"Lean On" is a song by American

electronic dance music Electronic dance music (EDM), also referred to as dance music or club music, is a broad range of percussive electronic music genres originally made for nightclubs, raves, and List of electronic dance music festivals, festivals. It is generally ...

group

Major Lazer Major Lazer is an American electronic dance music and DJ trio, which includes record producer Diplo, and DJs Walshy Fire and Ape Drums. They were founded in 2008 by Diplo and Switch, with Switch leaving after three years in 2011. He was the ...

and French DJ and record producer DJ Snake featuring Danish singer MØ. It was released on March 2, 2015, as the lead single from Major Lazer's third studio album, '' Peace Is the Mission'' (2015). It was written by MØ, Diplo, DJ Snake, Tchami, and Jr Blender, and produced by Major Lazer and DJ Snake. It is an EDM, electronic and moombahton song. "Lean On" was a critical and commercial success, peaking at number four on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number two on the UK Singles Chart. It reached number one in several other countries including Argentina, Australia, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Mexico, and Switzerland; as well as the top 10 in Austria, Belgium, Canada, Colombia, France, Israel, Italy, Norway, Poland, Spain, and Sweden. In November 2015, "Lean On" was named by

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 ...

as the most streamed song of all time, and has over 1 billion streams globally as of June 2017; however, in 2016, it was later overtaken by Drake's " One Dance" (which was overtaken again by

Ed Sheeran Edward Christopher Sheeran ( ; born 17 February 1991) is an English singer-songwriter. Born in Halifax, West Yorkshire, and raised in Framlingham, Suffolk, he began writing songs around the age of eleven. In early 2011, Sheeran independently r ...

Shape of You "Shape of You" is a song by English singer Ed Sheeran. It was released on 6 January 2017 as one of the lead single, double lead singles from his third studio album ''÷ (album), ÷'' (2017), along with "Castle on the Hill". The Dancehall pop, ...

that was overtaken by

The Weeknd Abel Makkonen Tesfaye (; born February 16, 1990), known professionally as the Weeknd, is a Canadian singer-songwriter, record producer, and actor. He is best known for adding Pop music, pop, electronic music, electronic and hip-hop stylings ...

's Blinding Lights.). The accompanying music video for "Lean On" was filmed in ND Studios, Karjat, Kaul Heritage City, in Vasai in

Maharashtra Maharashtra () is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to th ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

and in the Golden Hall at

Stockholm City Hall Stockholm City Hall (, ''Stadshuset'' locally) is the seat of Stockholm Municipality in Stockholm, Sweden. It stands on the eastern tip of Kungsholmen island, next to Riddarfjärden's northern shore and facing the islands of Riddarholmen and ...

. The video premiered on March 23, 2015, and has over 3.7 billion views on

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as of October 2022. According to IFPI, "Lean On" was the fifth best-selling song of 2015 worldwide, and one of the best-selling singles of all time, with global sales of 13.1 million.

Background and composition

Regarding the creative process behind "Lean On", producer Diplo of Major Lazer said, "We wrote this song with MØ very early from an instrumental Jr Blender created in some sessions in

Trinidad Trinidad is the larger, more populous island of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, the country. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is the southernmost island in ...

. It was a strong hook. Very big to me but the production was lacking an attitude we needed. A year later I remixed the song at a completely different tempo and asked DJ Snake for a signature post chorus. After he did his thing, me, MØ and Blender rewrote the song at the new tempo in

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

and made something very unique that became our album's lead-off single. We're super proud of this song." Diplo offered a slower

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...

arrangement of the song to

Rihanna Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, businesswoman, and actress. One of the List of music artists by net worth, wealthiest musicians in the world, List of awards and nominations received by Rihanna, her vario ...

, who rejected it. He also offered said arrangement of the song to

Nicki Minaj Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty (born December 8, 1982), known professionally as Nicki Minaj ( ), is a Trinidadian rapper, singer, and songwriter. Regarded as the "Queen of Rap" and one of the most influential rappers of all time, she is noted for her ...

, who turned it down as well. Diplo called this turn of events "a blessing in disguise," and that "MØ sounds better than anybody was going to sound on that record."

Critical reception

The song has received critical acclaim. Brennan Carley of '' Spin'' wrote, "It's as if No Doubt met the C+C Music Factory". ''

Consequence of Sound ''Consequence'' (previously ''Consequence of Sound'') is an independently owned New York-based online magazine featuring news, editorials, and reviews of music, movies, and television. History ''Consequence of Sound'' was founded in Septem ...

''s Michelle Geslani called the song a "bouncy banger" and complimented MØ's " siren-like" vocals. David Jeffries from

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

praised MØ and DJ Snake for helping the track "deliver the sentimental lyrics and sensual

house music House is a genre of electronic dance music characterized by a repetitive Four on the floor (music), four-on-the-floor beat and a typical tempo of 115–130 beats per minute. It was created by DJs and music producers from Chicago's underground ...

at an intoxicating half-speed tempo." '' Billboard''s Matt Medved praised the song, explaining, "Lean On" gives Major Lazer’s reggae, trap and moombahton blend a pop gloss. Already a festival favorite, it looks primed to follow Jack Ü and

Justin Bieber Justin Drew Bieber ( ; born March 1, 1994) is a Canadian singer. Regarded as a pop icon, he is recognized for his multi-genre musical performances. He was discovered by record executive Scooter Braun in 2008 and subsequently brought to the U ...

's " Where Are Ü Now" as another Diplo product that both innovates and finds crossover appeal." ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' ranked "Lean On" at number 48 on its year-end list to find the 50 best songs of 2015, while '' Billboard'' listed it number one on its Top 10 Dance/Electronic songs of 2015. The latter magazine also ranked "Lean On" at number 3 on its year-end critics' poll for 2015: "The

Grammys The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

got it wrong. It's rare that a

dance Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

record of this quality reaches this level of ubiquity—after all, this is

s most streamed song of all-time as of Nov. 2015. Despite being independently released, the infectious three-minute single became the poster child for dance crossover, dominating both radio and festival play and hitting No. 4 on the Hot 100. By ''Billboard'''s measure, 'Lean On' was the dance/ electronic song of the year." The prestigious '' Village Voice'' ranked "Lean On" at number 25 on their annual year-end critic's poll. On January 26, 2016, "Lean On" reached #3 on Triple J's Hottest 100 of 2015.

Commercial performance

"Lean On" was a global commercial success. In the United States, "Lean On" debuted at the bottom of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 on the issue dated April 25, 2015. The song later reached number four on August 29, 2015, spending 10 consecutive weeks in the top-10. This entry makes it Major Lazer and MØs highest-charting hit in the country at the time making Major Lazer's first top 10 and top 40, also making MØ's first top 10 and second top 40 (" Cold Water", a collaboration with

, reached number two in 2016); "Lean On" also ties with DJ Snakes " Turn Down for What", which also reached number four in June 2014. In the United Kingdom, "Lean On" debuted at number 38 on the UK Singles Chart on the week ending April 11, 2015. The song entered the top-10 three weeks later, before reaching number two on June 27, 2015. The song spent 12 non-consecutive weeks in the top 10, becoming one of the few songs during 2015 to spend more than 10 weeks in the top 10 (even above several number-one singles). Elsewhere, in Australia, Denmark, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, New Zealand, and Norway, "Lean On" reached number one. Additionally, the single reached number 3 on the Canadian Hot 100. In November 2015, "Lean On" was announced to have overtaken " Thinking Out Loud" by

as the most streamed song ever on Spotify, with 526 million streams globally. It currently has over 2 billion streams on the site, making it the eighty-second most streamed song.

Music video and lyric video

Music video

The accompanying

music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...

for "Lean On" was directed by Tim Erem, produced by Mikhail Mehra, Akshay Multani & Per Welen, director of photography Jacob Møller. It was shot at ND Studios, Karjat, and Kaul Heritage City, Vasai in

, India. Some scenes of the video are filmed in the Golden Hall of the

. It follows a premise of Major Lazer, MØ and DJ Snake engaging in modernised

Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, is primarily produced in Mumbai. The popular term Bollywood is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (former name of Mumbai) and "Cinema of the United States, Hollywood". The in ...

dance sequences. It was inspired by a previous tour Major Lazer embarked on in the country. Speaking about the music video, Major Lazer member Diplo said:

"When we toured there n Indiaas Major Lazer, it was mind-blowing to see our fan-base and we wanted to incorporate the attitude and positive vibes into our video and just do something that embodies the essence of Major Lazer. Major Lazer has always been a culture mashup and to us, India feels like some kind of special creature with one foot in history and one firmly in the future."

The video premiered on March 22, 2015, and has 3.7 billion views on

as of March 2025, making it the 31st most viewed video on the site. In January 2022, MØ commented, "The video is so beautiful and amazing, but I definitely think it's cultural appropriation, for sure. And I'm so happy that people were making me aware of it, because, at the time, I didn't really understand."

Lyric video

The lyric video for "Lean On" was uploaded on

on March 2, 2015.

Remixes

On July 10, 2015, the official EP of remixes was released for digital download. The EP consists of seven remixes.

Ty Dolla Sign remix

The official remix of "Lean On" features a

guest appearance The term guest appearance generally denotes the appearance of a guest in an artistic or pop-culture setting. The guests themselves (referred to as guest artists, featured artists, guest stars, or guest fighters, depending on context), are disting ...

by American singer

Ty Dolla Sign Tyrone William Griffin Jr. (born April 13, 1982), known professionally as Ty Dolla Sign (stylized as Ty Dolla $ign or Ty$), is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, and record producer. Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Griffin gai ...

. It was premiered through Major Lazer's

SoundCloud SoundCloud is a German audio streaming service owned and operated by SoundCloud Global Limited & Co. KG. The service enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is ...

on June 17, 2015. Ty Dolla Sign starts the remix with his new verse while the rest of the song is the same as in the original version. The remix was well received by

music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on ...

. Zach Frydenlund of ''

Complex Complex commonly refers to: * Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe ** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...

'' wrote; "While the song was already catchy as hell, Ty Dolla adds another element to the single". '' Rap-Up'' also gave a positive review to the remix with writing that Ty Dolla Sign starts the song with "electrifying verse that is guaranteed to get you lit". Elias Leight of ''

The Fader ''The Fader'' is a magazine established in 1999 as an outlet for Cornerstone Agency, a marketing and public relations firm established by Rob Stone and Jon Cohen. The magazine covers music, style and culture. History and work It is owned by T ...

'' wrote that Ty Dolla Sign added "some extra juice" to the song with his verse.

Track listing

Charts

Weekly charts

Monthly charts

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{authority control 2015 songs 2015 singles Major Lazer songs DJ Snake songs MØ songs Moombahton songs Dutch Top 40 number-one singles Irish Singles Chart number-one singles Number-one singles in Australia Number-one singles in the Commonwealth of Independent States Number-one singles in Denmark Number-one singles in Finland Number-one singles in Greece Number-one singles in Iceland Number-one singles in Russia Songs written by Diplo Because Music singles Songs written by MØ Songs written by DJ Snake Songs written by Jr Blender Farruko songs J Balvin songs Songs in Spanish Spanglish songs UK Independent Singles Chart number-one singles Mad Decent singles