Wrong Direction (song)

Last updated
"Wrong Direction"
Hailee Steinfeld - Wrong Direction.png
Single by Hailee Steinfeld
from the EP Half Written Story
ReleasedJanuary 1, 2020 (2020-01-01)
Length4:09
Label Republic
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) Koz
Hailee Steinfeld singles chronology
"Afterlife"
(2019)
"Wrong Direction"
(2020)
"I Love You's"
(2020)
Music video
"Wrong Direction" on YouTube

"Wrong Direction" is a song by American singer Hailee Steinfeld and was released by Republic Records on January 1, 2020. [1] The song serves as the lead single from Steinfeld's second EP Half Written Story (2020), through Republic Records. The song was written by Steinfeld, alongside Lowell, Skyler Stonestreet, and the song's producer, Koz. Upon its release, the song peaked within the top 10 of the Official Aotearoa Music Charts in New Zealand, and was certified Gold in Brazil and Canada. A music video was released 7 days later, directed by Alexandre Moors.

Contents

Background and composition

Steinfeld first teased the song's release by posting a picture on social media with the caption "1/1". [2] Later that day she announced the song's title. [3] It is speculated that the song is about Steinfeld's split from ex-boyfriend Niall Horan (of One Direction) in 2018. Its title is also presumed to be a reference to Horan's band One Direction, who are currently on hiatus. [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]

"Wrong Direction" was written by Elizabeth Lowell Boland, Hailee Steinfeld, Skyler Stonestreet and Stephen Kozmeniuk, and was produced by Koz. The song runs for four minutes and eight seconds. [9] Ashley Iasimone of Billboard characterized "Wrong Direction" as "an emotional ballad that addresses a past relationship". [10]

Commercial performance

Upon its release, the song charted at number 71 on the Scottish Singles Chart and number 61 on the Irish Singles Chart, and peaked at number 9 on the Official Aotearoa Music Charts, based in New Zealand. The song was also certified Gold by both Pro-Música Brasil (PMB) and Music Canada (MC) for equivalent sales of 20,000 units in their respective countries.

Music video

The Alexandre Moors-directed music video was released on January 8, 2020, via YouTube premiere. [11]

Track listing

Digital download [12] [13]
No.TitleLength
1."Wrong Direction"4:08

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal. [13]

Charts

Chart (2020)Peak
position
Ireland (IRMA) [14] 61
New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ) [15] 9
Scotland (OCC) [16] 71

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil) [17] Gold20,000
Canada (Music Canada) [18] Gold40,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

RegionDateFormatLabelRef.
VariousJanuary 1, 2020 Republic [12] [13]

References

  1. "Is Hailee Steinfeld Releasing a Diss Track About Ex Niall Horan with New Song 'Wrong Direction'?". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved 2019-12-31.
  2. "hailee steinfeld on Instagram: "1/1"". Instagram. Archived from the original on 2021-12-25. Retrieved 2019-12-31.
  3. "hailee steinfeld on Instagram: "1/1"". Instagram. Archived from the original on 2021-12-25. Retrieved 2019-12-31.
  4. "Hailee Steinfeld to Release 'Wrong Direction' Song After Niall Horan Split". Us Weekly. 2019-12-30. Retrieved 2019-12-31.
  5. "Telling All! Hailee Steinfeld Seemingly Shades Ex Niall Horan in New Song". In Touch Weekly. 2019-12-30. Retrieved 2019-12-31.
  6. Atad, Corey (2019-12-30). "Fans Think Hailee Steinfeld's New Song 'Wrong Direction' Is About Ex Niall Horan". ET Canada. Archived from the original on December 31, 2019. Retrieved 2019-12-31.
  7. "Hailee Steinfeld Announces New Single "Wrong Direction" One Year After Split From Niall Horan". NYLON. 2019-12-30. Retrieved 2019-12-31.
  8. Kelli, Boyle (December 30, 2019). "Why Fans Think Hailee Steinfeld Is Releasing a Diss Track About Ex Niall Horan". E! News. Retrieved 2019-12-31.
  9. "Wrong Direction". Spotify . January 1, 2020. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
  10. "Hailee Steinfeld's New Year Begins With New Song 'Wrong Direction': Listen". Billboard. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
  11. Shaffer, Claire (2020-01-08). "Hailee Steinfeld Gets Up Close and Personal in 'Wrong Direction' Video". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2020-01-09.
  12. 1 2 "Wrong Direction – Single by Hailee Steinfeld". Apple Music . Retrieved 2020-01-01.
  13. 1 2 3 "Wrong Direction / Hailee Steinfeld". Tidal . Retrieved 2020-01-01.
  14. "IRMA – Irish Charts". Irish Recorded Music Association . Retrieved January 11, 2020.
  15. "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. January 13, 2020. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
  16. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
  17. "Brazilian single certifications – Hailee Steinfeld – Wrong Direction" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil . Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  18. "Canadian single certifications – Hailee Steinfeld – Wrong Direction". Music Canada . Retrieved August 26, 2021.