"Powerful" is a song recorded by American electronic music project

Major Lazer Major Lazer is an American electronic dance music DJ trio, which includes record producer Diplo, and DJs Walshy Fire and Ape Drums. It originates from Kingston, Jamaica, and was founded in 2008 by Diplo and Switch, with Switch leaving after t ...

. It's the second official single off their third studio album, ''

Peace Is the Mission ''Peace Is the Mission'' is the third studio album by American electronic dance music project Major Lazer. It was released on June 1, 2015. The album was preceded by the international hit single "Lean On" featuring DJ Snake and MØ. The single r ...

'' (2015), featuring guest vocals from English singer

Ellie Goulding Elena Jane Goulding ( ; born 30 December 1986) is an English singer and songwriter. Her career began when she met record producers Starsmith and Frankmusik, and she was later spotted by Jamie Lillywhite, who became her manager and Artists and ...

and Jamaican singer

Tarrus Riley Omar "Tarrus" Riley (born April 26, 1979, Bronx, New York, United States) is a Jamaican-American reggae singer and member of the Rastafari movement.Kenner, Rob (2009)Reggae Singer With a Legacy, a Following and a Mission. ''New York Times''. 21 ...

. The song was initially planned to be the lead single from the album but was scrapped in favor of

Lean On "Lean On" is a song recorded by American electronic dance music group Major Lazer and French DJ and record producer DJ Snake featuring vocals from Danish singer MØ. It was released on March 2, 2015, as the lead single from Major Lazer's third ...

Composition

The song is described as an "

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 ...

power ballad" and its

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

, pop and R&B nature led the critics to label it as one of the most accessible and radio friendly songs in the album. It was written by Thomas Pentz, Maxime Picard, Clement Picard, Ilsey Juber, Fran Hall and

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

musician

; the latter is also featured on the track along singer

. The song is a musical departure from Major Lazer's

dancehall Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially, dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2004) "The Rou ...

-inspired signature sound, having this song dubbed as a ballad by many reporters. Lyrically, the song talks about the protagonist's significant other having 'power' on them, such when they touch there is electricity. It also hints at sex. The chorus of the song was first used in the Major Lazer TV series on

FXX FXX is an American basic cable channel owned by the Walt Disney Television unit of The Walt Disney Company through FX Networks, LLC. It is the partner channel of FX, with its programming focusing on original and acquired comedy series and fe ...

a month before the full song was released in the episode "Vampire Weekend".

Music video

The music video was released on July 23, 2015. It features both Goulding and Riley performing their parts using

telekinetic Psychokinesis (from grc, ψυχή, , soul and grc, κίνησις, , movement, label=ㅤ), or telekinesis (from grc, τηλε, , far off and grc, κίνησις, , movement, label=ㅤ), is a hypothetical psychic ability allowing a person ...

powers and ruining a small diner. The clip's theme is labeled as "

supernatural Supernatural refers to phenomena or entities that are beyond the laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin (above, beyond, or outside of) + (nature) Though the corollary term "nature", has had multiple meanings si ...

" and was directed by James Slater.

Use in media

*In 2017, the song was used in an advertisement for

Emporio Armani Giorgio Armani S.p.A. (), commonly known as Armani, is an Italian luxury fashion house founded in Milan by Giorgio Armani which designs, manufactures, distributes and retails haute couture, ready-to-wear, leather goods, shoes, accessories, and h ...

's Stronger With You and Because It's You perfumes., and in the 2017 advertising campaign for

Unilever Unilever plc is a British multinational consumer goods company with headquarters in London, England. Unilever products include food, condiments, bottled water, baby food, soft drink, ice cream, instant coffee, cleaning agents, energy drink, t ...

's Close-Up toothpaste.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfpB52NXU4I (in Indonesian) *On the November 4, 2019, episode of the reality television singing competition show ''

The Voice The Voice may refer to: Fictional entities * The Voice or Presence, a fictional representation of God in DC Comics * The Voice (''Dune''), a fictional ability in the ''Dune'' universe * The Voice, a character in the American TV series ''Cleo ...

'', Team Gwen (Stefani) member Jacob "Jake" HaldenVang performed a rock arrangement of the song in a Knockout round, opposing fellow Team Gwen member Royce Lovett, who performed

Avicii Tim Bergling (; 8 September 1989 – 20 April 2018), known professionally as Avicii (, ), was a Swedish DJ, remixer and music producer. At the age of 16, Bergling began posting his remixes on electronic music forums, which led to his first rec ...

's " Wake Me Up." Coaches

Kelly Clarkson Kelly Brianne Clarkson (born April 24, 1982) is an American singer, songwriter, author, and television personality. She rose to fame after winning the first season of ''American Idol'' in 2002, which earned her a record deal with RCA. Her debu ...

John Legend John Roger Stephens (born December 28, 1978), known professionally as John Legend, is an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and record producer. He began his musical career by working behind the scenes, playing piano on Lauryn Hill's " Ever ...

, and

Blake Shelton Blake Tollison Shelton (born June 18, 1976) is an American country music singer and television personality. In 2001, he made his debut with the single " Austin". The lead-off single from his self-titled debut album, "Austin" spent five weeks at ...

all preferred HaldenVang's performance, and Stefani agreed, naming him the winner of the Knockout and advancing him to the Live Playoffs. Meanwhile, Lovett was eliminated when Shelton opted not to steal him onto his team (as Clarkson and Legend had already used their steals by that time).

Track listing

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

External links

* {{Authority control 2010s ballads 2015 singles 2015 songs Major Lazer songs Ellie Goulding songs Songs written by Diplo Songs written by Ilsey Juber Torch songs Songs written by Fransisca Hall