Music fans around the world mourn the death of famed Swedish Dj/Producer Tim Bergling, better known by his stage name, Avicii.
As confirmed by his publicist Diana Baron in a statement to Billboard, “He was found dead in Muscat, Oman this Friday afternoon local time, April 20th…”.
It is easy to say that Avicii has left a lasting impression on us all, however even in passing, he is not done yet.
Geffen Records’ president Neil Jacobson, is one of the few people who was able to spend countless studio hours with the late Avicii, and was even in communication with Bergling 48 hours prior to his death. The two were closer than your typical artist and record executive, as Jacobson had been by Avicii’s side since signing the Swedish DJ to Interscope Records in 2011.
In an interview with Variety, Jacobson reveals that Avicii had a new album finished. Although talks of what is to be done with the unreleased music are still in development, Jacobson is hesitant to give any information on who album may feature, any unifying themes, or weather or not we should be expecting anymore curve-balls; There is one thing Jacobson is more than happy to share, and that is ” to remember the supreme talent he was fortunate enough to know”.
Neil Jacobson Interview
When asked about the status of the next Avicii album Jacobson replied that:
“We were working on it and it was his best music in years, honestly. And I know because I [A&R’d] all of his albums. He was so inspired. He was so psyched. We had done a month of grinder sessions. We had to actually put end times on the sessions because Tim would just work for 16 hours straight, which was his nature. You had to pull him out. Like, “Tim, come on. Go to bed. Get some rest.” … It’s just a tragedy. We have this incredible, magical music.”
Naturally, curiosity about such a magical album was sparked, so Jacobson was asked what the next steps for the album will be to which he said:
“I have no idea. I’m going to sit down and talk to the family once everybody has a chance to take a breath. I’ve never actually had this happen with an artist I’ve worked with before and this closely. So, I don’t know. We’ll try to get some advice from the family and everybody’s going to put their heads together and try and do what we think Tim would want us to do.”
From a fans point of view, I hope the involved parties can come to a conclusion and release the album posthumously, as i feel its what Avicii may have wanted.
When asked about any features Jacobson replied:
“There’s a few. I’d rather not say who. Tim had a list of people he was hoping we could reach out to for this album. That was actually the last communication I had from him two days ago, and that’s haunting.”
Click here for a look back on some defining moments of the legendary career that was Avicii, and here for a look at 10 essential Avicii tracks. Rest in peace, Brother.
[H/T] This interview was conducted by Shirley Halperin and can be viewed in its entirety at Variety.
