As the release of his self-titled fifth studio album approaches, Illenium is raising awareness about a topic that hits close to home: drug-related overdoses.
The 32-year-old producer first opened up about his history of addiction in 2018. “Six years ago I overdosed on heroin. I struggled with opiate addiction from a young age. I was trapped in it, had no passion, no direction, and truly hated myself. It was such a dark time for me and my family because when it gets bad enough, hope begins to dim and there’s no escaping reality,” he wrote in a poignant letter to fans posted on his social media. Born Nick Miller, the Grammy Award-nominated producer got clean following this 2012 overdose.
Now, as part of a new partnership with the non-profit organization End Overdose, Illenium is empowering fans with the education to identify and promptly respond to drug-related overdoses. At 5 p.m. ET today (April 26), Illenium will take to Instagram Live (via his own channel) to teach viewers how to administer naloxone (commonly referred to as Narcan), a medication approved by the Food and Drug Administration to rapidly reverse opioid overdoses.
“I want to use my platform to amplify the work that End Overdose is doing to educate people on how to identify and respond to an opiate overdose,” Illenium tells Billboard. “With how rampant fentanyl is in our communities, it’s important for everyone, regardless of whether they use these drugs or not, to be able to recognize the signs and symptoms of an overdose and know how to provide aid if needed. This issue is very personal to me as a recovering addict and someone who has overdosed in the past. Providing education and free naloxone to those who need it will save lives.”
Volunteers from End Overdose will also provide live training at select stops on Illenium’s world tour in support of the album, to be released via Warner Records this Friday, April 28. In-person instruction will be offered at stops including San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, Denver, Rothbury, Austin, Atlanta, Brooklyn, Detroit, and Bridgeview. Illenium is currently working with End Overdose to extend the training sessions to additional cities on the tour.
With dates across North America, Europe, and Australia, the ILLENIUM Live tour opens at the Gorge Amphitheater on May 27. All four of Illenium’s previously released albums have charted in the top 10 of Top Dance/Electronic Albums, with 2019’s Ascend and 2021’s Fallen Embers both hitting No. 1.
