"Torn" is a song by American singer

Ava Max Amanda Ava Koci (born Amanda Koçi; February 16, 1994), known professionally as Ava Max ( ), is an American Pop music, pop singer and songwriter. She rose to prominence in 2018 with the release of her breakthrough single "Sweet but Psycho". The ...

, released as a single on August 19, 2019, through

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over the course of its first two decades, starting from the release of its first recor ...

. It was included on her debut studio album '' Heaven & Hell'' (2020). The song was written by Max,

Madison Love Madison Emiko Love is an American songwriter and singer. She is signed to Artist Publishing Group. She has written songs with Madison Beer, Melanie Martinez, Lady Gaga, Selena Gomez, Katy Perry, Pink, Demi Lovato, Camila Cabello, Kesha, Ava Max ...

, James Lavigne, Thomas Eriksen, Sam Martin, and the producer

Cirkut Henry Russell Walter (born April 23, 1986), known professionally as Cirkut, is a Canadian record producer and songwriter. He has co-produced and co-written commercially successful singles, often in tandem with American record producer Dr. Luke ...

. It is 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 ...

and

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...

song with lyrics describing the internal struggle between wanting to stay and leave in a relationship. "Torn" charted in the top 10 in Poland, the Netherlands, Slovakia, and Slovenia. The song was

certified Certification is part of testing, inspection and certification and the provision by an independent body of written assurance (a certificate) that the product, service or system in question meets specific requirements. It is the formal attestatio ...

double platinum in Poland and was certified gold in five countries. An 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 ...

was directed by Korean-American director Joseph Kahn and released on August 27, 2019. The superhero-themed video was filmed in

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

for four days. Max portrayed dual identities; a regular woman and a superhero, as she sought revenge on her boyfriend. Max performed "Torn" as a medley in the

2019 MTV Video Music Awards The 2019 MTV Video Music Awards were held on August 26, 2019, at the Prudential Center in Newark, being the first VMA ceremony to be held in New Jersey. Sebastian Maniscalco hosted the 36th annual ceremony. Ariana Grande, Taylor Swift, and Bil ...

and

2019 MTV Europe Music Awards The 2019 MTV EMAs (also known as the MTV Europe Music Awards) was held at the FIBES Conference and Exhibition Centre in Seville, Spain, on 3 November 2019. The ceremony's host was Becky G. This was the fourth year, as well as the second consecut ...

shows, and at the 2019

Jingle Bell Ball The Jingle Bell Ball is a concert held annually in December since 2008 (except for 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic), by the radio station Capital (radio network), Capital FM at The O2 Arena. Various notable artists have headlined the con ...

Background and composition

Max teased "Torn" in the caption of a video posted on

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, asking her fans if they knew the name of the song she was about to release. A

pre-order A pre-order is an order placed for an item that has not yet been released. The idea for pre-orders came because people found it hard to get popular items in stores because of their popularity. Companies then had the idea to allow customers to r ...

link for "Torn" was discovered, with Max subsequently sharing the cover art and a snippet of the song. "Torn" was released on August 19, 2019. It was written by Max,

, James Lavigne, Thomas Eriksen, Sam Martin, and the producer

. The song was recorded in

Virginia Beach Virginia Beach (colloquially VB) is the List of cities in Virginia, most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. The city is located on the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay in southeaster ...

, and

West Hollywood, California West Hollywood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Incorporated in 1984, it is home to the Sunset Strip. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. Census, its population was 35,757. History Most historical writing ...

in A Studios. "Torn" is a

and

song, which uses elements of

disco Disco is a music genre, genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightclub, nightlife, particularly in African Americans, African-American, Italian-Americans, Italian-American, LGBTQ ...

. The lyrics describe the internal struggle of wanting to leave while also wanting to stay with a lover, which Max stated that the song "explores the struggle" between "love and hate".

Critical reception and commercial performance

Shaad D'Souza 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 ...

'' compared "Torn" to the discography of

ABBA ABBA ( ) were a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. They are one of the most popular and successful musical groups of all time, and are one of the List ...

. Writing for ''

Us Weekly ''Us Weekly'' is an American weekly celebrity and entertainment magazine based in New York City. ''Us Weekly'' was founded in 1977 by The New York Times Company, which sold it in 1980. It was acquired by Wenner Media in 1986, and sold to Ameri ...

'', Nicholas Hautman noted that it "subtly sample the group's 1979 song "

Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight) "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" is a song by Swedish recording group ABBA. A disco song, it was first recorded in August 1979 to promote the group's North American and European concert legs of ABBA: The Tour. It was released on 1 ...

". Max responded to the comparisons by stating that she listened to ABBA and

Ace of Base Ace of Base is a Swedish pop group formed in 1987, originally consisting of siblings Jonas, Linn, and Jenny Berggren, with Ulf Ekberg. They achieved worldwide success following the release of their debut album, '' Happy Nation'', in 1992. L ...

during her childhood, and wanted to "add a little disco flair in there". The song was included on ''Vogue''s Best Songs of 2019

listicle In journalism and blogging, a listicle is an article that is structured as a list, which is often fleshed out with additional text relating to each item. A typical listicle will have a title describing a specific number of items contained within, a ...

, where writer

Christian Allaire Christian Allaire is a Canadian fashion journalist, currently a fashion and style writer for ''Vogue''.Kelly Boutsalis"Christian Allaire is a new kind of Vogue editor" ''Toronto Star'', July 7, 2020. Early life Allaire studied journalism at Toron ...

stated that it "earworms its way into my head at least once a day". In Poland, "Torn" peaked at number three on the Polish Airplay Top 100 chart dated November 16, 2019, and was

double platinum by the Polish Airplay Top 100 (ZPAV) for track-equivalent sales of 40,000 units in the country. The song reached number three in the Netherlands, number four in Slovakia, and number nine in Slovenia. On the

Scottish Singles Chart The Scottish Albums Chart is a chart compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC) which is based on how physical and digital sales towards the UK Albums Chart fare in Scotland. The official singles chart for Scotland, the Scottish Singles Chart, ...

issued September 6, 2019, "Torn" bowed at number 18, while the song peaked at number 87 on the UK Singles Chart dated September 13, 2019, where it remained for two weeks. "Torn" was certified gold in Austria, Brazil, France, Italy, and Switzerland.

Music video

Background

The Joseph Kahn-directed

was shot in

for four days from June to August 2019, and was released on August 27, 2019. It has been considered to be "superhero-themed". Madeline Roth of

MTV News MTV News was the news production division of MTV. The service was available in the US with localized versions on MTV's global network and an online news team. In 2016, MTV refreshed the MTV News brand to compete with the likes of BuzzFeed and ...

described Max's character as a "woman scorned" who "goes undercover as a hero who kicks the shit out of some masked villains — including her shady boyfriend". Roth described the secret identity of Max's character as someone who "endur da venomous relationship" and survived a betrayal to "fight back". Max explained the process of creating the concept of the video, stating that she perceived the visuals while recording the song and knew exactly what she wanted. She approached Kahn with the idea of creating two personas for an ordinary woman named 'Amanda', and a superhero named 'Ava Max'. Max jokingly asked him to allow her to become a superhero, with the knowledge that it was difficult to accomplish. However, Kahn responded that he "always wanted to do that". Max performed her own stunts, spending the morning in the second day of the shoot practicing before shooting the video at 1:00am. She is seen wearing various pieces of clothing from

Trussardi Trussardi () is an Italian fashion house based in Milan, Italy, and specialized in leather goods, ready-to-wear, perfumes, and accessories. Trussardi was founded in 1911 as a leather glove manufacturer, and expanded its line to additional leath ...

, including archive items from the

Eighties File:1980s replacement montage02.PNG, 335px, From left, clockwise: The first Space Shuttle, '' Columbia'', lifts off in 1981; US president Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev ease tensions between the two superpowers, leading to th ...

and Nineties, such as glittery pumps with the 'T' logo on the heel, a leather trench coat and a messenger bag with Trussardi's greyhound logo as the closure. Max stated that she "wanted something uniquely Italian with a rich history that was fashion-forward yet elegant. Trussardi was the only option". A model of the

Fiat Panda The Fiat Panda is a city car manufactured and marketed by Fiat Automobiles, Fiat since 1980, currently in its third generation. The first generation Panda, introduced in 1980 as the Mk1, was a Car body configurations#Two-box design, two-box, thr ...

customized by Trussardi is briefly featured in the music video, which a portion was used in commercials. As of March 2023, the video has over 100 million views on

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

Synopsis

The video begins with a worn-out book opening the page to Chapter One. A brunette woman named Amanda (portrayed by Ava Max) is seen arguing with her boyfriend across the dining table, as he storms out to his car and drives off in the rain. Amanda then transforms into her superhero costume inside the mansion, consisting of a red cape, silver pants and signature blonde hair, half cut on her right side. In Chapter Two, several masked thugs commit a store robbery and make their getaway in a red sports car. Amanda confronts them in the middle of the highway and proceeds to overpower them, as comic-style text appears after each blow. Back at the mansion, news of the incident is broadcast, as her boyfriend watches on the couch. Back in her brunette hair, Amanda furiously scrubs the dishes as sparks appear from her hands, eventually cracking them in half. The next scene starts with Amanda's boyfriend getting out of the car with another girl. Amanda is seen walking the dog out, as she cuts the seat belt from the same car. She emerges in a masked ball while wearing a half-mask, and encounters her boyfriend wearing a

domino mask A domino mask is a small and (often) rounded mask covering only the area around the eyes and the space between them. The mask has seen special prevalence since the 18th century, when it became traditional wear in particular local manifestations ...

. The two walk out to the balcony, where the two embrace, as flashback scenes quickly play out from the beginning of the video. However, her boyfriend pushes her off the balcony, as Amanda falls into the ocean. Multiple

jump cut A jump cut is a cut (transition), cut in film editing that breaks a single continuous sequential shot of a subject into two parts, with a piece of footage removed to create the effect of jumping forward in time. Camera positioning on the subjec ...

s occur between scenes of Amanda plunging in the ocean, and laying inside a bath tub back in the mansion. Chapter Three depicts Amanda flying out of the ocean floor and back into her boyfriend's sight, as she proceeds to

electrocute Electrocution is death or severe injury caused by electric shock from electric current passing through the body. The word is derived from "electro" and "execution", but it is also used for accidental death. The term "electrocution" was coined ...

him by punching him in the mouth. The video ends with brunette Amanda walking out of the mansion with her boyfriend on the couch, as the book lands on the 'Fin' page before finally closing.

Live performances

Max gave her first televised performance of "Torn" on the pre-show at the

in a medley with "

Sweet but Psycho "Sweet but Psycho" is the debut single by American singer Ava Max, released on August 17, 2018, through Atlantic Records. It was later included on her debut studio album '' Heaven & Hell'' (2020). The song was written by Max, Madison Love, ...

". During the performance, Max and the dancers appeared in silver costumes and gladiator boots, as they performed a choreographed dance with vocal runs. While appearing on the

red carpet A red carpet is traditionally used to mark the route taken by heads of state on ceremonial and formal occasions, and has in recent decades been extended to use by Very Important Person, VIPs and celebrity, celebrities at formal events. History ...

at the same event, she wore a shiny superhero costume with a red cape attached, which served as a tease for the music video released the next day. Max performed "Torn" and "Sweet but Psycho" at the

, where she wore a red gown while performing on a white runway, which was described by Joe Lynch of ''Billboard'' as using "minimalist imagery to maximum effect". At the 2019

, Max performed "Torn" in a medley with " So Am I" and "Sweet but Psycho", performing with other artists such as

The Script The Script are an Irish Soft rock, soft-rock band formed in 2001 in Dublin. The band currently consists of Danny O'Donoghue (lead vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards), Glen Power (drums, percussion, backing vocals), Benjamin Seargent (bass, backin ...

Rita Ora Rita Sahatçiu Ora (; born Rita Sahatçiu; 26 November 1990) is a British singer-songwriter, television personality, and actress. Born in Pristina, modern-day Kosovo, she rose to prominence when she featured on DJ Fresh's 2012 single, "Hot Rig ...

, Regard and

Mabel Mabel is an English female name derived from the Latin ''amabilis'', "lovable, dear".Reclams Namensbuch, 1987, History Amabilis of Riom (died 475) was a French male saint who logically would have assumed the name Amabilis upon entering the prie ...

Track listing

Digital download Digital download may refer to: *Downloading, the processing of copying data to a computer from an external source *Digital distribution, a method of downloading software or audio-visual media as opposed to buying it at a traditional point of sale * ...

streaming Streaming media refers to multimedia delivered through a network for playback using a media player. Media is transferred in a ''stream'' of packets from a server to a client and is rendered in real-time; this contrasts with file downl ...

# "Torn" 3:18 Digital download / streaming –

Kream Kream (stylised as KREAM) is a Norwegian DJ and record producer duo consisting of brothers Daniel and Markus Slettebakken, from Bergen. Career 2016 – 2019 In 2017 KREAM signed with Atlantic Records / Big Beat Records and released the ...

remix # "Torn" (KREAM Remix) 2:49 Digital download / streaming – Hook n Sling remix # "Torn" (Hook N Sling Remix) 3:33 Digital download / streaming – Cirkut DJ mix # "Torn" (Cirkut DJ Mix) 3:29 Digital download / streaming – Adryiano remix # "Torn" (Adryiano Remix) 4:33 Streaming # "Torn" (KREAM Remix) 2:49 # "Torn" (Hook N Sling Remix) 3:33 # "Torn" (Cirkut DJ Mix) 3:29 # "Torn" (Adryiano Remix) 4:33 # "Torn" 3:18 German

CD single A CD single is a single (music), music single in the form of a compact disc (CD). Originally the ''CD single'' standard (as defined in the Rainbow Books, Red Book) was an 8 cm (3-inch) "mini CD" (''CD3''); later on the term referred to any si ...

# "Torn" 3:18 # "

Salt In common usage, salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl). When used in food, especially in granulated form, it is more formally called table salt. In the form of a natural crystalline mineral, salt is also known as r ...

" 3:00

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the German CD single. Publishing and recording locations * Published by Sam Martin Music Publishing / Artist Publishing Group West / Kobalt Songs Music Publishing / I Think I'm Nino Publishing / Max Cut Publishing / Warner Geo Met Ric Music /

Warner Chappell Music Warner Chappell Music, Inc. is an American music publishing company and a subsidiary of the Warner Music Group. Warner Chappell Music's catalog consists of over 1.4 million compositions and 150,000 composers, with offices in over 40 countries. ...

/ Cirkut Breaker * Recorded at A Studios, West Hollywood, California * Mixed at MixStar Studios, Virginia Beach, Virginia Personnel *

Amanda Ava Koci Amanda Ava Koci (born Amanda Koçi; February 16, 1994), known professionally as Ava Max ( ), is an American pop singer and songwriter. She rose to prominence in 2018 with the release of her breakthrough single "Sweet but Psycho". The song peake ...

vocals, songwriting * Henry Walter songwriting, production, vocal recording * Thomas Eriksen songwriting, co-production * James Lavigne songwriting * Madison Love songwriting * Sam Denison Martin songwriting *

Serban Ghenea Serban Ghenea () is a Canadian audio engineer and mixer. He has been nominated for a Grammy Award a total of 45 times and has won 21 times. Early life and education Ghenea was born in Romania, and in 1976 he moved to Montreal with his family. H ...

mixing * John Hanes mixing engineer

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{Ava Max 2019 singles 2019 songs Ava Max songs Music videos directed by Joseph Kahn Song recordings produced by Cirkut Songs written by Cirkut Songs written by Sam Martin (singer) Songs written by Madison Love Songs written by Ava Max