"Faded" is a song by Norwegian DJ and record producer Alan Walker with vocals by Norwegian singer-songwriter Iselin Solheim. A rework of Walker's prior single "Fade",the song was written by Walker,Jesper Borgen,Mood Melodies,and Gunnar Greve,and produced by the former three. The song was released as a single by MER on 3 December 2015 for digital download and streaming.
Critics praised "Faded" for its melancholic melody,synthesizers,and vocals. It was also a commercial success,topping Norway's VG-lista chart for 14 weeks and becoming Walker's first number-one single. In Germany,it reached number one on the Gfk Entertainment charts for ten weeks. It also reached number one on the Shazam Worldwide Top 100 Popular Songs in March 2016,and by March 2016,had become the world's most Shazamed song. "Faded" debuted at number 91 on the Billboard Hot 100,peaking at number 80. This was Walker's first appearance on the Billboard Hot 100 and became the 16th Norwegian song to chart there. The song achieved massive global success,topping the charts in 18 countries including Austria,Belgium,the Czech Republic,Finland,France,Hungary,Italy,Latvia,Poland,Portugal,Russia,Slovakia,Spain,Sweden,and Switzerland. It also topped the year-end charts in Austria,Germany,Switzerland,and Sweden.
The accompanying music video was released one day after the single's release and was directed by Rikkard and Tobias Häggbom. It reached one billion views on YouTube on March 26,2017,becoming the first Norwegian song to achieve this milestone. It also became the first EDM song to surpass three billion views.[1][2] As of June 2024,it ranks as the 28th most viewed YouTube video,with over 3.8 billion views as of May 2025. The song won the Årets Låt (Song of the Year) award at Spellenmannprisen'16,a The Cannes Lions Award at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity,and was nominated for British Single of the Year at the Brit Awards 2017 and Song of the Year at the Echo Music Prize. Walker debuted a live performance of "Faded" with Solheim and string support on 27 February 2016 at the X Games in Oslo. The song was put as the ultimate track on Walker's 2018 album Different World after an interlude specific to the track.[3]
The song "Faded" is a revamped version of Walker's past composition "Fade",which was released via the British record label NoCopyrightSounds (NCS) in 2014.[4]
When "Fade" first started gaining attention in 2014,many people said,"Oh,I feel like this song has lyrics,but it doesn't," and Walker responded,"It's kind of weird to say that,because it's an instrumental song that's just the same melody over and over again,just a little bit different". Walker had been toying with the idea of redoing the vocals for some time. He envisioned fleshing out "Fade" into a larger song,but wasn't ready to do it yet. So,he spent his time working on other releases.[5]
After signing with MER Musikk in 2015,he began working on a new version of "Fade" with his new songwriting team:Anders Frøen,Jesper Borgen,and Gunnar Greve.[6] The team wrote the song's topline and lyrics,rebuilt the track,and added piano. It was during this time that he met Iselin Solheim through Jesper Borgen,one of the songwriters he was working with.[6][7]
With the release of this song,He first uploaded teasers to YouTube,the first showing an excerpt of what the remake sounds like,the second showing the lyrics,and the third revealing the expected release date and name of the track,"Faded".[8][9][10] Faded was originally planned to be released on 25 November (as a belated 1-year anniversary of Fade being released on NCS),but it was delayed "due to circumstances out of Walker's control".[11] The track was eventually released on 3 December.[12][13]
A 23-second song sample. This song is Electro House and Progressive House.[14][15] The song features a melancholic and emotional melody and a tempo of 90 bpm,[16] which makes the song often categorised as "downtempo".[14] This style is characteristic of Walker's earlier music and is the sound that propelled him into the mainstream.
The lyrics for "Faded" were written by Walker, Jesper Borgen, Anders Frøen, and Gunnar Greve.[6] In addition to the lyrics, rebuilt the track with a new mix and mastering, and piano has been introduced.[17] Walker said that by adding lyrics and piano to the song, "the whole song just came together".[17] In the acoustic version, only the piano, violin, and Solheim's vocals are heard.[18] Lyrically, the song expresses a sense of longing and search for something meaningful. The song's protagonist feels like she is fading away, both physically and emotionally, and struggles to find her way back to a place of belonging and purpose.[19]
In a Genius attribution, Walker said of the lyrics:
I would describe “Faded” as a happy yet emotional song, appropriate for both sad and/or uplifting occasions. It’s about searching for someone, something or somewhere lost. Or just feeling lost! One of the things I like the most about its lyrics is that the meaning can be interpreted freely by the listener.[20]
The song has been described as Electro house and Progressive house.[14][15] Additionally, the song has been described as melodic and melancholic.[16][21] Due to its slow tempo of 90 beats per minute, the song is often categorized as "downtempo".[14] Walker commented on this in an interview with Norwegian national broadcaster NRK: "This is not what's popular these days", adding: "It's very different".[22] The chord progression is based on Em–C–G–D and was written in G Major.[23] In a 2016 interview with the American online magazine The Knockturnal, he said "I don't know where [the melody] came from, but I try to let my emotions and feelings have a big influence on the melodies I produce".[24]
Critical reception
"Faded" was met with acclaim from music critics. Anke van de Weyer of German radio station 1LIVE said, "It's a brilliant pendulum between melancholy and bass banging, but when it gets too set, Alan Walker picks up the tempo, and when he really gets into party mode, he slows down again".[25] Simon Cleese of the music website Dance-Charts[de] wrote, "With Faded, Alan Walker, along with vocalist Iselin Solheim, has created a radio hit that is at least as suitable for main floor clubs. The mood, vocals, and elements make Faded a very special song".[26] Austrian news portal Vorarlberg Online[de] wrote, "The voice of young artist Iselin Solheim fits the concept perfectly".[27] Emily Blake of Mashable called the song "the dizzying, beautifully lonesome EDM track".[28] Tatiana Cirisano of Billboard ranked the song at number one in her article "Alan Walker's 5 Best Songs: Critic's Picks", stating that "The rolling beats and stunning synth progressions have captivated dance listeners around the world".[29] Amrican media platform Dancing Astronaut ranked the song 78th in their article "Dancing Astronaut's Top 100 Songs of the Decade," stating that "'Faded' charmed both dance and non-dance fans with its instrumental beauty and brand of anonymity".[30]
Vice ranked "Faded" at number 93 on their "The 101 Best EDM Songs of All Time" list: "[This song] feels shockingly singular amid the trap arms race, despite sharing a title with one of 2014’s biggest EDM hits [ Zhu's "Faded"] and having the same chorus as another [ Jack Ü's "Where Are Ü Now"]. While The Chainsmokers were riding waveform roller coasters, Walker chose to make something weightless. Drifting piano parts float around Fourth World synth percussion, resulting in what Enigma might throw together after a big huff of helium".[31]
Commercial performance
Global
"This is undoubtedly the track that most people associate me with, and it's kind of crazy to think that it was released three years ago. I'm always asked what this track means to me, and the best way to describe is probably that it literally changed my life forever. These past three years have been absolutely incredible for me, and I never imagined the impact this single would have when I first released it when I was 18 years old."
"Faded" was an immediate commercial success worldwide, reaching number one on the charts in 18 countries[32] and reaching the top five in over 25 countries. The song reached number one on Shazam's Worldwide Top 100 Popular Songs in March 2016,[33] where it remained at number one for seven weeks,[34] and was the most Shazamed song worldwide by March 2016.[28] The song also reached number one on the Spotify Global Viral Chart and number five on the Global Top 50.[35][36] It also reached 500 million streams on Spotify in December 2016 and 1 billion streams in April 2019, becoming the first Norwegian song to reach both milestone.[37][38] As of July 2016, the single has been downloaded 4 million times.[36] Five years after the song's release, it debuted on the Billboard Global Excl. US chart on September 19, 2020,[39] and peaked at number 147 on the chart on November 21, 2020.[40]
North America
In the United States, "Faded" debuted at number 91 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart dated April 30, 2016.[41] This was Walker's first appearance on the Billboard Hot 100 and became the 16th Norwegian song to chart there.[34] After that, the song moved in and out of the lower reaches of the chart, but rose from number 97 to number 81 on the chart dated June 11, 2016.[42] It also ranked number 4 on the Dance Club Songs chart and number 7 on the Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart.[43][44] The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified his triple platinum for sales of 3 million copies.[45] In Canada, the song reached number 32 on the Canadian Hot 100 chart dated June 18, 2016, and remained on the chart for 31 weeks.[46]
Europe
"Faded" overtakes Kygo's "Firestone" as the most streamed Norwegian song on Spotify.
In the United Kingdom, the song debuted at number 91 on the UK Singles Chart on 11 February 2016,[48][49] and peaked at number 7, Walker's first top 10 hit.[50][51] The song stayed on the charts for 42 weeks.[52] It also debuted at number 39 on the UK DanceChart on 15 January 2016,[53] and peaked at number 2 on the chart dated 29 April 2016.[54] The British Phonographic Industry (BPI) awarded him a triple platinum certification for sales of over 1.8 million copies.[55] In Walker's native Norway, the song reached number 19 within a week of its release in 2015,[56] and rose to number one a week later on the chart dated December 20, 2015.[57][35] It remained at the top of the charts for 14 weeks,[58] before being stopped from reaching the top of the charts for 15 weeks by Norwegian music producer Kygo and British singer Labrinth's single "Fragile".[59] On Spotify, the song became the most streamed Norwegian song on 20 July 2016 with 431.7 million streams, surpassing Kygo's "Firestone" featuring Conrad Sewell with 431.1 million streams.[47]
In Germany, the song debuted at number 69 on the Top 100 Singles chart dated January 15, 2016. It entered the top 10 three weeks later, and reached number one the following week on the chart dated February 12, 2016.[60] It remained at the top of the chart for the next ten weeks.[42] It also topped the dance chart for 13 weeks and the airplay chart for two weeks.[61] It reached number one on the 2016 year-end chart.[62] The song was streamed 3.69 million times in one week, setting a new streaming record in Germany, beating English singer Adele's "Hello" with 3.5 million streams.[63]Bundesverband Musikindustrie (BVMI) certified seven times Gold for sales of 1.4 million.[64]
"Faded" topped the charts in several European countries, including Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.[65] It also reached number one on the year-end charts in Austria,[66] Switzerland,[67] and Sweden,[68] and reached the top five in nine countries.
Music video
Derelict Rummu quarry utility buildings in the water at night, September 2014
A music video featuring Shahab Salehi as the protagonist[69][70] was released on December 4, 2015.[71] It was produced and edited by Bror Bror and directed by Rikkard and Tobias Häggbom; Rikkard Häggbom served as director of photography.[72] The music video reached 1 billion views on YouTube on March 26, 2017, becoming the first Norwegian song to achieve this milestone.[73] As of June 2024, it also ranks as the 28th most viewedYouTube video,[74] with over 3.8 billion views as of May 2025.[75] As of February 2025, it has over 28 million likes, making it the 8th most liked YouTube music video.[76]
On 24 September 2021, the music video for "Paradise", a seventh single for Walker's follow-up album World of Walker, was released on YouTube featuring K-391 and Boy in Space as a collaboration with mobile game PUBG Mobile (PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds).[77] Taking place at the same time as "Faded"'s music video, it serves as a retroactive expansion of "Faded", with it becoming the start of the "World of Walker" (WoW) universe.[77]
Synopsis
The video shows a young man dressed in scruffy clothes and covering his face, roaming with his backpack and a photograph of his home in his hand. He wanders through devastated high rises and derelict structures in an abandoned town, wielding a flare to explore a dark building. Guided by the photo, he finally locates his home, which lies in ruins. With a final look at his home, he removes his mask, and the video fades to black.[70][78]
Filming locations
Linnahall in November 2011. Architects Raine Karp and Riina Altmäe
On 11 February 2016, Alan Walker published an acoustic version of the song, titled "Faded (Restrung)". The song is performed with a piano and strings, with all the EDM elements taken out.[18] Walker wrote in a note to The Fader that he had decided on an alternative version of "Faded", so as "to highlight other aspects of the song; to present it to another audience who may like Iselin [Solheim]'s voice and the melodies, but can't stand the electronic parts of it."[82]
The music video for the "Restrung" version features Walker, Solheim, and a string ensemble performing in the reactor hall of the dismantled R1, Sweden's first nuclear reactor.[83][84] The cast wore black hoodies bearing Walker's logo of his stylized initials. The R1 reactor hall is located underground at Sweden's Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) in Stockholm.[84]
The team who created the video for "Faded" returned for the "Restrung" version — Bror Bror was the producer, Rikkard and Tobias Häggbom directed, and Shahab Salehi was credited as an assistant.[85][86] The filming atmosphere closely resembles that of "Faded"; according to a behind the scenes video of the filming, the "Restrung" video was conceived as a continuation to the original video.[87]
The song "Faded" won a The Cannes Lions Award at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, Best International Hit at the Eska Music Awards, Årets Låt Song of the Year and Best Western Artist of the Year at Spellemannprisen '16, and was nominated for British Single of the Year at the Brit Awards.
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. † Streaming-only figures based on certification alone.
Release history
The single was originally set to be released on 25 November 2015, but was postponed to 3 December.
↑Talseth, Thomas (6 June 2016). "Alan Walker kommer til VG-listeshowet"[Alan Walker is coming to the VG list show]. VG (in Norwegian). Retrieved 20 November 2025.
12Ighanian, Catherine Gonsholt; Østbø, Stein (18 December 2015). "Er Alan Walker den nye Kygo?"[Is Alan Walker the new Kygo?]. VG (in Norwegian). Retrieved 20 November 2025.
↑Wergeland, Atle Jørstad; Hattrem, Hanne (3 December 2016). "Alan Walker har kjøpt millionbil - men har ikke lappen"[Alan Walker has bought a million-dollar car - but doesn't have the receipt]. VG (in Norwegian). Retrieved 20 November 2025.
"Shahab Salehi". Swedish Film Database. The Swedish Film Institute. 2016. Archived from the original on 16 February 2016. Retrieved 12 February 2016.
Asplid, Åsa (27 February 2008). "Sexigast i Sverige"[The Sexiest in Sweden]. Expressen (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 16 February 2016. Retrieved 12 February 2016.
↑Ernits, Rutt (21 March 2016). "Maailma enimstriimitud artist Alan Walker esineb suvel Pärnus"[World's most-streamed artist Alan Walker to perform this Summer in Pärnu]. menu.err.ee (in Estonian). ERR. Retrieved 24 March 2016. Tallinnas, Rummus ja Paldiskis filmitud videot loole "Faded" on tänaseks Youtube'is vaadatud enam kui 82 miljonit korda.
↑Häggbom, Rikkard (Director); Häggbom, Tobias (Director) (11 February 2016). Faded (Restrung) (Online video). Sweden: Sony Music. Archived from the original on 12 May 2016. Retrieved 9 October 2020– via YouTube.
↑Espinoza, Paula (8 March 2017). "Exclusive: Alan Walker Talks 'Faded' And His Career". The Knockturnal. Archived from the original on 22 October 2017. Retrieved 9 October 2020. We have worked with a company from Sweden called Bror Bror...They did the music videos for "Faded", "Sing Me to Sleep", and "Alone".
12Faded (Liner notes). Alan Walker. Norway: Warner Chappell. 2016. 889853287475.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
↑"Media Forest – Weekly Charts". Media Forest. 4 July 2016. Retrieved 3 July 2018. Note: Select 'Songs – TV'. Romanian and international positions are rendered together by the number of plays before resulting an overall chart.
↑"ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select SINGLES DIGITAL - TOP 100 and insert 20164 into search.
↑"Top singles 2016". Pure Charts (in French). chartinfrance.net. 6 January 2017. Archived from the original on 11 January 2017. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
↑Offizielle Deutsche Charts (26 December 2019). "Platz 6️⃣ der erfolgreichsten Singles und Alben des Jahrzehnts"[Place 6️⃣ of the most successful singles and albums of the decade] (in German). Retrieved 26 December 2019– via Facebook. +++ +++ Adeles kurz vor Jahresende 2015 veröffentlichtes Album "25" schlug gleich ein wie eine Bombe. In den Jahrescharts schaffte sie es - obwohl nur ein paar Wochen auf den Markt - auf einen beachtlichen 2. Platz. Insgesamt war sie damit 82 Wochen platziert. +++ Alan Walker hingegen lieferte 2016 den erfolgreichsten Hit des Jahres. "Faded" stand 10 Wochen an der Spitze - und 60 Mal in der Top 100. | Sony Music Germany [+++ +++ @[9770929278:274:Adele]'s album " 25 " released shortly before the end of 2015 " hit like a bomb. In the annual charts, she made it to a remarkable 2. th place - although only a few weeks on the market. Overall, she was placed for 82 weeks. +++ @[427227870674644:274:Alan Walker], on the other hand, delivered the most successful hit of the year in 2016 "faded" was at the top 10 weeks - and 60 times in the top 100. | @[195699125451:274:Sony Music Germany] ]
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