Past Life

Album: Nicotine (2020)
Charted: 77
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Trevor Daniel wrote this trap-infused melancholic R&B song with Billie Eilish's songwriter-producer brother Finneas. He released it on March 6, 2020 as the second single from his debut album, Nicotine.
  • Selena Gomez teamed up with Trevor Daniel for a remix of the single, which the singer dropped on June 26, 2020. It finds the pair supporting each other as they try to let go of past relationships.
  • During a short Q&A video, Daniel told Gomez he loved her take on the song. He then asked what "Past Life" means to her, to which Gomez replied:

    "When I heard the song the first time, I loved the fact that it was kind of like a story about all the things that we tend to hold onto and the patterns that we have. And I'm very, very vocal about my personal experiences making decisions that aren't necessarily healthy for me."

    Gomez has spoken in the past about being the victim of emotional abuse in a past relationship, but then using the experience to become stronger. Her songs "Lose You to Love Me" and "Look at Her Now" reflect her moving on after she closed that chapter of her life.
  • The music video starts off with Selena Gomez and Trevor Daniel singing the song on Instagram Live together. The camera zooms in on them and as it pans around their faces their features morph into sweeping landscapes, from beaches and deserts to snowy mountains.

    Gal Muggia and Vania Heymann directed the clip. The Israeli filmmaking team have twice been nominated for Best Music Video Grammys: Coldplay's "Up & Up" and Tove Lo's "Glad He's Gone."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Dave Pirner of Soul Asylum

Dave Pirner of Soul AsylumSongwriter Interviews

Dave explains how the video appropriated the meaning of "Runaway Train," and what he thought of getting parodied by Weird Al.

TV Theme Songs

TV Theme SongsFact or Fiction

Was a Beatles song a TV theme? And who came up with those Fresh Prince and Sopranos songs?

Pete Anderson

Pete AndersonSongwriter Interviews

Pete produced Dwight Yoakam, Michelle Shocked, Meat Puppets, and a very memorable track for Roy Orbison.

Shawn Mullins

Shawn MullinsSongwriter Interviews

"Lullaby" singer Shawn Mullins on "Beautiful Wreck," beating the Devil, and his writing credit on the Zac Brown Band song "Toes."

Penny Ford of Snap!

Penny Ford of Snap!Songwriter Interviews

The original voice of Snap! this story is filled with angry drag queens, video impersonators and Chaka Khan.

Arrested For Your Art - The Story Of 2 Live Crew's "Obscene" Album

Arrested For Your Art - The Story Of 2 Live Crew's "Obscene" AlbumSong Writing

In the summer of 1990, you could get arrested for selling a 2 Live Crew album or performing their songs in Southern Florida. And that's exactly what happened.