"Just Hold On" debuted at number two on the UK Singles Chart, and number 52 on the US Billboard Hot 100, making it Aoki's highest-charting song in both countries. The song's music video was released on March 8, 2017. The song reached number one on the BillboardDance/Electronic Digital Song Sales.[7] The song is also included as a bonus track on the Japanese version of Tomlinson's debut album Walls.[8]
Background and releaseedit
"Just Hold On" is the first solo music project by Tomlinson after One Direction began their first official break in December 2015.[2] After watching Aoki perform in Las Vegas, Tomlinson reached out to him via Twitter asking if they could work together.[9] A preview of the song was released on December 9.[10]
Tomlinson's debut performance of "Just Hold On" on The X Factor (UK) came just days after it was announced that his mother, Johannah Deakin, died at the age of 42 after a battle with leukemia.[11] The song was made available on the iTunes Store and streaming services on December 10, 2016.[12]
Speaking about the song in retrospect with Herald & Review, he revealed he was chasing a radio hit with "Just Hold On", feeling he "had to" go after a hit. Although, he stated it was a song he was "immensely proud of."[13]
Compositionedit
"Just Hold On" is written in the key of B major with a tempo of 115 beats per minute in common time. The verses follow a chord progression of G♯5–E5–B5–F♯5, and Tomlinson's vocals span from F♯3 to B4.[14]
The song was originally written as a "fight song for everyday life struggles," but due to the death of Tomlinson's mother, the track became a "personal tribute." Tomlinson told On Air with Ryan Seacrest, "When we wrote the song, it was more about any kind of hardship in life you might have to struggle with. That wasn't the intention deliberately. It's kind of saying don't feel sorry for yourself; keep fighting, keep strong. So those two kind of fell into place and that obviously made the performance more personal for me."[9]
Critical receptionedit
In the website Idolator, Christina Lee wrote the song is an "uplifting EDM fare that comes standard with summer music festivals, though also a brand new direction for Louis after five One Direction albums."[15]Daily Express also called the track "fittingly uplifting".[16] We Got This Covered described Aoki's production, stating: "Aoki layers in mid tempo four on the floor rhythms, injecting a tropical vibe moving into the chorus with exotic melodies and undeniable groove; it looks like Aoki is hoping to get in on the EDM-pop crossover trend... of 2016. Thankfully, he doesn't go the future bass route, opting instead to craft a tropical pop production elevated by Louis Tomlinson's smooth vocal approach. 'Just Hold On' is definitely catchy enough to get some heavy radio play, and Tomlinson's presence on the song may just be enough to score Steve Aoki a full-fledged pop hit."[17]
Music videoedit
The music video for "Just Hold On" premiered on 8 March 2017.[18] The video features two people time traveling and running around country-to-country, from England to the United States.[19] Markos Papadatos of Digital Journal described the video as "youthful with a liberating vibe to it."[20]
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
Referencesedit
^"Just Hold On - Single". iTunes. 10 December 2016. Archived from the original on 18 December 2016. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
^ abHugh McIntyre (11 December 2016). "One Direction's Louis Tomlinson Goes Solo With Steve Aoki Collab 'Just Hold On'". Forbes. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
^"The Best House Songs Of 2017". Capital XTRA. 27 April 2018. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
^Jeffrey Yau (18 December 2016). "Get To Know Steve Aoki's Recent Collaborator, Jay Pryor". Your EDM. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
^Daniel Kreps (11 December 2016). "See One Direction's Louis Tomlinson Debut 'Just Hold On' on 'X Factor'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
^Sasha Geffen (25 January 2017). "Louis Tomlinson And Steve Aoki Bring 'Just Hold On' To America For The First Time". MTV. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
^"Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales: Week of December 31, 2016". Billboard. 31 December 2016. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
^"Amazon.co.jp: ウォールズ (通常盤) (特典なし)" (in Japanese). Amazon.
^ ab"Louis Tomlinson Talks 'Just Hold On' With Steve Aoki, Gives Update On One Direction". iHeartRadio. 20 January 2017. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
^Jackie Kolgraf (9 December 2016). "Preview:Louis Tomlinson - Just Hold On (feat. Steve Aoki)". United by Pop. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
^Ashley Iasimone (10 December 2016). "Louis Tomlinson & Steve Aoki Premiere 'Just Hold On' on 'The X Factor UK': Watch". Billboard. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
^"Louis Tomlinson debuts new song on 'X Factor' days after mom's death". Entertainment Weekly. 10 December 2016. Archived from the original on 11 December 2016. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
^"Louis Tomlinson admits he chased a hit with Just Hold On". Herald & Review. 2 September 2022. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
^Aoki, Steven (14 December 2016). "Steve Aoki & Louis Tomlinson "Just Hold On" Sheet Music in B Major (transposable) - Download & Print". Musicnotes.com. Retrieved 31 December 2016.
^Christina Lee (11 December 2016). "Louis Tomlinson & Steve Aoki Debut "Just Hold On" On 'The X Factor UK': Watch". Idolator.
^Shaun Kitchener (10 December 2016). "Listen: Louis Tomlinson goes solo with Just Hold On in tribute to late mother". Daily Express. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
^"Steve Aoki And Louis Tomlinson Debut New Collab "Just Hold On"". We Got This Covered.
^Lauren Tom (8 March 2017). "Steve Aoki & Louis Tomlinson Travel Around the World in New Music Video 'Just Hold On': Watch". Billboard. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
^"Just Hold On - Louis Tomlinson & Steve Aoki". Capital FM. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
^Markos Papadatos (8 March 2017). "Review: Steve Aoki and Louis Tomlinson stun on new 'Just Hold On' video". Digital Journal. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
^"Selena Gomez leads music nominees for 2017 Teen Choice Awards". ABC News. 12 July 2017. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
^Marc Lupo (13 August 2017). "Teen Choice Awards 2017: All the Nominees and Winners". US Weekly. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
^"Steve Aoki & Louis Tomlinson – Just Hold On" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved December 22, 2016.
^"Steve Aoki & Louis Tomlinson – Just Hold On" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved December 24, 2016.
^"Steve Aoki & Louis Tomlinson – Just Hold On" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved January 14, 2017.
^"Steve Aoki Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Change the chart to CZ – SINGLES DIGITAL – TOP 100 and insert 201703 into search. Retrieved January 31, 2017.
^"Track Top-40 Uge 4, 2017". Hitlisten.NU. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
^"Steve Aoki, Louis Tomlinson: Just Hold On" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved December 25, 2016.
^"Le Top de la semaine : Top Singles Téléchargés - SNEP (Week 50, 2016)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 20 December 2016.
^"Steve Aoki & Louis Tomlinson – Just Hold On" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved January 27, 2017.
^"Louis Tomlinson Chart History (Greece Digital Song Sales)". Billboard. 24 December 2016. Archived from the original on 17 December 2019. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
^"Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved December 16, 2016.
^"Mexico Airplay: Feb 4, 2017". Billboard. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
^"Steve Aoki & Louis Tomlinson – Just Hold On" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
^"NZ Heatseekers Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 23 January 2017. Retrieved 20 January 2017.
^"VG-lista - Steve Aoki & Louis Tomlinson / Just Hold On". VG-lista. Archived from the original on 18 August 2017. Retrieved 28 January 2017.
^"Listy bestsellerów, wyróżnienia :: Związek Producentów Audio-Video". Polish Airplay Top 100. Retrieved February 6, 2017.
^"Steve Aoki & Louis Tomlinson – Just Hold On". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved December 26, 2016.
^"Louis Tomlinson - Russia Tophit" (in Russian). Tophit. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
^"Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select SINGLES DIGITAL - TOP 100 and insert 201650 into search. Retrieved December 20, 2016.
^"Steve Aoki & Louis Tomlinson – Just Hold On" Canciones Top 50. Retrieved December 27, 2016.
^"Sverigetopplistan - Sveriges Officiella Topplista". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
^"Steve Aoki & Louis Tomlinson – Just Hold On". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved December 20, 2016.
^"Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Steve Aoki & Louis Tomlinson; 'Just Hold On')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
^"Italian single certifications – Steve Aoki & Louis Tomlinson – Just Hold On" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 12 March 2017. Select "2017" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Select "Just Hold On" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli" under "Sezione".
^"Certificaciones" (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Retrieved 2 October 2021. Type Steve Aoki & Louis Tomlinson in the box under the ARTISTA column heading and Just Hold On in the box under the TÍTULO column heading.