Avicii says retirement was "hardest decision" of his life - News - Mixmag
News

Avicii says retirement was "hardest decision" of his life

A BBC Worldwide documentary is set to look over his career

  • Dave Turner
  • 7 April 2016

You've probably already heard that Avicii's hung up his headphones and retired from DJing and live shows. He announced it last week, leading us to examine why he had to do it.

He justified his departure from dance music in a lengthy Facebook post - saying life changes had to be made - and now he's spoken further about his reasons for quitting.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, the Swedish producer said: “To me it was something I had to do for my health. The scene was not for me. It was not the shows and not the music. It was always the other stuff surrounding it that never came naturally to me.

"All the other parts of being an artist. I'm more of an introverted person in general. It was always very hard for me. I took on board too much negative energy, I think.”

Although he refuses to completely banish the prospect of performing ever again, he does say he will continue making music but confirms touring is something he won't be doing again. Once his remaining shows for the year are done that is.

Regarding his well-being, he added: “I just feel happy. I feel free at this point. Like I have my private life back and focusing on myself for the first time in a long time. This was obviously the hardest decision of my life so far. But so far it has paid off tremendously in terms of well-being for me.

"I'm happier than I have been in a very, very long time. Stress-free more than I have been in a very long time."

A documentary titled Stories, directed by Levan Tsikurishvili, is set to hit screens via BBC Worldwide in the future, going over the 'Wake Me Up' artist's career, from his debut album 'True' to winning MTV Music awards and being nominated for Grammys.

Dave Turner is Mixmag's Digital News Editor, follow him on Twitter

Load the next article
Newsletter 2

Mixmag will use the information you provide to send you the Mixmag newsletter using Mailchimp as our marketing platform. You can change your mind at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in the footer of any email you receive from us. By clicking sign me up you agree that we may process your information in accordance with our privacy policy. Learn more about Mailchimp's privacy practices here.

Loading...
Loading...
Newsletter 2

Mixmag will use the information you provide to send you the Mixmag newsletter using Mailchimp as our marketing platform. You can change your mind at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in the footer of any email you receive from us. By clicking sign me up you agree that we may process your information in accordance with our privacy policy. Learn more about Mailchimp's privacy practices here.