Today was a normal day for me, but when I got home I heard the news that Avicii had made the announcement to stop touring. For the entertainment show I was watching on TV, it was just an unimportant story they only covered for a few seconds, but to me, this is a story I know very well.
Reading his announcement on his official website, is like reading a page from my own book of life. The reporters from the TV show were already quick to point out that Avicii had been having some health problems, which they now view as a symptom of him potentially burning out. To me, Avicii just shows the classic signs of a creative person, who just had a little bit too much of the same thing.
Creative people tend to be creative in more than one thing. Just think of all the singers who paint, or take up photography, acting, fashion design etc. While some people see this as a flaw and think we’re very unfocused (like we can’t seem to decide what we like the best), the fact is that we are very expressive and are on a continuous search for ways to express ourselves. It actually makes us very driven. Driven by our creativity.
Avicii started out when he was very young. He found something he loved and his music became very big, bigger than he probably anticipated. When you start out doing something you love, you don’t mind doing it all the time, but when you do it all the time, you start to wonder whether you still love it. It’s only natural you’d want to explore other things, especially when you’re exposed to everything the world has to offer because you’re travelling.
Just yesterday, I saw an interview with Hardwell, named number one DJ of the world several times. He was asked about how his life changed once he earned the title of being the top DJ of the world. It was interesting, because he said the number of bookings actually went down. Smaller clubs wouldn’t book him anymore, because he would attract too many people for those clubs to be able to house.
Reaching such heights, means the game changes. Hardwell decided to do his own big events, as do others, alongside of taking on bigger gigs on major festivals. Reaching this status meant he could allow himself a little more room to breathe to take on other things. After all, he’s not out on the road all the time anymore, but you could tell, when he answered, that he is also missing those days.
It’s kind of like all those gangster rappers, who hit the big time with their music. At some point, they are forced to make the decision to leave their street life behind. They don’t have to hustle that way anymore, but they are always conflicted because the street is what got them there in the first place.
Avicii could’ve hit the same struggle. He is at a point in his career, where he could’ve made other choices and rearrange things. Take on a few big gigs next year instead of doing every booking request. But maybe, things just got a point where solutions like that wouldn´t be enough. And that´s sure what it sounds like to me. I can definitely respect his choices and his guts to make these choices.
