Avicii was hopeful he could learn how to be content in documentary voiceover.
The Swedish DJ—who died by suicide at age 28 in 2018—narrates his own story in a docufilm Avicii — I’m Tim produced with a compilation of some voiceovers he left behind.
Tim Bergling, who went with the stage name Avivii, can be heard discussing in the documentary ways he tried to get to the root of his unhappiness—this comprised of measures such as consulting psychiatrists and doctors, switching up his diet, and working out.
The famous DJ felt weighed down by the idea of having to be both Avicii and Tim Bergling, People Magazine noted after the release of the documentary.
“My dream would be to be completely, completely at ease and completely happy with what I’ve got already, and not really have any aspirations to do a billion other things,” he said in the documentary.
“F***, I just want to be free from all the ideas of a life. Those are the things that kept me from living life, has been that exact thing: just having an idea of what life should be and what should make me happy.”
Avicii noted how those aspirations also applied to his professional life as well, which explains his mental health breaks and concert cancellations.
“You know, making a bigger song will make me more happy, or this, this and this. Nothing has turned out to be true. But I want to learn how to be content. That would be life for me. Being content.”
Bergling said he began to see change in his life when he gave himself “room to explore.” Consequently, the musician felt a new sense of freedom that enabled him to finally begin making music for himself.
Avicii’s friend Carl Falk said in the doc that Bergling “had lots of dream,” including “dreams of love, dreams of having a family” ahead of his last days.
Falk acknowledged there “was a darkness” to his friend in the months leading up to his death, as he’d often cancel music sessions to meditate or for other reasons unknown.