Pick-up trucks and horses might not be the first images that come to mind when you think of Avicii. The Swedish superstar DJ is more associated with massive outdoor festival stages than a country road. Though his DJ life is represented in the video for his latest hit, “Wake Me Up,” something about the track’s wailing vocal from Aloe Blacc, the guitar twang (courtesy of Incubus’ Mike Einziger) and a partnership with the Denim & Supply line from iconic American clothing brand Ralph Lauren bring out the trucks and giddy-ups in this clip, too.
“Wake Me Up” is the first single from Avicii’s forthcoming album “TRUE,” expected September 17. The video, directed by renowned fashion and celebrity photographer Mark Seliger, premiered today (July 29), while the song hitting No. 1 in 47 countries including the UK where it became the fastest-selling single of the year, beating Robin Thicke’s smash “Blurred Lines.” “Wake Me Up” currently sits at No. 52 on BIllboard’s Hot 100 and has so far reached No. 5 on the Dance/Electronic Digital charts and at No. 39 on the Dance/Club Play Charts.
“It’s definitely the best work I’ve done so far,” Avicii says of “TRUE” in our interview with him above. “There’s just this kind of blend of rock and soul and R&B to almost kind of bluegrass and old house and funk. It’s got everything kind of mixed in.”
Avicii has been a brand ambassador and de facto model for Denim & Supply by Ralph Lauren since last fall when he partnered with the company for a concert in San Francisco’s Union Square. And not to worry: this Americana-on-the-dance floor video is far more Madonna “Don’t Tell Me” than “Cotton-Eyed Joe.”