"Heartless" is a song by American producer

Diplo Thomas Wesley Pentz (born November 10, 1978), known professionally as Diplo, is an American DJ and music producer. He is the co-creator and lead member of the electronic dancehall music project Major Lazer, a member of the supergroup LSD with ...

featuring American country music singer

Morgan Wallen Morgan Cole Wallen (born May 13, 1993) is an American country singer and songwriter. He competed in the sixth season of ''The Voice'', originally as a member of Usher's team, but later as a member of Adam Levine's team. After being eliminated ...

. It was released through Mad Decent and

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

on August 16, 2019. The music video was directed by Brandon Dermer and premiered on September 5, 2019.

Background

"Heartless" is a part of Diplo's first "country project" and album ''Chapter 1: Snake Oil'' where he collaborated with many different artists, creating songs with a mashup of trap, pop, country, and dance/electronic music. The album was released on May 29, 2020. Writing credits were given to Diplo, Wallen,

King Henry There have been many monarchs adopting the name "Henry". Years shown below are the regnal years. {{tocright Byzantine Empire * Henry of Flanders (1205–1216) (Latin Empire) Castile * Henry I of Castile * Henry II of Castile * Henry III of Cas ...

, Ryan Vojtesak, Ernest Keith Smith, and Ryan Hurd. Andrew McInnes, Diplo's manager, reached out to Seth England, who is Wallen's manager, along with Florida Georgia Line and

Chris Lane Christopher Eric Lane (born November 9, 1984) is an American country music singer and songwriter. He has released one album as frontman of the Chris Lane Band, a second album, ''Girl Problems'', and a third album, '' Laps Around the Sun''. via Big ...

. Diplo and Wallen did not even meet until the making of the music video.

Commercial performance

"Heartless" was certified gold by the RIAA on November 19, 2019, platinum on 12 February 2020, and double platinum on June 16, 2020 for 2 million units in sales and streams. The song has sold 73,000 copies in the United States as of March 2020.

Music video

The music video for "Heartless" was released onto YouTube on September 5, 2019. In the video, Wallen and Diplo are seen exploring

Atlantic City Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, Boardwalk (entertainment district), boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020 United States censu ...

. In the beginning, the camera shifts from the men playing games at a carnival to them singing on the beach and boardwalk. Later the pair is seen getting in a car where they are taken to a casino, when finally, they are performing a concert on stage for a crowd until the ending where the two share a hug.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Julia Michaels version

A re-recorded version of the song featuring American singer Julia Michaels was released on January 31, 2020. A second video clip was released on the same day. The video was filmed in Nashville and again, directed by Brandon Dermer. The clip takes place at a motel where Wallen and Michaels appear to be having issues in their respective relationships. When both of them step outside for fresh air, they ditch their lovers and run away together. The remix impacted pop radio in the US on February 25, 2020.

Music video

The alternate music video with Julia Michaels was released to YouTube on January 31, 2020. In the video, both Wallen and Michaels are seen at the same motel, both with a significant other. First, Michaels is seen having trouble connecting with her man, as he shrugs her off when she attempts to put her head on his shoulder. It then shifts to Wallen who is also seen having the same trouble with his girl, as she shrugs him away when he attempts to put his arm around her. After a few shots of them singing in their rooms, they both then walk out of the door and lean on the walls next to each other, where they share a smile and a nod. They both go back in to pack their bags. Finally they both meet outside to get in Wallen's truck and drive off where the video comes to an end.

Charts

Wallen Album Mix

Wallen released a solo re-recorded version of the song in August 2020. A studio video was released several days later. This version of the song was solely produced by Joey Moi and instrumentally changed to sound like country music. It was included on Wallen's sophomore album '' Dangerous: The Double Album''.

Critical reception

Wes Langeler of ''Whiskey Riff'' called the album mix "way better than the original", crediting the production choices and highlighting the use of real

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

banjos The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and usually made of plastic, or occasionally animal skin. Early forms of the instrument were fashi ...

slide guitar Slide guitar is a technique for playing the guitar that is often used in blues music. It involves playing a guitar while holding a hard object (a slide) against the strings, creating the opportunity for glissando effects and deep vibratos tha ...

, and the

mandolin A mandolin ( it, mandolino ; literally "small mandola") is a stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is generally plucked with a pick. It most commonly has four courses of doubled strings tuned in unison, thus giving a total of 8 ...

References

{{authority control 2019 songs 2019 singles 2020 singles Diplo songs Morgan Wallen songs Julia Michaels songs Columbia Records singles Song recordings produced by Diplo Song recordings produced by Joey Moi Songs written by Diplo Songs written by King Henry (producer) Songs written by Morgan Wallen Trap music songs Songs written by Charlie Handsome Songs written by Ryan Hurd Songs written by Ernest (musician)