On the surface, it seems like Flume is living his best life, but depression and alcohol dependance have been lingering behind the curtains.
Australian producer Harvey Streten AKA Flume seems like he’s absolutely on top of the world right now. He was one of the top billed artists at Coachella this year, with his highly-anticipated third album expected later on in the year.
But in a recent interview with The Sydney Morning Herald, Streten revealed that, beneath the surface, his high-flying life isn’t all fun and ass-eating.
Before the release of his hit 2017 album Skin, Streten moved to the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles, where, in his own words, he “went wild and went to all the dumb parties.”
Soon, he was stepping out in front of huge crowds, touring the album and playing the world’s biggest festivals like Coachella and Lollapalooza. Sounds amazing right? Well, it’s much less fun if you have intense performance anxiety.
“I’ve always had anxiety and I’ve never wanted to be the centre of attention,” the producer revealed during the interview. “I’ve never felt like a performer. I have a fear of public speaking, so I never know what to say to an audience.”
So how do you bring yourself to jump on stage in front of tens of thousands of people? Champagne. Three or four glasses before the set, another couple on stage, before rounding out the night with another bottle to celebrate the show.
That was Flume’s routine six nights a week, for three months at a time while he was on the road. “And before I knew it,” Flume revealed, “I realised ‘Oh f—, I’m an alcoholic.'”
But as they say, the first step in fixing a problem is admitting you have one. Flume’s next tour will allow for bigger breaks in between shows, and no drinks before he steps on stage.
Of course, he was also asked about the infamous ass-eating incident, which at the time, lost the producer a few big partnership deals. But now, he sees it as a blessing.
“Until then I’d been seen as the Michael Cera of EDM,” he said. “I had this squeaky-clean image. Because of what happened, I can now say or do what I want. I don’t have to be this perfect person all the time. It was liberating.”
The Michael Cera of EDM. We cannot deal with how accurate that comparison is.
