Mental health is of the utmost importance. Due to several big-name celebrities’ unfortunate decisions, like Anthony Bourdain, Kate Spade, Robin Williams‘s suicide, the topic has been brought in the limelight and has resulted in more resources and information for those suffering through difficult times.
Avicii‘s death affected the entire music industry. Since his passing on April 20, 2018, it seems as though time has not aided the pain left behind from his drastic choice.
Longtime friend, Steve Angello has recently chimed in on the Swedish musician’s death during an interview with Aftonbladet – and it will leave you feeling all types of ways…
The reporter kicked off the interview in a Power Hit Radio segment by asking the powerful question “how did the Avicii situation affect you?”. The ‘Breaking Kind‘ musician did not hold back and began to discuss the repercussions that Avicii’s decision had on the entire family, as Angello is also a loving parent and could sympathize with the situation.
For us Tim wasn’t an artist, he was a friend, so it’s a bit different when you look at this “just the artist” situation. For me its more about thinking about the siblings, the parents losing their child. I can’t even imagine how that can feel.
Avicii: True Stories, is a documentary that showcases the rise, fall, and rebirth of the legend himself. Touching base on the masterpiece, the interviewer inquired if Angello thought that the world could see how the beloved artist was truly feeling. He responded:
“we artists, don’t feel well, we are a bit unstable and crazy, I know how tough and taxing it can be when you are coming from 60 gigs, meeting your family, barely had anything to eat in 2 months, it gets a bit unhealthy in general”.
Being in the industry himself for several years before Avicii launched his career in the late 2000’s, Steve has developed healthy habits which allows him to continue to focus on his overall wellbeing, physically and mentally, while touring the globe.
Touching base on this important way of life, he continued to illustrate how being in the spotlight can take a toll on one’s health:
I also think that social media can be a bit scary because suddenly you have direct contact with your fans, which can be a beautiful thing. The problem is when it’s something negative they can reach you directly. You have to build a kind of alter-ego, and make a distance between that. Just look at the hip-hop world, I just notice how they are dying one after another. Something has happened, it’s easy to pretend that everything is okay when you are posting nice photos on social media, while in reality it might not be that way. People that aren’t close to you might not notice it all the time. However it’s a hard thing, even if you know that someone isn’t feeling well, it can be hard to take that step and walk up to someone and ask how they are feeling.
The Greek Swedish producer has been a strong advocate for mental health, especially since his friend’s passing. He has often elaborated on the fact that it is difficult to gauge when someone is dealing with these related issues. He believes that “fans have the power to change the attitude of artists and the way they think by showing love and support”.
We hope that this article encourages our readers to continue to keep the conversation flowing – whether it’s a simple text or a smile, little actions go a long way. Don’t forget that you have the power to change the world!
