Add “Boom Clap” singer Charli XCX to the long list of female vocalists who previously recorded demo tracks for Zedd’s hit single “The Middle” featuring Maren Morris.
In a tweet posted Wednesday night, Charli XCX revealed that “i cut this song 2” but conceded that “the whole thing was waaayy too high in pitch for me.” She also commended final track vocalist Morris, writing “marren sounds soooo beautiful on this song.”
i cut this song 2 but honestly the whole thing was waaayy too high in pitch for me & my 5am party voice. also i’m not sure Zedd was fuckin w my robot levels of autotune 👽😝 in my opinion marren sounds soooo beautiful on this song & sarah aarons is a totally genius pop writer 💕 https://t.co/UnwRgZV76r
— Charli (@charli_xcx) April 25, 2018
As Variety originally reported, the song, which is now on its third week at No. 1 on pop radio and was written well over a year ago, had been recorded by no fewer than 12 top female singers. These songstresses included: Demi Lovato, Camila Cabello, Anne-Marie, Carly Rae Jepsen, Tove Lo, Bishop Briggs, Bebe Rexha, Lauren Jauregui from Fifth Harmony, Daya and Elle King.
“It was a super long process,” says Stefan Johnson, one-fifth of production team Monsters & Strangerz, who, along with his brother Jordan Johnson and Marcus “Marc Lo” Lomax, shaped the track, which was written by Australian newcomer Sarah Aarons. “We never lost the feeling for that song,” adds Jordan Johnson. “Even a year later, I, as a creator hadn’t gotten tired of it. It was special.”
The final version of the song, which debuted on Grammy night during a Target commercial, has not stopped generating spins, streams, and syncs since, as Variety noted.
“It’s infectious,” says Amanda Berman Hill, SVP and head of West Coast Writer Relations for Sony/ATV Music Publishing, Aarons’ publisher. (Universal Music Publishing Group, BMG, and Kobalt also have a share of the song through contributions by DJ-producers Zedd and the duo Grey, Jordan Johnson and Lomax, and Stefan Johnson, respectively). “From the moment it was released you’d see and hear people walking around singing the song.”
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