"It Wasn't the Alcohol Ever": Zedd Reflects on DJing Sober After a Decade of Drinking Onstage

In an industry where late nights and alcohol often go hand in hand with performance, Zedd has shared a refreshingly honest perspective on his journey to sobriety behind the decks.

Appearing on Lewis Howes’ School of Greatness podcast, the electronic music superstar, whose real name is Anton Zaslavski, revealed that alcohol was his pre-show ritual to combat performance anxiety for over a decade.

“My default used to be to drink onstage for over 10 years, every single show, because I still get nervous,” Zaslavski said. “And for the longest time, I thought I wouldn’t be able to play shows sober. But that’s a really, really dangerous thing to say when you play a lot of shows.”

Zedd.

Julian Bajsel

What makes his revelation particularly significant is the realization that followed his first sober performance in Las Vegas.

“And my first sober Vegas show, I remember I had this moment where I realized, ‘Wait, I’m sober.’ I felt exactly the same as I felt drunk,” Zaslavski continued. “And that made me realize that what I thought the alcohol was giving me, it wasn’t the alcohol ever. It was the adrenaline. It was the excitement. It was the connection to the people.”

Zedd’s candid admission comes not only amid a rise in alcohol-free electronic music events, but also a time when the industry is increasingly acknowledging the toll that touring can take on artists’ mental and physical wellbeing. For many DJs who perform hundreds of shows annually, the pressure to maintain energy levels and audience connection can lead to potentially harmful coping mechanisms.

His experience highlights an important shift in perspective that could influence younger artists navigating the demanding world of electronic music. By challenging the long-held belief that substances are necessary for peak performance, he joins a growing movement of artists prioritizing sobriety in their careers, like Dillon Francis and Virtual Riot.

You can watch the clip from Zedd’s interview below and the full podcast episode here.

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