KUALA LUMPUR, April 22 — As the electronic dance music world mourns one of its finest talents in Swedish DJ Avicii, fellow hit-maker Jonas Blue speaks out about the industry’s pressures.
Essex-born Guy Robin, who goes by stage name Jonas Blue, put his feelings on the record about the sudden passing of 28-year-old Avicii, who was tragically found dead in Oman.
It was established Avicii suffered a perennial struggle with the spotlight that subsequently led to alcohol abuse and medical ailments. He retired from performing live in 2016.
Jonas said life away from the turntables can be a dark place.
“There’s things people don’t see in this job,” said Jonas prior to his first appearance in Malaysia.
“It’s the travelling, it’s the pre-show nerves, post-show nerves, it’s the post-show loneliness — going into hotel rooms.
“Some people can’t deal with that and substitute it with alcohol and drug abuse. It becomes a really bad routine — you can get sucked into the bad side of this life.
“It is such a shame.”
Deeply saddened on the news about Avicii. It feels all to close to home for me being the same age & in the same profession. He was someone who was a huge inspiration to my music. I hope he is now at peace. My prayers and thoughts are with his family. His melodies will live on 💙
— Jonas Blue (@JonasBlue) April 21, 2018
News of Avicii’s (real name Tim Bergling) death prompted an outpouring of grief from practically every DJ around the world.
Pop musicians including Madonna, who he’d previously worked with, Dua Lipa and Rita Ora also paid tribute.
Jonas found out the news playing down in Singapore on Friday night and was still reeling from the shock.
“I was speechless,” said the Mama sensation.
“He’s the exact same age as me, doing the exact same profession and I’m on the road just as much as he was.
“It feels very close to home.”
Like Avicii, Jonas came from a house music background before a crossover into the mainstream, a comparison of how both artists struck fame in similar fashion.
Jonas enjoyed his breakthrough with a tropical house remix of Tracy Chapman’s Fast Car in 2016, which peaked at No. 2 in the UK and No. 1 in Australia before going onto achieve top 10 status in eight more countries.
Likewise, Avicii produced a club anthem with Levels in 2011, opening the floodgates for EDM to enjoy pop success in the United States, something being remarked as a pioneering accomplishment.
More hits followed from both men, only on timelines a few years apart — Avicii with Wake Me Up and Hey Brother in 2012 and 2013, Jonas with Perfect Strangers, By Your Side and Mama in 2016 and 2017.
Even their sounds complement each other, both in the tropical house ballpark, but largely melody-driven, remembered for signature touches.
Jonas, speaking with raw emotion, made it clear the pressure DJs face to keep the momentum up is very real.
“It’s hard. I watched Avicii’s documentary last night. There’s a part where David Guetta talks about pressure.
“When you have one successful record, you don’t feel the pressure. It’s that cool. If you can do it again, then great.
“Then you have another one, then another one and another one. When that type of success happens, you have to keep matching it,” Jonas continued.
“Everyone wants you to keep matching it. That, I find, is more pressure than going on stage or anything. To maintain that is difficult. You don’t always repeat it.
“Honestly, I’m feeling it now. I’m about to go into my sixth single and it’s difficult. You just have to trust your gut and make good music that you believe is good music.
“You must hope it does well. It doesn’t always do well.”
