5 YEARS AFTER AVICII'S DEATH
Life has this habit; it never announces when it ends; it gives no notice. That's why it takes us by surprise sometimes.
It's amazing how an event changes everything and makes you remember everything because most people remember where they were and what they were doing on the evening of April 20, 2018. It was a beautiful Friday evening, we were making plans for the festivals of that summer, and we had tickets for Neversea and UNTOLD. We were doing well.
It was a moment when the funny stories on Instagram or TikTok disappeared, making way for unreal notifications. It was the first time electronic music publications and websites entered the "breaking news" system. The news of the death of Tim Bergling, known worldwide as AVICII, was announced.
Beyond the endless discussions about the cause of death, one thing was sure: the electronic music industry lost an innovative artist, a pioneer, a 28-year-old man.
It was hard for the world to comprehend the news because, on April 17, 2018, Avicii's last post appeared on his Facebook account: "I am honored to be nominated at the 2018 Billboard Music Awards. Don't miss the live show on May 20th on NBC!"
At only 28 years old, Tim Bergling had achieved and contributed so much to his meteoric rise. He was a pioneer, a promoter, a visionary, the man who managed to transform the metrics of music, bringing a sound that had never been heard before. He was the artist who rewrote the DNA of electronic music, charting a new direction in the music industry.
It rarely happens, but it happened to AVICII: he achieved immense success as a producer and live DJ in his 813 shows. He wasn't just a DJ but a mastermind of live performances ahead of his time.
Tim Bergling, on the other hand, was a humble guy with a single passion: making music. Wyclef Jean (The Fugees) said in the documentary "True Stories" that he was "a Bach with an entire orchestra in his head."
The central conflict between the superstar AVICII and the man Tim Bergling arose in a short time. The latter needed to prepare to become a money-making machine. At the time of his retirement at the age of 26, Tim declared:
"We all reach a point in life where we must decide what is important. For me, it is creating music. That's what I live for, what gives meaning to my life, and why I was born."
AVICII? What does it mean?
"Avici" means the lowest level of Buddhist belief, the Buddhist hell or Naraka. According to Buddhist tradition, those sent to Avici can be reborn.
In Romanian, it means "never-ending."
He chose the alias AVICII because his real name was already taken and registered on the MySpace streaming platform. In the documentary "Becoming Avicii," he stated:
"A good friend told me that my music was different from everything else on the market and that it was time to have my own MySpace account. I tried registering with my name, but Tim Bergling was already taken. I couldn't believe it; I had to try something else and get used to it."
After April 20, 2018, voices said it was the chronicle of an announced death, but we would say it was the chronicle of suffering revealed late, even by the one who lived through the trap of fame.
His journey began on September 8, 1989, and it could have been just another person's journey in this world, but he came with something that would change everything – he came with genius.
The death of AVICII came as a shockwave to many. It's easy to reduce it to another example of excess in electronic music, which seems to be all about big money and various cases of abuse.
"AVICII's death was a wake-up call for everyone involved in this industry" – Pete Tong (Ibiza Music Summit 2018).
Some signs we received from AVICII's life and career are relevant to the entire music industry, addressing the burden of fame that leads to exhaustion, depression, shifting priorities, and room for anything from that point onward.
Whether you know his music, have heard his songs without knowing who he was, or saw him perform live at UNTOLD in 2015, you indeed had that reaction: "Woaa, this song!"
Whether you are a fan of this genre of music or not is irrelevant because AVICII managed to generate extraordinary enthusiasm when announcing the release of a new song. From that breakthrough moment in 2008 until 2016, when he announced his retirement, AVICII had 813 live gigs and became a superstar. He is considered one of the most creative EDM artists, nominated for a Grammy, and responsible for launching uplifting house hits.
AVICII started producing in 2009 at the age of 18, and it was his friends who realized he was doing a good job. He was influenced by Daft Punk and Steve Angello, and the one who supported him in his debut was Tiesto. The Dutch DJ invited him to his weekly residency at the Privilege Club in Ibiza, where he met Pete Tong. From that point on, everything was simple: besides remix versions, Tim started producing his own tracks. In 2010, he released two major chart successes: "Bromance" and "My Feelings For You," collaborating with Sebastien Drums.
"Seek Bromance," where he used Amanda Wilson's vocals, had moderate success in European charts. But in 2011, the young producer's life reached a new level with the release of the single "Levels." A vocal sample from Etta James's song "Something's Got A Hold On Me" blended with his EDM Big Room sound. It received platinum certification for record sales, and AVICII became a mainstream artist. He is the man who completely changed electronic sound, introducing a new genre called BIG ROOM.
The first airing of the massive hit "Levels" took place on November 20, 2010, during AVICII's first Essential Mix on BBC Radio 1.
Ten years ago, AVICII changed the notion of EDM sound by releasing a song with country influences, "Hey Brother." It was the third single from his most-listened-to album, "True." Tim Bergling broke boundaries with this iconic release, reaching the top position in charts worldwide and achieving record sales for an EDM single.
"Hey, Brother" was first heard at the Ultra Music Festival 2013, receiving mixed feedback from his fans, which divided into two camps: "Old Avicii" and "New Avicii."
The moment passed, and the combination of tropical house, acoustic guitar, and EDM transformed the festival sound forever. With "Hey Brother," the Swede demonstrated that breaking a rule is a detail that makes a difference.
AVICII received massive support from the electronic music community, from Tiësto, Roger Sanchez, Pete Tong, Laidback Luke, Dirty South, Axwell, Sebastian Ingrosso, Steve Angello, EDX, Eric Morillo, David Guetta, Joachim Garraud, Kaskade, to Chris Lake, Greg Cerrone, and Pete Tong. Everyone included his songs in their club and festival sets.
Then came that moment when AVICII chose to retire from music through an emotional letter addressed to his fans. In 2017, he made a comeback with the release of a new EP, "Avīci (01)," and a documentary, "True Stories," which had its world premiere on October 26. It's a story worth following because it's a heartfelt story.
In May 2018, Netflix decided to withdraw the documentary "True Stories" because, in that context, this personal manifesto was shocking.
AVICII's set from the first edition of UNTOLD (2015) can be watched for the first time tonight at 8:00 PM on the UNTOLD Festival's YouTube channel.
It's amazing how an event changes everything and makes you remember everything because most people remember where they were and what they were doing on the evening of April 20, 2018. It was a beautiful Friday evening, we were making plans for the festivals of that summer, and we had tickets for Neversea and UNTOLD. We were doing well.
It was a moment when the funny stories on Instagram or TikTok disappeared, making way for unreal notifications. It was the first time electronic music publications and websites entered the "breaking news" system. The news of the death of Tim Bergling, known worldwide as AVICII, was announced.
Beyond the endless discussions about the cause of death, one thing was sure: the electronic music industry lost an innovative artist, a pioneer, a 28-year-old man.
It was hard for the world to comprehend the news because, on April 17, 2018, Avicii's last post appeared on his Facebook account: "I am honored to be nominated at the 2018 Billboard Music Awards. Don't miss the live show on May 20th on NBC!"
At only 28 years old, Tim Bergling had achieved and contributed so much to his meteoric rise. He was a pioneer, a promoter, a visionary, the man who managed to transform the metrics of music, bringing a sound that had never been heard before. He was the artist who rewrote the DNA of electronic music, charting a new direction in the music industry.
It rarely happens, but it happened to AVICII: he achieved immense success as a producer and live DJ in his 813 shows. He wasn't just a DJ but a mastermind of live performances ahead of his time.
Tim Bergling, on the other hand, was a humble guy with a single passion: making music. Wyclef Jean (The Fugees) said in the documentary "True Stories" that he was "a Bach with an entire orchestra in his head."
The central conflict between the superstar AVICII and the man Tim Bergling arose in a short time. The latter needed to prepare to become a money-making machine. At the time of his retirement at the age of 26, Tim declared:
"We all reach a point in life where we must decide what is important. For me, it is creating music. That's what I live for, what gives meaning to my life, and why I was born."
AVICII? What does it mean?
"Avici" means the lowest level of Buddhist belief, the Buddhist hell or Naraka. According to Buddhist tradition, those sent to Avici can be reborn.
In Romanian, it means "never-ending."
He chose the alias AVICII because his real name was already taken and registered on the MySpace streaming platform. In the documentary "Becoming Avicii," he stated:
"A good friend told me that my music was different from everything else on the market and that it was time to have my own MySpace account. I tried registering with my name, but Tim Bergling was already taken. I couldn't believe it; I had to try something else and get used to it."
After April 20, 2018, voices said it was the chronicle of an announced death, but we would say it was the chronicle of suffering revealed late, even by the one who lived through the trap of fame.
His journey began on September 8, 1989, and it could have been just another person's journey in this world, but he came with something that would change everything – he came with genius.
The death of AVICII came as a shockwave to many. It's easy to reduce it to another example of excess in electronic music, which seems to be all about big money and various cases of abuse.
"AVICII's death was a wake-up call for everyone involved in this industry" – Pete Tong (Ibiza Music Summit 2018).
Some signs we received from AVICII's life and career are relevant to the entire music industry, addressing the burden of fame that leads to exhaustion, depression, shifting priorities, and room for anything from that point onward.
Whether you know his music, have heard his songs without knowing who he was, or saw him perform live at UNTOLD in 2015, you indeed had that reaction: "Woaa, this song!"
Whether you are a fan of this genre of music or not is irrelevant because AVICII managed to generate extraordinary enthusiasm when announcing the release of a new song. From that breakthrough moment in 2008 until 2016, when he announced his retirement, AVICII had 813 live gigs and became a superstar. He is considered one of the most creative EDM artists, nominated for a Grammy, and responsible for launching uplifting house hits.
AVICII started producing in 2009 at the age of 18, and it was his friends who realized he was doing a good job. He was influenced by Daft Punk and Steve Angello, and the one who supported him in his debut was Tiesto. The Dutch DJ invited him to his weekly residency at the Privilege Club in Ibiza, where he met Pete Tong. From that point on, everything was simple: besides remix versions, Tim started producing his own tracks. In 2010, he released two major chart successes: "Bromance" and "My Feelings For You," collaborating with Sebastien Drums.
"Seek Bromance," where he used Amanda Wilson's vocals, had moderate success in European charts. But in 2011, the young producer's life reached a new level with the release of the single "Levels." A vocal sample from Etta James's song "Something's Got A Hold On Me" blended with his EDM Big Room sound. It received platinum certification for record sales, and AVICII became a mainstream artist. He is the man who completely changed electronic sound, introducing a new genre called BIG ROOM.
The first airing of the massive hit "Levels" took place on November 20, 2010, during AVICII's first Essential Mix on BBC Radio 1.
Ten years ago, AVICII changed the notion of EDM sound by releasing a song with country influences, "Hey Brother." It was the third single from his most-listened-to album, "True." Tim Bergling broke boundaries with this iconic release, reaching the top position in charts worldwide and achieving record sales for an EDM single.
"Hey, Brother" was first heard at the Ultra Music Festival 2013, receiving mixed feedback from his fans, which divided into two camps: "Old Avicii" and "New Avicii."
The moment passed, and the combination of tropical house, acoustic guitar, and EDM transformed the festival sound forever. With "Hey Brother," the Swede demonstrated that breaking a rule is a detail that makes a difference.
AVICII received massive support from the electronic music community, from Tiësto, Roger Sanchez, Pete Tong, Laidback Luke, Dirty South, Axwell, Sebastian Ingrosso, Steve Angello, EDX, Eric Morillo, David Guetta, Joachim Garraud, Kaskade, to Chris Lake, Greg Cerrone, and Pete Tong. Everyone included his songs in their club and festival sets.
Then came that moment when AVICII chose to retire from music through an emotional letter addressed to his fans. In 2017, he made a comeback with the release of a new EP, "Avīci (01)," and a documentary, "True Stories," which had its world premiere on October 26. It's a story worth following because it's a heartfelt story.
In May 2018, Netflix decided to withdraw the documentary "True Stories" because, in that context, this personal manifesto was shocking.
AVICII's set from the first edition of UNTOLD (2015) can be watched for the first time tonight at 8:00 PM on the UNTOLD Festival's YouTube channel.