The Business

Album: Drive (2020)
Charted: 3 69
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Following many years of releasing tracks on his Musical Freedom label, Tiesto signed up to Atlantic. This deep house tune, released on September 25, 2020, was his first single with the new label.
  • The London-based singer-songwriter James "Yami" Bell provides the uncredited vocals. He also co-penned the lyrics, where he exhorts someone that a change is needed in their relationship. "Let's get down to business," he croons, adding that he can't continue carrying on in the same way.
  • The other co-writers are the Swedish writing/production duo Julia Karlsson and Anton Rundberg, whose credits include Galantis' "Runaway (U& I)" and Carly Rae Jepsen's "Party For One."
  • With the backing of Atlantic, "The Business," became one of Tiesto's most successful singles. It topped the singles charts in several territories, including his home country of the Netherlands.
  • Christian Breslauer directed the music video, which shows the American viral comedian Casey Frey dancing his way back to life.
  • Tiesto began working on this deep house track in March 2020, just as everybody went into lockdown. The producer admitted to Radio.Com's Julia he naively felt we would all be "getting down to business" within a few weeks. "In the end of March, I was like 'well by the end of April everything will be back to normal right?' So, I was like 'let's get back to business, back to normal,'" he explained.
  • Tiesto teamed up with Ty Dolla $ign to record a remix titled "The Business, Pt. II." The DJ explained that Ty approached him because he loved the track so much that he wanted to create a follow-up. "I was like 'Oh yeah, I love your music and you're a super talented artist so please go ahead!' And then he made these whole new verses on it and I think it sounds really cool, it's a great remix," he shared.
  • Tiesto made "The Business" at the start of the pandemic as a way to keep himself engaged. "To keep the fire going at a time when everyone was kind of dying to get back to work," he explained to Apple Music.

    The Dutch DJ envisioned the track opening his sets on big club nights. "It's also just a great pump-up song," he added. "Listen to it before a big meeting or sports game or a workout. It kind of pumps you up about yourself."

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