Famously aerophobic DJ and producer Eric Prydz claimed that he overcame his fear of flying through constant exposure in a recent interview.
Many in dance music know about Eric Prydz‘ fear of flying. It contributed to his relative obscurity in the years that his former Swedish House Mafia collaborators achieved international stardom, and it forced bookers to plan out travel routes with limited time in planes. But according to the Swedish producer himself, his aerophobia is a thing of the past.
Prydz revealed as much in an interview published on his YouTube channel in preparation for the relaunch of his EPIC Radio mix series. When asked about his rigorous tour schedule, he said, “I don’t mind flying anymore, to be honest. I kind of enjoy it. You get to turn off your phone; no emails, no text messages. Little bit of food, catch up on some series, or sit and work with my laptop and headphones, make some new music.”
“It’s weird,” he continued. “I came from having a full-on phobia to probably being the calmest person on the plane. It’s a bit strange. I don’t know what happened, but it just disappeared. It was gradual, basically just me forcing myself on planes every week. After a while, it just disappeared.”
This is a significant departure from remarks Eric Prydz has made in the past. While he first visited the US in 2007, Billboard noted in 2012 that his “crippling fear of flying” prevented him from touring extensively. As recently as 2019 — well after he came into his own as an international festival staple — he told Zane Lowe in a Beats 1 interview that he’d “tried everything,” including a therapist who gave him “a full scale panic attack” by tricking him into boarding a flight in a small plane.
Prydz also discussed his reasons for relaunching EPIC Radio, sharing that a wealth of new music is on the way in 2026. He mentioned that touring will temporarily go on the back burner while he focuses on releases, and he told the story of how his chart-topping 2010 single “Pjanoo” was an unexpected sleeper hit, among other subjects.
Watch the full interview with Eric Prydz below, and tune in for the relaunch episode of EPIC RADIO at 4pm PT today, March 5 via Eric Prydz’s YouTube channel, Insomniac Radio, or the SiriusXM channel Diplo’s Revolution.
Stream the Eric Prydz interview on YouTube:
