Avicii honoured with Google Doodle of ‘Wake Me Up’ ahead of his 32nd birthday
Avicii has been honoured with a Google Doodle ahead of what would have been his 32nd birthday.
The animation, which you can view below, overlays colorful sketches of a young boy strumming a guitar as a child, making beats on his laptop as a preteen, and DJing a small gathering as a teenager.
From there, a pair of hands outline the shape of a heart and a sketch of the DJ/producer (real name Tim Bergling) can be seen getting lost in the music while traveling the world and performing live for thousands of people. The minute-long clip is soundtracked by his hit “Wake Me Up” from his 2013 album ‘True’.
It was created ahead of his birthday which would have been tomorrow (September 8) and to mark National Suicide Prevention Week. Bergling took his own life in 2018.
The Google Doodle was created by artists Alyssa Winans, Olivia When, and Sophie Diao.
“The truth is Tim struggled a great deal during the touring part of his adulthood, and I wanted to find a way to both touch on the realities of that experience, while still celebrating and honouring his life in a way that fit the lyrics and tone of the track,” Winans told Consequence Of Sound.
“I ultimately decided to spend the majority of the video on the aspects of his life he loved, with a few symbolic moments to allude to some of the more emotionally challenging experiences.”
Avicii’s father, Klas Bergling, added: “The Doodle is fantastic, my family and I feel honoured 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.”
It comes just months Sweden’s Ericsson Globe was officially renamed in tribute to Avicii.
For help and advice on mental health:
- CALM – The Campaign Against Living Miserably
- YOUNG MINDS – The voice for young people’s health and wellbeing
- Time To Change – Let’s end mental health discrimination
- The Samaritans – Confidential support 24 hours a day
- Help Musicians UK – Around the clock mental health support and advice for musicians (CALL MUSIC MINDS MATTER ON: 0808 802 8008)
- Music Support Org – Help and support for musicians struggling with alcoholism, addiction, or mental health issues (CALL: 0800 030 6789)