If there were any artist to continue soaring even after death, it’d be Avicii.
The late electronic dance music icon, fans of whom recently flooded social media with poignant tributes, is now the titleholder of the highest-certified dance/electronic song in RIAA history. Avicii’s “Wake Me Up” has received the Recording Industry Association of America’s Diamond Award, which recognizes of 10 million certified units of an album or song.
Avicii is the first Swedish artist to receive the prestigious award, solidifying him as “one of the most defining artists of modern pop,” Universal Music Group said in a press release shared with EDM.com.
“Wake Me Up” released almost 10 years ago to the day, on June 17th, 2013. Reflecting on the recording process behind the generational dance anthem, collaborator Aloe Blacc recalled Avicii’s remarkable studio prowess.
“Tim’s energy and effort in producing my vocal performance and other instrumentation really shows the passion he had for creating,” Blacc said.
Meanwhile, a new documentary about Avicii is currently in the works. The film will feature “previously unreleased footage” from the period of the legendary DJ’s discovery and rise to fame, as well as interviews with his family and friends.
Academy Award-winning film producer Lawrence Bender is heading up the project. A frequent collaborator of iconic director Quentin Tarantino, Bender, who developed Pulp Fiction and Good Will Hunting, is one of the world’s most prolific movie producers.
The film’s release date has not yet been revealed at the time of writing.