It’s that time of the year again – when we are reminded of the loss of one of the electronic music world’s biggest superstars: Tim Bergling, better known as Avicii. This week marks three years, and after having given my Avicii playlist a couple of rinses, the sting feels just as bad as it did in 2018. If you’re a fan, I’m sure you know exactly what I’m talking about. While Tim may be gone, his legacy is forever. He helped usher electronic dance music into the mainstream opening doors for acts like Martin Garrix, Kygo, Zedd & the like. He became a star at a time when the term ‘EDM’ was hardly a thing, and for that we are grateful. With that said, here are 6 of the ways the legacy of Avicii lives on.
Last year we compiled a list of some of the best tributes we’ve seen held in honor of Avicii since his passing. The list includes numerous accolades and records Tim has managed to achieve, and break, posthumously. This includes things like Avicii’s Mega-Hit ‘Wake Me Up’ surpassing 1 billion streams and being the decades 8th most streamed song. The list also features Avicii being honored by the Swedish Grammys. This is where he was awarded a posthumous, honorary Grammi. The list, of course, wouldn’t be complete without the mention of the Official Avicii Tribute Concert.
Last year’s list aside, we also have Mike Posner making a promise to climb Mt. Everest in honor of Avicii. In addition to this, Tomorrowland‘s One World Radio took today to honor Avicii on the anniversary of his death. They are doing this by “playing more than 60 of his greatest hits and the most iconic anthems”. Additionally, many live clips from his well-remembered performances at Tomorrowland will be played as well. It’s worth noting that the team over at Proximity, one of the scenes leading authorities, released an amazing Avicii Tribute Mix today, as well.
It is no secret that Avicii had a treasure trove of unreleased music. These are collaborations with everyone from David Guetta to Tiësto and beyond. In addition to this, Aloe Blacc has stated he has numerous unreleased Avicii collaborations that he plans to release, pending approval. Mike Posner is also on the record stating he has a slew of unfinished Avicii tunes he’d love to get out. Avicii also had 10 unreleased tracks with Niles Rogers.
It’s worth taking into consideration the few tracks that have already been released posthumously, such as ‘The Otherside‘ with Cam. In addition to this, we’ve seen Kygo finish up ‘Forever Yours‘ alongside Sandro Cavazza. Only time will tell when the remaining music will be released, but I have a feeling it is only inevitable.
While we do have the documentary – which technically came out while he was still alive – we’ve yet to see the release of an official biography. We recently shared news of how the biography, titled ‘Tim: The Official Biography of Avicii‘, would be seeing a release in North America on November 16. Award-winning Swedish author Måns Mosesson wrote it. It will contain interviews with Avicii’s family, friends, and colleagues. Mosesson also retraced some of Bergling’s adventures, going from Stockholm to Miami, Ibiza, and Los Angeles. As a fan, this is something I look forward to digesting.
Since his passing, we’ve seen an online memorial be created to honor Tim. Soon, we will also have a physical memorial. Not much is known at the moment, other than the fact that it will be built in Stockholm, Sweden. The news was originally broken by Sweden’s Daily paper, Dagens Nyheter. The news was later confirmed by the district committee chair of Östermalm in Stockholm.
Over the course of the last year, we’ve seen a slew of video games crop up using Tim’s music as its foundation. This includes games like ‘AVICII Invector‘ and ‘Beat Legend‘. I personally think this is awesome. I can’t help but think of how a child somewhere in the world will be inspired by the music in these video games, similar to how Porter Robinson fell in love with dance music through Dance Dance Revolution.
Music aside, this may very well serve as the best representation of Avicii’s lasting legacy: The Tim Bergling Foundation. A simple google search shows the type of person Avicii was, in life. He raised millions of dollars to help combat hunger, as well as HIV and AIDs. I personally saw him in 2011 during his ‘House For Hunger Tour‘ not knowing the legend he would go on to become. That tour alone raised $1 million for the charity organization ‘Feeding America’, in an effort to fight hunger in America.
In death, his philanthropy continues on. After his passing, his family created the Tim Bergling Foundation in his memory. According to a press release from his family:
“THE TIM BERGLING FOUNDATION WILL INITIALLY FOCUS ON SUPPORTING PEOPLE AND ORGANIZATIONS IN THE FIELD OF MENTAL ILLNESS AND SUICIDE PREVENTION. IT ALSO WILL BE ACTIVE IN CLIMATE CHANGE, NATURE CONSERVATION AND ENDANGERED SPECIES.”
After seeing the impact his death had on the scene, I for one think this is an amazing way to remember such an amazing individual. Through his untimely passing, we have seen numerous other artists and musicians take control of their lives and their mental health. Avicii’s death was a wake-up call – one that cannot be ignored. Through the Tim Bergling Foundation, funds and resources have been set aside to help combat mental illness and suicide prevention. The foundation also works on issues Avicii was extremely passionate about, such as climate change, and nature conservation.
For more information on the specific projects the foundation is working on, head here. To get involved, be sure to check out the official Tim Bergling Foundation website here.
While we will never get Avicii back, we can always embrace his spirit, and the legacy he left behind. Maybe one day we can get a hologram set, and relive the glory days.
