See also:
*Dr Dre, Snoop Dogg and Tupac's Hologram
*Top Five Dance Acts At the Sahara Tent
*Coachella: Five Signs You're An Aging Hipster
*Radiohead at Coachella: No Alarms and No Surprises
At 22, Swedish producer and
DJ Tim Bergling, better known as Avicii, has done more in the electronic dance music world than most hope
to accomplish in a lifetime. Bergling, who started tinkering with music at 18, says, “I always wanted to make music or find
an outlet for creativity somewhere. I had dabbled with guitars and piano but was
never particularly good at it.” After a friend showed him a computer program “which allowed me to draw melodies like a piano I was
hooked,” he adds.
]
Bergling was discovered by Ash
Pournouri, his now manager and owner of At Night Management. “I was
just trying to get my name out any way I could so I would post my
music on blogs everywhere,” he says. They met over email; a coffee meeting later, Bergling and Ash began to create what is now Avicii. “In
Buddhism it means the lowest level of hell,” he says of his DJ name. “I was honestly just looking for a
MySpace name and had remembered the word Avicii from a friend. It
just sounded cool,” he adds.
Together the two have worked tirelessly
to get Avicii's unique music in the right hands and place him in the
forefront of dance music worldwide. His debut single “Seek
Bromance” reached the top 20 in several countries including
Belgium, France, the Netherlands, United Kingdom and Sweden. He began
to produce hit after hit, remixes and collaborations instantly
growing in popularity and super stardom. “I trust [Ash] 100 percent. He
has never let me down. That trust is what makes our team so
successful,” says Bergling of their partnership.
“I get to Ultra and see my face on a
giant bus or ice cream truck and go wow,” explains Bergling. Pournouri
has done an amazing job at marketing Avicii and keeping him connected
with fans. From free pins and bags that say “I ❤
Avicii” to billboards with his face as you drive home from
Coachella, Avicii is everywhere. The success of “Levels” which
won an International Dance Music Award for “Best Electro/Tech House
Track” this year also took his fame to the next level. With an
astounding 20 million hits on YouTube before its official release,
“Levels” has proven to be the dance anthem of the year!
On
Sunday, Avicii headlines the Sahara Tent at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on a stage
which his influences and now peers like Daft Punk and Madonna once
played. “It's huge! I've been looking forward to this for such a
long time,” says Tim. While being a bit nervous going against Dr. Dre and Snoop Dog,
“the energy was great and I had a great time,” Bergling says.
This weekend, fans can
expect even more from Avicii and his team. “Logistically we
couldn't premiere all the production on week one. This week we will
really get to share all the stuff we have been rehearsing and working
on. I'm looking forward to that the most,” he says excitedly. When
asked who he would want to hologram on stage with him for a duo he
says, “I don't usually dance but I would dance with Michael Jackson
on stage!”
As if headlining massive festivals like
the Electric Daisy Carnival, Ultra Music Festival and Coachella
weren't enough, the young artists is about to embark on his own
AVICII – LE7ELS tour. “This is the first time that I am touring
with this new production. It's going to be a really different
experience than any other EDM show,” explains Bergling. Avicii is
set to become the first EDM artist to headline an all arena tour of
North America, which is promoted by Goldenvoice and kicks off May
17th at the Houston, Texas Reliant Arena.
“This is
really next level shit with only huge venues! My manager has been
working really hard to get this together and I could not be more
excited,” he adds. With all his success it is no question Avicii has earned his No. 6 spot
in the DJ Magazine top 100 poll and stands shoulder-to shoulder with
the most in demand DJs in the world. We can only look forward to what else Avicii has in store.
