Several prominent musicians, including EDM star Avicii, former Journey frontman Steve Perry and New Radicals leader Gregg Alexander, have quietly distanced themselves from the demands of live performing and the music business spotlight, with some publicly citing burnout, health issues and what they described as the industry's more challenging or superficial aspects.
Their departures, documented in interviews with major trade publications, reflect personal decisions made at different points in their careers. Though none completely left music behind—some still wrote songs or dabbled in creative projects away from the spotlight—each artist retreated from the grueling public and touring obligations that had fueled their ascent. Consider these three instances:
Avicii
Born Tim Bergling, declared his retirement from live performances in 2016, at the age of 26, just as his EDM career was reaching its zenith.
He had scored major hits including "Wake Me Up" and "Hey Brother" after beginning to produce music as a teenager and touring extensively. In an April 6, 2016, interview with The Hollywood Reporter, he tied the decision to health struggles such as acute pancreatitis linked to excessive drinking and surgeries in 2014.
"To me it was something I had to do for my health," Avicii said. "The scene was not for me. It was not the shows and not the music. It was always the other stuff surrounding it that never came naturally to me. All the other parts of being an artist."
He described himself as introverted and said he had absorbed too much negative energy. A reflective road trip across the United States helped solidify his choice.
"I just feel happy. I feel free at this point. Like I have my private life back and focusing on myself for the first time in a long time," he added. He planned to keep making music, including work on a new album, but without the touring schedule. Avicii died in 2018 at age 28.
Steve Perry
Perry walked away from Journey and much of the public music business in 1998 after helping turn the band into a stadium act with hits such as "Don't Stop Believin'."
In a Sept. 20, 2013, interview with The Hollywood Reporter, he cited burnout as the primary reason. "I got burned out and had to leave," Perry said. "I walked away from all of it. I jumped off the Journey merry-go-round when it was still selling large venues."
He became "a bit of a recluse" outside Los Angeles and developed a complicated relationship with performing. "This love-hate relationship that I have with my voice is a tumultuous thing," he said.
Perry lived quietly for years, relying on royalties while occasionally approving song placements in films and television. He has not ruled out occasional creative work but has remained largely out of the spotlight.
Gregg Alexander
Alexander, the force behind the late-1990s band New Radicals, disbanded the group in 1999 after one album and has since quit the music business as a performing artist three times. The band's album "Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too" peaked at No. 41 on the Billboard 200, and its single "You Get What You Give" reached No. 36 on the Hot 100.
In a Nov. 12, 2018, Billboard interview, Alexander described disillusionment with the industry's corporate and superficial side. He said the "star machinery" and lack of support for substantive messages left him feeling like a "conduit to people's bonuses."
"There was the disillusionment of a lot of the superficial aspects of the music business," he said.
Alexander likened sudden fame to the Hotel California, adding, "I saw one chance to run out of the Hotel California, and I think I realized [that the only way to do that] was to burn that motherfucker to the ground."
He shifted to songwriting for other artists — including hits for Ronan Keating and Sophie Ellis-Bextor — and philanthropy, donating to poverty alleviation efforts. He has recorded unreleased albums but has repeatedly chosen anonymity over the artist spotlight.
"I was grateful when I left the business of being an artist," he said.
When Musicians Decide To Quit
Such exits are not common among A-list acts at the height of commercial success, but the cases illustrate the toll that constant touring, fame and industry expectations can take.
Avicii's announcement drew largely supportive reactions from peers including Steve Aoki, Nicky Romero and the Chainsmokers, who posted messages on social media, according to his Hollywood Reporter interview.
Perry's departure drew less immediate commentary at the time, though his catalog's ongoing popularity kept him visible through media syncs and a 2012 documentary about Journey.
Alexander's multiple retirements allowed him to focus on causes he described as more meaningful, including meetings with political figures on global issues.
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