Faded

"Faded" is a song by British-Norwegian record producer and DJ Alan Walker with vocals provided by Norwegian singer Iselin Solheim.

The song was highly successful,

peaking in the top 10 in most of the countries it charted in, and reached the top spot in more than 10 countries. As of June 2023, it is the 24th most viewed video on YouTube and also the 14th most viewed music video, with over 3.3 billion views, and was the first EDM track to hit 3 billion views.

"Faded" is also the 76th most-streamed song on Spotify as of August 2023, with over 1.7 billion streams.

Walker debuted a live performance of "Faded" with Solheim and string support on 27 February 2016 at the X Games in Oslo.

The performance was aired live on Norwegian television. The song was put as the ultimate track on Walker's 2018 album Different World after an interlude specific to the track.

fade

The song "Faded" is a revamped version of Walker's past composition "Fade",

which was released via the record label NoCopyrightSounds in 2014. Walker was inspired by the music producer Ahrix's sound on his track "Nova" from 2013. In an interview he stated:

"The melodies and the way the track progresses are what's so unique and it's what inspired me to create 'Fade' which later on became 'Faded'".

The style is inspired by the Norwegian producer K-391. The melody, I don't know where it came from, but I try to let my emotions and feelings have a big influence on the melodies I produce.

"Faded" has almost identical structure and melody to "Fade".

meaning

Walker was pleased with the reworked version, saying that through Borgen, he was able to get Solheim for the vocals. He said the song is both happy and sad, and can be credibly interpreted in many ways. The lyrics talk about loss or being lost and mentions Atlantis, deep under the sea. Other imagery includes light and dark, fantasy, and monsters.

composition

"Faded" is noticeably different from "Fade" for its piano intro and outro, and for having uncredited vocals by Iselin Solheim and mainstream production.[7]

The song is set in common time and has a tempo of 90 beats per minute. It is written in the key of D# minor with a chord progression of D#m–B-F#–C#.

performance

"Faded" became a worldwide commercial success upon its release, topping Norwegian, Finnish and Swedish singles charts, as well as entering the top 3 in the Danish singles chart. The song peaked at number one in more than ten countries and in the top 5 in more than 25 countries.

It also charted in various countries including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Malaysia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Switzerland, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States. It also reached number one on the Shazam Worldwide Top 100 Popular Songs in February 2016, and by March 2016, had become the world's most Shazamed song.

Its music video on YouTube reached 1 billion views on 26 March 2017, and has received over 3 billion views to date, making it the 22nd most viewed YouTube video. It is also the 8th most liked YouTube video with over 26 million likes.

music video

A music video was created for the song, starring Shahab Salehi. The music video was produced and edited by Brora Brora, and directed by Rikkard and Tobias Häggbom; Rikkard Häggbom was the cinematographer.
The music video for Faded was not originally shot with the entire Walker Universe in mind.
On the fifth anniversary, that is, on December 4, 2020, the World Of Walker 2021 announcement features information about Walker #22 and a scene happening shortly after the end of the video for Faded, in which #22 is approached by #0.

Some time later, we received an exclusive trailer to celebrate Faded reaching 3B views. The trailer featured scenes from Faded in a revamped version, linking Faded to the entire universe

On September 24, 2021, a music video for the song "Paradise" featuring K-391 and Boy in Space was released on YouTube as part of a collaboration with the PUBG Mobile game. The video is set at the same time as the "Faded" video, becoming the beginning of the "World of Walker" universe as it reveals the deeper plot of the "Faded" video.

synopsis

"Faded" takes viewers on a captivating journey, likely unfolding in the year 2025, with its narrative intricately woven into scenes from "Paradise." Set against the backdrop of Estonia, the story unfolds with cinematic shots capturing various locales.

The narrative centers around #22, portrayed standing pensively in the window of a derelict building, contemplating a photo received from Lily (referenced in "Paradise"). Yordan, portrayed as #22, packs his essentials into a backpack, including his laptop, before embarking on a journey toward other dilapidated structures.

Interwoven with these moments are glimpses of #22's earlier travels across Estonia, hinting at his quest to locate #28300. Meanwhile, Kostov, depicted entering one of the abandoned buildings, ignites a flare from his backpack, illuminating the surroundings.

A deeper understanding of the narrative is provided by "Paradise," shedding light on the significance of the building as a former walker base. Here, walkers delved into studies ranging from AVI-8 drones to enigmatic prophecy disks

locations

The video was filmed in Estonia at such locations as the Linnahall building;

a disused textile manufacturing plant, and a concert hall in Tallinn; the former Rummu prison; the Rummu quarry and lake alongside the adjoining spoil tip in Vasalemma Parish; and the city of Paldiski. The last shot features the ruins of a building near the shore on Pakri Peninsula just outside Paldiski, on the outskirts of Laoküla village, Keila Parish (59.327337°N 24.103941°E).

Soomepoiste tee 11 Laoküla Coordinates : 59.334590, 24.103595

Puhkeranna tee 1 Laoküla : 59.327290, 24.103998

Paldiski raudteejaam R1 Paldiski : 59.343993, 24.060969

Haapsalu mnt 13 Rummu quarry : 59.227237, 24.195455

Sadama 1 Tallinn (Linnahall) : 59.334590, 24.103595

acoustic version

On 11 February 2016, Alan Walker published an acoustic version of the song called "Faded (Restrung)". The song is performed with a piano and strings, with all the EDM elements taken out. 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."

The music video to "Restrung" features Walker, vocalist Iselin Solheim, and a string ensemble performing in the reactor hall of the dismantled R1, Sweden's first nuclear reactor. 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.

The same team who created the video for "Faded", also made the music video for "Restrung" — Bror Bror was the producer, Rikkard and Tobias Häggbom directed, and Shahab Salehi was credited as an assistant. The filming atmosphere closely resembles that of "Faded"; according to a behind the scenes video of the filming, the "Restrung" video was shot as a continuation of sorts to the original "Faded" video.