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"New Light" is a song co-written and recorded by American singer-songwriter John Mayer. The song premiered on May 10, 2018 and was released to Hot AC and Triple A radio on June 18, 2018. It was written and produced by Mayer and No I.D..
Release and promotion
Mayer took to Instagram to tease new music, saying "Summer bop drop imminent" on May 8, 2018 and announced the release of the new single "New Light" on May 9. The next day, Mayer premiered the song on Apple Music's Beats 1 radio with Zane Lowe.
Music video
On May 23, Mayer shared the trailer for the song's music video. The video directed by Fatal Farm premiered on May 24 and Mayer joked about it on Instagram, saying, "I needed to make a video for 'New Light' but nobody could agree on a budget, so I went to a place downtown and made this with a company that usually does birthday and Bar Mitzvah videos."
The tongue-in-cheek video opens with Mayer standing in front of the green screen wearing pajamas and a dirty hoodie, saying, "I'm John Mayer and I'm ready to be a star." It then features Mayer dancing, playing the guitar and waving to fake zebras at various green screen locations, from the cheap apartment kitchen to the Egyptian pyramids. It ends with Mayer blowing a kiss to the audience.
Critical reception
The song received generally positive reviews from music critics. Jon Blisten from Rolling Stone said the song crafted "a steady groove reminiscent of Eighties blue-eyed soul and tinged with disco guitars" and praised Mayer's "cheeky and earnest" lyrics. Billboard ranked "New Light" 27th in their list "The 50 Best Songs of 2018 (So Far)" published in June, calling the song "a sublimely silky pastel palette of keyboard twinkles and polished guitar licks that sounds like it was recorded in the clouds of John’s Paradise Valley LP cover." Complex ranked the song 31st in their "The Best Songs of 2018" mid-year list. Their review by Matt Welty said "Mayer put out a legitimate banger in 'New Light,' an '80s-inspired track that still has the introspective side we've come to know and love from the singer/songwriter," stating they see the song "cross over beyond his traditional fan base."
Commercial performance
The song debuted at number 38 on Billboard Hot Rock Songs. Following its first full week of digital sales and streaming, it jumped to number 7 on Hot Rock Songs and opened at number 5 on Bubbling Under Hot 100. After officially impacting Hot Adult Contemporary radio, it debuted at number 39 on Adult Top 40 chart. In Mexico, the song reached number 1 and was the second best selling-single of 2018.
Remix
The Zookëper remix of New Light - Zookëper Remix was released on August 9, 2018.
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