"Silence" is a song by American music producer and DJ Marshmello, featuring guest vocals from American singer-songwriter Khalid. Written and produced by Marshmello, with additional writing from Khalid, it was released by RCA Records on August 11, 2017. "Silence" is a dance track. The song peaked at number 3 in the UK charts becoming his first song to chart in the official UK charts.

Background

On August 1, 2017, Marshmello made a surprise performance at a Khalid concert, hinting at an upcoming collaboration. On August 7, 2017, Marshmello first teased the single release with a photo of him and Khalid, captioning the single's title and release date. In an interview with StarTribune, Khalid explains "the song reflects the dejection he said he felt moving around a lot as a kid, since his mom served in the military. (His dad died in a car accident at a young age)".

Critical reception

David Rishty of ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' described the song as "a rumbling dance ballad that has the ingredients to take both acts to new heights in their flourishing careers". He opined that Khalid delivered "crooning, soulful vocals", while Marshmello's production is "vibrant" and "asserts simplicity, yet purpose". Erik of EDM Sauce called the song "an incredibly powerful track", and described Khalid's vocals as "booming and impressive". He wrote that "after the intense build up and lyrical perfection from Khalid we wanted an equally as impressive drop", but "we did not find it". Alex Ross of '' Vice'' called the song "a good Marshmello song", and wrote that Marshmello "cheated by getting Khalid to do the vocals". He thinks that it "sounds a bit like" Major Lazer's collaboration with Justin Bieber and MØ, " Cold Water". '' Rolling Stone'' wrote that the song has "shifting, snapping synths". ''

Rap-Up ''Rap-Up'' is a magazine launched in 2001 by founder Devin Lazerine. The publication was originally a website devoted to hip hop, until Lazerine decided to pitch the possibility of a magazine to several publishers. The magazine is focused on the ...

'' felt that the song "blends soulful R&B with atmospheric electronic sounds". Broadway World described Khalid's vocals as "strong emotive", and thinks that Marshmello "adopted a slower tempo than his usual upbeat productions to give the release a silky smooth feel, before launching into his instantly recognisable chord-based drop".

Personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal. * Marshmello – production * Chris Galland – mix engineering * Manny Marroquin – mix engineering * Denis Kosiak – engineering * Jeff Jackson – assistant engineering * Robin Florent – assistant engineering

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

Certifications

References

{{Authority control 2017 songs 2017 singles Marshmello songs Khalid (singer) songs RCA Records singles Songs written by Khalid (singer) Songs written by Marshmello American dance songs