I remember first hearing about the Swedish producer/DJ Avicii (real name Tim Berg) in high school. His breakthrough hit "Levels" was the basis of every mashup on YouTube during my twelfth grade year. His infectious melodies and ever-changing style are reasons why I admire him so much. He has mixed dance music with everything from folk ("Wake Me Up!") and country ("Hey Brother") to disco ("Lay Me Down") and piano house ("You Make Me"). Avicii has proved himself to be a musical chameleon.
Earlier this week, Avicii made an announcement which shook up the electronic community: he was retiring from touring. Realizing that he has "too little left" to live as a person behind the artist, the producer has said his 2016 tour will be his last. Reactions to the Swede's decision were generally supportive, but most of them were not without mourning for the producer's future absence from festivals. Avicii has nevertheless assured that he will not stop making music, and will "continue to speak to his fans through it." This last comment in his message hints at yet another style change, this time possibly without electronic influence.
Avicii's announcement may come as a bitter surprise, but reports of the star's health problems have been rampant since 2012. Over the past four years, the producer/DJ has had to cancel several tour dates due to various hospitalizations. In a 2013 interview with GQ, Avicii remarked how living on tour was like living "in a suitcase," and that he found it weird if he didn't drink at performance venues. He admitted in the interview that the "encouragement and self-confidence" that he got from alcohol caused him to be dependent on it. While Avicii took a month off from touring in 2013, he later told Billboard that he was still in the studio for "12 hours a day," adding that it's "hard to say no in [the music] industry."
Avicii is not the only EDM superstar to have struggled with burnout through constant touring. In an interview for the website Only the Beat, Dutch producer/DJ Laidback Luke explained how mental and physical exhaustion led to feeling burned out at 30 years old. He wanted to "scream inside of the [tour bus] because [he] was just getting crazy" over missing his children due to non-stop touring. Elsewhere, fellow Dutch producer/DJ Hardwell has been transparent about his health struggles on tour. He has had to cancel tour dates due to "getting really sick" and being "sleep-deprived," once claiming to be awake for 30 hours at a time. Clearly, Avicii is not alone in the industry to have suffered for his art.
Avicii's legacy as a producer and DJ will always be heralded by the EDM community. However, the producer's struggles to balance wellness with work serve as a cautionary tale for upcoming producers to put health above touring out of control. While touring can provide sufficient income for producers and DJs, I do believe that being on the road for too long has severe consequences.
