Avicii’s ‘Hey Brother’ reaches one billion Spotify streams

A new interview with bluegrass legend Dan Tyminski has been released to mark the occasion

“Hey Brother,” the third single from Avicii’s 2013 album True, has reached the impressive milestone of a billion streams on Spotify. This makes “Hey Brother” the fifth track by Tim “Avicii” Bergling to achieve this accolade, alongside “Wake Me Up,” “The Nights,” “Waiting For Love,” and “Without You” featuring Sandro Cavazza. This further cements Avicii’s position as a titan of electronic dance music and proves the long-lasting impact his legacy continues to hold over music to this day.

To celebrate this moment, and to thank fans for their continued support for Avicii’s music and creativity, a new video interview with “Hey Brother” vocalist Dan Tyminski will be released on the day that the one billion Spotify stream record is achieved via Spotify. Tyminski is an American bluegrass singer-songwriter, with a career in music spanning over 30 years and 14 Grammy wins to his name. In this never-before-seen interview (recorded in Stockholm, December 2023), Tyminski discusses the process of working with Bergling and expresses his admiration for him as a producer and musician.

Tyminski discusses how working on “Hey Brother” with Bergling allowed him to reach a massive international audience, and says, “It was like a beam came out of heaven and dropped this beautiful, amazing song.” Tyminski reveals how his daughter, a fan of Avicii’s music, encouraged him to participate, explains why ‘Hey Brother’ was a career highlight, and discusses how Avicii – who he describes as not just a big star but “the superstar”- connected with audiences worldwide.

When Avicii unveiled new music from True for the first time at his much-anticipated set at the Ultra Music Festival in Miami, fans were surprised by the presence of a live band performing bluegrass and soul-inspired tracks. At first, the crowd was unsure, as it was so different from previous hits like “Levels,” but the risk Avicii took when premiering “Wake Me Up” and “Hey Brother” at this event paid off, as both songs are now firm fan-favorites. In the interview, which features footage from the Ultra Music Festival, Tyminski reminisces about singing with Avicii at the event, with his daughter being present to watch the performance.

Buddy Iahn
Buddy Iahn