With Saturday marking the first anniversary since Avicii’s death, friends and collaborators spoke with SiriusXM about their favorite memories with the prolific Swedish DJ. Avicii, whose birth name is Tim Bergling, died of an apparent suicide on April 20, 2018 at the age of 28. His family has established a mental-health and suicide-prevention foundation in his name.
“My earliest memories were him just being very curious about the world,” Malik Adunni, Avicii’s tour manager, said. While those that knew him remember his reserved character, Adunni said that “when he got on the stage, that’s when the shyness would go away because he would get the energy from the crowd.”
Avicii’s friend and fellow DJ, Carnage, who collaborated with him on songs such as “Waiting for Love,” said, “What he accomplished so young motivated me to go harder and to go stronger. The relationship that we had was just true — we had some of the best times together.”
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Dutch DJ Nicky Romero, who co-wrote “I Could Be the One” with Avicii, remembers when the Swedish DJ played him “Wake Me Up” for the first time. While the fusion of country and EDM was novel at the time, Romero said, “He broke the barrier there and made it a hit. He educated people with something new, and that’s something I appreciate and respect a lot. I’ll never forget that moment.”
A posthumous album from Avicii will be released in June, from which the first single “S.O.S” debuted on April 10. The album, titled “Tim,” features Coldplay singer Chris Martin and is co-produced by many of the artist’s long-time collaborators such as Albin Nedler, who helped finish the songs that were “75-80%” completed at the time of Avicii’s death.
Listen to Adunni, Carnage, and Romero’s full comments below.