Songfacts®:

• Kygo teamed up with American pop singer-songwriter Ava Max for this tropical house song, which samples Shakira's 2001 hit "Whenever, Wherever." Ava Max sings about letting go of a former lover and moving on with her life.
• The two songs have a very similar chorus but they use it for different purposes. Shakira's song expresses her unconditional love and loyalty, while Ava's single flips the sample to convey her bitterness and indifference. The contrast is evident in the lyrics of the chorus. Shakira's original goes:
  
  Whenever, wherever
  We're meant to be together
  I'll be there and you'll be near
  And that's the deal my dear
  
  Ava sings on the remake:
  
  Whatever, whatever
  We were never good together
  I'll be here and you stay there
  Truth is, I never cared
  
  This way, Ava creates a harsh rebuke of the limitless love that Shakira celebrates in the original song.
• Kygo and Max co-wrote "Whatever" with Cleo Tighe, Jonah Shy, Patrick Martin, and Rollo. The writers of "Whenever, Wherever" - Shakira, Gloria Estefan, and Tim Mitchell - also get credited.
• "Whatever" is the latest of a string of club smashes built around interpolations of 1990s and 2000s hits. This trend kicked off with David Guetta and Bebe Rexha's "I'm Good (Blue)," which samples Eiffel 65's "Blue (Da Ba Dee)." It continued with David Guetta featuring Anne-Marie and Coi Leray's "Baby Don't Hurt Me," (borrows from Haddaway's "What Is Love"), Kim Petras and Nicki Minaj's "Alone," (reimagines Alice Deejay's "Better Off Alone") and Ella Henderson featuring Rudimental's "Alibi" (takes from Coolio's "Gangsta's Paradise").
• Ava Max is a good match for "Whatever" as she has proven herself to be a master of catchy, upbeat pop songs that pay tribute to older tracks. They include:
  
  "Kings & Queens" samples Bonnie Tyler's "If You Were a Woman..."
  
  "My Head & My Heart" samples ATC's "All Around the World (La La La)"
  
  "Million Dollar Baby" samples LeAnn Rimes' "Can't Fight The Moonlight"