Avicii’s Hey Brother is artist’s fifth song to reach 1 billion streams on Spotify

Iconic electronic-bluegrass mashup “Hey Brother” has reached 1 billion streams on Spotify, another posthumous milestone for the legendary Avicii.

The influence of Swedish super-producer and DJ Avicii (Tim Bergling) has lasted long past his tragic death in 2018. Many of his meticulously crafted tunes still serve as cultural touchstones in dance music, with fans returning time and time again to experience the one-of-a-kind creations. Now, one of the all-time Avicii tracks, “Hey Brother,” has reached the incredible milestone of 1 billion streams on Spotify.

Avicii’s Instagram account has posted a video with the vocalist from “Hey Brother,” Dan Tyminski, to commemorate the moment. In the video, Dan says he “grew up in a kind of a bluegrass bubble” where no one really listened to any other type of music, so he was surprised to receive Avicii’s offer to sing on the record. He goes on to praise Avicii and the amount of people that he touched with his music, saying that “to get to be a part of it in any small way is a thrill.”

Dan commented on the video as well, calling Avicii “a true musical genius” and admitting it was “an honor to sing on this song.” Several world-class DJs hopped in the comments as well to show their support, including Timmy Trumpet, Sam Feldt, Sebastian Ingrosso, and Benny Benassi.

“Hey Brother” is a perfect example of the kind of visionary that Avicii was, blending two genres from completely different corners of music to give birth to a game-changing sound that only he could imagine. That sound has inspired countless electronic-country collaborations from the likes of Diplo, Marshmello, and so many more.

It should come as no surprise that “Hey Brother” is not the first of Avicii’s songs to reach 1 billion streams – in fact, it’s his fifth. His incomparable, generational anthem “Wake Me Up” runs away from the pack with over 2.3 billion streams at time of writing. “The Nights” clocks in at over 1.7 billion, “Waiting For Love” at nearly 1.4 billion, and “Without You” nearing 1.1 billion.

This latest achievement is far from the cherry on top of Avicii’s enduring legacy – next in line to reach 1 billion is yet another timeless classic in “Levels,” with about 55 million streams left to go. Celebrate the moment by listening to “Hey Brother” below!

Featured Image: Facebook / Avicii

Gus Johnson

Born and raised in Portland, Oregon, I’ve always had a passion for writing and was introduced to the EDM scene in 2017. Since then, I’ve attended countless shows and several major festivals including Tomorrowland, EDC Las Vegas, Decadence CO, Hard Summer, and Shambhala. Some of my favorite artists are Seven Lions, Zeds Dead, NGHTMRE, Trivecta, and Jason Ross.

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