MANILA, Philippines - On Dec. 14, people across the Philippines gathered in Republiq to witness Avicii’s debut performance in Manila. Avicii aka Tim Bergling emerged in the music industry in 2008 at the tender age of 18. By 2010, he was on tour across the world while working on various projects alongside house music juggernauts Tiësto and Sebastian Ingrosso. To say that Bergling took house music by storm would be an understatement. After the release of his first single Bromance, Bergling adopted the name Avicii and produced hits like Fade Into Darkness and LE7ELS. This year, his collaboration track, Sunshine, with David Guetta was nominated for a Grammy award under the category for Best Dance Recording.
When Simon Cowell’s protégé Leona Lewis was about to release her new summer single Collide, people noticed that it bore a remarkable resemblance to Avicii’s Fade Into Darkness. Later, it was revealed that executives from Cowell’s SyCo label heard a vocal treatment for Avicii’s instrumental track, originally titled Penguin, had producer Sandy Vee re-record it and lined it up for Lewis’ lead single from her new album. Avicii’s people weren’t happy and slapped down an injunction, as they were about to release Fade Into Darkness themselves on Ministry. The dispute was settled at the 11th-hour, just before it was due to be heard in the high court, with Avicii agreeing to work with Lewis in the future and receiving a credit on Collide.
Today at 22, Avicii is recognized as house music’s breakthrough artist. With non-stop touring, Avicii was originally scheduled to perform at Republiq on Dec. 13, but cancelled his DJ set due to an illness in Thailand. However, disappointed fans in Manila found themselves stunned when Avicii announced that he had re-scheduled his performance for Dec. 14 — after a mere day of recovery. The sold-out show left Manila house music lovers enraptured in glow sticks and lighting beams provided by Republiq. Avicii opened his much-anticipated DJ set at 1 a.m. with his big room hit Fade Into Darkness, leaving the crowd jumping for more. While playing original tracks, Avicii mixed in productions by the likes of major influences including Alesso, Swedish House Mafia and AN21. Despite being ill, Avicii delivered yet another high-energy performance, pleasing fans in Republiq. “I could’ve sworn the floor was going to give way,” observed a fellow partygoer, “I’ve never seen so many people pumped up for a DJ before.” The Swedish sensation’s debut in the Philippines set off the Christmas holidays to a feverish start, and as he makes his way toward India, we can only expect more smash hits from the young Bergling.