"Scared to Be Lonely" is a song recorded by Dutch DJ

Martin Garrix Martijn Gerard Garritsen (; born 14 May 1996), known professionally as Martin Garrix and also as Ytram and GRX, is a Dutch disc jockey and music producer who was ranked number one on ''DJ Mag''s Top 100 DJs list for three consecutive years—201 ...

and English singer

Dua Lipa Dua Lipa ( , ; born ) is an English and Albanian singer and songwriter. Possessing a mezzo-soprano vocal range, she is known for her signature disco- pop sound. Lipa has received numerous accolades, including six Brit Awards, three Gramm ...

. It was written by Garrix,

Giorgio Tuinfort Giorgio Hesdey Tuinfort is a Dutch record producer and songwriter. Biography Born in Suriname, Tuinfort moved to the Netherlands at 9 months old. His musical career started at age 4, after he attended a special music class for toddlers. After b ...

, Nathaniel Campany, Kyle Shearer, and

Georgia Ku Georgia Ku (born February 20, 1993) is an English singer and songwriter. She was a featured artist on the 2018 NOTD and Felix Jaehn hit single "So Close (NOTD and Felix Jaehn song), So Close". The song has appeared on numerous charts including a ...

, while the production was handled by Garrix, Tuinfort, Valley Girl, and Lorna Blackwood. The song was released for digital download and

streaming Streaming media is multimedia that is delivered and consumed in a continuous manner from a source, with little or no intermediate storage in network elements. ''Streaming'' refers to the delivery method of content, rather than the content it ...

as a standalone

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 ...

on 27 January 2017 by

Stmpd Rcrds Stmpd Rcrds (stylised in all caps; pronounced "stamped records") is a Dutch electronic dance music record label owned by record producer Martin Garrix, who founded the label on 4 March 2016. History Martin Garrix announced the creation of Stmp ...

and

Epic Records Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America Sony Corporation of America (SONAM, also known as SCA), is the American arm of the Japanese conglomerate Sony Group ...

, after being premiered by Garrix at the 2017 AVA Festival a month earlier. It was later included on '' Dua Lipa: Complete Edition'' (2018), the super deluxe

reissue In the music industry, a reissue (also re-release, repackage or re-edition) is the release of an album or Single (music), single which has been released at least once before, sometimes with alterations or additions. Reasons for reissue New aud ...

of Lipa's eponymous debut studio album. "Scared to Be Lonely" is a

future bass Future bass is a style of electronic dance music which developed in the 2010s that mixes elements of dubstep and trap with warmer, less abrasive rhythms. The genre was pioneered by producers such as Rustie, Hudson Mohawke, Lido, San Holo and Ca ...

track with electro and

emo Emo is a rock music genre characterized by emotional, often confessional lyrics. It emerged as a style of and hardcore punk from the Washington D.C. hardcore punk scene, where it was known as emotional hardcore or emocore and pioneered b ...

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 ...

elements. Lyrically, the song sees Lipa singing about the ending of a relationship. The song was met with widespread critical acclaim from

music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...

, who praised Lipa's vocals and the song's emotive production, while the song also became a commercial success, reaching the top 10 of charts in 12 countries worldwide, including Garrix's native region of the Netherlands, reaching the third position. It additionally reached number 14 and 76, respectively, on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

and US ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The song has since been certified platinum or higher in 15 territories, including quadruple platinum awards in Norway and Sweden as well as a triple platinum award in the Netherlands. The

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

for "Scared to Be Lonely" was directed by Blake Claridge and filmed in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

. It features Garrix walking around a landscape, reminiscing about past relationships, while Lipa sings in a forest. The two further promoted the song in 2017 with live performances at Capital FM's the

Jingle Bell Ball The Jingle Bell Ball is a concert held annually in December since 2008 (except for 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic), by the radio station Capital FM at The O2. Artists that have headlined the concert include Katy Perry, Taylor Swift, Li ...

, the

Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival (commonly called the Coachella Festival or simply Coachella) is an annual music and arts festival held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Coachella Valley in the Colorado Desert. ...

, and on ''

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon ''The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jimmy Fallon that airs on NBC. The show premiered on February 17, 2014, and is produced by Broadway Video and Universal Television. It is the seventh incar ...

''. Two remix EPs and an acoustic version were released. The EPs include remixes by

Brooks Brooks may refer to: Places ;Antarctica *Cape Brooks ;Canada *Brooks, Alberta ;United States * Brooks, Alabama * Brooks, Arkansas *Brooks, California *Brooks, Georgia * Brooks, Iowa * Brooks, Kentucky * Brooks, Maine * Brooks Township, Michigan ...

DubVision DubVision is a Dutch DJ duo from The Hague consisting of brothers Victor (born 1989) and Stephan Leicher (born 1981) signed to the labels Spinnin' Records, Armada Music and Axtone. Biography Stephan and Victor's parents pressured the duo to l ...

, and

Loud Luxury Loud Luxury are a Canadian music production and DJ duo consisting of Andrew Fedyk and Joe Depace and currently based in Los Angeles. In 2017, they released a remix of the Martin Garrix and Dua Lipa single "Scared to Be Lonely", which gained the ...

Background and recording

Following the release of a

club Club may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Club'' (magazine) * Club, a ''Yie Ar Kung-Fu'' character * Clubs (suit), a suit of playing cards * Club music * "Club", by Kelsea Ballerini from the album ''kelsea'' Brands and enterprises ...

record in his third extended play ''

Seven 7 is a number, numeral, and glyph. 7 or seven may also refer to: * AD 7, the seventh year of the AD era * 7 BC, the seventh year before the AD era * The month of July Music Artists * Seven (Swiss singer) (born 1978), a Swiss recording artist ...

'' (2016),

wanted to return to the more pop-leaning sound of his single " In the Name of Love" (2016) with

Bebe Rexha Bleta Rexha (; born August 30, 1989), known professionally as Bebe Rexha ( ), is an American pop singer and songwriter. After signing with Warner Records in 2013, Rexha received songwriting credits on Eminem's single " The Monster" (which later ...

. In order to create a follow-up to the song, Garrix had an A&R meeting with his

record label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the produ ...

and

, that featured seven new songs with potential. "Scared to Be Lonely" was then crafted as a completely new idea. It was written by Garrix,

, Nathaniel Campany, Kyle Shearer, and

. The song's production was handled by Garrix, Valley Girl, Tuinfort, and Lorna Blackwood.

Engineering Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...

was done by Garrix, JP Negrete, and Cameron Gower-Poole, while Frank van Essen contributed the

arrangement In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orches ...

violin The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...

, and strings. The song was recorded at The

Record Plant The Record Plant is a recording studio established in New York City in 1968 and currently operating in Los Angeles, California. Known for innovations in the recording artists' workspace, it has produced highly influential albums, including Blon ...

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

and Studio Strings Attached in Collendoorn, the Netherlands. Garrix had a rough demo with a

chord progression In a musical composition, a chord progression or harmonic progression (informally chord changes, used as a plural) is a succession of chords. Chord progressions are the foundation of harmony in Western musical tradition from the common practice ...

before going in search of a vocalist, with several artists recording demos before

. She had been on Garrix's wishlist of collaborators, with him reaching out to Lipa's management in hope she would record it. Lipa expressed her admiration of the song and recorded a demo, which she re-recorded after Garrix gave her feedback. After receiving Lipa's final version, Garrix went back into the studio and polished off the song, editing the melodies and incorporating lots of live

instrumentation Instrumentation a collective term for measuring instruments that are used for indicating, measuring and recording physical quantities. The term has its origins in the art and science of scientific instrument-making. Instrumentation can refer to ...

with real

strings String or strings may refer to: *String (structure), a long flexible structure made from threads twisted together, which is used to tie, bind, or hang other objects Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Strings'' (1991 film), a Canadian anim ...

. Lipa and Garrix had been introduced by mutual connections, but did not meet in person during the recording of the song.

Music and lyrics

Musically, "Scared to Be Lonely" is a

track with elements of electro and

. It runs for 3:40, and follows a structure of

verse Verse may refer to: Poetry * Verse, an occasional synonym for poetry * Verse, a metrical structure, a stanza * Blank verse, a type of poetry having regular meter but no rhyme * Free verse, a type of poetry written without the use of strict me ...

bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song) or refrain, line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in which all verse ...

, drop, verse, bridge, chorus, drop,

middle eight The 32-bar form, also known as the AABA song form, American popular song form and the ballad form, is a song structure commonly found in Tin Pan Alley songs and other American popular music, especially in the first half of the 20th century. A ...

, chorus, drop. The song is set in the

time signature The time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, or measure signature) is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats (pulses) are contained in each measure (bar), and which note value ...

of time and is composed 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 ...

C minor C minor is a minor scale based on C, consisting of the pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. Its key signature consists of three flats. Its relative major is E major and its parallel major is C major. The C natural minor scale is: : Cha ...

, 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 138 beats per minute and a chord progression of A(add9)—Cm7/E—B(add4)—Gm(6). It opens with "ghostly"

electronic Electronic may refer to: *Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor * ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal *Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device *Electronic co ...

strings and a "charming" piano

melody A melody (from Greek language, Greek μελῳδία, ''melōidía'', "singing, chanting"), also tune, voice or line, is a Linearity#Music, linear succession of musical tones that the listener perceives as a single entity. In its most liter ...

, before

synths A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and f ...

and sparse

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...

items come in. The percussion leads the song towards the simple synth hook. Finger snaps are used in the middle eight. The song uses an

upbeat Up beat may refer to: *Upbeat, in music, the last beat in the previous bar which immediately precedes the downbeat *Anacrusis, a note (or sequence of notes) which precedes the first downbeat in a bar in a musical phrase * ''Upbeat'' (album), by t ...

, pop-ready, future bass, and

dance Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

production with an emotive tone. The production also consists of a

beat 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 (c ...

that has

trap A trap is a mechanical device used to capture or restrain an animal for purposes such as hunting, pest control, or ecological research. Trap or TRAP may also refer to: Art and entertainment Films and television * ''Trap'' (2015 film), Fil ...

vibes ever so often, emotive strings, "boisterous" bass notes, and "tantalizing"

hi-hat A hi-hat (hihat, high-hat, etc.) is a combination of two cymbals and a pedal, all mounted on a metal stand. It is a part of the standard drum kit used by drummers in many styles of music including rock, pop, jazz, and blues. Hi-hats consist o ...

s. Each production element builds up to the drop, where the piano melody becomes electronic. Lipa uses soulful vocals that range from B₃ to G₅, and she makes use of belting. Lyrically, the song documents the ending of a relationship, with Lipa pondering whether it is legit.

Release and promotion

Garrix premiered "Scared to Be Lonely" at the 2017 AVA Festival in

Myanmar Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...

New Year's Eve In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Eve, also known as Old Year's Day or Saint Sylvester's Day in many countries, is the evening or the entire day of the last day of the year, on 31 December. The last day of the year is commonly referred to ...

. The song's artwork leaked on 19 January 2017; it features the two artists standing side by side on a hill, with Garrix looking at Lipa, similarly to the cover art for "In the Name of Love", and a countryside back drop. They formally announced the single on 25 January 2017, revealing a snippet of the song as well as one of its

. The following day, the song leaked online. It was released for digital download and

on 27 January 2017, through Epic Records and Stmpd Rcrds. The song was sent for

radio airplay Airplay is how frequently a song is being played through broadcasting on radio stations. A song which is being played several times every day (spins) would have a significant amount of airplay. Music which became very popular on jukeboxes, in n ...

in Italy a week later. "Scared to Be Lonely" was later included as the sixth track on the second disc of the

of Lipa's eponymous debut studio album '' Dua Lipa: Complete Edition'', released on 19 October 2018 by

Warner Bros Records Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...

. On 22 March 2017, Lipa and Garrix performed "Scared to Be Lonely" on ''

''. Garrix played a guitar while Lipa danced around the stage and sang to Garrix. During his 15 April 2017 set at the

, Garrix brought out Lipa to perform the song. Lipa performed the song for Capital FM's the

on 9 December 2017. The song was included on the setlist of Lipa's Self-Titled Tour (2017–18).

Reception

"Scared to Be Lonely" was met with acclaim from

. For '' The 405'', Sean Ward compared it to Lipa's "No Goodbyes" (2017), while labelling the song a "mega-collab," and noting its "dance ecstasy." Sebas E. Alonso of ''Jenesaispop'' thought the song is reminiscent of

the Chainsmokers The Chainsmokers are an American electronic DJ and production duo consisting of Alexander "Alex" Pall and Andrew "Drew" Taggart. They started out by releasing remixes of songs by indie artists. The EDM- pop duo achieved a breakthrough with the ...

as well as the

tropical house Tropical house, also known as trop house, is a subgenre of house music, and a derivation of tropical music, with elements of dancehall and Balearic house. Artists of the genre are often featured at various summer festivals such as Tomorrowland. T ...

of Lipa's own " Hotter than Hell" (2016). He went on to put forward the song's potential to be a

bonus track An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records coll ...

on ''Dua Lipa'', as it does not succumb to

dembow Dembow is a Dominican musical genre that can be traced to a riddim that originated in Jamaican dancehall. When Shabba Ranks released "Dem Bow" in 1990, it did not take long for the dembow genre to form. Riddims were built from the song and th ...

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 ...

, or trap styles. In a positive review from ''

Dancing Astronaut Dancing Astronaut is an American media platform founded in 2009 that primarily covers the electronic dance music industry. The website covers concerts and festivals, reports on entertainment news, reviews music, and publishes original content sy ...

'', Haylee Graham said the song was "well worth the wait" and praised Lipa's "velvet-smooth vocals" that emphasize the "feels." She continued by complimenting the "heart-rending" lyrics and how Garrix has proven he is worthy of his dance music industry vanguard status. In a separate ''Dancing Astronaut'' review, Kassi Chrys viewed that the song shows Garrix's "true artistry." In her review for ''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...

'', Raisa Bruner named "Scared to Be Lonely" a "thoughtful

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

" that converts into a "slow-burning banger," while also praising the space given for Lipa's vocals to "shine." ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

''s David Rishty and Kat Bein ranked it as Garrix's third best song, behind "In The Name of Love" and "

Animals Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the biological kingdom Animalia. With few exceptions, animals consume organic material, breathe oxygen, are able to move, can reproduce sexually, and go through an ontogenetic stage in ...

" (2013). The two of them saw the strength in the song's subtlety and commended Lipa's "beautiful" vocals. They also praised Garrix's production, calling the drop "warm" and the beat "steady." David Renshaw of ''

The Fader ''The Fader'' (stylized as ''FADER'') is a magazine based in New York City that was launched in 1999 by Rob Stone and Jon Cohen. The magazine covers music, style and culture. It was the first print publication to be released on iTunes. It is o ...

'' labelled the song a "dramatic EDM banger," while ''

Idolator An idolator is a practitioner of idolatry. Idolater or Idolator may also refer to: Books *''Os Idólatras'', 1968 Portuguese novel by Maria Judite de Carvalho Music * Idolator (website), an American music blog * ''Idolator'' (album), third album ...

''s Robbie Daw described it as a "slow-paced EDM track" and commended the "pretty stellar" middle eight. "Scared to Be Lonely" was nominated for Single of the Year at the 2017

Electronic Music Awards The Electronic Music Awards is a music award show focused on electronic music genres that debuted on September 21, 2017 in Los Angeles. It was created by Paul Oakenfold and entertainment company Hunt & Crest and produced by Live L!ve Media. The sho ...

and won Best Bass Track at the 2018

WDM Radio Awards The WDM Radio Awards is an award ceremony created in 2017 by Los 40 under their ''World Dance Music'' brand, billed as "the first radio awards to electronic music". It is meant to be a global event, promoted by the twelve Los 40 stations in Spain ...

Commercial performance

"Scared to Be Lonely" debuted at number five on the Netherlands'

Dutch Single Top 100 The Dutch Single Top 100 or Single Top 100 is a Dutch chart, based on official physical single sales, legal downloads and since July 2013 streaming and composed by Dutch Charts. It is one of the three official charts, the other two being the Dutc ...

chart dated 4 February 2017. Two weeks later, it rose to a peak of number three, spending two weeks at the peak and 32 weeks on the chart. On the

Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 ( nl, Nederlandse Top 40) is a weekly music chart compiled by ''Stichting Nederlandse Top 40''. It started as a radio program titled "Veronica Top 40", on the offshore station Radio Veronica in 1965. It remained "The Veronica ...

, the song spent 21 weeks on the chart, debuting at number 29 and attaining a peak position of number 2 in its sixth week. The song reached the summit of the Dutch Dance Top 30 chart, and lasted a total of 74 weeks on it. In September 2018, the song was awarded a triple platinum certification by the Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld – en geluidsdragers (NVPI) for track-equivalent sales of 120,000 units in the Netherlands. On the

, "Scared to Be Lonely" debuted at number 23 on the issue dated 3 February 2017. The following week, it rose to a peak of number 14 on the chart, spending two weeks at the position. In both weeks that the song was at its peak, Lipa had three songs in the top 15 of the UK Singles Chart with " Be the One" (2015) and " No Lie" (2016) by

Sean Paul Sean Paul Ryan Francis Henriques OD (born 9 January 1973) is a Jamaican rapper and singer who is regarded as one of dancehall's most prolific artists. Paul's singles "Get Busy" and "Temperature" topped the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart in the ...

featuring Lipa. "Scared to be Lonely" spent a total of 22 weeks on the chart. The song also entered the

UK Dance Singles Chart The UK Dance Singles Chart and the UK Dance Albums Chart are music charts compiled in the United Kingdom by the Official Charts Company from sales of songs in the dance music genre (e.g. house, trance, drum and bass, garage, synthpop) in record s ...

, where it peaked at number two. For track-equivalent sales of 600,000 units in the United Kingdom, the song was awarded a double platinum certification by the

British Phonographic Industry British Phonographic Industry (BPI) is the British recorded music industry's Trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards, the Classic BRIT Awards, National Album Day, is home to the Mercury Prize, and co-owns the Official Charts Company with th ...

(BPI) in August 2021. In the United States, "Scared to Be Lonely" debuted at number 88 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart issue dated 18 February 2017. It spent 14 non-consecutive weeks on the chart, and eventually peaked at number 76. In December 2020, the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

(RIAA) awarded the song a double platinum certification for selling 2,000,000 track-equivalent units in the US. "Scared to Be Lonely" further reached the top 10 of charts in Austria, Belgium (Flanders), the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Malaysia, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Scotland, Slovakia, Sweden, and Switzerland. The song has been certified diamond in Mexico, quadruple platinum in Norway and Sweden, respectively, triple platinum in Poland, and triple platinum in Australia, Canada, and Italy, respectively.

Music videos

The music video for "Scared to Be Lonely" was directed by Blake Claridge and released alongside the song. After receiving notice of the music video, the service production company LS Productions went in search of an expansive landscape with Scandinavian-looking wood and a house. The company sourced several potential locations around

, eventually choosing a Category B-listed 19th century building in

Dumfries and Galloway Dumfries and Galloway ( sco, Dumfries an Gallowa; gd, Dùn Phrìs is Gall-Ghaidhealaibh) is one of 32 unitary council areas of Scotland and is located in the western Southern Uplands. It covers the counties of Scotland, historic counties of ...

. The music video production team enlisted the help of Flying Pictures to shoot the video with drones. Two drone teams were used, one to supply a bright light on Garrix that emphasizes his character's loneliness, and one to actually film the video with an

Alexa Alexa may refer to: Technology *Amazon Alexa, a virtual assistant developed by Amazon * Alexa Internet, a defunct website ranking and traffic analysis service * Arri Alexa, a digital motion picture camera People *Alexa (name), a given name and ...

camera. The video was filmed over the course of two days, and includes non-actor cast members. The meaning behind it comes from the moments in which a partner contemplates staying in a relationship or leaving. The video features Garrix wandering around the landscape while reminiscing about past relationships. The past and present are distinguished between aspect ratios, with the past containing scenes of Garrix accompanied by partners in a bedroom, a steamy shower, and a car. While all this is happening, Lipa sings in a dark forest with a bright light behind her. The visual closes with Garrix looking at the floor in a house, before someone touches his shoulder and he turns around. A Jake Jelicich-directed music video for the song's acoustic version was released on 7 April 2017. It features a live performance of Garrix and Lipa in a studio with lens flares and film grain.

Remixes

"Scared to Be Lonely" has been accompanied by several remixes. Two remix EPs were released, one on 17 March 2017 and the other a week later.

' festival house remix has simple verses that contain just a powerful atmosphere and Lipa's vocals, while the

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...

y synths and festival melodies encapsulate the choruses that drop heavily. On their remix,

created a

progressive house Progressive house is a subgenre of house music. The progressive house style emerged in the early 1990s. It initially developed in the United Kingdom as a natural progression of American and European house music of the late 1980s.Gerard, Morgan; ...

track that has a big build and bouncy drop. The

Zonderling Noisia (stylised as NOISIΛ; "VISION" turned upside down) was a Dutch electronic music trio consisting of members Nik Roos, Martijn van Sonderen and Thijs de Vlieger from Groningen, Netherlands. They produce a wide variety of music including ...

remix adds groovy elements with heavy synths. Alpharock's remix is a

drum and bass Drum and bass (also written as drum & bass or drum'n'bass and commonly abbreviated as D&B, DnB, or D'n'B) is a genre of electronic dance music characterized by fast breakbeats (typically 165–185 beats per minute) with heavy bass and sub-ba ...

track with beats of the same genre, and an increased tempo. The

tech house Tech house is a subgenre of house music that combines stylistic features of techno with house. The term ''tech house'' developed as a shorthand record store name for a category of electronic dance music that combined musical aspects of techno ...

remix by

Funkin Matt Mats Ronander (born 27 December 1986), better known by his stage name Funkin Matt, is a Norwegian record producer, remixer and DJ. Ronander is best known for his remix of Mariah Carey's " You're Mine (Eternal)", with fellow producer Gregor Sa ...

introduces "catchy" bass stabs and subtle melodies. Julien Earle's remix was described as an "emotional"

house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...

rendition.

Gigamesh Matthew Thomas Masurka (born May 12, 1983), better known by his stage name Gigamesh, is a Minneapolis-based American three-time multi-platinum selling music producer and DJ. Gigamesh is most recognized for having produced Mike Posner's multipla ...

's remix was noted for its solid atmospheres. Medasin chills down the song to create a future bass remix with euphoric elements. His production uses big saw chords, ambient pads, and plucks with soft attack and drum patterns, while also introducing new melodies for the drop.

's remix fuses

deep house Deep house is a subgenre of house music that originated in the 1980s, initially fusing elements of Chicago house with the lush chords of 1980s jazz-funk and touches of soul music. Its origins are attributed to the early recordings of Larry Heard ( ...

, tech house, and

future house Future house is a house music genre that emerged in the 2010s in the United Kingdom, described as a fusion of deep house, UK garage and incorporating other elements and techniques of other EDM genres. It is high in energy, generally consistin ...

elements.

Conro Conor Patton, better known by his stage name Conro, is a Canadian DJ and record producer, based in Kelowna, British Columbia. He is best known for his song "Therapy" with over 21 million streams on Spotify and as an artist of the Canadian recor ...

's future bass remix has a clean production with cascading synths that glide over Lipa's vocals. The LOOPERS remix makes use of funky 8-bit sounds. On his remix, Joe Mason featured drums and guitars, as well as incorporating lush synths. He additionally re-pitched Lipa's vocals and created an entirely new drop. An acoustic version of the song was released on 6 April 2020. It features an orchestra, strings, and percussive instruments, while Garrix plays the song's melody on an electric guitar. Lipa had wanted to do an acoustic version for a while, and her vocals are the forefront. The staff of ''Dancing Astronaut'' thought that the track shows Garrix's "true versatility" and "artistic abilities," while Myles Tanzer of ''The Fader'' commended the "gorgeous" string section.

Track listings

*Digital download and streaming #"Scared to Be Lonely" – 3:40 *Digital EP – remixes, volume 1 #"Scared to Be Lonely" (

remix) – 3:20 #"Scared to Be Lonely" (

remix) – 3:10 #"Scared to Be Lonely" (

remix) – 3:54 #"Scared to Be Lonely" (Alpharock remix) – 3:55 #"Scared to Be Lonely" (

remix) – 3:38 #"Scared to Be Lonely" (Julien Earle remix) – 5:20 *Digital download and streaming – Brooks extended remix #"Scared to Be Lonely" (Brooks extended remix) – 4:35 *Digital download and streaming – DubVision extended remix #"Scared to Be Lonely" (DubVision extended remix) – 4:39 *Digital download and streaming – Zonderling extended remix #"Scared to Be Lonely" (Zonderling extended remix) – 4:50 *Digital EP – remixes, volume 2 #"Scared to Be Lonely" (

remix) – 3:49 #"Scared to Be Lonely" (Medasin remix) – 3:32 #"Scared to Be Lonely" (

remix) – 3:27 #"Scared to Be Lonely" (

remix) – 3:22 #"Scared to Be Lonely" (LOOPERS remix) – 4:11 #"Scared to Be Lonely" (Joe Mason remix) – 3:27 *Digital download and streaming – Loud Luxury extended remix #"Scared to Be Lonely" (Loud Luxury extended remix) – 3:57 *Digital download and streaming – acoustic version #"Scared to Be Lonely" (acoustic version) – 4:17

Personnel

production, engineering *

vocals * Valley Girl production *

production * Lorna Blackwood production * JP Negrete engineering * Cameron Gower-Poole engineering * Frank van Essen arrangement, violin, strings

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

Footnotes

References

External links

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Lyrics of this song
at Musixmatch {{Dua Lipa Songs about loneliness Future bass songs Martin Garrix songs Dua Lipa songs 2017 singles Songs written by Martin Garrix Songs written by Giorgio Tuinfort 2017 songs Stmpd Rcrds singles Epic Records singles Songs written by Nate Campany Songs written by Georgia Ku