Deja Vu (Post Malone song)
"Deja Vu" is a song by American rapper and singer Post Malone featuring Canadian singer Justin Bieber. It was released through Republic Records as the fourth single from the former's debut studio album Stoney on September 9, 2016. The first collaboration between the two artists, they wrote the song alongside Matthew Tavares, Kaan Güneşberk, FKi 1st, Louis Bell, Carl Rosen, Julkeyz, & producers Frank Dukes and Vinylz.
"Deja Vu"
September 9, 2016
3:50
- Austin Post
- Justin Bieber
- Adam Feeney
- Anderson Hernandez
- Matthew Tavares
- Kaan Güneşberk
- Trocon Roberts, Jr.
- Louis Bell
- Carl Rosen
- Julian Swirsky
Background[edit]
Before collaborating, Malone opened for Bieber on the Purpose World Tour, to support Bieber's fourth studio album, Purpose (2015), which led to the two artists developing a friendship.[1] Malone was halfway through recording Stoney producer Frank Dukes played him an unfinished instrumental that he had come up with. In January 2016, Bieber visited Malone in the studio, in which he heard the beat and wanted to get on the song. Bieber immediately took to the beat and ended up recording his vocals, what would become the finished version of "Deja Vu" in the booth, with him and Malone going back and forth with ideas. After Bieber finished, Malone put the song together with the help of Bell and the others who were involved. Bell referred to the session as a high-pressure situation that "kept [him] on [his] toes" while he engineered and recorded the track.[2][3] "Deja Vu" leaked online a day before its official release.[4]
Composition and lyrics[edit]
"Deja Vu" is a laid-back pop song with a deep R&B groove involving "wistful, detuned guitar riffs".[5][6][7][8] It opens with a church organ that backs the track.[1][9] Several critics made comparisons to Drake's "Hotline Bling" in regards to the song's sound. In particular, The Fader's David Renshaw said it "has an almost 'Hotline Bling'-esque tempo", while Madeline Roth of MTV News, Danny Schwartz of HotNewHipHop, and Billboard's Colin Stutz noted similarities between the two with the song's start.[5][7][8][10] In a different comparison, Dana Getz of Entertainment Weekly wrote that it "features a slow fizz, cha-cha inflected beat akin to a drowsier take on Drake's 'One Dance'".[11]
"Deja Vu" is about an on-and-off-again love where "Malone helms sluggish, lovesick verses".[9][11] An echoed coo accompanies Malone and Bieber as they sing the hook, with the latter repeating before delivering his verse: "Tell me is that deja vu? / 'Cause you want me and I want you."[1][7][12]