Los Angeles, March 19 (IANS) Hollywood star Idris Elba credits his DJ career with "grounding him completely" as it is his "first love" ahead of acting.

"DJ-ing is my first love. I'm a creative, but DJ-ing was the first stop. That's where I started. By the time I was about 13, I was DJ-ing for house parties. And then, I met my drama teacher, and the DJ-ing went out the window," Elba told Collider magazine. 

He said: "I became an actor. But the truth is that I've kept DJ-ing alongside my acting career. It's one of those things that I just really like to do. It grounds me, completely. I love music, and I love making music. What I did not what to do was market my DJ-ing based on my acting. 

"But recently, there's been this crazy cross-roads of stuff happening, all together, with Coachella and 'Turn Up Charlie'. It all looks like a marketing plan, but it isn't. I promise, I'm not that clever."

Elba had previously said that he "nearly passed out" when he was booked for the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

He said: "I've worked my whole life to play at Coachella. I made it at 46! I nearly passed out when I found out."