12 different artists turned down a MASSIVE song before it became a top 10 hit
It's on our playlist
Anne-Marie/Demi Lovato/Camila Cabello
Author: Anna Sky MagliolaPublished 25th Apr 2018
It may have been a top 10 hit in the UK, but it's had quite the journey to get there. Turned down by no less than 12 artists, 'The Middle', released by Zedd, Maren Morris and Grey, was originally written back in January 2017.
According to Variety, the song was offered to top female artists such as, Demi Lovato, Camila Cabello, Anne-Marie, Carly Rae Jepsen, Tove Lo, Bishop Briggs, Bebe Rexha, Lauren Jauregui from Fifth Harmony, Daya, and Elle King, before being finally released earlier this year.
Demi Lovato was offered it first, but turned it down for being 'too pop'. Then, Camila Cabello turned it down because she didn't want anything to overshadow her hit 'Havana'.
When it came to British singer Anne-Marie, it actually went very far down the line. According to NME.com Anne-Marie even had artwork and a release date for the track, however the decision was taken not to release it, as it would clash with her collaboration with Marshmello 'FRIENDS'.
Now take a look at some of the biggest collaborations this year:
Camila Cabello and Young Thug
Former Fifth Harmony singer Camila Cabello dominated the charts with her massive collaboration with Young Thug on the catchy single 'Havana'.
12 different artists turned down a MASSIVE song before it became a top 10 hit
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Ellie Goulding and Diplo
After taking time off, Ellie Goulding returned in 2018 with 'Close To Me', featuring Diplo.
Camila Cabello and Young Thug
Former Fifth Harmony singer Camila Cabello dominated the charts with her massive collaboration with Young Thug on the catchy single 'Havana'.
Dua Lipa and Calvin Harris
BRIT Award winner Dua Lipa teamed up with Scottish DJ Calvin Harris to create their amazing summer track 'One Kiss'.
Cardi B and Bruno Mars
Bruno Mars enlisted the help of American rapper Cardi B to re-release his super upbeat single 'Finesse'.
Rita Ora with Cardi B, Bebe Rexha and Charlie XCX
Rita Ora teamed up with Cardi B, Bebe Rexha and Charlie XCX for her single 'Girls' in May.
Liam Payne and Rita Ora
Former One Direction singer Liam Payne joined forces with Rita Ora to record the Fifty Shade Freed single 'For You'.
Paloma Faith and Sigala
Paloma Faith lent her vocals to Sigala's amazing single 'Lullaby'.
Justin Timberlake and Chris Stapleton
Justin Timberlake made his return to music in 2018 and teamed up with American singer-songwriter Chris Stapleton for the massive single 'Say Something'.
Anne-Marie and Marshmello
British singer Anne-Marie and American music producer Marshmello worked together to create the incredible 'Friends'.
Jess Glynne and Rudimental
Jess Glynne teamed up with Rudimental on the single 'These Days' to help her become the first British female solo artist to ever score six UK Number 1 singles.
Calum Scott and Leona Lewis
Former Britain's Got Talent star Calum Scott and winner of The X Factor Leona Lewis teamed up on the stunning single 'You Are The Reason'.
Camila Cabello and Pharrell
Camila Cabello and Pharrell have teamed up for 'Sangria Wine'. This new song didn't make it onto Camila's self-titled debut solo album, but it has now been released as a single.
Maroon 5 and Cardi B
Maroon 5 and Cardi B teamed up for 'Girls Like You'. The music video stars a number of celebrities including Camila Cabello, Millie Bobby Brown from Stranger Things, Ellen DeGeneres, Jennifer Lopez, Rita Ora and Adam Levine's wife Behati Prinsloo and their daughter Dusty Rose. The photo shows the lead singer from Maroon 5, Adam Levine and Cardi B.
Nicki Minaj ft. Ariana Grande
Superstar rapper Nicki Minaj has teamed up with Ariana Grande for another great collaboration, 'Bed'. 'Bed' is the follow up to Nicki's 'Chun-Li' and features on her fourth studio album, 'Queen'.
Sigala - featuring Fuse ODG, Sean Paul and Kent Jones
Sigala's song is quite the collaboration, it fuses together inspiration from each of the collaborators. Sigala described the song as an, "Amazing mix of cultures with Sean Paul from Jamaica, Fuse ODG from Ghana and Kent Jones from America."
Little Mix and Cheat Codes
This track is Little Mix's first song to be released in 2018 and quite different from their usual sound.
Jax Jones featuring Mabel
'Ring Ring' is Jax Jones's first song since 2017, the music video includes graphics of a spaceman interspersed with a bag of sweets called Jax Jones, in the style of a Haribo bag.
David Guetta and Anne-Marie
David Guetta and Anne-Marie team up for the first time to release 'Don't Leave Me Alone'.
DJ Khaled, Justin Bieber, Chance The Rapper and Quavo
DJ Khaled, Justin Bieber, Chance The Rapper and Quavo have teamed up to release 'No Brainer'.
Calvin Harris and Sam Smith
Calvin Harris and Sam Smith teamed up on 'Promises'.
Bastille and Marshmello
Bastille and Marshmello have teamed up for their new single 'Happier'. Lead singer Dan (pictured) tweeted saying, 'Last year we wrote a song called "Happier" which we thought would be great as a collaboration. We had a lot of fun getting to work on it with Marshmello who managed to find some joy in the melancholy…'.
Sigala, Ella Eyre, Meghan Trainor and French Montana
British DJ Sigala has dropped another fantastic single, this time teaming up with some big names, including Ella Eyre, Meghan Trainor and French Montana!
Olly Murs and Snoop Dogg
Olly Murs and Snoop Dogg have teamed up for the fantastic single 'Moves'. They dropped the song the lyric video on the 27th September.
Little Mix and Nicki Minaj
The Little Mix girls teamed up with American rapper Nicki Minaj for their amazing hit single 'Woman Like Me'.
Liam Payne, Jonas Blue and Lennon Stella
Liam, Jonas and Lennon teamed up on the hit 'Polaroid' in 2018. The single was a massive hit with fans with its summery vibe.
James Arthur and Anne-Marie
The amazing James Arthur and Anne-Marie teamed up to release their own rendition of 'Rewrite The Stars' from The Greatest Showman.
Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper
Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper teamed up together when they both starred in 2018 film A Star Is Born. Their duet 'Shallow' took the charts by storm, with many fans dubbing it their 'favourite duet' of the year.
Ellie Goulding and Diplo
After taking time off, Ellie Goulding returned in 2018 with 'Close To Me', featuring Diplo.
Camila Cabello and Young Thug
Former Fifth Harmony singer Camila Cabello dominated the charts with her massive collaboration with Young Thug on the catchy single 'Havana'.
Dua Lipa and Calvin Harris
BRIT Award winner Dua Lipa teamed up with Scottish DJ Calvin Harris to create their amazing summer track 'One Kiss'.
Cardi B and Bruno Mars
Bruno Mars enlisted the help of American rapper Cardi B to re-release his super upbeat single 'Finesse'.
Rita Ora with Cardi B, Bebe Rexha and Charlie XCX
Rita Ora teamed up with Cardi B, Bebe Rexha and Charlie XCX for her single 'Girls' in May.
Liam Payne and Rita Ora
Former One Direction singer Liam Payne joined forces with Rita Ora to record the Fifty Shade Freed single 'For You'.
Paloma Faith and Sigala
Paloma Faith lent her vocals to Sigala's amazing single 'Lullaby'.
Justin Timberlake and Chris Stapleton
Justin Timberlake made his return to music in 2018 and teamed up with American singer-songwriter Chris Stapleton for the massive single 'Say Something'.
Anne-Marie and Marshmello
British singer Anne-Marie and American music producer Marshmello worked together to create the incredible 'Friends'.
Jess Glynne and Rudimental
Jess Glynne teamed up with Rudimental on the single 'These Days' to help her become the first British female solo artist to ever score six UK Number 1 singles.
Calum Scott and Leona Lewis
Former Britain's Got Talent star Calum Scott and winner of The X Factor Leona Lewis teamed up on the stunning single 'You Are The Reason'.
Camila Cabello and Pharrell
Camila Cabello and Pharrell have teamed up for 'Sangria Wine'. This new song didn't make it onto Camila's self-titled debut solo album, but it has now been released as a single.
Maroon 5 and Cardi B
Maroon 5 and Cardi B teamed up for 'Girls Like You'. The music video stars a number of celebrities including Camila Cabello, Millie Bobby Brown from Stranger Things, Ellen DeGeneres, Jennifer Lopez, Rita Ora and Adam Levine's wife Behati Prinsloo and their daughter Dusty Rose. The photo shows the lead singer from Maroon 5, Adam Levine and Cardi B.
Nicki Minaj ft. Ariana Grande
Superstar rapper Nicki Minaj has teamed up with Ariana Grande for another great collaboration, 'Bed'. 'Bed' is the follow up to Nicki's 'Chun-Li' and features on her fourth studio album, 'Queen'.
Sigala - featuring Fuse ODG, Sean Paul and Kent Jones
Sigala's song is quite the collaboration, it fuses together inspiration from each of the collaborators. Sigala described the song as an, "Amazing mix of cultures with Sean Paul from Jamaica, Fuse ODG from Ghana and Kent Jones from America."
Little Mix and Cheat Codes
This track is Little Mix's first song to be released in 2018 and quite different from their usual sound.
Jax Jones featuring Mabel
'Ring Ring' is Jax Jones's first song since 2017, the music video includes graphics of a spaceman interspersed with a bag of sweets called Jax Jones, in the style of a Haribo bag.
David Guetta and Anne-Marie
David Guetta and Anne-Marie team up for the first time to release 'Don't Leave Me Alone'.
DJ Khaled, Justin Bieber, Chance The Rapper and Quavo
DJ Khaled, Justin Bieber, Chance The Rapper and Quavo have teamed up to release 'No Brainer'.
Calvin Harris and Sam Smith
Calvin Harris and Sam Smith teamed up on 'Promises'.
Bastille and Marshmello
Bastille and Marshmello have teamed up for their new single 'Happier'. Lead singer Dan (pictured) tweeted saying, 'Last year we wrote a song called "Happier" which we thought would be great as a collaboration. We had a lot of fun getting to work on it with Marshmello who managed to find some joy in the melancholy…'.
Sigala, Ella Eyre, Meghan Trainor and French Montana
British DJ Sigala has dropped another fantastic single, this time teaming up with some big names, including Ella Eyre, Meghan Trainor and French Montana!
Olly Murs and Snoop Dogg
Olly Murs and Snoop Dogg have teamed up for the fantastic single 'Moves'. They dropped the song the lyric video on the 27th September.
Little Mix and Nicki Minaj
The Little Mix girls teamed up with American rapper Nicki Minaj for their amazing hit single 'Woman Like Me'.
Liam Payne, Jonas Blue and Lennon Stella
Liam, Jonas and Lennon teamed up on the hit 'Polaroid' in 2018. The single was a massive hit with fans with its summery vibe.
James Arthur and Anne-Marie
The amazing James Arthur and Anne-Marie teamed up to release their own rendition of 'Rewrite The Stars' from The Greatest Showman.
Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper
Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper teamed up together when they both starred in 2018 film A Star Is Born. Their duet 'Shallow' took the charts by storm, with many fans dubbing it their 'favourite duet' of the year.
Ellie Goulding and Diplo
After taking time off, Ellie Goulding returned in 2018 with 'Close To Me', featuring Diplo.
Speaking about the search to find the right artist to release the song, Stefan Johnson of the production team Monsters & Strangerz said, “It was a super long process. You’re confident at the start, but the longer the song sits around, the more you start feeling like it’s slipping."
The song was eventually picked up by German DJ Zedd who joined forces with Maren Morris and Grey for the vocals. The song was premiered during this year's GRAMMYs in January and has since been a top 10 hit around the world.
You can watch the music video for 'The Middle' below:
'The Middle' was Zedd's follow-up to his 2017 collaborations, 'Get Low' with Liam Payne and 'Stay' with Alessia Cara.
You can hear Zedd, Maren Morris and Grey's 'The Middle' on Downtown Radio.
