Sir Ivan Wilzig has shed his banker’s suit for good.
Wilzig, the cape-wearing scion of a billion-dollar banking family, is now a full-time musician and partygoer.
Wilzig, who goes by the name “Sir Ivan,” was signed last week to a record deal with indie powerhouse Artemis Records.
That same week he wrapped up his banking career at North Fork, which recently completed its deal to buy the Wilzig family-controlled Trust Company of New Jersey.
“It now allows me to fully pursue my artistic endeavors,” said Sir Ivan, who calls himself the “spiritual leader” of the “rave movement.”
“Now I’m on a quest – a peace mission through my music.”
All of the royalties from his dance albums under the Artemis deal will be given to charity, as Wilzig hardly needs the money.
Sir Ivan and his brother each inherited some $410 million when their father died last year.
His first single, “Peace on Earth,” will be out this summer, and will be celebrated in typical Wilzig-style at his castle in the Hamptons, which he and his brother built seven years ago.
In September, Wilzig said he plans on buying his brother’s share of the castle, which has hosted many a legendary Hamptons bash, and will change the name from Wilzig Castle to Sir Ivan Castle.
Wilzig and his reps have also had meetings with MTV about doing a reality show on his famously flamboyant life.
In 2000, after dabbling in the entertainment business, Wilzig put out two singles – “Imagine” and “San Francisco” – which both became chart-topping club favorites and were produced with the Grammy-nominated producer Ernie Lake.
“Imagine” hit the Top 50 on the Billboard charts, and the then 45-year-old Wilzig claimed to be the oldest person ever to debut his first dance track in the Top 50. “I’m the closest thing to a male Madonna this planet has ever had,” Wilzig told a reporter for the New York Observer.
He calls his music style “Technippy” for its blend of dance tunes and hippie lyrics.
“I like stars and I like when people walk into a room and everything stops,” said Daniel Glass, president of Artemis Records.
“He has a certain exuberance. He doesn’t lie or apologize for who he is. In his own way, he’s trying to do something nice.”
Artemis plans to heavily market Sir Ivan’s music in clubs on Fire Island and the Hamptons during the summer.
“Obviously, the gay market is going to be big,” he said.