Silence

Creation, Recording, and Chart History of "Silence"

"Silence" by Marshmello featuring Khalid was released on August 11, 2017, through Joytime Collective and released through independent distribution, later widely distributed through streaming platforms. The track was written by Khalid Robinson, Christopher Comstock (Marshmello), and Jon Bellion. Production was handled by Marshmello, the American DJ and producer who had gained considerable prominence in the electronic dance music scene through his distinctive anonymous stage persona, masked in white with a marshmallow-shaped helmet. The collaboration with Khalid, a young R&B singer-songwriter from El Paso, Texas, who had broken through earlier in 2017 with his debut album "American Teen," brought together two of the year's most commercially compelling new voices in their respective genres.

Marshmello, whose real identity as Christopher Comstock became widely known though he maintained the visual persona professionally, had built a significant following through DJ residencies, festival appearances, and a string of well-received electronic productions. His music blended electronic dance music structures with accessible pop sensibility, and his YouTube channel and social media presence gave him direct access to a massive audience that transcended conventional dance music demographics. By 2017 he was among the most-followed artists across social media platforms, which gave his releases instant reach far beyond what traditional radio and press support alone could deliver.

Khalid, born Khalid Donnel Robinson, had released "American Teen" in March 2017 to critical acclaim and strong streaming performance. His voice, warm and naturally understated, and his lyrical focus on the everyday experiences of adolescence and young adulthood distinguished him from many of his R&B contemporaries. "Silence" was one of several high-profile collaborations he pursued around this period, and it represented a departure from the guitar-inflected bedroom pop of his debut toward a more explicitly electronic sound. The combination of his vocal qualities with Marshmello's melodic electronic production proved commercially effective.

The song debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 on September 2, 2017, entering at number 42. Its chart trajectory was not a rapid ascent but rather a slow, persistent build across the autumn of 2017. After briefly dipping in the middle of its run, the song climbed back as radio and streaming support consolidated, eventually reaching its peak position of number 30 on the chart dated December 30, 2017. It spent 23 weeks total on the Hot 100, reflecting its status as a slow-building commercial record rather than an immediate smash.

The track performed particularly well on streaming platforms, where its mood, suited to late-night listening and reflective personal moments, drove repeated plays. On the Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart, it performed more strongly, reaching a higher position within that format, reflecting its origins and primary sonic identity as an electronic production. On mainstream pop radio, its reception was warm if not overwhelming, though it received enough airplay to sustain its Hot 100 presence through the holiday period of 2017.

The music video released alongside the track featured a simple, emotionally direct visual presentation consistent with the song's introspective character. It accumulated over 556 million views on YouTube, a figure that reflected the combined fanbases of both artists and the song's enduring appeal as a streaming catalog item. The video's stripped-back aesthetic matched the song's sonic restraint, presenting both artists in uncomplicated visual settings that foregrounded the music itself.

Internationally, "Silence" performed across European markets and in Australia, where dance-influenced pop with R&B vocal elements had developed a strong commercial foothold. The song was also featured prominently in online gaming culture and content creator communities, particularly on platforms like Twitch, where Marshmello had cultivated an unusually strong connection with gaming audiences through virtual performances and streaming collaborations. This adjacency to gaming culture gave the track a reach into demographic groups that mainstream radio did not fully capture.

"Silence" was certified platinum in multiple territories and contributed to the ongoing development of both artists' careers. For Marshmello it demonstrated his ability to anchor commercially viable songs rather than simply produce backing tracks for more prominent vocalists. For Khalid, it added a significant streaming hit to his discography while establishing his versatility across genre lines, a quality that would continue to define his career in the years following the song's release.