"Torn"
An animated cartoon of Max wearing her superhero costume from the music video is seen with the song's title written underneath in white text. The words POW are seen in a turquoise comic book-styled font above Max's head
Single by Ava Max
from the album Heaven & Hell
B-side"Salt"
ReleasedAugust 19, 2019
StudioA Studios, West Hollywood, California
Genre
Length3:18
LabelAtlantic
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Cirkut
Ava Max singles chronology
"Slow Dance"
(2019) 		"Torn"
(2019) 		"Tabú"
(2019)
Alternate cover
CD single cover
CD single cover
Music video
"Torn" on YouTube

"Torn" is a song by American singer Ava Max, released on August 19, 2019, through Atlantic Records as the third single from her debut studio album, Heaven & Hell (2020). The song was written by Max, Madison Love, James Lavigne, Thomas Eriksen, Sam Martin, and the producer Cirkut. It is a dance and pop 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 double platinum in Poland and was certified gold in five countries.

An accompanying music video was directed by Korean-American director Joseph Kahn and released on August 27, 2019. The superhero-themed video was filmed in Milan 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 and 2019 MTV Europe Music Awards shows, and at the 2019 Jingle Bell Ball.

Background and composition

Max teased "Torn" in the caption of a video posted on Instagram, asking her fans if they knew the name of the song she was about to release. A pre-order link for "Torn" was discovered, with Max subsequently sharing the cover art and a snippet of the song.[1] "Torn" was released on August 19, 2019.[2] It was written by Max, Madison Love, James Lavigne, Thomas Eriksen, Sam Martin, and the producer Cirkut.[3] The song was recorded in Virginia Beach,[4] and West Hollywood, California in A Studios.[3]

"Torn" is a dance[5] and pop[6] song, which uses elements of disco.[5][6] The lyrics describe the internal struggle of wanting to leave while also wanting to stay with a lover,[5] which Max stated that the song "explores the struggle" between "love and hate".[2]

Critical reception and commercial performance

Shaad D'Souza of The Fader compared "Torn" to the discography of ABBA.[7] Writing for Us Weekly, Nicholas Hautman noted that it "subtly sample[d]" the group's 1979 song "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)".[8] Max responded to the comparisons by stating that she listened to ABBA and Ace of Base during her childhood, and wanted to "add a little disco flair in there".[9] The song was included on Vogue's Best Songs of 2019 listicle, where writer Christian Allaire stated that it "earworms its way into my head at least once a day".[10]

In Poland, "Torn" peaked at number three on the Polish Airplay Top 100 chart dated November 16, 2019,[11] and was certified double platinum by the Polish Airplay Top 100 (ZPAV) for track-equivalent sales of 40,000 units in the country.[12] The song reached number three in the Netherlands,[13] number four in Slovakia,[14] and number nine in Slovenia.[15] On the Scottish Singles Chart issued September 6, 2019, "Torn" bowed at number 18,[16] while the song peaked at number 87 on the UK Singles Chart dated September 13, 2019, where it remained for two weeks.[17] "Torn" was certified gold in Austria,[18] Brazil,[19] France,[20] Italy,[21] and Switzerland.[22]

Music video

Background

The Joseph Kahn-directed music video was shot in Milan for four days from June to August 2019, and was released on August 27, 2019.[23] It has been considered to be "superhero-themed".[24] Madeline Roth of MTV News 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[ed] a 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.[25] She approached Kahn with the idea of creating two personas for an ordinary woman named 'Amanda', and a superhero named 'Ava Max'.[26] 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".[25]

Max performed her own stunts, spending the morning in the second day of the shoot practicing before shooting the video at 1:00am.[26] She is seen wearing various pieces of clothing from Trussardi, including archive items from the Eighties 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".[27] A model of the Fiat Panda customized by Trussardi is briefly featured in the music video, which a portion was used in commercials.[28][29] As of March 2023, the video has over 100 million views on YouTube.[30]

Synopsis

The music video was described as "superhero-themed" by music critics, which represented the duality of Max as a regular woman, and a superhero seeking revenge after a relationship betrayal.

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. 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 cuts 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 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 2019 MTV Video Music Awards in a medley with "Sweet but Psycho".[7] During the performance, Max and the dancers appeared in silver costumes and gladiator boots, as they performed a choreographed dance with vocal runs.[31] While appearing on the red carpet at the same event, she wore a shiny superhero costume with a red cape attached,[32] which served as a tease for the music video released the next day.[25] Max performed "Torn" and "Sweet but Psycho" at the 2019 MTV Europe Music Awards, 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".[33] At the 2019 Jingle Bell Ball, Max performed "Torn" in a medley with "So Am I" and "Sweet but Psycho",[34] performing with other artists such as The Script, Rita Ora, Regard and Mabel.[35]

Track listing

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the German CD single.[3]

Publishing and recording locations

Personnel

Charts

Certifications

Certification and sales for "Torn"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Austria (IFPI Austria)[18] Gold 15,000‡
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[19] Platinum 40,000‡
France (SNEP)[20] Gold 100,000‡
Italy (FIMI)[21] Gold 35,000‡
Poland (ZPAV)[12] 2× Platinum 40,000‡
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[22] Gold 10,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Release dates and formats for "Torn"
Region Date Format(s) Version Label Ref.
Various August 19, 2019
Original Atlantic [36]
Italy August 30, 2019 Radio airplay Warner [62]
Various September 5, 2019
  • Digital download
  • streaming
 KREAM remix [37]
September 12, 2019 Hook N Sling remix [38]
September 26, 2019 Cirkut DJ mix [39]
October 10, 2019 Adryiano remix [40]
Germany January 10, 2020 CD single Original Atlantic [3]

References

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  5. ^ a b c Daw, Stephen (August 20, 2019). "Ava Max Rips Her Emotions in Two on New Song 'Torn': Listen". Billboard. Archived from the original on August 21, 2019. Retrieved August 21, 2019. a disco-infused dance track
  6. ^ a b Aramesh, Waiss (August 24, 2019). "Best New Music This Week: Brockhampton, Vince Staples, Lana Del Rey, and More". Complex. Archived from the original on September 20, 2019. Retrieved September 20, 2019. the disco-tinged pop track
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