For other uses, see Just Hold On (disambiguation).
Just Hold On
single
CoverSteveAokiLouisTJustHoldOn.jpg
ArtistSteve Aoki and Louis Tomlinson
AlbumNeon Future III
Released10 December 2016[1]
Recorded2016
Genre
Length3:18
LabelUltra
Writer
Producer
ChronologySteve Aoki
Prev year2016
Next year2017

"Just Hold On" is a song by American DJ Steve Aoki and English singer-songwriter Louis Tomlinson, released through Ultra Music as the latter's debut solo single on 10 December 2016. The song was written by Aoki and Tomlinson alongside Eric Rosse, Sasha Alex Sloan and Sir Nolan, and was produced by Aoki, Sir Nolan, Jay Pryor, and Julian Bunetta.[4] Aoki and Tomlinson performed the song for the first time on the 2016 series finale of The X Factor (UK).[5] They also performed the song on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in 2017.[6]

"Just Hold On" debuted at number two on the UK Singles Chart, and number 52 on the US Billboard Hot 100, making it Aoki's highest-charting song in both countries. The song's music video was released on 8 March 2017. The song reached number one on the Billboard Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales.[7] The song is also included as a bonus track on the Japanese version of Tomlinson's debut album Walls.[8]

Background and release

"Just Hold On" is the first solo music project by Tomlinson after One Direction began their first official break in December 2015.[2] After watching Aoki perform in Las Vegas, Tomlinson reached out to him via Twitter asking if they could work together.[9] A preview of the song was released on 9 December.[10]

Tomlinson's debut performance of "Just Hold On" on The X Factor (UK) came just days after it was announced that his mother, Johannah Deakin, died at the age of 43 after a battle with leukemia.[11] The song was made available on the iTunes Store and streaming services on 10 December 2016.[12]

Speaking about the song in retrospect with Herald & Review, he revealed he was chasing a radio hit with "Just Hold On", feeling he "had to" go after a hit. Although, he stated it was a song he was "immensely proud of."[13]

Composition

"Just Hold On" is written in the key of B major with a tempo of 115 beats per minute in common time. The verses follow a chord progression of G5–E5–B5–F5, and Tomlinson's vocals span from F3 to B4.[14]

The song was originally written as a "fight song for everyday life struggles," but due to the death of Tomlinson's mother, the track became a "personal tribute." Tomlinson told On Air with Ryan Seacrest, "When we wrote the song, it was more about any kind of hardship in life you might have to struggle with. That wasn't the intention deliberately. It's kind of saying don't feel sorry for yourself; keep fighting, keep strong. So those two kind of fell into place and that obviously made the performance more personal for me."[9]

Critical reception

In the website Idolator, Christina Lee wrote the song is an "uplifting EDM fare that comes standard with summer music festivals, though also a brand new direction for Louis after five One Direction albums."[15] Daily Express also called the track "fittingly uplifting".[16] We Got This Covered described Aoki's production, stating: "Aoki layers in mid tempo four on the floor rhythms, injecting a tropical vibe moving into the chorus with exotic melodies and undeniable groove; it looks like Aoki is hoping to get in on the EDM-pop crossover trend... of 2016. Thankfully, he doesn't go the future bass route, opting instead to craft a tropical pop production elevated by Louis Tomlinson's smooth vocal approach. 'Just Hold On' is definitely catchy enough to get some heavy radio play, and Tomlinson's presence on the song may just be enough to score Steve Aoki a full-fledged pop hit."[17]

Music video

The music video for "Just Hold On" premiered on 8 March 2017.[18] The video features two people time traveling and running around country-to-country, from England to the United States.[19] Markos Papadatos of Digital Journal described the video as "youthful with a liberating vibe to it."[20]

Awards and nominations

Awards and nominations for "Just Hold On"
YearOrganizationAwardResultRef(s)
2017Teen Choice AwardsChoice Electronic/Dance Song[21]
Choice Music Collaboration[22]

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2016–17)Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[23]20
Denmark (Tracklisten)[24]22
France (SNEP)[25]8
Greece Digital Songs (IFPI Greece)[26]4
Italy (FIMI)[27]25
Malaysia (RIM)[28]20
Mexico Airplay (Billboard)[29]3
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[30]34
Norway (VG-lista)[31]17
Russia Airplay (Tophit)[32]77
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[33]15

Year-end charts

Chart (2016)Position
Australia Dance (ARIA)[34]64
Chart (2017)Position
Australia Dance (ARIA)[35]26
Hungary (Stream Top 40)[36]63
US Hot Dance/Electronic Songs (Billboard)[37]24

References

  1. ^ "Just Hold On - Single". iTunes. 10 December 2016. Archived 18 December 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
  2. ^ Hugh McIntyre (11 December 2016). "One Direction's Louis Tomlinson Goes Solo With Steve Aoki Collab 'Just Hold On'". Forbes. Archived 13 October 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  3. ^ "The Best House Songs Of 2017". Capital XTRA. 27 April 2018. Archived from the original on 8 December 2022. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
  4. ^ Jeffrey Yau (18 December 2016). "Get To Know Steve Aoki's Recent Collaborator, Jay Pryor". Your EDM. Archived 24 April 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  5. ^ Daniel Kreps (11 December 2016). "See One Direction's Louis Tomlinson Debut 'Just Hold On' on 'X Factor'". Rolling Stone. Archived 7 October 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  6. ^ Sasha Geffen (25 January 2017). "Louis Tomlinson And Steve Aoki Bring 'Just Hold On' To America For The First Time". MTV. Archived from the original on 2 December 2022. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  7. ^ "Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales: Week of December 31, 2016". Billboard. 31 December 2016. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  8. ^ "Amazon.co.jp: ウォールズ (通常盤) (特典なし)" (in Japanese). Amazon
  9. ^ "Louis Tomlinson Talks 'Just Hold On' With Steve Aoki, Gives Update On One Direction". iHeartRadio. 20 January 2017. Archived 20 February 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  10. ^ Jackie Kolgraf (9 December 2016). "Preview:Louis Tomlinson - Just Hold On (feat. Steve Aoki)". United by Pop. Archived 2 February 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  11. ^ Ashley Iasimone (10 December 2016). "Louis Tomlinson & Steve Aoki Premiere 'Just Hold On' on 'The X Factor UK': Watch". Billboard. Archived 20 February 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  12. ^ "Louis Tomlinson debuts new song on 'X Factor' days after mom's death". Entertainment Weekly. 10 December 2016. Archived 11 December 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  13. ^ "Louis Tomlinson admits he chased a hit with Just Hold On". Herald & Review. 2 September 2022. Archived from the original on 20 February 2024. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  14. ^ Aoki, Steven (14 December 2016). "Steve Aoki & Louis Tomlinson "Just Hold On" Sheet Music in B Major (transposable) - Download & Print". Musicnotes.com. Archived 1 January 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2016-12-31.
  15. ^ Christina Lee (11 December 2016). "Louis Tomlinson & Steve Aoki Debut "Just Hold On" On 'The X Factor UK': Watch". Idolator[dead link]
  16. ^ Shaun Kitchener (10 December 2016). "Listen: Louis Tomlinson goes solo with Just Hold On in tribute to late mother". Daily Express. Archived 20 February 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  17. ^ "Steve Aoki And Louis Tomlinson Debut New Collab "Just Hold On"". We Got This Covered. Archived 30 April 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 22 January 2020.
  18. ^ Lauren Tom (8 March 2017). "Steve Aoki & Louis Tomlinson Travel Around the World in New Music Video 'Just Hold On': Watch". Billboard. Archived 20 February 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  19. ^ "Just Hold On - Louis Tomlinson & Steve Aoki". Capital FM. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  20. ^ Markos Papadatos (8 March 2017). "Review: Steve Aoki and Louis Tomlinson stun on new 'Just Hold On' video". Digital Journal. Archived 20 February 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  21. ^ "Selena Gomez leads music nominees for 2017 Teen Choice Awards". ABC News. 12 July 2017. Archived 20 February 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  22. ^ Marc Lupo (13 August 2017). "Teen Choice Awards 2017: All the Nominees and Winners". US Weekly. Archived 16 August 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  23. ^ "ARIA Australian Top 50 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. 26 December 2016. Archived 10 August 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 24 December 2016.
  24. ^ "Track Top-40 Uge 4, 2017". Hitlisten.NU. Archived 2 February 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
  25. ^ "Le Top de la semaine : Top Singles Téléchargés - SNEP (Week 50, 2016)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Archived from the original on 2016-12-20. Retrieved 20 December 2016.
  26. ^ "Louis Tomlinson Chart History (Greece Digital Song Sales)". Billboard. 24 December 2016. Archived 17 December 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
  27. ^ "Classifica settimanale WK 50" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Archived 21 June 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 20 December 2016.
  28. ^ "Top 20 Most Streamed International & Domestic Singles in Malaysia". Recording Industry Association of Malaysia. Archived 13 March 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 13 June 2017.
  29. ^ "Mexico Airplay: Feb 4, 2017". Billboard. Archived 26 May 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
  30. ^ "NZ Heatseekers Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 23 January 2017. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 20 January 2017.
  31. ^ "VG-lista - Steve Aoki & Louis Tomlinson / Just Hold On". VG-lista. Archived from the original on 18 August 2017. Retrieved 28 January 2017.
  32. ^ "Louis Tomlinson - Russia Tophit" (in Russian). Tophit. Archived 2 November 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2021-02-20.
  33. ^ "Sverigetopplistan - Sveriges Officiella Topplista". Sverigetopplistan. Archived 20 May 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
  34. ^ "ARIA Top 100 Dance Singles for 2016". ARIA. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
  35. ^ "ARIA Top 100 Dance Singles for 2017". ARIA. Archived 17 March 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
  36. ^ "Stream Top 100 - 2017". Mahasz. Archived 28 June 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 17 February 2018.
  37. ^ "Hot Dance/Electronic Songs - Year-End 2017". Billboard. Archived 26 April 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 21 August 2019.