# Heavy (Linkin Park song)
**Heavy** is a song by the American rock band [Linkin Park](https://www.edgepedia.org/linkin-park) featuring the American singer Kiiara, released on February 16, 2017 as the lead single from the band's seventh studio album, *One More Light* (May 19, 2017)[1](https://www.kerrang.com/linkin-park-the-story-behind-their-final-album-one-more-light) • [2](https://onairwithryan.iheart.com/featured/ryan-seacrest/content/2017-02-15-linkin-parks-mike-shinoda-on-kiiara-assisted-single-heavy-teases-one-more-light-album/). Written with outside songwriters including [Julia Michaels](https://www.edgepedia.org/julia-michaels) and [Justin Tranter](https://www.edgepedia.org/justin-tranter), and produced by Brad Delson and Mike Shinoda, it marked a pop-oriented departure from the band's guitar-based rock sound[3](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/album/72564-linkin-park-heavy.php) • [4](https://www.pluggedin.com/track-reviews/linkin-park-heavy/).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | February 16, 2017, Warner Bros.; lead single from *One More Light*[1](https://www.kerrang.com/linkin-park-the-story-behind-their-final-album-one-more-light) • [3](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/album/72564-linkin-park-heavy.php) |
| Featured artist | Kiiara (Kiara Saulters), an Illinois singer and Linkin Park fan[1](https://www.kerrang.com/linkin-park-the-story-behind-their-final-album-one-more-light) |
| Writers | Brad Delson, Chester Bennington, Mike Shinoda, Julia Michaels, Justin Tranter, and others[3](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/album/72564-linkin-park-heavy.php) |
| Producers | Brad Delson and Mike Shinoda[3](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/album/72564-linkin-park-heavy.php) |
| Album placement | Track 6 on *One More Light*, duration 2:49[5](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/song/51169-heavy/) |
| Chart peak | No. 2 on Billboard's Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart in 2017[6](https://loudwire.com/linkin-park-platinum-certifications-one-more-light-singles/) |
| Certification | RIAA double platinum digital single, over 2 million units; gold on August 15, 2017[6](https://loudwire.com/linkin-park-platinum-certifications-one-more-light-singles/) |
| Genres | Alt-pop, electropop, contemporary R&B, pop rock[3](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/album/72564-linkin-park-heavy.php) |
## Background and writing
For *One More Light*, Linkin Park set aside their usual internal songwriting process and invited outside writers to collaborate, including Justin Parker and Julia Michaels, the [Top 40](https://www.edgepedia.org/top-40) songwriter behind [Justin Bieber](https://www.edgepedia.org/justin-bieber)'s "Sorry" and her own single "Issues"[2](https://onairwithryan.iheart.com/featured/ryan-seacrest/content/2017-02-15-linkin-parks-mike-shinoda-on-kiiara-assisted-single-heavy-teases-one-more-light-album/). Shinoda, [Chester Bennington](https://www.edgepedia.org/chester-bennington), and Delson began with a conversation with Parker and Michaels about what they wanted to write about, which Shinoda said "changed everything" and shaped the idea of the song; the session produced what he called the album's defining centerpiece[2](https://onairwithryan.iheart.com/featured/ryan-seacrest/content/2017-02-15-linkin-parks-mike-shinoda-on-kiiara-assisted-single-heavy-teases-one-more-light-album/).
The band finalized the lyrics to a song before composing any music for it, a process Bennington described as sitting in a room and talking about life with friends[1](https://www.kerrang.com/linkin-park-the-story-behind-their-final-album-one-more-light). Shinoda explained the theme as "that feeling of when it rains, it pours", pointing to the line "If I just let go, I'd be set free" as the idea the band most wanted to convey[2](https://onairwithryan.iheart.com/featured/ryan-seacrest/content/2017-02-15-linkin-parks-mike-shinoda-on-kiiara-assisted-single-heavy-teases-one-more-light-album/). Bennington, who had spoken publicly about his struggles with anxiety and depression throughout the band's career, described the song in a 2017 iHeartRadio interview as one of enlightenment, in which a person realizes that a great deal of emotional strain is self-inflicted[4](https://www.pluggedin.com/track-reviews/linkin-park-heavy/) • [7](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/335510123_Depression_and_Suicide_Message_as_Seen_in_Chester_Bennington_of_Linkin_Park%27s_Selected_Lyrics_From_2000_Hybrid_Theory_Until_2017_one_more_light/fulltext/638188487b0e356feb84e02c/Depression-and-Suicide-Message-as-Seen-in-Chester-Bennington-of-Linkin-Parks-Selected-Lyrics-From-2000-Hybrid-Theory-Until-2017-one-more-light.pdf).
"Heavy" marks the first time Linkin Park shared the lyrics of a song online before its official release, and it was the band's first song to feature female lead vocals, sung by Kiiara[8](https://linkinpedia.com/wiki/Heavy).
## Sound
The song is deliberately mellow for a band whose back catalog was built on aggressive, guitar-based rock; guitars are largely absent, and the track runs on subdued synthetic beats[4](https://www.pluggedin.com/track-reviews/linkin-park-heavy/) • [2](https://onairwithryan.iheart.com/featured/ryan-seacrest/content/2017-02-15-linkin-parks-mike-shinoda-on-kiiara-assisted-single-heavy-teases-one-more-light-album/). Shinoda said the song "is really the core sound of the album", the reason it was chosen as the first piece of new music fans would hear[9](https://loudwire.com/mike-shinoda-linkin-ark-heavy-core-sound-new-album/). Delson acknowledged that some fans, seeing the title "Heavy", expected a big, heavy song, calling the result "almost shocking how surprising" it was; the band had written the album's songs from November 2015 to February 2017[10](https://www.musicradar.com/news/linkin-parks-brad-delson-talks-one-more-light-there-really-is-a-ton-of-guitar-on-this-album).
The lyrics carry an explicit line, "It's not like I make the choice / To let my mind stay so f—ing heavy", which one reviewer noted injected profanity into an already weighty song[4](https://www.pluggedin.com/track-reviews/linkin-park-heavy/).
## Release and chart performance
"Heavy" was released on February 16, 2017 via Warner Bros., simultaneously with the announcement of the *One More Light* album title[3](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/album/72564-linkin-park-heavy.php) • [9](https://loudwire.com/mike-shinoda-linkin-ark-heavy-core-sound-new-album/). It reached No. 2 on Billboard's Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart in 2017[6](https://loudwire.com/linkin-park-platinum-certifications-one-more-light-singles/); a contemporaneous review reported it reached No. 3 on Billboard's rock singles chart[4](https://www.pluggedin.com/track-reviews/linkin-park-heavy/). In the United Kingdom it first charted on March 2, 2017[11](https://www.officialcharts.com/songs/linkin-park-ft-kiiara-heavy/).
The single was certified gold by the RIAA on August 15, 2017, and later double platinum for over 2 million certified units[6](https://loudwire.com/linkin-park-platinum-certifications-one-more-light-singles/). Its parent album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 111,000 equivalent units in the week ending May 25, 2017, the band's sixth No. 1 debut[12](https://press.warnerrecords.com/sites/g/files/g2000014901/files/2022-07/linkin-parks-one-more-light-debuts-1_1496167340759.pdf).
## Music video
The official music video, directed by Tim Mattia, was published on March 9, 2017[13](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dmQ3QWpy1Q) • [14](https://www.promonews.tv/videos/2017/03/13/linkin-park-heavy-tim-mattia/46694). It shows Bennington and Kiiara facing opposing sides of themselves[14](https://www.promonews.tv/videos/2017/03/13/linkin-park-heavy-tim-mattia/46694). The video has drawn over 217 million views on YouTube, with a peak of 3,004,653 views in a single day on July 21, 2017[13](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dmQ3QWpy1Q) • [15](https://www.kworb.net/youtube/video/5dmQ3QWpy1Q.html). A lyric video, marked explicit at 2:51, was released on the same day as the single and directed by Aaron Hymes[16](https://lplive.net/lpdigital/).
## Reception
The song divided listeners. On Album of the Year, the album track holds a user score of 63 based on 573 ratings, with 48 percent of users liking the song and 10 percent disliking it, while the single page carries a lower user score of 46[5](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/song/51169-heavy/) • [3](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/album/72564-linkin-park-heavy.php). Contemporary reviews were critical of the pop direction: one university review called the song "all kinds of disappointing" and described Bennington's voice as sounding strained in a song made for the pop charts rather than the rock ones[17](https://theedgesusu.co.uk/records/singles/2017/02/27/review-linkin-park-feat-kiiara-heavy/).
Bennington defended the record against suggestions the band had sold out, telling Music Week: "If you're saying we're doing what we're doing for a commercial or monetary reason, trying to make success out of some formula… then stab yourself in the face"[1](https://www.kerrang.com/linkin-park-the-story-behind-their-final-album-one-more-light).
## Legacy
Bennington died in July 2017, months after the album's release[1](https://www.kerrang.com/linkin-park-the-story-behind-their-final-album-one-more-light). Some listeners have since revised their opinions of the song; one Album of the Year user raised an initial score of 74 to 100, calling the song emotional and nostalgic[3](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/album/72564-linkin-park-heavy.php).
The title has since been echoed in the band's later catalog: the 2024 single "Heavy Is the Crown", from the album *From Zero*, is a separate, much heavier song recorded with the band's post-2017 lineup[18](https://as.com/tikitakas/musica/que-podemos-esperar-de-from-zero-el-nuevo-album-con-el-que-linkin-park-sella-su-regreso-a-la-escena-musical-n/).
## References
1. [The story of Linkin Park's One More Light, Kerrang!](https://www.kerrang.com/linkin-park-the-story-behind-their-final-album-one-more-light)
2. [Linkin Park's Mike Shinoda On Kiiara-Assisted Single 'Heavy,' Teases 'One More Light' Album, On Air with Ryan Seacrest](https://onairwithryan.iheart.com/featured/ryan-seacrest/content/2017-02-15-linkin-parks-mike-shinoda-on-kiiara-assisted-single-heavy-teases-one-more-light-album/)
3. [Linkin Park – Heavy (Single), Album of The Year](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/album/72564-linkin-park-heavy.php)
4. [Heavy – Track Review, Plugged In](https://www.pluggedin.com/track-reviews/linkin-park-heavy/)
5. [Heavy – Linkin Park, Song Ratings, Album of the Year](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/song/51169-heavy/)
6. [Linkin Park Add New Platinum Certifications for 'One More Light' Singles, Loudwire](https://loudwire.com/linkin-park-platinum-certifications-one-more-light-singles/)
7. [Depression and Suicide Message as Seen in Chester Bennington of Linkin Park's Selected Lyrics, ResearchGate](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/335510123_Depression_and_Suicide_Message_as_Seen_in_Chester_Bennington_of_Linkin_Park%27s_Selected_Lyrics_From_2000_Hybrid_Theory_Until_2017_one_more_light/fulltext/638188487b0e356feb84e02c/Depression-and-Suicide-Message-as-Seen-in-Chester-Bennington-of-Linkin-Parks-Selected-Lyrics-From-2000-Hybrid-Theory-Until-2017-one-more-light.pdf)
8. [Heavy, Linkinpedia](https://linkinpedia.com/wiki/Heavy)
9. [Linkin Park's 'Heavy' Single Shows Core Sound of New Album, Loudwire](https://loudwire.com/mike-shinoda-linkin-ark-heavy-core-sound-new-album/)
10. [Linkin Park's Brad Delson talks One More Light, MusicRadar](https://www.musicradar.com/news/linkin-parks-brad-delson-talks-one-more-light-there-really-is-a-ton-of-guitar-on-this-album)
11. [HEAVY – LINKIN PARK FT KIIARA, Official Charts Company](https://www.officialcharts.com/songs/linkin-park-ft-kiiara-heavy/)
12. [LINKIN PARK'S "ONE MORE LIGHT" DEBUTS #1, Warner Records press release](https://press.warnerrecords.com/sites/g/files/g2000014901/files/2022-07/linkin-parks-one-more-light-debuts-1_1496167340759.pdf)
13. [Heavy (Official Music Video) – Linkin Park ft. Kiiara, YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dmQ3QWpy1Q)
14. [Linkin Park 'Heavy' by Tim Mattia, Promonews](https://www.promonews.tv/videos/2017/03/13/linkin-park-heavy-tim-mattia/46694)
15. [YouTube Stats of Heavy [Official Music Video], kworb](https://www.kworb.net/youtube/video/5dmQ3QWpy1Q.html)
16. [LINKIN PARK Digital Releases, LPLive](https://lplive.net/lpdigital/)
17. [Review: Linkin Park feat. Kiiara – 'Heavy', The Edge SUSU](https://theedgesusu.co.uk/records/singles/2017/02/27/review-linkin-park-feat-kiiara-heavy/)
18. [Qué podemos esperar de 'From Zero', AS Tikitakas](https://as.com/tikitakas/musica/que-podemos-esperar-de-from-zero-el-nuevo-album-con-el-que-linkin-park-sella-su-regreso-a-la-escena-musical-n/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musical works and recordings › Compositions and songs › Pop, rock, and metal songs › Alternative rock songs › 1980s and 1990s alternative songs*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license