Heartless

"Heartless" is a song recorded by Canadian singer the Weeknd. It was released on November 27, 2019, through XO and Republic Records, as the lead single from his fourth studio album After Hours (2020). The Weeknd wrote and produced the song alongside Metro Boomin, Illangelo, and Dre Moon. The song combines R&B and trap with elements of electroclash. "Heartless" received acclaim from critics, praising it for its production, catchiness and the Weeknd's vocals. It peaked at number three on the Canadian Hot 100. Elsewhere, the song topped the US Billboard Hot 100, giving the Weeknd his fourth number-one song on the chart, and also has figured within the record charts in other 28 countries and was the last new number one single of the 2010s. A vaporwave remix of the song featuring American rapper Lil Uzi Vert was released alongside the deluxe edition of its parent album on March 23, 2020. On April 3, 2020, an extended and normal-pitched version of the Lil Uzi Vert remix was released alongside the parent album's accompanying remix EP. Background and release The Weeknd first teased that he was working on a new album in November 2018, via a performance in which he told the crowd that "Chapter VI was coming soon." Following a trio of collaborative singles throughout 2019, on August 6, he further reassured fans that he was working on his fourth studio album. Then after a period of silence, on November 24 the single "Blinding Lights" was revealed through a Mercedes-Benz television commercial, with reports of "Heartless" surfacing a day later, along with its leaked cover art. It then premiered on the seventh episode of the Weeknd's Beats 1 radio show Memento Mori on November 27, 2019. In an interview with CR Men, the Weeknd confirmed that "Heartless" was the first song that he wrote for After Hours after the release of his 2018 EP My Dear Melancholy. Lyrics Lyrically, "Heartless" sees the Weeknd returning to his infamous party and playboy lifestyle after his disappointment with previous relationships. Throughout the song, he presents himself as a "heartless" person who engages in promiscuity and over-indulgence in drugs and alcohol. The song's chorus references the Weeknd's collaboration with American rapper Future on the latter's "Low Life" with the lyrics "Low life for life 'cause I'm heartless".