner was raised in a Protestant Christian household, common in northern Germany, though he has described himself in interviews as not particularly religious or spiritual in his adult life, focusing instead on creativity and family. He has one sibling, his brother Michael Büttner, with whom he shared childhood experiences in Göttingen.

Formal education details remain limited, as his path centered on self-taught musical development: he started flute at age four and piano at six, initially dreaming of becoming a classical conductor before gravitating toward electronic production. His childhood nickname “Ratte” (rat in German), due to his short stature of about 5 feet, inspired his enduring stage name TheFatRat.

Career

Christian Friedrich Johannes Büttner, better known as TheFatRat, is a German DJ, record producer, and electronic musician. He blends glitch-hop, progressive house, EDM, and gaming-inspired sounds to craft energetic, melodic tracks that have found fans worldwide. He started his career in 2001, making background music for TV, radio, ads, and other DJs under his real name.

For about 10 years, he worked as a sound engineer and producer, building his skills in studios and seeking greater creative freedom. He first wanted to be a classical conductor, but later realized that modern music production better fit his style.

With his wife, Svea‘s support, he used his savings to set up his own studio and began focusing on his music. In July 2011, Büttner adopted the name TheFatRat, a childhood nickname, and began releasing his own electronic tracks.

His first EP, Do Be Do Be Do, marked his start as an independent artist. He shared his music on YouTube and allowed people to use it freely in their videos, which helped his popularity grow quickly. This open approach made his songs popular with content creators, especially in gaming and animation.

His big break came in 2014 with the hit “Unity,” which went viral after YouTuber Fernanfloo used it in his videos. The song got hundreds of millions of plays, followed by other hits like “Xenogenesis,” “Windfall,” and “Monody” (with Laura Brehm) in 2015 and 2016.

These songs made him well-known, with billions of views across user-made content. In 2016, he signed with Universal Music Group and released the EP Jackpot, which reached No. 23 on the Billboard Dance/Electronic Albums chart. That year, he also started his own label, The Arcadium, to manage his music and keep creative control.

His music became more closely associated with gaming, with tracks featured in games like Rocket League and Dota 2. In 2018, he contributed to the Warrior Songs album for the Dota 2 soundtrack and became one of the first artists signed to Enter Records, a label focused on esports and music.

In 2021, he released his first studio album, Parallax, a 10-track project that came out as weekly singles before the full release on September 10. The album featured collaborations with artists like RIELL and told a story through recurring characters, showing his move toward cinematic, story-driven electronic music.

Since Parallax, he has kept releasing singles and EPs, including Ray Tracer (2024) and songs like “Give Myself To You” (with Laura Brehm), while staying active on music platforms.

Social Media

• Wikipedia: TheFatRat
• Instagram: TheFatRat (@thefatratofficial)
• YouTube: TheFatRat
• TikTok: TheFatRat (@thefatrat)
• Twitter: TheFatRat (@ThisIsTheFatRat) / X
• Facebook: TheFatRat (@thisisthefatrat)

Personal Life

Christian Friedrich Johannes Büttner (TheFatRat) is 46 years old, having been born on June 1, 1979, in Göttingen, Germany.

He stands approximately 5 feet (152 cm) tall, a trait that contributed to his childhood nickname “Ratte” (German for “rat“) during his school years—his “Fat” was added later as part of his stage name evolution.

Büttner has been married to his wife, Svea Büttner, since August 2012. The couple celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary in 2022, with Büttner publicly crediting Svea for encouraging him to pursue his solo artist career after years of behind-the-scenes work.

The couple has one child: a daughter named Flavia Büttner, born around 2015 (she was 5 years old in late 2020 when Büttner shared her early music experiments on social media). Flavia has already entered the music world under the stage name Sprites, providing vocals on her father’s 2024 track “Ray Tracer.”

Net Worth

German electronic music producer and DJ TheFatRat (Christian Friedrich Johannes Büttner) has an estimated net worth of $5 million to $15 million.

This figure reflects his accumulated earnings from a highly successful career spanning music production, streaming royalties, YouTube monetization (with over 6.7 million subscribers and billions of total views), licensing deals (especially through his creator-friendly copyright policy), label collaborations with Universal Music Group, his independent label The Arcadium, track placements in games like Dota 2 and Rocket League, and merchandise/sponsorship opportunities.

While precise personal finances remain private and estimates vary across sources—some YouTube-focused analytics suggest lower channel-specific earnings while broader income projections (including social media and streaming) push higher—TheFatRat‘s sustained popularity, viral hits like “Unity” and “Monody,” and independent business model place him solidly in this multimillion-dollar range among mid-tier electronic artists.

He continues to build wealth through ongoing releases and fan engagement rather than high-profile touring.

Discography

Studio Album

• PARALLAX (2021) – His debut conceptual album with a 10-track storyline featuring recurring characters (Eo and Eden). Tracklist includes:
  1. Hiding In The Blue (feat. RIELL)
  2. Arcadia
  3. Pride & Fear (feat. RIELL)
  4. Upwind
  5. Our Song (feat. Cecilia Gault)
  6. Violet Sky (feat. Cecilia Gault)
  7. Warbringer (feat. Lindsey Stirling)
  8. Fire
  9. Love It When You Hurt Me
  10. Let Love Win

Key EPs and Mixtapes

• Do Be Do Be Do (2011) – Early debut EP
• Jackpot (2016) – Peaked on Billboard Dance/Electronic charts
• 1 Million (2016) – Mixtape/compilation
• Warrior Songs (2018) – Soundtrack contribution for Dota 2
• Ray Tracer (2024) – Recent EP, including track “Ray Tracer” with daughter Flavia (Sprites)
• Unity (10th Anniversary Compilation) (2024) – Celebrating his breakout hit
• Genius (2025) – EP with collaborations like “Genius” (feat. Shiah Maisel)
• HONK (2025) – Recent single/EP release

Notable Singles and Popular Tracks

TheFatRat has released dozens of singles, many achieving viral success with hundreds of millions of streams/views. Standouts include:

• “Unity” (2014/2015) – His breakthrough viral hit
• “Xenogenesis” (2014)
• “Monody” (feat. Laura Brehm, 2015)
• “Fly Away” (feat. Anjulie, 2017)
• “MAYDAY” (2018)
• “Rise Up” (2019)
• “Stronger” (2019)
• “Close To The Sun” (with Anjulie)
• “Never Be Alone”
• “We’ll Meet Again” (feat. Laura Brehm)
• “The Calling”
• “The Storm”
• “Give Myself To You” (feat. Laura Brehm, recent)
• “Killing Me” (2025)
• “Out Of Love” (recent)
• “HONK” (2025)

What People Ask