English-Norwegian producer and DJ, Alan Walker, was only around 17 years old when he released his song “Faded” in 2015. It quickly took off, with billions of streams on Spotify and billions of views on YouTube. In fact, it won the title for 20th most-viewed YouTube video in history.
“Faded” was preceded by an instrumental piece that Walker had composed, called “Fade.” He explained that, even though it received millions of views and was well-received, many listeners commented that it was missing something, and felt that it should have lyrics. So Walker teamed up with Norwegian vocalist Iselin Solheim and produced “Faded.”
The electronic, melody-driven song is based on four repeating chords (i, VI, III, VII). The driving beat and powerful lyrics add to the atmospheric sound which Walker is known for. The song production uses layers, first the melody on piano, and then other sounds/instruments and a vocal line built upon each other.
Walker has been able to maintain an admirable level-headedness despite his phenomenal success.
“I don’t really like to get too overwhelmed with my success—I don’t want it to affect my mindset and way of thinking… I really don’t want it to make me become a douche or not humble,” he reflected. “So, for me, it’s still really hard to even look at the numbers and understand just how big this really is.”