Fast and furious: Why Avicii had to retire

On March 29, Avicii announced that he was retiring from touring and live events after 2016. Stardom is psychologically and physically difficult for any artist, especially in the fast-paced and oft hedonistic world of dance music, and his retirement is the result of complete overwork. It's sad news – there's obviously something implicitly wrong if a musician has to step away from the circuit in such circumstances – but in hindsight, it was all too obviously going to happen.

It’s important to contemplate just how crowded Avicii's schedule was over the past five years. Between January 1, 2011 and January 1, 2016 alone, Avicii played somewhere in the vicinity of 220 DJ sets in 261 weeks, travelling back and forth across the globe, entering all number of different time zones. This period also saw the Swede undertake tour concepts like an American bus journey in January 2012 that saw him play 26 shows in 27 days. As well as that, he released two albums and three EPs. Two of the singles from those records – 'Levels' and 'Wake Me Up' – hit the Top 10 charts and crossed over to pop radio worldwide, giving the DJ/producer to certified pop star status. Then there was his work as the face of brands including Ralph Lauren. Even with a whole management and support team behind him, constantly working at that kind of level will have been insanely taxing.

And indeed it was. Avicii suffered from acute pancreatitis due to alcoholism in 2013, and had his gallbladder removed a year later. When it came to the release of his second studio album 'Stories' in 2015, the producer told FuseTV that he was pushing for a “perfect” sound on the album, which obviously requires a level of focus that, given his plethora of health concerns, will have caused a great deal of stress. He told GQ Magazine that playing high-pressure live sets made him "so nervous," and that drinking gave him the “encouragement and self-confidence” to play live. A 2012 Austin Times interview revealed that he was “so busy,” had “no time off,” and oftentimes “forgot what city or country he was in." And a more recent quote for Dubai’s The National had Avicii admitting that he’s “very intense,” and has “no problem being [in the studio] for 60 hours without sleep." The evidence is clear: Avicii's working environment drove him to the edge and eventually pushed him over it.

For the sake of comparison, let’s consider Swedish House Mafia’s global One Last Tour. It saw the trio play 53 worldwide dates in 18 weeks, split over six logically-planned touring legs. One watch of the Leave The World Behind documentary that chronicled that journey shows a group that hit the skids in large part due to the pace of the schedule. And that pace appears somewhat relaxed compared to the level of touring that Avicii undertook over a similar stretch of days.

The big budget tours and marquee gigs that Avicii played in the past five years will have played a massive part in his decision to retire. They brought on the health problems that, crushingly, made it impossible for him to tour any more. What's also curious is that the big room/mainstage circuit is at a point where parts of Vegas have divorced themselves from EDM, Carl Cox calls Ibiza “spoiled” and festival culture’s explosive growth has slowed to a point where expensive DJs aren’t being booked as often. This all makes live touring a slightly shaky notion for a DJ/producer of Avicii's stature. He represents just the kind of artist that could face a backlash and he may have even priced himself out of the range of most promoters worldwide.

Avicii leaves the live touring era of his career behind him with $75 million (USD) in the bank and a level of one-name stardom on par with Guetta and Tiësto. Add this in with his ability to place songs for corporate tie-ins as well as prodigious production potential and the space exists for him to continue making big bucks in a much safer way.

Crossfit-loving processed meat avoider Steve Aoki and avid runner and vegan Ellie Goulding have incorporated wellness and physical fitness into their creative branding and only time will tell if Avicii undertakes the kind of lifestyle change that would allow him to tour again.

Nothing venture, nothing gained, but when it comes to Avicii's career, we’ve learned exactly what happens when way too much is ventured. While his success is certainly a reason for any other producer with his talent and desire to pursue greatness to totally go for it, it also highlights the stresses that caused him to so quickly retire during a key part of his ascendency. It's a cautionary tale for dance music’s future stars who don't want to burn out by age 26.