Hardwell is stepping back from touring indefinitely: ‘I need some time off to be me’

In a shocking announcement made today over Facebook, Hardwell has penned an open letter to fans that he has halted his touring career indefinitely. His last show happened last night in Ibiza.

The globally-celebrated EDM juggernaut has cleared his schedule completely of all targets, interviews, deadlines, release dates, and so forth, saying he wants to focus on being his best self.

“I’ve always dealt with all the pressure that comes with the heavy touring schedule, but for now, it felt too much, like a never ending rollercoaster ride. I always try to give myself 200% and in order to keep doing that, and feeding my creativity, I need some time off to be me, the person behind the artist and reflect on everything that happened the last few years.”

This isn’t the end of his DJ career, he assures fans. Hardwell will remain active in the studio, using the much-needed break to hone his craft and keep his creative juices flowing.

“My sincerest hope is that we will be able to continue this journey together,” Hardwell continued. “I want to come back stronger than ever, but for now, I’m just going to be me for a while.”

While the news comes as disappointing to his international fan base, it also comes at a time when artists have finally begun speaking up about the importance of mental health and the industry pressures of being a highly-visible musician. Although it took Avicii‘s widely-publicized suicide to ignite the cause, Hardwell is the next artist to come to the forefront and stand as an example for other artists to seek balance in such a demanding and unbalanced industry.

H/T: YourEDM