Mawazine 2016: Wyclef Jean says Avicii’s retirement is only temporary

Wyclef Jean and Avicii have been working together on songs that would make up Jean’s upcoming eighth album Carnival Volume 3: The Road to Clefication. Matt Sayles / AP photo

Wyclef Jean says Avicii will return to touring in two years.

Speaking from the Mawazine Festival in Rabat on May 21, Jean said he understood the 26-year-old EDM DJ’s decision to stop touring indefinitely at the end of his latest world tour.

“He is young and if he feels like he needs a break then he has to take it. It is good for him that he can actually go and do that,” he says.

“When artists are of Avicii’s age and they are that popular, what ends up happening is that the shows burn them out. I commend him for saying ‘whoa, let me stop’.”

That said, Wyclef goes on to state the Swede has too much passion for performance to totally call it quits.

“I know Avicii, he definitely got the bug and I look forward to seeing him on stage in another two years,” he says.

The duo have been working together on songs that would make up Jean's upcoming eighth album Carnival Volume 3: The Road to Clefication.

While there is no release date yet, Jean promises his first album in seven years will be another eclectic affair.

“It’s like a global gumbo and I chef everything” says the Haitian. “I want the music to be ever lasting and to do that I am coming from a global base and not a local base.”

• The Mawazine Festival continues until May 28. Visit www.festivalmawazine.ma for more details