Avicii’s Google doodle: During his brief career, Avicii redefined the dance-pop scene by mixing electronic music with many different musical genres.
Google Tuesday dedicated its doodle to celebrate the 32nd birthday of Swedish superstar DJ, producer, songwriter, and humanitarian Tim Bergling — known best by his stage name Avicii. During his brief career, Avicii redefined the dance-pop scene by mixing electronic music with many different musical genres.
Born in 1989 in Stockholm, Tim started mixing tunes in his bedroom by the age of 16. In 2011 he released the dance anthem ‘Levels’ under the name “Avicii,” breaking ground as one of the first electronic music tracks to climb the Pop charts. From 2011 to 2016, Bergling played an estimated 220 Avicii sets globally, including a five-year residency in Ibiza and sold-out shows at the 16,000 person Ericsson Globe arena in Stockholm. In addition to breaking down sonic boundaries with hits like the 2013 bluegrass-house-hybrid “Wake Me Up,” Bergling was also among the first DJs and producers to share the spotlight previously reserved for vocalists and instrumentalists.
In 2012, Bergling also set off on “House for Hunger,” an American tour that donated its proceeds to combating food insecurity worldwide. That year, Madonna joined him in closing Miami’s Ultra Music Festival, where the pair broke the festival’s live stream viewer record.
Google spoke with Avicii’s father, Klas Bergling, about his son and mental health. “The Doodle is fantastic, my family and I feel honored and Tim would have been very proud and love it. It is a friendly and warm story of a young man fulfilling his dream to be a DJ and at the same time telling us that our journey in life is not always easy despite fame and fortune,” he said.
In 2021, it was announced that Stockholm’s Ericsson Globe Arena would be changed to Avicii Arena. This initiative is led by the Tim Bergling Foundation, an organization founded by the Bergling family to honor Tim’s life and legacy, remove the stigma attached to suicide, and promote mental health awareness, especially among young people worldwide.