Interesting and Fun Facts about Swedish DJ Tim Bergling, known as Avicii

Search engine giant Google celebrates the 32nd birthday of Swedish DJ and remixer Tim Bergling, better known by his stage name, Avicii, with an animated video Doodle in support of National Suicide Prevention Week on September 8, 2021.

Here is a look at the life and work of Tim Bergling.

Personal

• Birth name: Tim Bergling
• Birthdate: September 8, 1989
• Birthplace: Stockholm, Sweden
• Died on: April 20, 2018 (aged 28)
• Death place: Muscat, Oman
• Father name: Klas Bergling
• Mother name: Anki Lidén
• Nationality: Swedish
• Sun Sign: Virgo
• Famous as: Musician, DJ, remixer record, producer, songwriter
• Other names:
  • Avicii
  • Tim Berg
  • Tom Hangs
  • Timberman
• Notable awards:
  • American Music Awards
  • Billboard Music Award
  • MTV Europe Music Award
  • Teen Choice Awards
  • World Music Awards

35 Interesting Facts about Tim Bergling (Avicii)

1. Swedish DJ and remixer Tim Bergling became perceived for international singles including “Levels,” “Hey Brother,” and “Wake Me Up,” and whose debut album True arrived at the top ten above 15 nations. During his career, he teamed up with prominent musicians like Madonna and Chris Martin.

2. Avicii was born Tim Bergling, on September 8, 1989, in Stockholm, Sweden, to Klas Bergling and Anki Lidén. His mom was a small-time actor who had shown up in more than 50 Swedish movies and TV series. He was one of the four children of his parents and was vigorously impacted by his older brother, who additionally happened to be a musician and DJ.

3. Tim Bergling began making music at 16 years old. Within a few months, he began posting his music on different online electronic music forums. He remixed various classic songs in his early years. His work contacted the perfect individuals, and he soon began getting approached by notable music labels. His music looked like that of the famous group ‘Swedish House Mafia,’ and that assisted him with procuring a tremendous fan following.

4. Avicii was likewise inspired by the music of Daft Punk and Steve Angello. He mixed deep bass house sounds with melodic sounds. His music was appreciated by DJ Tiësto and Pete Tong. Tiësto acquainted Avicii with various expert DJs and set up live shows for him, at small venues.

5. The artist Tim Bergling signed with the European A&R team with EMI Music Publishing (owned by a consortium led by Sony and forms part of the biggest music publishing corporation in the world) in October 2010.

6. By 2010, Avicii had begun working as a small-time DJ, remixing for artists like Little Boots and Robyn. In the meantime, he kept on releasing his own singles, for example, ‘Bromance’ and ‘My Feelings for You.’ ‘Seek Bromance,’ the remixed version of his single ‘Bromance,’ with vocals by Amanda Wilson, was a colossal achievement.

7. Tim Bergling’s initial successes got Avicii familiar with the perfect individuals in the music industry. By 2011, he had already finished working on his breakthrough single, ‘Levels.’ The song included vocals from the well-known gospel-inspired 60s song ‘Something’s Got a Hold on Me’ by Etta James. ‘Levels’ made waves nationally and internationally and set up Avicii in the mainstream music arena. The song made its place among the top 10 hits of numerous European countries and made waves across the US.

8. “Levels” hit the top ten in charts internationally – Austria, Belgium, Bosnia, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Slovenia, and the United Kingdom – and took the #1 slot in Hungary, Norway, and Sweden.

9. Enjoying some real success on the achievement of ‘Levels,’ Avicii got the surprise of his life when he was approached by superstar DJ David Guetta, who proposed a collaborative track.

10. The collaboration resulted in the single ‘Sunshine,’ which became a moment of international achievement. It was subsequently nominated for the ‘Grammy’ award for the ‘Best Dance Recording.’

11. That same year, Tim Bergling likewise confronted a slight controversy. A piece of his single ‘Fade into Darkness’ was purportedly used without his permission by Leona Lewis, on her single ‘Collide.’ Leona didn’t credit Avicii, and the whole matter went to court. Hence, Leona’s lawyer offered Avicii a collaborative album with his customer. Avicii accepted the offer, and the matter was resolved.

12. On 26 September 2012, Tim Bergling made history as the first DJ to headline the world-famous Radio City Music Hall in New York City. He performed two sold-out shows on 26 and 27 September. He was supported by Matt Goldman and Cazzette at the two shows. At his Radio City Music Hall shows, he played a preview of his new track with Mike Posner named “Stay with You”.

13. At the 2012 ‘Ultra Music Festival’ in Miami, Avicii released his new track, ‘Girl Gone Wild’ with Madonna. At a similar event, he released another single, ‘Superlove’ with Lenny Kravitz. That same year, he acquired 2,000,000 likes on his ‘Facebook’ page. Following this, he released a track named ‘Two Million’ and made it free for download on the music-streaming platform ‘SoundCloud.’

14. Over the next few months, Tim Bergling released some more successful singles, for example, ‘Silhouettes,’ ‘Dancing in my Head,’ ‘Stay with You,’ and ‘Let it Go.’ The last two songs were from his debut studio album, which he declared he would release in 2013. In the interim, his success streak proceeded in 2012, with a few new collaborations. He worked together with Nicky Romero for the single ‘I Could Be the One,’ which became a significant hit with American audiences. The song was included on a few American reality TV shows and European radio shows.

15. Avicii was known to be a heavy alcoholic, and the habit had affected his health. In 2012, he was diagnosed with intense pancreatitis and had his gall bladder and appendix removed. Despite the health concerns, he continued touring consistently and took a chance with his mental and physical well-being.

16. In mid-2013, Tim Bergling released ‘Wake Me Up,’ one of his generally significant and best singles to date. The song topped the charts in over 20 countries across the world and is known as his best single. In mid-2013, he declared in an interview that his debut studio album, ‘True,’ would be available for sale before that year’s over. He additionally gave a brief look into the album by saying that he had vigorously used the new genre “folktronica,” a mix of folk music and electronic music.

17. ‘Wake Me Up’ became the fastest-selling single in the UK before the finish of July. The single additionally made a record for remaining on the top of ‘Billboard’s ‘Dance/Electronic’ music chart for 14 weeks. Avicii released additional singles from the album in the following months, just expanding the interest in his album.

18. The album ‘True’ was released in late 2013 and included a few established artists, like Nile Rodgers and Adam Lambert. A few additional songs from the album, for example, ‘Hey Brother’ and ‘Addicted to You,’ became successful, and the album was certified “platinum” by the ‘Recording Industry Association of America’ (RIAA). The next year, Tim Bergling released the club remix version of the album, ‘True: Avicii by Avicii.’ that same year, he worked together with Chris Martin from the legendary rock band ‘Coldplay,’ for the single ‘A Sky Full of Stars.’

19. On 9 January 2013, Tim Bergling launched the Avicii X You project, a partnership with Ericsson intended to make the world’s first “crowdsourced” hit song.

20. On 19 October 2013, the DJ Mag 2013 Top 100 DJs List was announced, with Tim Bergling ranking number 3 on the list. Hardwell became the new World No.1 displacing Armin Van Buuren. On 28 October 2013, Bergling released the single “Hey Brother” with vocals by Dan Tyminski.

21. On 10 November, Bergling won his first award “Best Electronic” at the MTV Ema’s. On 24 November 2013, he won the American Music Award for favorite Electronic Dance Music Artist.

22. From late February to early March 2013, Tim Bergling toured Australia as one of the headline acts in the Future Music Festival close by The Prodigy and The Stone Roses. In late February 2013, Bergling made his first South American tour, with concerts in Venezuela, Argentina, Colombia, Brazil, and Chile.

23. In late 2015, Avicii released his second album, ‘Stories,’ and blended pop music with electronic sounds. The album arrived at the top of the ‘Billboard’ dance chart. Some of his other successful singles from this period were a remix of Nina Simone’s classic jazz song ‘Feeling Good,’ ‘Tracks of my Tears,’ ‘Divine Sorrow,’ and ‘Heaven.’

24. Avicii was portrayed on a Swedish postage stamp issued 15 January 2015 by PostNord Sverige.

25. Tim Bergling 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 somebody, with the beginning lyrics “I took a pill in Ibiza / To show Avicii I was cool”. The song was made in the week they composed a song together in Sweden called “Stay with You”.

26. Tim Bergling’s portfolio additionally incorporates singles “I Could Be the One” including Nicky Romero, “You Make Me”, “X You”, “Hey Brother”, “Addicted to You”, “The Days”, ” The Nights “,” Waiting for Love, “Without You” and “Lonely Together”.

27. Because of frequent live tours, Tim Bergling became depleted. In 2016, he reported that he would be retiring from live shows. His last live performance was in Ibiza.

28. By 2017, Tim Bergling began discussing depression and suicidal thoughts openly. Depression is highly prevalent in artists, and Avicii became one of its most recent victims. The pressure and the absence of privacy that fame brought, maybe, added to his failing mental health.

29. Tim Bergling died on 20 April 2018 near Muscat at the age of 28. His lifeless body was found in his hotel close to Muscat, Oman. After a fight with his mental health that spanned years, Avicii committed suicide in 2018 at the age of 28. He was 28 years of age at the time of his death, yet his music will consistently stay ever-surviving and immortal.

30. On 26 March 2019, Tim Bergling’s family launched a mental illness and suicide prevention foundation, named after the late DJ, the Tim Bergling Foundation. The foundation works internationally and plans to educate individuals and businesses on the issues surrounding suicide and mental health. The foundation likewise attempts to handle environmental change, manage business development, and conserve endangered species.

31. Avicii inspired numerous artists in the EDM genre, a considerable lot of whom paid tribute to him after his death. Avicii additionally impacted various mainstream artists outside electronic music.

32. On 21 November 2019, Billboard named Avicii’s 2011 hit “Levels” as one of the 100 songs which characterized the 2010s, though his 2013 hit “Wake Me Up” came 13th (and was the highest-charting EDM song) on the Official Charts Company’s chart of the decade.

33. On 9 June 2020, it was declared that an Avicii Tribute Museum would open in Stockholm in the summer of 2021.

34. On 19 May 2021, Stockholm’s Ericsson Globe has renamed the Avicii Arena. To celebrate the new name, the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra recorded a performance of the Tim Bergling song “For a Better Day”, with vocals given by 14-year-old Swedish singer Ella Tiritiello.

35. On 8 September 2021, Google Doodle celebrated what might have been Tim Bergling’s 32nd birthday with an animated video highlighting “Wake Me Up”, on the side of National Suicide Prevention Week.