"Heartbreak Anthem" received positive reviews from music critics, with praise being drawn to its uplifting good vibe and group vocals. A commercial success, the song peaked at number one on Hungary's radio chart. On the UK Singles Chart, it peaked at number three becoming Galantis' highest-charting entry on the charts there. The song also reached the top ten in Ireland, Lebanon, and Poland, and charted in 20 other countries.
"Heartbreak Anthem" was nominated for "Best International Song" at the 42nd Brit Awards and "Dance Song Of The Year" at 2022 iHeartRadio Music Awards. The group performed the song for the first time as a trio on Little Mix's The Confetti Tour (2022).
Background and release
Galantis, David Guetta, and Little Mix began work on "Heartbreak Anthem" before the COVID-19 pandemic, and between London, Los Angeles and Stockholm.[1] The song originally featured vocals from Jesy Nelson, but the vocal arrangement was later changed after her departure from Little Mix in December 2020.[2][3]
On 14 May 2021, the song was teased by all three artists by posting a link to a website that displayed a 24-hour timer.[4] On 14 May, after the timer finished "Heartbreak Anthem" was announced through all three artists' social media.[5][6]
It started with just the chord progression at a studio in London right before the pandemic. As many collaborations have gone in these times, it was a remote work in progress for months, with stems sent back and forth from London to Los Angeles to Stockholm to Paris. We'd been talking with [David Guetta] about working together for a long time, and having Little Mix and their unique, strong vocals has made this one really special.
The song was later included on Little Mix's greatest hits album Between Us, which was released in November 2021[8] and Galantis' studio album Rx, released in May 2024.[9]
Upon release, "Heartbreak Anthem" got positive reviews. Writing for Vulture, Zoe Haylock wrote that "Heartbreak Anthem" is "far from a sad song, but something about listening to a dance track when there's actually a possibility of dancing soon is emotional".[14]DJ Times' Brian Bonavoglia stated the collaboration as an "uplifting sing-a-long that is impossible not to fall in love with".[15]Euphoria Magazine complemented the song as an "absolute dance-pop banger" and "free-spirited".[16] Katie Bain from Billboard wrote that "the song's production is built from brightly plucky strings and synth, with the lyrics – in the grand tradition of Destiny's Child's "Survivor" – focused on being better than that: not holding grudges, understanding that while sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn't, and that while maybe we'll fix this, it's also possible we won't. Whatever! Who cares!"[17]
From Official Charts, Rob said "The whole thing eventually builds into a frothy and ridiculously bouncy affair laced with Galantis' signature string-flecked EDM flourishes and Guetta's dependable dance pop production."[18]Attitude ranked the song as the group's best dance collaboration.[19]
"Heartbreak Anthem" topped the Mediabase US dance radio, The Sky VIP Official Big Top 40, UK Dance Singles and Hungary's radio charts.[22][23][24][25] In the United Kingdom the song debuted at number nine, becoming Galantis' fourth, Guetta's 24th and Little Mix's 17th top 10 single.[26] For the week ending 4 June 2021, it reached a new peak of number eight and in the same week, the title track of Little Mix's sixth studio album, Confetti (2020), charted at number nine. This marked, the first time the group had two songs in the top ten on the UK Singles Chart since 2016, when the group's singles "Touch" and "Shout Out to My Ex" were at numbers four and six, respectively.[27][28][29] It later reached a new peak of number three on the UK Singles Chart during its seventh week charting, becoming Galantis' highest-charting single there. That same week, the song was certified silver by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) in the United Kingdom for selling 200,000 units in the country.[30] In its tenth week on the UK Singles "Heartbreak Anthem" remained inside the top ten at number seven, making Little Mix the first girl group to spend a total of 100 weeks in the top ten of the UK Singles Chart.[31]
It was ranked as the fourth-biggest song from June to August 2021 in the UK.[32] According to The Official Charts, by the end of 2021 "Heartbreak Anthem" was ranked as the nineteenth best selling single of 2021 and the 27th most streamed song overall.[33] It was also the seventh most played track of the year on UK radio.[34]
In Ireland, the song debuted within the top 20 on the Official Irish Singles Chart, and became the Little Mix 22nd Top 20 single on the chart.[35] It later reached a new peak of number three on the chart, giving Little Mix their 11th Top 10 single there.[36] It also reached the top ten in New Zealand, Poland, Lebanon and on the Euro Digital Songs, and US Dance/Electronic Songs charts.
Elsewhere, "Heartbreak Anthem" reached the charts in 21 other music markets including Australia, where the song debuted at number 100 on the ARIA Singles Chart for the chart dated 31 May 2021.[37] In its seventh week, it reached a new peak of number 46, becoming their highest-charting single there since "Woman Like Me" in 2018.[38]
Music video
The music video was filmed at in East End's historic Wilton's Music Hall, during Perrie Edwards and Leigh-Anne Pinnock's pregnancies.[39][40] Little Mix teased the music video for "Heartbreak Anthem" by posting behind-the-scene photos from the video.[41] It was directed by Samuel Douek, and premiered on 20 May 2021. The music video features Little Mix members in theatre production, and opens up with the group dressed as winged angels, each having a microphone accompanying them.[42]
Samuel Douek in an Instagram post said "The concept of the video is inspired by Angela Carter's infamous 1984 novel Nights at the Circus, a magical realism feminist tale about freedom". He further added that the group portrayed "The Winged Fatales", an all singing, all dancing trio who perform night after night to adoring crowds, whilst backstage they feel trapped and alone. The video features digital images of David Guetta and the Galantis. Douek stated that "The video touches upon the pressures of fame and heartbreak, evoking a message of self-acceptance against the backdrop of a sci-fi burlesque world".[43] It also took inspiration from the 1997 film The Fifth Element and Baz Luhrman's 2001 musical Moulin Rouge.[44] From ThatGrapeJuice, Sam Ajilore applauded the music video and stating the song is "rich in summer smash potential".[45]
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 30. týden 2021 in the date selector. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 31. týden 2021 in the date selector. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 30. týden 2021 in the date selector. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
