Tim Bergling † (September 8, 1989 - April 20, 2018 [aged 28]), better known by his stage name Avicii, was a Swedish disc jockey, music producer, and songwriter. He is well known for his music, such as Wake Me Up, and Waiting For Love. He died aged 28 in Muscat, Oman on 20 April 2018 by suicide. His channel is the 177th-most subscribed channel on YouTube, and also the 2nd-most subscribed channel in Sweden behind PewDiePie, but PewDiePie's channel location is set in Japan.
Early Life[]
Tim Bergling was born in Stockholm, Sweden on September 8, 1989. His father Klas was an office supply businessman and his mother Anki Lidén is an actress. He had three siblings; David Bergling, Linda Sterner, and actor Anton Körberg. At age eight, Bergling has aspirations to become a DJ as he began mixing music in his bedroom.
Influenced by his brother, Bergling began composing and mixing music at the age of sixteen, teaching himself how to use a pirated copy of FL Studio. By May 2007, Bergling signed with a record label, Dejfitts Plays. He first served as a member of the Laidback Luke Forums, where he refined his persona and, at times, demonstrated his distinct deep house style. Between 2009 to 2010, Bergling turned out to be a workaholic producer and was releasing music incredibly quickly.
Music career[]
Early releases[]
Bergling began using the aliases Tim Berg for his early music releases. His first single was "Bromance" released on October 17, 2010. His next single, "My Feelings for You" was released in the United Kingdom on December 3, 2010 and in the United States on February 1, 2011. The next single came "Street Dancer", which released on January 17, 2011.
His next single, "Blessed" released on May 23, 2011. He used the aliases Tom Hangs in this release which featured Shermanology, a duo of Dutch EDM artists. His next single, "Fade into Darkness" released on July 22, 2011 using his stage name featuring Andreas Moe on additional vocals. On August 22, 2011, the next single was Collide featuring Leona Lewis doing additional vocals. Next came "Levels", which released on October 28, 2011 with Avicii doing it alone this time.
On April 27, 2012, Avicii's fifth single, "Silhouettes" was released featuring Salem Al Fakir doing additional vocals. On May 29, 2012, a remix of "Superlove" by Lenny Kravitz was released with Avicii acting as the DJ for the remix. On November 12, 2012, Avicii was credited for his role in Eric Turner's single "Dancing in My Head". Next came "I Could Be the One" with Nicky Romero, which released on December 26, 2012.
On February 26, 2013, "X You" was the next single and first of 2013, with Avicii doing it alone. Avicii was credited for his role in the single "We Write the Story" by Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson, who both formerly were members of ABBA. The song released on May 18, 2013.
True[]
Finally convinced that he has done enough work for other artists, Avicii finally decided to develop an album of his own. To help finance his album and set a budget, Avicii signed with Island Records. Especially while in the midst of collaborating with various artists with singles (especially of his own), Avicii took some time composing some of his own material. His first studio album, True, was released on September 13, 2013. The standard edition of the album included ten tracks. Five of the songs became singles, which were "Wake Me Up", "You Make Me", "Hey Brother", "Addicted to You", and "Lay Me Down". With his recent contributions, Avicii's career immediately rose to stardom.
Aloe Blacc did the additional vocals for "Wake Me Up", Salem Al Fakir did the additional vocals for "You Make Me" and "Hey Brother", Audra Mae did the additional vocals for "Addicted to You", and Adam Lambert did the additional vocals for "Lay Me Down". Because of so many other artists contributing a bulk of vocals for his music, it became incredibly difficult for Avicii to tour or host concerts.
The billboards across the globe were mightily impressed with the singles Avicii contributed with, despite his lack of contribution on vocals himself. Various countries peaked the five singles between 1-100 combined on various weekly billboard sources.
Stories[]
Avicii released his second studio album titled Stories on October 2, 2015. The standard edition included fourteen tracks. Five of those tracks became singles, including "Waiting for Love", "For a Better Day", "Broken Arrows", "Pure Grinding", and "Gonna Love Ya".
Once again, Avicii lacked vocals for about the bulk of the tracks for the album, where various other artists were brought into the frame to help contribute to the works. Simon Aldred did the additional vocals for "Waiting for Love", Alex Ebert did the additional vocals for "For a Better Day", Zac Brown did the additional vocals for "Broken Arrows", and Earl St. Clair did the additional vocals for "Pure Grinding" and "Gonna Love Ya".
On March 2, 2015, Avicii performed at the Future Music Festival in Australia. By early 2016, Avicii retired from touring and concerts due to his health declining and continued to collaborate with various artists on a limited basis.
Death[]
On April 20, 2018, Avicii was discovered unresponsive and unconscious by police at a motel in Muscat, Oman. Avicii was admitted to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead upon arrival. No cause of death was immediately announced, but is was soon revealed that Avicii had cut himself with a broken piece of glass, according to TMZ. His death was eventually declared a suicide. He was 28 years of age.
Prior to his death, Avicii had battled a multitude of health issues. In January 2012, Avicii was hospitalized for 11 days in New York City with acute pancreatitis caused by excessive alcohol use. After his release, Avicii was prescribed opioids for the pain caused by his pancreatitis, including OxyContin and Vicodin, to which he developed an addiction with. In 2014, Avicii underwent surgery to have his appendix and gallbladder removed. In 2016, Avicii's health continued to deteriorate, which hampered his ability to continue composing new tracks. High pressure from management and fans to continue touring and maintaining his public persona seemingly played a role for his suicide.
| “ | Our beloved Tim was a seeker, a fragile artistic soul searching for answers to existential questions. An over-achieving perfectionist who travelled and worked hard at a pace that led to extreme stress. When he stopped touring, he wanted to find a balance in life to be able to be happy and to do what he loved most – music. He really struggled with thoughts about Meaning, Life, Happiness. He could now not go on any longer. He wanted to find peace. Tim was not made for the business machine he found himself in; he was a sensitive guy who loved his fans but shunned the spotlight. Tim, you will forever be loved and sadly missed. The person you were and your music will keep your memory alive. We love you, The Family. | ” |
―Letter from Avicii's Family, April 26, 2018 | ||
On April 26, 2018, his family released an open letter stating:[1]
Discography[]
- True (2013)
- Stories (2015)
- Tim (2019)
Filmography[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Avicii: True Stories | Himself | Documentary |
Concert tours[]
- House for Hunger (2012)
- True Tour (2014)[2]
- Stories World Tour (2015)
Trivia[]
- His mother, Anki Lidén, is an actress.
- His brother, Anton Körberg, is also an actor.
- He explained that his stage name, Avicii, means "the lowest level of Buddhist hell".
- He enjoyed playing World of Warcraft in his youth.
- He developed anxiety at a young age,[3] with his parents taking him to a therapist at the age of 14.[4]
- Avicii was named in the 2015 song "I Took a Pill in Ibiza" by American singer and songwriter Mike Posner. Posner recounts the event when he went to an Avicii show in Ibiza and got a mystery pill from someone, with the starting lyrics "I took a pill in Ibiza / To show Avicii I was cool".[5]
References[]
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20180426194817/https://www.svt.se/kultur/aviciis-familj-i-oppet-brev-han-orkade-inte-langre
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20140125025010/https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/music/2014/01/23/avicii-north-american-tour-announcement/4794971/
- ↑ https://archive.today/20211223225156/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/avicii-tim-bergling-father-klas-interview-73d9db88q
- ↑ https://archive.today/20211223225156/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/avicii-tim-bergling-father-klas-interview-73d9db88q
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20190626155729/https://www.nme.com/news/music/avicii-responds-mike-posners-took-pill-ibiza-lyric-2134377/amp
