Back To You

The Making and Chart History of "Back To You" by Louis Tomlinson Featuring Bebe Rexha and Digital Farm Animals

Louis Tomlinson released "Back To You" on July 21, 2017, as part of the soundtrack for the Netflix original series 13 Reasons Why. The song featured Bebe Rexha as a collaborating vocalist and was produced by Digital Farm Animals, the production alias of British producer Nick Gale. The track arrived at a culturally significant moment, given the enormous attention and controversy surrounding 13 Reasons Why, which had premiered in March 2017 and sparked widespread public discourse about mental health, youth, and media responsibility.

Tomlinson, who had built his profile as a member of One Direction before pursuing a solo career, had released his debut solo single "Just Hold On" with DJ Steve Aoki in December 2016. "Back To You" served as his second major solo release, positioning him more squarely in the contemporary pop-R&B lane and providing an opportunity to demonstrate his range as a vocalist beyond the boyband context from which he had emerged. The choice to collaborate with Bebe Rexha was strategic, as Rexha had by 2017 established herself as a bankable collaborator with major commercial hits to her name.

Bebe Rexha, born Bleta Rexha in Brooklyn, New York, brought her powerful vocal delivery and songwriting credibility to the project. Her inclusion gave the duet a dynamic range that suited the emotionally charged context of the 13 Reasons Why soundtrack placement. The interplay between Tomlinson's relatively restrained vocal delivery and Rexha's more expansive, emotive style created a productive tension within the track's arrangement.

Digital Farm Animals, the production team behind the track, crafted a sonically polished contemporary pop arrangement with electronic elements that positioned "Back To You" firmly within the commercial landscape of mid-2017. The production balances warmth and restraint in a way that serves the song's emotional narrative without overwhelming it with production excess.

On the Billboard Hot 100, "Back To You" debuted at its peak position of number 40 on the chart dated August 12, 2017. The song debuted at its peak, which is a common occurrence for tracks with established fan bases whose streaming activity concentrates heavily in the release week. Tomlinson's fanbase, carrying over from the intensely loyal audience One Direction had cultivated, generated significant first-week activity that drove the song to its highest chart position immediately upon release.

The track then settled into a gradual fade over subsequent weeks, reaching number 74 before climbing back to the mid-60s range, demonstrating some resilience as the show's audience continued to engage with the soundtrack. It spent a total of 10 weeks on the Hot 100, a respectable run for a soundtrack placement that nonetheless reflected the limited radio crossover the track achieved relative to mainstream pop fare.

The music video for the song was released in conjunction with its debut and featured Tomlinson and Rexha in separate, intercut visual narratives. The video accumulated substantial viewership driven by the combined fan communities of both artists as well as the show's audience, reaching hundreds of millions of views on YouTube.

Internationally, "Back To You" performed well in markets where One Direction had maintained strong fanbases, including the United Kingdom and Australia, where Tomlinson's solo career was generating considerable interest. The song charted in multiple European territories and reinforced his status as a viable solo artist capable of charting independently of his former bandmates.

The track's association with 13 Reasons Why gave it an additional cultural context that distinguished it from standard pop releases. The show's themes gave the song's lyrical content about complicated romantic feelings an additional layer of emotional gravity that connected with its target audience in ways that extended beyond standard music consumption.