"Control" is the debut solo single by German singer
Zoe Wees
Zoe Wees (German and ; born 13 May 2002) is a German singer. Her debut single "Control (Zoe Wees song), Control" charted in several nations including number one in France (SNEP Radio) and the top ten in Belgium.
Background
Wees grew up in Hamb ...
, from her debut
EP ''
Golden Wings
''Golden Wings'' is the debut extended play by German singer Zoe Wees
Zoe Wees (German and ; born 13 May 2002) is a German singer. Her debut single "Control (Zoe Wees song), Control" charted in several nations including number one in France (S ...
''. It released by Valeria Music on 13 March 2020 as the lead single from the EP. Written by Wees, Patrick Pyke Salmy, Emma Sophia Rosen, Ricardo Muñoz,
René Miller
René Miller is a German artist, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter.
He has co-written songs for artists such as Zoe Wees, Topic, A7S, Mike Perry, and Jack Curley.
In 2018, he was a recipient of the German Songwriting Award. In 2019, he s ...
, and Nils Bodenstedt, the song is a
power ballad
A sentimental ballad is an emotional style of music that often deals with romantic and intimate relationships, and to a lesser extent, loneliness, death, war, drug abuse, politics and religion, usually in a poignant but solemn manner. Balla ...
and about the singer's anxiety and lack of control due to her struggles with epilepsy.
Background
After debuting in June 2018 as a featured artist on
Moonbootica
MOONBOOTICA is the pseudonym of Hamburg musicians and DJs KoweSix (Oliver Kowalski) and Tobitob (Tobias Schmidt), who have been performing together since the 1990s. They have released several albums and singles.
Career
The MOONBOOTICA music pro ...
's single "Hibernating", Wees signed a record deal with the label Valeria Music, a division of
Caroline Distribution
Virgin Music, known as Virgin Music Label & Artist Services until 2022 and originally as Caroline Distribution, was a music distributor of independent artists and record labels, most prominently Death Grips, Weezer, and Radiohead. Virgin Music ...
, and began recording new music in early 2020.
Music video
The song's official video, directed by Dennis Dirksen, was released on 27 March 2020. As of December 2022, the video has 75,191,077 views on YouTube.
Commercial performance
Upon release, the song failed to chart, but in the following months it began to gain popularity on
Spotify
Spotify (; ) is a List of companies of Sweden, Swedish Music streaming service, audio streaming and media service provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. , it is one of the largest providers of music streaming services ...
, entering the viral charts of various European countries.
During the summer, "Control" reached in the top 40 of Austria,
Belgium,
Germany,
and Switzerland.
In October the song peaked at number 1 on the French Radio Singles Chart;
in the same month it was certified gold in Italy for moving units.
In the United States, after receiving massive
airplay
Airplay is how frequently a song is being played through broadcasting on radio stations. A song which is being played several times every day (spins) would have a significant amount of airplay. Music which became very popular on jukeboxes, in n ...
, the song peaked at number 22 on the US Mainstream Top 40 and entered the Bubbling Under Hot 100 at number 19 on the chart issue dated 31 October 2020.
In June 2025 it was certified platinum in the country for moving units.
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
References
{{authority control
2020 singles
2020 songs
English songs