This Was The First Avicii Song Released Posthumously
Swedish DJ Avicii was known for his powerhouse musical career as a songwriter, remixer, and producer. Avicii's songs "Levels" dominated US airwaves in 2011, followed by "Wake Me Up," with vocals by Aloe Blacc, released in 2012. "Hey Brother" was another earworm that Avicii released in 2013, and the song quickly topped the charts internationally.
Alongside his worldwide concert tours, Avicii was an active philanthropist — he co-founded the House for Hunger charity tour in 2011, and donated €1 million to the Swedish charity organization "Radiojälpen." He additionally worked with RED, donating proceeds from his song "Divine Sorrow" to fight HIV and AIDS (via the Tim Bergling Foundation).
Avicii, whose real name was Tim Bergling, died by suicide on April 20, 2018, at age 28. The music world reacted with shock and sadness, and his family and producers worked together to ensure Avicii's legacy would have a long-lasting impact. The DJ was working on a new album that was near completion at the time of his death. He was collaborating with Aloe Blacc, Coldplay, Kygo, and other musicians on the upcoming tunes.
Leaving a charitable musical legacy
His producers and family members wanted to share Avicii's final songs with the world; since the album was so close to completion, they felt confident the musician would want it to be heard by his fans, reports The New York Times. The first song that was released in April 2019 after the DJ's death was "SOS," featuring Aloe Blacc. His final album, "Tim", was then released in June 2019. His music is still popular today – "Wake Me Up" has been listened to more than a billion times on Spotify, and "SOS" has been streamed more than 600 million times since its release.
According to Times of India, Aloe Blacc reflected on Avicii's meaningful "SOS" lyrics, saying, "He wrote these lyrics obviously about some of his battles and I think it's a really important topic to approach and to share, especially with his visibility and his access to ears and hearts. To give people the words to be able to say 'I need help.'"
The net proceeds from Avicii's posthumously released album will go to Tim Bergling Foundation. The Foundation donates to causes that Avicii supported, such as solving global hunger crises, mitigating the effects of climate change, and supporting people with mental illness.
If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).