I Could Be The One [Avicii vs Nicky Romero]

As one of the most popular DJs of the late-2000s EDM boom, Grammy-nominated Swedish producer Avicii rose to the top of the charts in multiple countries and toured the world with his uplifting house anthems. Emerging in 2008, he made a name for himself on the electronic circuit before breaking into the international mainstream with his breakout hit, "Levels." The chart-topper was certified platinum across the globe and he soon became a fixture at both festivals and on the radio. His debut album, 2013's True, included a trio of chart-topping singles: "Wake Me Up," "You Make Me," and "Hey Brother." He continued to juggle the underground and the mainstream, remaining on the charts and racking up platinum certifications while pushing his sound in fresh directions on EPs and DJ mixes. Months after the release of his sixth EP, Avici (01), the young producer was found dead in Oman from self-inflicted wounds. He was 28. A year after his passing, the posthumous album TIM was issued.

Born Tim Bergling in Stockholm in 1989, he began making music at the age of 18, writing and remixing tracks in his bedroom and uploading them onto the Internet. Influenced by Daft Punk and Steve Angello, his melodic house sound gained a huge following, which led to support from both Tiësto, who invited him to perform a weekly residency at Privilege in Ibiza, and Pete Tong, who released first single "Manman" through his Bedroom Bedlam label.

In addition to remixing tracks for Little Boots, Robyn, and Dizzee Rascal, Bergling issued a handful of his own singles, like "Bromance" and "My Feelings for You" in 2010. "Seek Bromance" -- which added the vocals of Amanda Wilson atop his earlier track -- became a modest hit across Europe. However, it wasn't until his next single, 2011's "Levels," that his international popularity exploded. Featuring a sample of Etta James' "Something's Got a Hold on Me," the track topped dance charts across the globe and reached platinum status in at least ten countries, launching Avicii into the mainstream.

Toward the end of 2012, Bergling issued "I Could Be the One," a collaborative single with Nicky Romero. The song became another hit for the producer and was featured heavily on reality TV shows and European radio. The following year, he released the single "Wake Me Up." Featuring the vocals of Aloe Blacc, the pastoral soul track peaked at the top of the charts in over 20 countries, making it his biggest hit to date. That "folktronica" sound would feature heavily on his debut album, True, which arrived in late 2013. The multi-platinum LP featured guests like Adam Lambert, MØ, and Nile Rodgers, and produced four additional hit singles like "Hey Brother" and "Addicted to You." A version of the album featuring Bergling's own club remixes -- the aptly titled True: Avicii by Avicii -- arrived in 2014. That same year, Bergling scored another mainstream hit with "A Sky Full of Stars," a collaboration with Coldplay.

In late 2015, his sophomore album, Stories, arrived. Continuing his cross-genre exploration of EDM and pop, Bergling recruited guests like Zac Brown, Wyclef Jean, Matisyahu, and Martin Garrix for the effort, which topped the Billboard dance chart upon release. While he continued to perform and release new music, Bergling announced in early 2016 that he would retire from the live scene due to persistent health concerns. That summer, he performed his final live set in Ibiza.

New music in the form of the Avici (01) EP arrived in summer 2017 while Bergling continued to produce material for an expected second and third installment of the EP series. However, on April 20, 2018, he suddenly passed away in Muscat, Oman, at the age of 28. The following year, a posthumous collection was issued. TIM featured appearances by Aloe Blacc, Vargas & Lagola, A R I Z O N A, Imagine Dragons, and Chris Martin of Coldplay. ~ Neil Z. Yeung

Dutch DJ Nicky Romero is a major name in the EDM world, thanks to his ambitious yet accessible productions fusing progressive house with pop. Following early career remixes of tracks by artists like David Guetta and Hardwell, the video for his single "Toulouse" became a viral hit in early 2012, and he broke through a year later with "I Could Be the One," his U.K. chart-topping collaboration with Avicii. Since then, he's become a major attraction at festivals including Coachella, Tomorrowland, and Ultra Music Festival. He's also co-produced songs for major pop stars like Rihanna and Britney Spears, in addition to collaborating with Chic's Nile Rodgers on the 2015 single "Future Funk." Romero runs the successful Protocol Recordings label, as well as its Protocol Radio podcast. Through his label, he's released collaborations with Nervo, Deniz Koyu, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, and others, as well as solo releases like the 2022 EP Perception. He also makes progressive house under the name Monocule, including the 2025 single "Don't Let Go."

Nick Rotteveel was born in the province of Utrecht in the Netherlands in 1989. Early experience as a drummer in a marching band helped develop his gift for rhythm, and by his teens he was playing a mixture of R&B and house tracks to appreciative Dutch audiences. In 2008, he began to issue club-oriented instrumentals on small labels such as the fledgling Once Records, before going on to sign tracks to larger labels like Toolroom and Spinnin'. David Guetta soon took notice and e-mailed Romero out of the blue with a request for him to remix a track that he was working on. The pair finally met up during a Guetta DJ set in Ibiza and struck up a close friendship that eventually led to the award-winning Frenchman tutoring Romero in the art of merging pop aesthetics with club music. There was an increase in press attention when Romero's remix of Guetta's Kelly Rowland collaboration "When Love Takes Over" began to circulate in 2009. Further support from fellow Dutch DJs such as Hardwell and Fedde Le Grand led to much more remix work in 2010, including a Romero revamp of Kylie Minogue's "All the Lovers."

The year 2011 saw him expand into the European festival circuit, while early the following year he landed another prestigious remix assignment when he worked on Madonna's "Give Me All Your Luvin'." That summer a main stage appearance in Belgium at the Tomorrowland festival further cemented his reputation. Romero started Protocol Recordings, a label devoted to releasing material by up-and-coming dance music producers, in May 2012. Around this time, the video for his single "Toulouse," featuring several people in Guy Fawkes masks walking around Hamburg, was uploaded to YouTube, eventually attracting hundreds of millions of views. Later in the year, he was asked to produce a track for Rihanna's Unapologetic album. Further mainstream success ensued when he collaborated with Swedish DJ Avicii on the Noonie Bao-fronted track "I Could Be the One." Hundreds of thousands of copies of the single were sold worldwide, and by February 2013 it had reached the number one spot in the U.K. singles chart.

Romero scored further hits with "Symphonica" and the Krewella collaboration "Legacy." By the end of the year, he co-wrote and produced Britney Spears' song "It Should Be Easy" from her album Britney Jean. Romero collaborated with Dutch vocalist Anouk for a 2014 single called "Feet on the Ground." He co-produced two songs on Guetta's 2014 album Listen, as well as a track on Japanese band Sekai no Owari's 2015 album Tree. The year 2015 also brought single collaborations with Danny Shah ("Lighthouse") and DJ duo Stadiumx ("Harmony") as well as a remix of One Direction's "18." In 2016, Romero collaborated with Chic's Nile Rodgers on a single called "Future Funk." Subsequent collaborations included 2017's "Sober" with Cheat Codes and the following year's "Here We Go (Hey Boy, Hey Girl)" with Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike and "Me on You" with Taio Cruz.

In 2019, Romero teamed up with singer/actress Olivia Holt for the dance-pop single "Distance," DallasK for "Sometimes" featuring XYLØ, DJ Florian Picasso for "Midnight Sun," and Stadiumx for "Love You Forever" featuring singer/songwriter Sam Martin. He also issued a remix of Kygo and Rita Ora's smash hit "Carry On." Romero launched his Monocule alias with the EP Vol. 1 in 2020, followed by Vol. 2 the next year. As Romero, he released collaborations with Deniz Koyu, Timmy Trumpet, Armin van Buuren, Teamworx, and several others. In 2022, he released the EP Perception as well as singles like "Techtronic" and "Stay a Little Longer" (with DubVision and Philip Strand). Singles such as "Turn Off the Lights," "Forever" (with Nico & Vinz), "All You Need Is Love" (with Jonas Blue and Nico Santos) appeared in 2023, as well as the Nightvision EP.

In 2024, Romero released over a dozen singles, with some of the most heavily streamed including "Tomorrow Comes" (with Deniz Koyu and Jaimes), "Where Do I Go" (with Vikkstar, Alpharock, and Oaks), and "Here We Go Again" (with Timmy Trumpet and GESES). Romero's Monocule alias released "Don't Let Go" (with WHAT EVA) in 2025. ~ James Wilkinson & Paul Simpson