# Hideaway (Kiesza song)
"Hideaway" is the debut single by the Canadian singer and songwriter [Kiesza](https://www.edgepedia.org/kiesza) (Kiesa Rae Ellestad), a deep house-inflected pop song written and recorded in about 90 minutes in New York in 2013 that debuted at number 1 on the UK Singles Chart in April 2014 and went on to sell more than 2 million copies.[1](https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/kiesza-claims-her-debut-uk-number-1-single-with-hideaway__4014/) • [2](https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-30327574) • [3](https://musicbrainz.org/recording/f0aeeebc-b35f-446a-a469-fc3fcbd591a0) Its one-take music video, in which Kiesza dances through the streets of [Williamsburg, Brooklyn](https://www.edgepedia.org/williamsburg-brooklyn), spread virally and inspired hundreds of YouTube tributes.[2](https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-30327574)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Writers and producer | Written by Kiesa Rae Ellestad and Rami Samir Afuni; recorded, produced and mixed by Afuni in 2013 at Lokal Legends Studios, New York[3](https://musicbrainz.org/recording/f0aeeebc-b35f-446a-a469-fc3fcbd591a0) • [4](https://www.discogs.com/release/5699639-Kiesza-Hideaway) |
| UK chart | Debuted at number 1 on 26 April 2014 with more than 136,000 first-week copies; 41 weeks in the Top 100[1](https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/kiesza-claims-her-debut-uk-number-1-single-with-hideaway__4014/) • [5](https://www.officialcharts.com/songs/kiesza-hideaway/) |
| Sales and streams | Over 2 million copies sold; 12th best-selling UK single of 2014; a Spotify listing whose stream count changes over time[2](https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-30327574) • [6](https://open.spotify.com/track/0c6xIDDpzE81m2q797ordA) |
| Album placement | Track of the debut album *Sound of a Woman*, released 21 October 2014 on Island Records[6](https://open.spotify.com/track/0c6xIDDpzE81m2q797ordA) |
| Music video | One-take, self-directed video filmed in Williamsburg, Brooklyn by her brother; over 34 million views by June 2014[7](https://www.universalmusic.ca/2014/04/22/29904/) • [8](https://www.universalmusic.ca/2014/06/20/kiesza-announces-debut-ep-hideaway-out-july-7/) |
| Sound | Sparse, 1990s trance-indebted deep house with soulful vocals, near 120 bpm[9](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/apr/27/kiesza-hideaway-one-to-watch) • [10](https://www.universal-music.de/kiesza/musik/hideaway-205232) • [2](https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-30327574) |
| Remixes | Mitch Murder remix and Zac Samuel remix; a 5:16 Extended version on the CD single[3](https://musicbrainz.org/recording/f0aeeebc-b35f-446a-a469-fc3fcbd591a0) • [4](https://www.discogs.com/release/5699639-Kiesza-Hideaway) |
## Background and writing
Kiesza was born Kiesa Rae Ellestad and raised in Calgary, Canada, and was based in London when "Hideaway" broke. She had not planned a solo career, spending her early twenties writing for artists including Rihanna and [Kylie Minogue](https://www.edgepedia.org/kylie-minogue); before music, she had worked as a code breaker for the [Royal Canadian Navy](https://www.edgepedia.org/royal-canadian-navy).[2](https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-30327574) • [1](https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/kiesza-claims-her-debut-uk-number-1-single-with-hideaway__4014/)
The song came together in a single session with the producer Rami Samir Afuni. As he played a sparse, 1990s trance-indebted backing track, the lyrics and melody, in Kiesza's account, "just poured out"; the whole song was completed in about 90 minutes while she was rushing to catch a plane.[9](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/apr/27/kiesza-hideaway-one-to-watch) • [11](https://www.bbc.com/news/av/newsbeat-29731052) She described the result as final from the start: "Literally within 90 minutes the whole song was recorded, mixed and mastered, and we never changed it after that."[2](https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-30327574) [MusicBrainz](https://www.edgepedia.org/musicbrainz) and the CD single credits confirm Afuni as recording engineer, producer and mixer, working in 2013 at Lokal Legends Studios in New York, with mastering at Living Room Studios.[3](https://musicbrainz.org/recording/f0aeeebc-b35f-446a-a469-fc3fcbd591a0) • [4](https://www.discogs.com/release/5699639-Kiesza-Hideaway)
## Release
A speculatively uploaded [SoundCloud](https://www.edgepedia.org/soundcloud) version in January 2014 preceded formal release.[9](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/apr/27/kiesza-hideaway-one-to-watch) The single came out in the UK on 11 April 2014 on Lokal Legend (catalog number USUM71400121, ISRC the same).[3](https://musicbrainz.org/recording/f0aeeebc-b35f-446a-a469-fc3fcbd591a0) • [5](https://www.officialcharts.com/songs/kiesza-hideaway/) [Universal Music Germany](https://www.edgepedia.org/universal-music-germany) issued a CD single on 2 May 2014 on 4th & Broadway / Island, and a German, Austrian and Swiss CD followed on 16 May 2014 on Lokal Legend / Island (0602537852284).[10](https://www.universal-music.de/kiesza/musik/hideaway-205232) • [4](https://www.discogs.com/release/5699639-Kiesza-Hideaway) A debut EP, also titled *Hideaway*, was released by [Island Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/island-records) / 4th and B'way / Lokal Legend / Universal Music Canada at digital retailers on 7 July 2014 and physically on 15 July 2014.[8](https://www.universalmusic.ca/2014/06/20/kiesza-announces-debut-ep-hideaway-out-july-7/) The song then anchored Kiesza's debut album *Sound of a Woman*, released 21 October 2014 on Island Records.[6](https://open.spotify.com/track/0c6xIDDpzE81m2q797ordA) • [11](https://www.bbc.com/news/av/newsbeat-29731052)
## Composition and influences
AllMusic credits the composition to Rami Afuni and Kiesa Rae Ellestad, with a runtime of 4:13 on the album; MusicBrainz and the CD single list 4:12.[12](https://www.allmusic.com/song/hideaway-mt0051041158) • [3](https://musicbrainz.org/recording/f0aeeebc-b35f-446a-a469-fc3fcbd591a0) The Guardian called it a "sophisticated, deep house-infused pop banger" built on that 90s trance-indebted backing.[9](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/apr/27/kiesza-hideaway-one-to-watch) Universal Music Germany's release page describes the single as a nod to earlier dance-pop paired with soulful vocals and deep house grooves.[10](https://www.universal-music.de/kiesza/musik/hideaway-205232)
Kiesza has named [Michael Jackson](https://www.edgepedia.org/michael-jackson), Martha Wash, CeCe Peniston and Robin S as influences, alongside more recent ones such as Disclosure and Hot Natured, placing the song squarely in the 1990s dance and house tradition.[7](https://www.universalmusic.ca/2014/04/22/29904/) Her label's EP announcement said the video "celebrates the timelessness of early house music".[8](https://www.universalmusic.ca/2014/06/20/kiesza-announces-debut-ep-hideaway-out-july-7/)
## Music video
The video was a single continuous take of Kiesza dancing down a shabby Brooklyn back street in Williamsburg, self-directed and shot by her brother.[7](https://www.universalmusic.ca/2014/04/22/29904/) • [9](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/apr/27/kiesza-hideaway-one-to-watch) It had drawn over 34 million viewers by June 2014 and went on to inspire hundreds of YouTube tributes imitating the choreography.[8](https://www.universalmusic.ca/2014/06/20/kiesza-announces-debut-ep-hideaway-out-july-7/) • [2](https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-30327574) Kiesza broke a rib shortly before filming and "couldn't move for a month afterwards"; the video was nominated for best choreography at the MTV Awards.[2](https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-30327574)
## Commercial performance
The single debuted at number 1 on the UK Singles Chart on 26 April 2014, selling more than 136,000 copies in its first week and displacing Sigma's "Nobody To Love". [Universal Music Canada](https://www.edgepedia.org/universal-music-canada) called it the fastest-selling debut single of 2014 in the UK, topping the iTunes chart and holding the top spot on the Shazam chart for six weeks.[1](https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/kiesza-claims-her-debut-uk-number-1-single-with-hideaway__4014/) • [7](https://www.universalmusic.ca/2014/04/22/29904/)
Its UK chart run was unusually long for a dance single: 1 week at number 1, 6 weeks in the Top 10, 20 weeks in the [Top 40](https://www.edgepedia.org/top-40) and 41 weeks in the Top 100 across its chart entries; its first charting period ran from 26 April to 20 December 2014. Further UK chart entries followed, including a number-56 entry from 28 October 2014 and later runs peaking at 39, 34 and 15.[5](https://www.officialcharts.com/songs/kiesza-hideaway/) By June 2014 the song had reached number 1 on iTunes in 14 countries and number 1 on the Canadian Shazam chart.[8](https://www.universalmusic.ca/2014/06/20/kiesza-announces-debut-ep-hideaway-out-july-7/) The BBC reported that it had sold more than 2 million copies and was the 12th best-selling single of the year in the UK; Spotify's stream count changes over time.[2](https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-30327574) • [6](https://open.spotify.com/track/0c6xIDDpzE81m2q797ordA)
## Hideaway and the 2014 deep-house crossover wave
"Hideaway" arrived in a chart week crowded with comparable records: Shift K3y's "Touch" reached number 3, situating the song within a wave of deep-house crossovers on the UK chart.[1](https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/kiesza-claims-her-debut-uk-number-1-single-with-hideaway__4014/) At 136,000 first-week copies it was, at that point in 2014, the third fastest-selling single of the year in the UK, behind [Clean Bandit](https://www.edgepedia.org/clean-bandit)'s "Rather Be" featuring [Jess Glynne](https://www.edgepedia.org/jess-glynne) (163,000) and Pitbull's "Timber" featuring Ke$ha (139,000).[1](https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/kiesza-claims-her-debut-uk-number-1-single-with-hideaway__4014/)
Kiesza herself framed the sound as a corrective tempo: "For me, it was a response to the past four years of 128 bpm [club] music," noting that deep house sits naturally at about 120 bpm.[2](https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-30327574) She was booked for [Glastonbury](https://www.edgepedia.org/glastonbury), Wireless, The Great Escape, Lovebox and Bestival in 2014, and performed "Hideaway" at the Much Music Video Awards and on *The Late Show With David Letterman* on 9 July 2014.[7](https://www.universalmusic.ca/2014/04/22/29904/) • [8](https://www.universalmusic.ca/2014/06/20/kiesza-announces-debut-ep-hideaway-out-july-7/)
## Remixes and other versions
MusicBrainz lists two named remixes, the Mitch Murder remix and the Zac Samuel remix, the latter also released as a standalone single on streaming platforms.[3](https://musicbrainz.org/recording/f0aeeebc-b35f-446a-a469-fc3fcbd591a0) • [6](https://open.spotify.com/track/0c6xIDDpzE81m2q797ordA) The German CD single pairs the 4:12 original with a 5:16 Extended version.[4](https://www.discogs.com/release/5699639-Kiesza-Hideaway)
## Legacy
"Hideaway" turned a songwriter-for-hire into a chart-topping solo artist, and its sustained footprint has outlasted the 2014 moment: over 2 million copies sold, 41 weeks on the UK chart, and a Spotify stream count that changes over time.[2](https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-30327574) • [5](https://www.officialcharts.com/songs/kiesza-hideaway/) • [6](https://open.spotify.com/track/0c6xIDDpzE81m2q797ordA) Kiesza's own diagnosis of the deep-house revival as a reaction against years of 128 bpm club music captures how the song and its contemporaries rerouted mainstream dance-pop through 1990s house aesthetics.[2](https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-30327574)
## References
1. [Kiesza claims her debut UK Number 1 single with Hideaway, Official Charts Company](https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/kiesza-claims-her-debut-uk-number-1-single-with-hideaway__4014/)
2. [Kiesza: From elite sniper to chart topper, BBC News](https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-30327574)
3. [Recording "Hideaway" by Kiesza, MusicBrainz](https://musicbrainz.org/recording/f0aeeebc-b35f-446a-a469-fc3fcbd591a0)
4. [Kiesza – Hideaway CD single, Discogs](https://www.discogs.com/release/5699639-Kiesza-Hideaway)
5. [HIDEAWAY – KIESZA, Official Charts song page](https://www.officialcharts.com/songs/kiesza-hideaway/)
6. [Hideaway – song by Kiesza, Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/track/0c6xIDDpzE81m2q797ordA)
7. [Calgary-born Kiesza claims huge #1 in the UK with 'Hideaway', Universal Music Canada](https://www.universalmusic.ca/2014/04/22/29904/)
8. [KIESZA ANNOUNCES DEBUT EP HIDEAWAY OUT JULY 7, Universal Music Canada](https://www.universalmusic.ca/2014/06/20/kiesza-announces-debut-ep-hideaway-out-july-7/)
9. [One to watch: Kiesza, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/apr/27/kiesza-hideaway-one-to-watch)
10. [Kiesza | Musik | Hideaway, Universal Music Deutschland](https://www.universal-music.de/kiesza/musik/hideaway-205232)
11. [Kiesza says it took only 90 minutes to write Hideaway, BBC News](https://www.bbc.com/news/av/newsbeat-29731052)
12. [Hideaway - Kiesza, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/song/hideaway-mt0051041158)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musical works and recordings › Compositions and songs › Pop, rock, and metal songs › Dance and EDM songs › Modern EDM and DJ collaborations*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license