Released 15 March 2013 Recorded 2012 Label Parlophone | Format CD
digital download Length 3:21
3:28 (new edit) | |
Genre Electro house
dance-pop | ||
"Play Hard" is a song by French DJ and record producer David Guetta, featuring vocals from singers Ne-Yo and Akon, from the re-release of Guetta's fifth studio album, Nothing but the Beat. This is the second collaboration between David Guetta and Akon since Sexy Chick in 2009. All three artists co-wrote the song with Frédéric Riesterer and Giorgio Tuinfort, both of whom produced the song with Guetta. Akon's vocals were written and recorded at Sonic Vista Studios in Ibiza in July 2012. The song samples the 1999 Eurodance song "Better Off Alone" by Alice Deejay and "In my Dreams (XXL Remix)" by Noemi. "Play Hard" peaked at number six on the UK Singles Chart, thus becoming his fourteenth top 10 hit in the UK as a lead artist. It also charted within the top 40 of the charts in several other countries.
Guetta reported on Twitter shortly before the release that he planned to release an edited version of "Play Hard" as the next single from Nothing but the Beat 2.0 for a long while, which would make it the tenth single from Nothing but the Beat. This version never came to fruition, however.
Music video
An official music video was uploaded to Guetta's official Vevo channel on April 22, 2013. The video uses the New Edit version of the song. Directed by Swede Andreas Nilsson, it generated controversy for its stereotypical portrayal of Mexico. The video and an advertisement from Neon Mixr feature the popular dancers, Les Twins. The video has over 740 million views as of March 2017.