“Heavy” by Linkin Park (ft. Kiiara)

Linkin Park’s “Heavy” is about the artists being overwhelmed by their internal problems. Thus the title, “heavy”, is actually an adjective describing the psychological burden the vocalists feel. And one defining characteristic of said burden is that it is self-imposed. This does not negate the fact that external issues actually exist, which is highlighted by Chester Bennington and Kiiara making assertions such as “the universe [is] spinning” around them. 

But more to the point is their perceived inability to deal with these problems effectively. Or put differently, they are not blaming their depression on what’s going on around them as much as themselves “dragging” these issues along. Thus they are able to perceive a path to ‘freedom’ from this affliction, which is ‘letting go’ of said matters. But coming to this realization and actually being able to implement the necessary steps are two different matters entirely. And that’s basically what “Heavy” is about. 

The singers are stressed out and very much want to liberate themselves from their stressors. But being that their depression is an inherent part of their personalities, if you will, doing so is much easier said than done.

Facts about “Heavy”

“Heavy” is from Linkin Park’s seventh album, “One More Light”. The Warner Music Group in conjunction with Machine Shop Records issued it as the lead single from that project on 16 February 2017.

“Heavy” was written by band members M. Shinoda, B. Delson and C. Bennington (1976-2017). And they had additional assistance from the hit-making duo of Justin Tranter and Julia Michaels. In fact the “One More Light” album was the first time Linkin Park decided to use songwriters outside of the band’s membership.

Shinoda and Delson also served as the producers of “Heavy”.

Chester Bennington suggested that Julia Michaels, a pop singer in her own right, serve as the female vocalist on “Heavy”. However, she opted not to get involved in that capacity, rather preferring to stay out of the spotlight on this particular project.

Kiiara, a singer from Illinois, entered the picture via the intervention of Zane Lowe of Apple Beats 1 fame. DJ Lowe had interviewed Kiiara and in the process of doing so learnt that her favorite music group was actually Linkin Park. Thus he went about introducing her to Shinoda. And particularly due to how her sound differed from that of the band, they decided it would be a good idea to use her. And in doing so, Kiiara became the first female vocalist to ever appear on a Linkin Park studio song.

Indeed due to deviating from their usual sound, many critics and fans alike took to thrashing “Heavy”. But the song still proved to be quite a hit, charting in over 20 countries.

“Heavy” has also been certified Gold in many nations. Some of them include: Australia, Germany, Italy, Switzerland and the United States.

Autobiographical Lyrics?

Another interesting fact concerning this track is that it is actually the last Linkin Park single released while band member and co-writer Bennington was still alive. Bennington committed suicide at the premature age of 41 during July of 2017. Indeed the foundational concept behind “Heavy”, a song centered on overwhelming pessimism, is said to have been his idea.

Bennington battled with severe depression – a problem that eventually saw him commit suicide.