Grammy-nominated electronic star Alesso released his incredible new single 'Midnight" via the labels 10:22pm/Capitol/Astralwerks.
It features Liam Payne's crisp, rumbling voice coupled by Alesso's soaring production, which is utterly hypnotic. Particularly impressive was the fact that their song's music video was filmed in quarantine last month, and it was directed, produced and edited by Conor Butler. It may be seen below on Alesso's official YouTube channel.
With this refreshing track, it was Alesso and Payne's goal to shed some light on the lives of their fans and listeners, and it is safe to say that they accomplished that objective. It is an anthem of unity and solidarity while both of these gifted artists are in quarantine."Midnight" is available on all digital service providers by clicking here.
The Verdict
Overall, Alesso and Liam Payne's latest single "Midnight" is atmospheric, compelling and uplifting. It is well worth more than just a passing glance, and it is a match made in electronic dance music heaven. "Midnight" garners an A rating.
The Hits Radio Breakfast team joined the stars backstage over the Hits Live weekend, and in Manchester, Fleur East, Greg and James caught up with One Direction singer Liam Payne. Although One Direction started a hiatus a few years ago, we really wanted to know who out of the 1D boys, Liam would choose who collaborate with - would it be fellow Hits Radio Live artist Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan, or Harry Styles?
Speaking to Fleur, Greg and James, Liam admitted he could imagine him and Harry Styles doing a collab. He said, "From the first song off his album, I feel like me and Harry could do a really cool song together. There could be a good mix between the two things, because the first song was kind of funky, so I feel like we could break down into some sort of hip-hop R'n'B thing half way though, and have like a little mega mix."
Can you imagine?!
He went on to joke, "A little Lirry."
Despite choosing Harry, it was Louis and Liam both watching each other's performances at Hits Radio Live which caught the eye of many fans on the night. Both One Direction boys performed as solo artists as Hits Radio Live, but it was when Liam was on stage that the crowd went into absolute meltdown, when Louis came out to support him, whilst he performed hits like 'Stack It Up', 'Polaroid', and 'Strip That Down'.
Liam also joined Hits Radio evening show presenter Jordan Lee backstage at Hits Radio Live where he reminisced about his days in One Direction, and the awkward reaction his mum had to his raunchy Hugo Boss shoot.
Alesso announced the release of his new single 'Midnight' on April 8 and it serves as a solid number to add to your quarantine playlists
Swedish DJ-producer Alesso has released his new single 'Midnight' featuring Liam Payne during the early hours of April 8.
Alessandro Renato Rodolfo Lindblad, commonly known by stage name Alesso, stands out as a prominent DJ who's more melodic-leaning outlook among his fellow dance/EDM counterparts have gained him wide recognition and critical acclaim.
He has produced numerous hits, and has collaborated with popular singers on various hits such as 'Heroes (We Could Be)' which features Tove Lo, 'I Wanna Know', featuring Nico & Viz, 'Remedy' which features vocals from Conor Maynard and many more.
Apart from a huge host of singles, Alesso has one full-length studio album titled 'Forever' which released in 2015.
English singer-songwriter Liam Payne, most commonly known as a member of the boy band One Direction, started his solo career in 2016 when he signed on with Republic Records in the US.
He showed the world his strength as a solo artiste when he released the lead single from his debut album, 'LP1', titled 'Strip That Down', which features Quavo. The song earned a slot on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at No. 3, and peaked at No. 10 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. 'Strip That Down' was certified platinum in both countries.
On Alesso's Twitter, he wrote a note on the 'Midnight' release. "One of my favorite songs I’ve ever made is out!!!", he writes, "'Midnight' has been helping me get through these weird times. @LiamPayne and I hope it does the same for you!"
Their new track 'Midnight' comes off, straight off the bat, as a more vocally-driven track compared to many of Alesso's usual numbers. Payne singing "Always thought I was losin' the race. Lookin' for love in all the wrong places. I really don't know how we made it here. Never thought I was worth what you give" to offbeat acoustic guitar strumming at the song's opening reveals a slight detour from the heavy-laden electronics we often hear in EDM music.
Payne lets out powerful guttural vocals with "Now I just wanna stay here and fall into midnight" as soon as the chorus kicks in over warm bass, a softened beat and resounding echo effects before a richly mixed electronic dance groove bursts out as a short-but-sweet instrumental segment.
Alesso also shared a performance video on YouTube with footage filmed during quarantine from their separate homes. In the video we see Payne surrounded by rooftops while Alesso plays indoors with his synth keyboard.
The song, in similar veins to Alesso's Twitter comment, does indeed stand out as one of his best. With carefully crafted structure from start to end, delivered with rich melodic production and Payne's powerful vocals, 'Midnight' is a treat for those needing some solid new music during the quarantine.
The coronavirus has halted many plans in the music industry, from tour cancellations to album pushbacks, but it didn’t stop Grammy-nominated DJ-producer Alesso and former One Direction singer Liam Payne from filming a new music video. The pair joined forces for the new dance song “Midnight” but couldn’t film a typical music video because of social distancing, quarantining and being homebound due to the spreading virus.
So Alesso went into the Los Angeles studio where he originally created the track to film his portion while Payne, who lives in London, had a friend film him singing on his balcony.
The result is a clean, simple clip that could pass for a video that was not made with limitations. “Midnight” was released Wednesday(April 8). “It was nice just to make a video with a lot less noise around it — music videos are always so busy,” Payne said in a phone interview with The Associated Press this week. “For me personally, just to be able to go outside my house, perform a song on the balcony and just sing it the way I wanted to perform it rather than have people telling me how to move or what to do, or anything like that. It was very much our video and I’m proud of that.”
“It’s kind of refreshing to just see Liam perform and me just working on the song,” Alesso added. “That’s really how we do it, you know? And kind of let the song have the shine. For me, it was refreshing.”
“Midnight” is relationship song about coming together. But the performers said with the impact the coronavirus has had around the world, the song has taken on a special meaning. “It definitely gives it a bigger meaning. We’re always going to listen to this song, at least me and Liam, and think about these times,” Alesso said. “I think it definitely gives it a special feeling to it.”
“We’re all learning new things about our spouses and spending so much time together with them, people overcoming such massive things in the world together. I think that definitely lends a hand toward the song as well and how you overcome these sorts of things,” Payne added. “Midnight” is one of many songs the 26-year-old Payne has released since One Direction went on hiatus in 2015. He dropped his debut album LP1 in December and hit the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart with multi-platinum hit, “Strip It Down.” The English singer has also collaborated with J Balvin, Zedd, French Montana, A Boogie wit da Hoodie and Rita Ora.
Alesso, who is Swedish, has cracked the Top 40 with the platinum hits “Heroes (We Could Be),” featuring Tove Lo, and “Let Me Go,” with Hailee Steinfeld, Florida Georgia Line and Watt. The 28-year-old has also had success as a remixer, even earning a Grammy nomination for his house version of OneRepublic’s “If I Lose Myself.”
Alesso had been looking for a singer to perform on “Midnight” and was happy Payne jumped onboard: “He added his incredible flavor to it. It really turned out incredible.” The artists say while at home, they’re continuing to be creative. Alesso is working tirelessly in the same studio where he produced “Midnight” and filmed the song’s video. “I work like 10 times more now because I have more free time. My creativity really flows better now because I’m just home and I’m not distracted by touring and that kind of stuff,” said Alesso, who added: “I also, of course, sit and play a lot of video games and watch a lot of Netflix.”
Payne says he’s been busy “drawing, sketching artwork, painting stuff.” He’s also been giving back to his community by donating 360,000 meals to food banks in need during the pandemic through the charity The Trussell Trust. He hopes “Midnight” — the song and video — can have a positive impact on people. “It’s important at this time to step out there for our fans. While everyone’s stuck at home and self-isolating, I just think it’s important to still have stuff coming through to bring a little bit of sunshine to everybody’s day,” Payne said.
Liam also gave an update on those One Direction reunion rumors
Over the past month or so, we've seen plenty of artists get creative in quarantine by staging bedroom concerts, live talk shows, and the like. Just last week, Alesso and Liam Payne kicked the innovation up a notch by debuting a music video for their buoyant new collaboration, "Midnight," which they filmed while self-isolating in their respective homes. And if you thought that was nifty, then just wait until you see their first-ever live performance of the song.
The British singer and the Swedish DJ reunited on Monday night (April 13) for a transatlantic performance on The Late Late Show with James Corden. Alesso constructed his club-like setup in the backyard of his Los Angeles crib, complete with a blazing fire pit and several flashing light beams. Payne, meanwhile, gave us a mini-tour of his London apartment by beginning the song in his living room and then venturing out to the rooftop as a drone followed him and captured some primo overhead shots. (He also, it must be said, wore a great pair of glasses for the occasion.)
Alesso has released his new single “ Midnight (feat. Liam Payne) ” via 10:22pm/Capitol/Astralwerks.
The vivacious track has a slow and steady build with Liam Payne singing about love leading into Alesso’s triumphed melody. The track radiates a confident and uplifting feeling. Liam Payne’s rasp-filled vocals breathe life into the record that complement Alesso’s production knack for crafting energetic and emotive feel good music. To commence the release of “Midnight (feat Liam Payne),” Alesso and Liam Payne will go on Instagram live HERE at 12PM PT / 3PM ET.
“During these difficult times Liam and I hope this song can bring some light” says Alesso.
The performance video was shot during quarantine and provides an intimate look at both artists in their element. It gives off a feeling of unity with both artists standing together in self-isolation while pushing through. Alesso resides mixing and producing the record in LA and Liam Payne is performing the track on his rooftop in London overlooking the city and its sunset. The performance video made its broadcast premiere on MTV Live, mtvU, MTV International and on the Viacom Times Square billboard.
“Midnight (feat. Liam Payne)” comes in hot following Alesso & dance-music-duo DubVision’s joint release “One Last Time”. These singles follow up from Alesso’s recent US Dance Radio #1 record “In The Middle” with SUMR Camp. Alesso headlined the 2020 X GAMES ASPEN alongside Rae Sremmurd and Bazzi.
Alesso is a global maverick in the dance world. Having garnered nearly 4 billion streams, Alesso has proven his influence transcends boundaries outside this world. The Sweden native has collaborated with OneRepublic’s Ryan Tedder, Calvin Harris, Tove Lo, Swedish House Mafia’s Sebastian Ingrosso, Hailee Steinfeld, Florida Georgia Line, Anitta and more. He holds platinum and gold certified records with “If I Lose Myself” and “Under Control,” respectively. Alesso’s had chart success with “Calling (Lose My Mind),” topping the Billboard US Hot Dance Club Songs chart. On Billboard’s Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart, Alesso’s massive breakup anthem “Let Me Go”—a collaboration with Hailee Steinfeld and Florida Georgia Line—reached No. 9, with the ever-successful “Is That Me” peaking at No. 25. He’s performed at international festivals from Tomorrowland and Ultra Music Festival to the Electric Daisy Carnival and many more. He’s no stranger to national TV as well, closing out GMA’s Summer Concert Series and performing on the AMAs.
Liam Payne has recently released his highly anticipated debut album LP1 which sold 2.6 million copies worldwide. Listen HERE. Liam Payne is a multi-platinum-selling artist having sold more than 18.8 million singles in just two years as a solo artist since One Direction. He has been streamed a total of 4.1 billion times. Hit singles featured on LP1 include Liam’s smash debut “Strip That Down (feat. Quavo)”which has sold a huge 11.5 million copies worldwide and has been streamed over 1.8 billion times, and most recent singles “Stack It Up (feat. A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie)” and “For You (With Rita Ora).”
“During these difficult times Liam and I hope this song can bring some light.” – Alesso
Fan favorite artist Alesso just dropped his highly-anticipated new single called “Midnight.” For this release, he partnered with British singer/songwriter Liam Payne, resulting in a track with a slow and steady build with Liam singing about love, and leading into Alesso’s triumphant melody. As a result, the track radiates a confident and uplifting feeling. Liam Payne’s raspy vocals breathe life into the record that complements Alesso’s production and knack for crafting energetic and emotive feel-good tunes.
What really stands out is the making of this amazing video, where in the current climate people have to stay six feet apart and shooting a video can become complicated. This video was shot during quarantine and provides an intimate look at both artists in their element. It gives off a feeling of unity with both artists standing together in self-isolation while pushing through. Alesso resides mixing and producing the record in L.A. and Liam is performing the track on his rooftop in London overlooking the city and its sunset. Above all, this tracks makes you rethink life and priorities. In this crazy world we live in right now, love and compassion are more important than ever.
