2016 single by Steve Aoki and Louis Tomlinson
"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 Sloan and Sir Nolan, and was produced by Aoki, Sir Nolan and Jay Pryor.[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 March 8, 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 December 9.[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 42 after a battle with leukemia.[11] The song was made available on the iTunes Store and streaming services on December 10, 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 G♯5–E5–B5–F♯5, and Tomlinson's vocals span from F♯3 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]
