"Moth to a Flame" is a song by Swedish house musicsupergroupSwedish House Mafia and Canadian singer-songwriter the Weeknd.[2] It was released on 22 October 2021 through Republic Records, as the third single from the group's upcoming debut studio album Paradise Again.[3] The song is also included as a bonus track on the "Alternate World" edition of the Weeknd's fifth studio album Dawn FM.
A potential collaboration between Swedish House Mafia and the Weeknd was first speculated when the group signed with the Weeknd's longtime manager Wassim "Sal" Slaiby in April 2021.[4] It was later teased by the Weeknd during an episode of his Apple Music 1 radio show Memento Mori, in which he stated in the introduction "The Swedes just landed in L.A."[5] A snippet of "Moth to a Flame" was then revealed by Swedish House Mafia during their performance at the 2021 MTV Video Music Awards in September.[6] On 19 October, the group and the singer teased the single once again before announcing that it would be released on 22 October.[7] In celebration of its release, Swedish House Mafia hosted the twentieth episode of Memento Mori.[8]
Critical reception[]
"Moth to a Flame" received widespread critical acclaim. Starr Bowenbank from Billboard compared "Moth to a Flame" to the Weeknd's 2019 hit single "Blinding Lights", highlighting its synth as being menacing in a manner akin to the single.[9]
Music video[]
The music video for the song premiered on 22 October 2021 alongside the single's release and was directed by Alexander Wessely.[10]