Different World (Alan Walker album)

Different World
Studio album by Alan Walker
Released	14 December 2018
Recorded	2015–2018
Genre	Electro house future bass moombahton trap
Length	42:54
Label	MER Sony Music
Producer	Alan Walker Gunnar Greve Jesper Borgen Steve Aoki Mood Melodies Fredrik Olsen Markus Arnbekk Big Fred James Njie Lars Rosness Dreamlab The Six Chris "TEK" O'Ryan Jenna Andrews Alex Holmberg Mere Music Yann Bargain Victor Verpillat STATE Carl Hovind
Alan Walker chronology
Faded Japan EP (2018) Different World (2018) Walker Racing League EP (2021)
Singles from Different World
"Faded" Released: 3 December 2015 "Sing Me to Sleep" Released: 3 June 2016 "Alone" Released: 2 December 2016 "All Falls Down" Released: 27 October 2017 "Darkside" Released: 27 July 2018 "Diamond Heart" Released: 28 September 2018 "Different World" Released: 30 November 2018

Different World is the debut studio album by Norwegian record producer Alan Walker. It was released on 14 December 2018 through MER Musikk and Sony Music Entertainment and includes his successful 2015 single "Faded". ^[1] The album also succeeds a trilogy of releases leading up to the album, entitled World of Walker , which consisted of the singles "All Falls Down", "Darkside" and "Diamond Heart". The album was also nominated for Top Dance/Electronic Albums at the 2020 Billboard Music Awards. ^[2]

Background

Featuring artists such as Steve Aoki, Noah Cyrus, and Digital Farm Animals, the album is noted for its mixture of "recognizable releases" such as "Faded" with "new material" such as "Lost Control". ^[3] Walker said of the album "It's an incredible feeling to be able to release my debut album, Different World. These last years were absolutely surreal, and I certainly never imagined it would get to that point when I started. very different for me. It's something I've worked on for some time, and I'm super excited to finally share with the world and hear the reaction of my fans!" ^[4] A campaign for the album was launched, titled "#CreateADifferentWorld". It is to raise awareness regarding the theme of climate change. ^[5]

Singles

The album's first single, "Faded", features uncredited Naustdal pop singer Iselin Solheim and was released on 3 December 2015. The single reached number one in the annual charts in Austria, Germany, Switzerland and Sweden, was nominated for British Single of the Year at the 2017 Brit Awards and won Årets Låt (Song of the Year) at the Spellemannprisen.

The second single, "Sing Me to Sleep", also featuring Iselin Solheim as "Faded", was released on June 3, 2016. The song reached number one in Norway and number one on the iTunes charts in seven countries.

"Alone", featuring uncredited singer Noonie Bao, was released as the third single on December 2, 2016. The single charted on several international charts and reached number one on the Norwegian Singles Chart.

"All Falls Down", featuring Noah Cyrus and Digital Farm Animals, was released as the fourth single from the album on 27 October 2017. The single peaked at number one on the Norwegian Singles Chart and the US Billboard Dance Club Songs chart.

"Darkside", a song featuring Antiguan-German singer-songwriter Au/Ra and Norwegian singer Tomine Harket, was released as the fifth single on 27 July 2018. The song was also released with a remix by Dutch DJ Afrojack, which reached number 1 on the Norwegian charts and number 10 on the Swedish charts.

The single "Diamond Heart", featuring Swedish singer-songwriter Sophia Somajo, was released as the sixth single on September 28, 2018. Two remixes have been officially released, one by Syn Cole and one by Dzeko. ^[6] The song's music video was nominated for Best Cinematography at the 2019 Berlin Music Video Awards. ^[7]

The song "Different World", featuring American singer Sofia Carson, Norwegian music producer K-391 and Chinese music producer Corsak, was released as the album's lead single on November 30, 2018. The song was released to coincide with a campaign entitled "#CreateADifferentWorld" and features Walker speaking about the importance of climate change. ^[8] The song reached number 31 in the Norwegian charts.

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Gaffa (Denmark)	[9]
NRK P3	[10]

Dancing Astronaut wrote that the album "extends the fullest portrait of his distinctive sound" and described it as "a tightly threaded collection of songs, which articulates Walker's sonic artistry." ^[11] Billboard described it as "turning bleating synth melodies into sing-alongs, melts warm Caribbean rhythms with hardstyle booms, and electrifies the dance floor as much as it aims for radio readiness." ^[12] Manuel Probst of German music site Dance-Charts.de says, "Alan Walker's typical sound design runs through Different World like a common thread, creating a special atmosphere with its melancholy melodies. I am creating it. Even though the superstar stays true to his style, his attention to detail allows him to constantly change and give each song his own unique touch." ^[13] Holly Oizumi of Dance Music NW wrote that "Walker's vocal-driven style is at the forefront throughout the album, highlighting his key strengths." ^[14] Marit Johansen Jegthaug of NRK P3 said: "There are too few new songs and the album is poorly structured. It lacks variety, dramaturgy, something that would distinguish it from the stagnant singles with a clear distinction between old and new and all over the place." ^[10]

Commercial performance

At the time of Billboard 's 2019 mid-year report, the album had logged 93,000 equivalent album sales in the United States and "Faded" had amassed 192,396,000 streams. ^[15]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Intro"	Alan Walker Markus Arnbekk Emelie Hollow James Eriksen Anna-Marie Kimber	Walker Arnbekk James Njie	1:16
2.	"Lost Control" (featuring Sorana)	Walker Thomas Troelsen Anders Frøen Sorana Păcurar Fredrik Borch Olsen Magnus Martinsen	Walker Big Fred [a] Magnify [a] Mood Melodies [c]	3:42
3.	"I Don't Wanna Go" (featuring Julie Bergan)	Walker Edvard Normann Kristoffer Haugen Lars Rosness Jesper Borgen Fredrik Teo Gunnar Greve Pettersen Hollow Øyvind Sauvik	Walker Rosness STATE [c]	2:41
4.	"Lily" (with K-391 featuring Emelie Hollow)	Walker Rosness Magnus Bertelsen Kenneth Nilsen Didrik Håndlykken Arnbekk	Walker K-391 Rosness Arnbekk Big Fred	3:15
5.	"Lonely" (with Steve Aoki featuring Isák and Omar Noir)	Walker Aoki Olsen Eriksen Borgen Omar Noir Faal Sauvik Ella Marie Hætta Isaksen	Walker Aoki Njie Big Fred	3:36
6.	"Do It All for You" (featuring Trevor Guthrie)	Walker Frøen Arnbekk Borgen Rosness Haugan Normann Jason Dean Joseph Kirkland Ryan Stewart	Walker Arnbekk Mood Melodies Rosness [a] STATE [a]	2:54
7.	"Different World" (with K-391 featuring Sofia Carson and Corsak)	Walker Olsen Eriksen Arnbekk G. Pettersen Nilsen Mengzhou Hu Sara Hjellstrom Bertelsen	Walker K-391 Big Fred Njie Arnbekk [a] Dreamlab [c]	3:22
8.	"Interlude"	Walker Arnbekk Borgen	Walker Arnbekk Borgen	1:19
9.	"Sing Me to Sleep" (featuring Iselin Solheim)	Walker Borgen Frøen G. Pettersen Thomas La Verdi Bertelsen Iselin Solheim	Walker Borgen Mood Melodies	3:07
10.	"All Falls Down" (with Digital Farm Animals featuring Noah Cyrus and Juliander)	Walker Frøen Richard Boardman Pablo Bowman Daniel Boyle Sarah Blanchard Nicholas Gale	Walker Mood Melodies The Six Gunnar Greve [a] Chris "TEK" O'Ryan [a] Jenna Andrews [c] Alex Holmberg [c]	3:18
11.	"Darkside" (featuring Au/Ra and Tomine Harket)	Walker Frøen Borgen Rosness Arnbekk Olsen G. Pettersen La Verdi Atle Pettersen Jamie Stenzel William Wiik Larsen Andrew Frampton	Walker Mood Melodies Olsen Mere Music	3:31
12.	"Alone" (featuring Noonie Bao)	Walker Borgen Frøen G. Pettersen Jonnali Parmenius	Walker Borgen Mood Melodies Greve Olsen [a]	2:40
13.	"Diamond Heart" (featuring Sophia Somajo)	Walker Troelsen Haugen Normann Frøen G. Pettersen Yann Bargain Victor Verpillat Olsen Sophia Somajo	Walker Mood Melodies Bargain Verpillat Njie [a] Greve [a] Big Fred [a] STATE [a]	4:00
14.	"Faded (Interlude)"	Walker Hu G. Pettersen Rosness Frøen Borgen Eriksen	Walker Rosness Corsak Njie Borgen [a] Mood Melodies [a]	0:41
15.	"Faded" (featuring Iselin Solheim)	Walker Borgen Frøen G, Pettersen	Walker Borgen Mood Melodies	3:32
Total length:				43:02

Japanese bonus tracks ^[16]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
16.	"Tired" (featuring Gavin James)	Walker Frøen G. Pettersen Olsen Rosness Arnbekk Gavin Wigglesworth Oliver Green Mike Needle Daniel Bryer	Walker Mood Melodies Greve Olsen Rosness Arnbekk Carl Hovind [a]	3:12
17.	"Routine" (with David Whistle)	Walker Borgen Frøen G. Pettersen David Silva Fernandez	Walker Borgen Mood Melodies Greve Olsen [a]	2:46
18.	"The Spectre" (featuring Jesper Borgen)	Walker Frøen Borgen Rosness Arnbekk G. Pettersen La Verdi	Walker Rosness Arnbekk Mood Melodies Greve Olsen [a]	3:13
Total length:				52:18

Notes

• ^{^[a]} signifies a co-producer
• ^{^[c]} signifies a vocal producer
• "Intro" features background vocals from Emelie Hollow and Anna-Marie Kimber.
• "Sing Me to Sleep" features uncredited vocals from Iselin Solheim.
• "Alone" features uncredited vocals from Noonie Bao.
• "Faded" features uncredited vocals from Iselin Solheim.
• "The Spectre" features uncredited vocals from Jesper Borgen.

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2018–19) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA) [17] 122 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) [18] 59 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [19] 91 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [20] 137 Canadian Albums (Billboard) [21] 83 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [22] 29 Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista) [23] 1 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [24] 39 Japan Hot Albums ( Billboard Japan ) [25] 39 Japanese Albums (Oricon) [26] 36 Latvian Albums (LAIPA) [27] 9 Norwegian Albums (VG-lista) [28] 1 Polish Albums (ZPAV) [29] 31 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [30] 15 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [31] 15 US Top Dance Albums (Billboard) [32] 2 US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard) [33] 8

Year-end charts Chart (2019) Position Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [34] 185 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [35] 60 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [36] 51 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [37] 96 US Top Dance/Electronic Albums (Billboard) [38] 7 Chart (2020) Position US Top Dance/Electronic Albums (Billboard) [39] 10 Chart (2021) Position Norwegian Albums (VG-lista) [40] 34 US Top Dance/Electronic Albums (Billboard) [41] 11 Chart (2022) Position US Top Dance/Electronic Albums (Billboard) [42] 17 Chart (2024) Position Australian Dance Albums (ARIA) [43] 40

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada) [44]	Platinum	80,000‡
Denmark (IFPI Danmark) [45]	Platinum	20,000‡
France (SNEP) [46]	Gold	50,000‡
Italy (FIMI) [47]	Gold	25,000‡
Mexico (AMPROFON) [48]	Gold	30,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ) [49]	Platinum	15,000‡
Norway (IFPI Norway) [50]	3× Platinum	60,000‡
Poland (ZPAV) [51]	3× Platinum	60,000‡
Singapore (RIAS) [52]	Platinum	10,000*
Sweden (GLF) [53]	Gold	15,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI) [54]	Gold	100,000‡
United States (RIAA) [55]	Gold	500,000‡
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

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