Avicii’s sudden decision to retire from touring took the entire dance music fraternity by surprise. The Swede, who had been suffering from health problems ever since his surgeries, decided to call it quits on his touring career, to sort out his personal life and get back to making music.
In a heartfelt op-ed penned by Laidback Luke for Billboard, the Dutch-Filipino DJ/producer speaks about how he gave production tips to a young Tim Bergling, checking out his demos and more on his forum.
I have a long and vested relationship with him. Tim was one of the kids on my website forum back in the day, with whom I would run through demos and give production tips. His first big hit as Avicii was “Ryu” on my label, Mixmash Records, and his first-ever gig was an opening spot at my Super You&Me party during Miami Music Week in 2009.
Laidback Luke recalls his recent meeting with Tim at Ibiza in 2015.
He looked terrible. He gave me a very sincere but oh-so-tired smile when he saw me. Soon after, he was onstage playing his amazing music — and that’s when it dawned on me. This wonderful and talented kid might not overcome his struggles.
At that moment, I envisioned my friend, now 26, joining the infamous “27 club” of music and film stars who died at that age. It sounds horrible but it’s the truth, and I can’t take back the overwhelming sense of frustration I felt. It was like watching Amy, the recent Amy Winehouse documentary, and suddenly realizing that you too were laughingly belting out her lyrics — “They tried to make me go to rehab/I said no no no” — while we all watched the spectacle, seeing tragedy unfold and not doing a damn thing.
He also mentions the recent incident where Avicii faced backlash from his own fans regarding his new look in his latest press shoot, where the Swede got the trolls back with some lighthearted photoshopped images.
Lucas hits the nail on the head about the arduous touring schedules of DJs these days. Lauding Avicii’s decision to retire, he hopes this would lead to a more open conversation in the industry, while also acting as an eye opener for newcomers.
Hopefully this will start a conversation about more reasonable expectations and will encourage all of us to be more responsible. We, the generation of seasoned artists, need to recognize our role in guiding the next generation by pointing out the pitfalls, offering an ear, a shoulder and sometimes a kick in the ass too. We all have to stop looking away. It’s often said that the brightest light casts the darkest shadow — so be brave, and don’t be afraid to walk away from that light.
You can read the full op-ed here.
Source: Billboard
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