Diplo Reveals "Lean On" Was Originally Meant for Rihanna or Nicki Minaj

While the songs of the summer have been plentiful and eclectic, Major Lazer and fellow producers Walshy Fire and Jillionaire can certainly consider their track “Lean On” to be one of the indisputable hit tracks of 2015. In an interview with Time magazine, Lazer frontman Diplo unveiled that the vocals for the song were surprisingly first shopped to superstars Rihanna and Nicki Minaj before finding their current owner. The song was originally meant to have a slower, reggae vibe to it, however, after the two singers turned it down Diplo found Danish singer MØ to give a unique, scratchy yet powerful sound that totally changed the song for the better. Famed DJ Diplo sat down with Time to discuss MØ’s contribution to the song, as well as his work with PC music affiliate SOPHIE and Madonna. Watch the video above, visit the full interview here and check out an excerpt below.

“[MØ was] a blessing in disguise. [She] sounds better than anybody was going to sound on that record. All we want to do is make the records feel like classics, even though they’re feeling progressive and strange to a normal ear.”