Avicii talks touring fatigue, loneliness, and new music

Avicii’s forthcoming documentary ‘True Stories’ is set to premiere fall 2017. Ahead of the film’s arrival, the producer has become more candid about his touring fatigue, disappointing former collaborators, his continued inability to enjoy music in the live setting, and trading success for happiness earlier in his career.

During a recent interview with ‘Rolling Stone’, Avicii confronts the tumultuous months leading up to his retirement from touring, a period that included an inflamed pancreas, burst appendix, and gallbladder removal. "The whole thing was about success for the sake of success. I wasn't getting any happiness anymore,” divulges Avicii.

The studio sessions behind ‘Avīci (01)’ assisted with his healing process. Similarly to iconic artists Brian Wilson (The Beach Boys) and The Beatles, a commitment to studio work rejuvenated his artistic spirit.

His sessions with Chic's Nile Rodgers offered another healing opportunity. “Now that I have more time in the studio, I want to learn as much about other genres as possible,” mentions Avicii to interviewer Simon Vozick-Levinson. “That's what I love the most – having a session with Nile Rodgers, for instance, and getting an understanding of music that's invaluable.”

This extra time is something he wishes he had more of when working with Madonna on her ‘Rebel Heart’ album: “A lot of things start suffering when you don't have the energy or time to do things properly. You think you can get away with it, but the quality suffers.”

Despite the recent EP release, the process to once again enjoy music remains slow. Since starting his touring hiatus, Avicii has yet to even witnesss a live show: “I'm still traumatized. But I'm sure I will again. I've started being able to listen to music again, getting a little bit of that joy back.” 

After making a New Year’s resolution to make the best album of his career, Avicii remains cautiously optimistic about the success of his forthcoming full-length.  “I want to bring back some older songs for the die-hard fans, but I also want to make new stuff so it sounds fresh,” asserts the producer on his artistic growth. “[The 2015 Avicii album] ‘Stories’ did well, but it didn't do as well as [2013's] ‘True’. So I'm a little bit nervous.”

Briefly showcasing the light-hearted side of his character, when asked who would play Avicii in a television program, the Swede countered: “Jamie Foxx”.

Read the full interview via ‘Rolling Stone’.