‘He died because he was medicating himself just like I was with alcohol and drugs’: Musician Flume reveals he was headed down the same path as DJ Avicii who died aged just 28
Flume has revealed that he was heading down the same path as DJ Avicii who died tragically, aged just 28, in 2018.
Speaking to the My Friend Podcast this week, Flume, real name Harley Edward Streten, said he was self-medicating to cope with performing.
The 28-year-old DJ said: ‘I mean I used a lot of alcohol. Like, when performing, I would drink to calm nerves.
Struggles: Flume (pictured) has revealed that he was heading down the same path as DJ Avicii who died tragically, aged just 28, in 2018. Speaking to the My Friend Podcast this week, Flume, real name Harley Edward Streten, said he was self-medicating to cope with performing
‘I would drink to make it bearable, which sounds crazy but really it’s the truth. I’m just not a performer and I’ve definitely used alcohol to feel comfortable on stage in front of people.’
Flume goes on to say that the combination of mental health concerns and substance abuse could have seen him suffer the same fate as the Swedish superstar DJ.
He said: ‘I think people like Avicii and things, are literally the same as me. And he died because he was medicating himself just like I was, with alcohol, drugs, whatever.
Tragic end: Internationally acclaimed DJ Avicii (pictured) whose real name was Tim Bergling, died by suicide in Muscat, Oman in April 2018. Following his death, his family penned an open letter saying the 28-year-old ‘could not go on any longer and wanted peace’
‘He wasn’t happy,’ the Never Be Like You performer added.
Flume went on to reveal that he no longer drinks before performances but still struggles with anxiety.
‘Now I don’t drink before shows, because I kind of realised that was a pattern, and it was getting pretty bad,’ he said.
Flume said: ‘I mean I used a lot of alcohol. Like, when performing, I would drink to calm nerves. I would drink to make it bearable, which sounds crazy but really it’s the truth. I’m just not a performer and I’ve definitely used alcohol to feel comfortable on stage in front of people’
Flume goes on to say that he could have suffered the same fate as the Swedish DJ: ‘I think people like Avicii and things, are literally the same as me. And he died because he was medicating himself just like I was, with alcohol, drugs, whatever. He wasn’t happy’
‘The second I enter the festival I’m riddled with anxiety. Even to this day, after I’ve done thousands of shows, I still get anxious.’
Internationally acclaimed DJ Avicii, whose real name was Tim Bergling, died by suicide in Muscat, Oman in April 2018.
Following his death, his family penned an open letter saying the 28-year-old ‘could not go on any longer and wanted peace’.
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Moving on: Flume went on to reveal that he no longer drinks before performances but still struggles with anxiety. ‘Now I don’t drink before shows, because I kind of realised that was a pattern, and it was getting pretty bad,’ he said