Avicii News
Dezko Talks About Latest Single, His Viral Hit ‘Ascend’, Pressure For What Came After & More
Riding high on the success of his viral hit ‘Ascend’, which continues to make waves in the dance music scene, Dezko has just dropped his latest single, ‘Kiss U’. A brilliant new addition to his ever growing catalog, this release marks yet another milestone for the rising star. To celebrate, we had the chance to sit down with Dezko to dive into ‘Ascend’, the pressures of following up on that breakout hit, the thrill of performing his own tracks live, and much more.
1. Hey Dezko, thanks for taking the time to chat with us, how are you doing today?
I’m feeling amazing! I’m gearing up for my next show and working on some new tracks that I’m really excited about.
2. Let’s kick things off with your viral hit Ascend. What’s it been like watching that single blow up?
It’s honestly such an honor to see people vibing with my music. Ascend has pushed me to work even harder and keep going bigger—it’s been a huge motivator for me.
3. When you were creating it, did you think it would be such a massive hit, or was the success a surprise?
I was studying psychology before I went all-in on music. I knew if I focused on it 100%, I could make something happen, so I took the leap and left school. I was hoping Ascend would do well, but I didn’t expect it to blow up like it did—it was definitely a surprise!
4. After it took off, did you feel any pressure to follow up with another hit, or did the next tracks just come naturally?
Honestly, being heard has always kept me motivated, so after Ascend, I just felt more inspired to keep going. Making music is what I love most, and I’m finding new connections with it every day.
5. You’ve put out a lot of tracks since then, each with that unique Dezko sound. How important is it for you to have your own style as a producer?
Having a recognizable sound is really important to me. It’s amazing when people can hear a track and know it’s mine. And I think there’s still so much to explore with that sound and beyond.
6. What advice would you give to people just starting their journey in music production?
It’s a long road, but if you’re committed to learning and practicing, it’s all worth it. The key is to enjoy every moment and stay open to what the art has to teach you.
7. Let’s talk about your new single, Kiss U. How has it felt to see people responding so positively to it?
Kiss U has been getting a lot of love, both online and in my live shows. It’s awesome to see people connecting with it in such a cool way.
8. You just had a massive set at Tomorrowland Brasil. How was that?
That was unreal! The whole experience was like a dream, and the crowd went all-out during my set. It was such an amazing vibe, and honestly, I’d love to relive every second of it. Brazil really brought the energy.
9. What’s it like to step on stage and play your music for a crowd that knows your stuff?
It’s the best feeling ever! Every time I get on stage, it feels surreal. Seeing people react to my songs is something I’ll never get tired of—it’s pure happiness.
10. Which artists influence you the most as a DJ and producer?
Avicii is hands-down my biggest inspiration. I love how he could make you feel so much with his music. His melodies really hit me, and he’s always been a huge influence.
11. If you could collaborate with anyone, who would it be—in and outside of dance music?
I’d love to work with DJs like Camelphat, Vintage Culture, and Rüfüs Du Sol. And outside of that, someone with a super unique voice like Billie Eilish would be amazing.
12. Thanks for taking the time to chat! Is there anything else you want to say to our readers?
Just a huge thank you! I’ve got some new songs coming up that give me the same vibes as my early singles, and there are more shows happening in places like Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, and Chile. It’s gonna be an end-of-year packed with surprises!
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Avicii News
Tomorrowland Honours Avicii With The Return Of A Tribute Experience
Tomorrowland honours Avicii with the return of a tribute experience, original artefacts, remastered live sets and an exclusive festival collection.
Fifteen years after his first unforgettable performance on the MainStage in 2011, Tomorrowland once again pays tribute to Tim “Avicii” Bergling, the artist who helped shape the sound of a generation and bring electronic music into the mainstream.

THE AVICII TRIBUTE EXPERIENCE
At Tomorrowland Belgium 2026, festivalgoers will once again be invited into a dedicated Avicii Tribute Experience: a 144-square-meter immersive installation celebrating the music, creativity and legacy of one of dance music’s most influential artists. At the heart of the experience is a large-scale LED screen featuring an exclusive audiovisual piece that brings together iconic festival moments, intimate studio footage and personal creative moments, offering a unique perspective on Avicii not only as a performer, but also as a songwriter, producer and musical visionary.
The experience combines never-before-seen imagery, personal stories and audiovisual storytelling from Avicii’s Tomorrowland journey, inviting visitors to reconnect with the artist behind the music and the moments that defined a generation.
For the first time ever, original artefacts from Tim “Avicii” Bergling’s personal collection will be exhibited outside the walls of the Avicii Experience Museum in Stockholm. Several iconic items connected to Avicii’s career and creative process will be on display, offering fans a rare glimpse into his world.
Visitors will also have access to a dedicated Avicii space featuring exclusive collection and limited-edition pieces created especially for Tomorrowland Belgium 2026. Access to the experience is limited and requires advance reservation.
AVICII X TOMORROWLAND COLLECTION
To accompany the tribute experience, Tomorrowland will launch an exclusive Avicii x Tomorrowland collection, available online and at Tomorrowland Belgium 2026.
Inspired by the visual language of sound, the collection incorporates artwork based on sound waves and the Doppler effect, translating Avicii’s musical legacy into a contemporary visual identity. The limited collection serves as a tribute to his enduring influence on electronic music and festival culture.

REMASTERED TOMORROWLAND SETS IN SPATIAL AUDIO
As part of the tribute, fans around the world will be able to relive some of Avicii’s most legendary Tomorrowland performances through newly remastered recordings of his 2012, 2014 and 2015 sets. Available via Apple Music and the Tomorrowland App, the sets have been remastered in Spatial Audio, allowing listeners to experience these iconic performances with a new level of depth and immersion.
A DEFINING TOMORROWLAND LEGACY
Avicii made his Tomorrowland debut in 2011, surprising festivalgoers on the MainStage with “Levels”, a defining moment in his career as the track had not yet been officially released. He returned in 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015, with his final MainStage appearance becoming one of the most memorable performances in Tomorrowland history.
Following his passing, Avicii’s connection with Tomorrowland has remained stronger than ever. In 2018, festivalgoers paid tribute to him during Nicky Romero’s MainStage set, when a giant Swedish flag bearing his image was spread across the crowd in an emotional moment of remembrance.
Today, his music continues to resonate throughout the festival grounds, with artists across the line-up regularly honoring his legacy through their performances. His iconic anthem “Levels” has been voted the number one track in the Tomorrowland Top 1000 three times, cementing its place as one of the most beloved tracks in the history of dance music.
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Avicii News
Court Dismisses Ash Pournouri’s Lawsuit Against Avicii Estate
Swedish Court Dismisses Ash Pournouri’s Lawsuit Over His Portrayal in Avicii Documentary and Books
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Avicii News
Wake Me Up: Avicii’s Song Passes 3 Billion Streams on Spotify
Avicii’s “Wake Me Up” crosses 3 billion Spotify streams more than a decade after its release.
More than a decade after its original release, Wake Me Up by Avicii has passed 3 billion streams on Spotify, marking one of the highest streaming milestones reached by an electronic-led track on the platform. First released in June 2013 as the lead single from Avicii’s debut studio album True, the song quickly became a global commercial success, achieving widespread radio play and sustained chart presence across multiple regions. Over time, “Wake Me Up” has continued to accumulate streams well beyond its initial release period, remaining a consistent presence across playlists and long-term listener activity tied to Avicii’s catalog. Its continued performance places it among a very small group of songs to cross the 3 billion mark on Spotify, a threshold reached by only a limited number of recordings across all genres. As streaming milestones increasingly reflect listening longevity as opposed to short-term popularity, “Wake Me Up” stands out as a release that has maintained relevance and listener interest year after year.
The Release of “Wake Me Up” and How It Marked a Turning Point for Avicii
The release of Wake Me Up followed several months of public exposure before it officially reached streaming and radio. The song was first played live by Avicii during his main stage set at Ultra Music Festival in March 2013, where its acoustic guitar intro and mid-tempo structure contrasted sharply with the big-room EDM sound common across festival lineups at the time. Audience reaction during that initial performance was mixed, but Avicii continued to include the track in subsequent shows across North America and Europe, indicating confidence in the direction of the record. The official release followed on 17 June 2013, with the song serving as the lead single from Avicii’s debut studio album True. At that point in his career, Avicii was already established through tracks such as “Levels”, making “Wake Me Up” a noticeable stylistic departure from the sound most closely associated with him.
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When “Wake Me Up” first premiered at Ultra Music Festival in 2013, the song was initially met with confusion and skepticism. The unconventional use of a live bluegrass band on stage, along with the unexpected blend of genres, was far from what the crowd had expected from an Avicii set. But as fans began taking in the lyrics, the melodies, and the genre-bending sound, “Wake Me Up” quickly soared to global success, topping charts around the world as the soundtrack of a generation. Now, almost 13 years since its release, “Wake Me Up” has passed 3 billion streams on Spotify, making it the most-streamed song by a Swedish artist on the platform. This remarkable milestone stands not only as a testament to its timeless significance but also echoes the profound impact Tim left on electronic dance music ◢ ◤
“Wake Me Up” features vocals from Aloe Blacc and was co-written with Salem Al Fakir, whose background in pop and songwriting brought a more traditional verse-chorus structure to the track. The production combined acoustic guitar, bass, hand percussion, and a restrained electronic arrangement, placing emphasis on lyrics and melody rather than festival-oriented drops. Following its release, the song held number one chart positions in markets including the United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, and Sweden, while also becoming a long-running fixture on radio playlists throughout 2013 and 2014. Over time, “Wake Me Up” became Avicii’s most commercially successful release and remains his most streamed song on Spotify, with its recent passage of 3 billion streams reflecting sustained listening activity more than a decade after its original release.
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The lyrics of Wake Me Up are carried by a clear, repeatable idea that runs through the song without being broken up. The chorus centres on the line “So wake me up when it’s all over, when I’m wiser and I’m older,” a statement that openly accepts uncertainty in the present while pushing understanding into the future. That thought is reinforced throughout the song, where time is treated as something that teaches only after experience has already happened, not before it begins. The words do not suggest having answers, and they do not frame growth as something neat or immediate. Sung by Aloe Blacc, the lyrics stay conversational and plain, which is why the chorus in particular has remained easy to remember and easy to sing back in full during live shows. Years after its release, that central line continues to be the part of the song most closely associated with “Wake Me Up,” anchoring it as a track built around patience, time passing, and learning as life moves forward.
“Wake Me Up” Joins Spotify’s 3 Billion Club
By surpassing 3 billion streams on Spotify, “Wake Me Up” moves into one of the platform’s highest long-term listening tiers, a threshold reached by only a limited number of songs across all genres. Other recordings that have crossed the same mark include “Blinding Lights” by The Weeknd, which has exceeded 4 billion streams, “Shape of You” by Ed Sheeran at well over 3.7 billion, “Someone You Loved” by Lewis Capaldi at just above 3 billion, and “Sunflower” by Post Malone and Swae Lee, which has also cleared the 3 billion line. These tracks are characterised by sustained daily listening over many years, not short-term peaks tied to release cycles. In that context, “Wake Me Up” is notable for being one of the earliest releases in this tier, having first appeared in 2013, and for being led by a producer associated primarily with electronic dance music rather than pop or hip-hop.
When the comparison is narrowed to electronic dance music and electronic-led releases, the field becomes significantly smaller. “Closer” and “Something Just Like This” by The Chainsmokers are among the very few electronic productions to have also passed 3 billion streams, supported by crossover radio exposure and long-term playlist placement. Just below that level sit several high-performing electronic dance music tracks that remain in the upper-two-billion range, including “Let Me Love You” by DJ Snake and Justin Bieber at approximately 2.8 billion streams, “One Kiss” by Calvin Harris and Dua Lipa at around 2.6 billion, “Happier” by Marshmello and Bastille at roughly 2.5 billion, and “Faded” by Alan Walker at just over 2.3 billion. The gap between those figures and the 3 billion mark underscores how rarely electronic dance music releases progress beyond the high-two-billion range. Against that landscape, “Wake Me Up” passing 3 billion streams places it among the most widely listened-to recordings on Spotify, not only within electronic dance music, but across the platform as a whole.
More than ten years after its release, “Wake Me Up” continues to record strong listening figures on Spotify, with its recent move past 3 billion streams confirming its position as the most streamed song in Avicii’s catalog. Very few electronic dance music releases from the early 2010s remain this active on streaming platforms, especially at numbers more commonly associated with long-running pop records. The milestone places “Wake Me Up” alongside a limited group of songs that listeners continue to return to well after their original release cycles. For those revisiting the track today, it also serves as a clear entry point into Avicii’s wider body of work, from earlier releases such as “Levels” through to the broader direction introduced on True, which remains central to how his music is discovered and replayed on streaming platforms.
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