Avicii: Witness the creation of ‘Wake Me Up’ with Aloe Blacc in new video

July 17th, 2023 marked the ten-year anniversary of the release of the global smash hit, ‘Wake Me Up’, a track that would alter the career of Avicii and the history of dance music forever. Ignoring the era’s house and dubstep energy that dominated the charts and festival stages, the Swedish producer chose to deliver a folk-inspired anthem that caught the dance community off guard before it took off on the charts.

Featuring vocals from Aloe Blacc and an acoustic guitar courtesy of Incubus’ Mike Einziger, Wake Me Up was a true effort of passion and a pioneering sound amongst electronic music producers. When Avicii famously debuted the single at Ultra Music Festival 2013, the audible boos and awkward silence of the audience let the producer know that they were not impressed at that moment. Not to be deterred by the harsh reaction from the Miami audience, Avicii would release the single a few weeks later and find total redemption in the response and legacy it would pave. While he tragically is no longer here to watch the impact and importance of his music, Wake Me Up just achieved diamond status from the RIAA in America, a first for both a dance music artist as well as a Swedish artist.

As the song continues to bring joy to millions of fans around the world, they can now watch some great studio footage of Avicii working with Aloe Blacc in the studio to hone the incredible vocal line that defines the single. In the clip, the producer is going over the vocal melodies, ensuring that the vocalist delivers each line with both the right energy as well as ensuring that he is enunciating and hitting the appropriate notes. It is an incredible behind the scenes look at one of the most impactful singles to ever come from the dance community.

Image Credit: Cim Ek / Avicii Music AB / Provided by Universal Music