Swedish DJ Avicii’s suicide changes attitudes to burnout and mental health in electronic music industry
- 28-year-old committed suicide in April. Two years earlier he warned the DJ lifestyle would kill him
- Manager of several high-profile artists say there’s a greater focus on the mental health of artists following his death
Two years earlier, Avicii had retired from touring after repeatedly warning that the lifestyle was going to kill him, but that he was being pressured to continue. A number of other dance artists have publicly experienced burnout and have even quit the tour circuit because of it.
A 2016 study showed that 69 per cent of musicians had experienced depression, while 71 per cent have had panic attacks or high levels of anxiety. This is heightened in the electronic dance music (EDM) world, where artists get little sleep and play shows year-round.
Olga Heijns, who manages dance music artists such as Laidback Luke and Blasterjaxx, believes there’s a “huge role” for managers, labels, and agents to let artists know it’s OK to say no – and that they’re not expected to be “always on”.
Laidback Luke says in 2018 “we finally get to talk about [the pressures] – you’re finally not being judged”. However, he believes there should be guidelines on how many shows a DJ can play and how many flights they can take.