Despite early hesitation from Rowland's record label, Columbia Records, the duo moved forward with the project. In a London hotel room, Rowland collaborated with the Australian songwriting duo (Miriam and Olivia Nervo) to craft the melody and the song's euphoric, empowering lyrics about surrendering to love.
: The track was produced by Guetta and Frédéric Riesterer, featuring a signature piano riff that many critics compared to Coldplay's "Clocks".
: The completed song debuted at the Ultra Music Festival in Miami in March 2009. Impact and Accolades
The story of David Guetta and Kelly Rowland 's is a landmark in music history, marking the moment electronic dance music (EDM) truly broke into the global pop mainstream. The collaboration began in the summer of 2008 when Rowland attended one of Guetta's DJ sets in Southern France. Captivated by an instrumental track he was playing—a synth-pop piece built around a lush piano loop—she felt a deep emotional "soul-tie" to the music and immediately asked Guetta for the track so she could write lyrics for it. The Making of a Global Anthem
Released on April 21, 2009, as the lead single from Guetta's album One Love , the song became an international phenomenon. It topped the charts in 10 countries, including the UK, Ireland, Italy, and Switzerland, and became Guetta's highest-charting single in the US at that time.
: The final mixing was completed at Gum Prod Studios in Paris by Veronica Ferraro.