Released on October 16, 2015, ‘Middle’ marked a different direction for DJ Snake. He was already enjoying major success with tracks such as ‘Turn Down For What’, ‘Get Low’ and ‘Lean On’. His collaboration with Bipolar Sunshine paired a more melodic production with an emotional vocal, giving the track a different feel from many of his earlier releases. Eleven years later, ‘Middle’ remains closely tied to the period leading into DJ Snake’s debut album Encore.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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How DJ Snake And Bipolar Sunshine Began To Work Together

The collaboration began through a chance connection in London. Music from Bipolar Sunshine, real name Adio Marchant, found its way to someone working with DJ Snake’s management. At the time, Bipolar Sunshine had recently left Polydor and was releasing music independently. He soon learned that DJ Snake wanted to work with the song.

Having left his label, Bipolar Sunshine was finding his footing independently and later spoke about how the experience had affected his confidence. Working with DJ Snake then introduced his music to a much wider audience. The decision to release ‘Middle’ as the first single from DJ Snake’s debut album gave the collaboration an even bigger platform.

When Encore followed on August 5, 2016, ‘Middle’ became part of DJ Snake’s first full-length project. The album also featured ‘Talk’ with George Maple and ‘Let Me Love You’ featuring Justin Bieber. Skrillex, Migos, Travis Scott, Young Thug and several other artists also appeared across the record.

‘Middle’ Continued To See Success Through 2016

Although ‘Middle’ was released in October 2015, much of its commercial success followed the next year. The track reached No. 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States and No. 10 on the UK Singles Chart. It also spent 28 weeks inside the UK Top 100.

Its success spread across several other countries as well. By May 2016, ‘Middle’ had earned a platinum certification in the United States. The song remained on the charts for months, becoming one of the best-known releases associated with the Encore period.

As the track continued gaining recognition, its official music video followed in March 2016. Colin Tilley directed the video, with Josh Hutcherson and Kiersey Clemons starring as two masked characters. A superhero-inspired storyline follows their relationship and gave ‘Middle’ another element that listeners came to associate with the song.

DJ Snake And Bipolar Sunshine Stayed Connected

Their work together did not end after ‘Middle’. In later interviews, Bipolar Sunshine spoke about DJ Snake continuing to support his music throughout the years that followed. Their relationship therefore continued well beyond the collaboration that first connected them in 2015.

Now, 11 years after its release, ‘Middle’ represents an important period for both artists. It showed a more melodic part of DJ Snake’s music ahead of Encore and gave Bipolar Sunshine one of the biggest releases of his career. The song’s lengthy chart run and memorable music video helped make it one of the records closely associated with DJ Snake’s mid-2010s catalogue.