Image via Complex Original
We know, we know; you're not a fan of Avicii. You heard "Levels" too many times in 2012, or just don't like the term "EDM" and want to reject one of the scene's most talked-about artists. We get it. Avicii's quick rise to the top of the dance music scene might anger some, but as we've shown you, it's not like he's been without quality music. Avicii (and the At Night management team) saw the opportunity to rise up and struck while the iron was hot. For good or ill, that's just how it happened.
We know Avicii has many fans out there... he has to, or those fees he commands for DJing wouldn't be justified. The question is, how much do you know about his career, and the places his music has landed? Do you know where the name "Avicii" came from? Take a quick look at the quick rise of Avicii's EDM empire.
Tim became "Avicii" because of MySpace
When coming up with names, someone told Tim Bergling that "Avici" was a level of Buddhist hell. He tried to make "Avici" on MySpace, but it was taken, so he added an "i."
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Avicii counts Eric Prydz and Swedish House Mafia as huge inspirations
That is, outside of his manager, Ash Pournouri.
Avicii wants to end global hunger
Which is why he and his manager Ash started House for Hunger in 2011.
Over 4,000 people submitted sounds of "Avicii x You"
In January of 2013, Avicii announced his "Avicii X You" project where he planned on creating a truly-crowdsourced track. While the work of seven artists were credited with the final product, a staggering 4,199 sounds were contributed to this month-long project.
"Wake Me Up" is the longest-running #1 song for a Swedish act since 1989
Roxette's "The Look" held this distinction previously, but at six weeks on top, Avicii's latest single (which features uncredited vocals from Aloe Blacc) took the spot.
A cover version of "Wake Me Up" charted before the original
You have to love those opportunists. "Wake Me Up" was supposed to be released on September 8 in the United Kingdom. A group that goes by the name "Spark Productions" must have noticed some excitement over the track, and released a cover of it that hit #26 on the UK charts. This then prompted Avicii to go ahead and release the single months early, dropping it in July.
"Levels" was Shazam'd over 3.5 million times in 2012
This put it at #19 on the list of 2012's most Shazam'd songs. We wonder how many of those Shazams turned up Flo Rida's "Good Feeling," though.
Zedd has a thing for "Levels"
We're not sure if this is Zedd hating on the huge mainstream hit, or just poking fun at one of his peers, but Zedd has done everything from shouting the Avicii single out in the digital booklet for Clarity to creating "unoriginal' mixes based on the track. We know Zedd is a prankster, and doesn't seem like a malicious individual, but it is funny when you look back at how many times Zedd referenced the track in the past.
Shaq scratched to "Levels" during a segment on TNT
We blame DJ Irie for this.
