"Be Kind" is a song by American producer

Marshmello Christopher Comstock (born May 19, 1992), known professionally as Marshmello, is an American electronic music producer and DJ. His songs "Silence", "Wolves", "Friends", " Happier", and " Alone" have been certified multi-platinum in several ...

and American singer Halsey. It was released as a

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

through Joytime Collective,

Astralwerks Astralwerks is an American record label primarily focused on electronic music owned by Universal Music Group. Its material is distributed via Capitol Music Group in the United States. The label was founded in 1993 and, in its early years, featur ...

, and

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...

on May 1, 2020. "Be Kind" peaked at number 29 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Outside of the United States, "Be Kind" peaked at number one in Flanders (Belgium), within the top 20 of the charts in Australia, Canada, Lithuania, Malaysia, Singapore, and Wallonia (Belgium), as well as the top 40 of the charts in the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, the Republic of Ireland, and the United Kingdom. The song appears on Halsey's eighth

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

(EP) and first compilation EP, '' Collabs'' (2020), serving as its

lead single A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. Release s ...

, and also appears on the expanded version of her third

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

, '' Manic'' (2020), serving as its fourth single.

Background and promotion

Marshmello and Halsey indirectly came out announcing a collaboration on April 29, 2020, through their

social media Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social medi ...

by posting a flower visual each and the caption "friday". The two musicians went on to reveal the song title and cover art, a painting of a flower with a pink sticker, a day later through their social media.

Composition

Musically, "Be Kind" is an "emotional"

EDM EDM or E-DM may refer to: Music * Electronic dance music * Early Day Miners, American band Science and technology * Electric dipole moment * Electrical discharge machining * Electronic distance measurement *Entry, Descent, and landing demonstrat ...

song that sees Marshmello and Halsey " xploringtrust issues and einforcingthat it's OK to be vulnerable with someone you love." In terms of

music notation Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspect ...

, "Be Kind" was composed using common time in the

key Key or The Key may refer to: Common meanings * Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm * Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock * Key (map ...

E major E major (or the key of E) is a major scale based on E, consisting of the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. Its key signature has four sharps. Its relative minor is C-sharp minor and its parallel minor is E minor. Its enharmonic equivalent, ...

, with a

tempo In musical terminology, tempo (Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (often ...

of 94

beats per minute Beat, beats or beating may refer to: Common uses * Patrol, or beat, a group of personnel assigned to monitor a specific area ** Beat (police), the territory that a police officer patrols ** Gay beat, an area frequented by gay men * Battery ( ...

. Halsey's vocal range spans from the low note F3 to the high note of C5.

Music video

A music video was released on YouTube on June 28, 2020. It was directed by

Hannah Lux Davis Hannah Lux Davis (born May 17, 1986) is an American music video, commercial and film director. She's known for her work especially with female artists, such as Ariana Grande, Katy Perry, Demi Lovato, Nicki Minaj, Miley Cyrus, Avril Lavigne, Christ ...

. The video begins with Halsey sitting in a chair and dancing around a large grey room. Later she appears dancing in a seemingly digital utopia full of flowers and sakura trees. At the end of the video, she awakens back in the grey room where she attempts to communicate with Marshmello, who is seen on a small screen directly in front of her. As of September 17, 2021, the video has over 82 million views.

Remixes

A remix of the song by fellow DJ Surf Mesa was released on June 17, 2020. Another remix of the song by DJ

Jacques Lu Cont Stuart David Price (born 9 September 1977) is an English electronic musician, DJ, songwriter, and record producer known for his work with artists including Madonna, Dua Lipa, The Killers, New Order, Kylie Minogue, DMA's, Example, Take That, ...

was released on June 26, 2020. A third remix of the song by the DJ trio Joy Club was released on July 10, 2020. A fourth remix of the song by upcoming DJ BLVD was released on the same day as the Joy Club remix for free download.

Personnel

Credits adapted from

Tidal Tidal is the adjectival form of tide. Tidal may also refer to: * ''Tidal'' (album), a 1996 album by Fiona Apple * Tidal (king), a king involved in the Battle of the Vale of Siddim * TidalCycles, a live coding environment for music * Tidal (servic ...

. * Marshmello – songwriting, composition, production, programming * Ashley Frangipane – vocals, songwriting, composition *

Gian Stone Gian Stone is an American songwriter and record producer from New York City. He topped the Billboard Hot 100 Producer Chart in May 2020. His work includes co-writing and production of Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande's "Stuck with U", Maroon 5's " ...

– songwriting, composition, production, additional producer, programming *

Amy Allen Amy Allen (born October 24, 1976) is an American actress and film crew member who portrayed the Jedi Master Aayla Secura in ''Star Wars'' films released in 2002 and 2005. She worked behind the scenes on many different movies, including ''A.I. ...

– songwriting, composition * Freddy Wexler – songwriting, composition * Aria McKnight – A&R * Jeremy Vuernick – A&R * Elizabeth Isik – A&R administration * Brandon Buttner – engineering, vocal production, studio personnel * Michelle Mansini – master engineering, studio personnel * John Hanes – mixing engineering, studio personnel *

Serban Ghenea Șerban Ghenea (born October 13, 1969) is a Grammy award-winning Romanian-Canadian audio engineer and mixer. Early life and education Ghenea was born in Bucharest, Romania in 1969. In 1976 he moved to Montreal with his family. He later attended ...

– mixing, studio personnel

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{authority control 2020 singles 2020 songs Marshmello songs Halsey (singer) songs Music videos directed by Hannah Lux Davis Songs written by Halsey (singer) Songs written by Amy Allen (songwriter) Songs written by Marshmello Songs written by Freddy Wexler Capitol Records singles Astralwerks singles