Don't Matter to Me

"Don't Matter to Me" is a song by Canadian musician Drake featuring posthumous vocals from American singer-songwriter Michael Jackson, from Drake's fifth studio album Scorpion (2018).[2][3][4] It was sent to British contemporary hit radio on July 6, 2018 as the album's fourth single.[5] The song was set to be released to US rhythmic radio on July 10, 2018 alongside "In My Feelings".[6] However, its release in the country was cancelled when Republic Records decided to solely push "In My Feelings" to rhythmic and contemporary hit radio stations in the US.[7][8][9] Commercially, the song has reached No. 1 in Sweden as well as the top 10 in Australia, Canada, the Czech Republic, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Slovakia, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

"Don't Matter to Me"
Single by Drake and Michael Jackson
from the album Scorpion
Released	July 6, 2018
Recorded	1983 (original demo) 2018 (Drake & MJ version)
Studio	Sandra Gale, Yolo Estate, CA
Genre	R&B[1]
Length	4:05
Label	Young Money Cash Money Republic
Songwriter(s)	Aubrey Graham Michael Jackson Paul Anka Noah Shebib Anthony Jefferies Nana Rogues Negin Djafari
Producer(s)	40 Nineteen85
Drake singles chronology
"Bigger Than You" (2018) "Don't Matter to Me" (2018) "In My Feelings" (2018)
Michael Jackson singles chronology
"A Place with No Name" (2014) "Don't Matter to Me" (2018) "Diamonds Are Invincible" (2018)

Jackson's vocals were taken from part of an unreleased 1983 session between Jackson and Canadian singer-songwriter Paul Anka. The songs "Love Never Felt So Good" and "This Is It" also came from the same session.

Background

First worked on as a demo, Jackson recorded the vocals in a 1983 recording session with Paul Anka.[10]

Critical reception

Brendan Klinkenberg of Rolling Stone said, "[the song] opens like most Drake songs, with gloomy, atmospheric synths and Drake singing sweetly to an ex-lover. Then Jackson comes in; even with some digital quivering added to his vocals, he's unmistakeable. While the "featuring Michael Jackson" billing would feel like an unnecessary flourish in almost any scenario, it's close to earned here."[11] Larry Fitzmaurice of Entertainment Weekly thought "[the song] makes great melodic hay out of a headline-grabbing posthumous Michael Jackson feature."[12] Roisin O'Connor of The Independent deemed it "hauntingly beautiful", however, she felt Jackson's voice "is controversially auto-tuned to the point that it sounds more like one of his biggest imitators, The Weeknd."[13] NME's Luke Morgan Britton described the song as "a clear-cut power move, rather than artistic posthumous collaboration," and considered it as an example of "cases of Drake doing things because he can, rather than because he should."[14] The Hollywood Reporter's Jonny Coleman felt the song "is as unsettling as a Tupac hologram, but ultimately not as offensive. It sounds like a Weeknd B-side but is weird enough to break up some of the exhaustion of listening to [Scorpion] in one sitting."[15] Dean Van Nguyen of The Irish Times said, "Jackson's segment is lovely, his vocal loop floating over the warm ‘n’ woozy orchestration which comes off as a kind of downbeat version of "Liberian Girl". Unfortunately, Drake is the worst thing about the song, his depressed coos sounding formless and without conviction."[16]

Commercial performance

In the United Kingdom, "Don't Matter to Me" debuted at number two on the UK Singles Chart on the chart dated July 12, 2018, behind George Ezra's "Shotgun". It serves as Drake's 15th top-ten song and Michael Jackson's 44th top ten on the chart.[17][18]

In the United States, the song debuted at number nine on the US Billboard Hot 100, making it Drake's 31st top-ten song and Jackson's 30th top ten on the chart. It stands as Jackson's second posthumous top-ten entry, tying the peak of his duet with Justin Timberlake, "Love Never Felt So Good" (2014).[19]

Personnel

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes and Tidal.[20][21]

• Noel Cadastre – recording
• Noah "40" Shebib – production, recording
• Noel "Gadget" Campbell – mixing
• Harley Arsenault – mixing assistance
• Greg Moffet – mixing assistance
• Ronald Moonoo – mixing assistance
• Michael Jackson – vocals
• Nineteen85 – production

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2018-2019) Peak position Australia (ARIA)[22] 3 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[23] 18 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[24] 33 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[25] 37 Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[26] 4 Canada CHR/Top 40 (Billboard)[27] 50 Czech Republic (Singles Digitál Top 100)[28] 6 Denmark (Tracklisten)[29] 2 Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[30] 11 France (SNEP)[31] 24 Germany (Official German Charts)[32] 16 Greece International Digital Singles (IFPI)[33] 1 Hungary (Stream Top 40)[34] 6 Ireland (IRMA)[35] 3 Italy (FIMI)[36] 23 Lebanon (Lebanese Top 20)[37] 15 Malaysia (RIM)[38] 7 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[39] 13 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[40] 7 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[41] 6 Norway (VG-lista)[42] 4 Portugal (AFP)[43] 2 Scotland (Official Charts Company)[44] 33 Singapore (RIAS)[45] 6 Slovakia (Singles Digitál Top 100)[46] 4 Spain (PROMUSICAE)[47] 33 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[48] 1 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[49] 5 UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[50] 2 UK R&B (Official Charts Company)[51] 1 US Billboard Hot 100[52] 9 US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[53] 8 US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[54] 26 US Rhythmic (Billboard)[55] 15

Year-end charts Chart (2018) Position Denmark (Tracklisten)[56] 88 Portugal (AFP)[57] 142 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[58] 98 Chart (2019) Position Portugal (AFP)[59] 900 US Hot R&B Songs (Billboard)[60] 48

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[61]	Gold	35,000
Canada (Music Canada)[62]	Gold	40,000
Denmark (IFPI Denmark)[63]	Gold	45,000
Sweden (GLF)[64]	Platinum	8,000,000
United Kingdom (BPI)[65]	Gold	400,000
^*sales figures based on certification alone ^^shipments figures based on certification alone sales+streaming figures based on certification alone

Release history

Country	Date	Format	Label(s)	Ref.
United Kingdom	July 6, 2018	Contemporary hit radio	Young Money Cash Money Republic	[5]
United States	October 9, 2018			[66]

References

1. "Michael Jackson returns posthumously on Drake album". Deccan Herald. June 29, 2018.
2. "Drake's new album 'Scorpion' - release date, tracklist, tour dates and everything we know so far - NME". NME. 28 June 2018.
3. "Drake Reveals 'Scorpion' Features, Including Michael Jackson & Jay-Z". Billboard.
4. "Drake's 'Scorpion' Features Michael Jackson Vocal, References Newborn Son". Variety. June 28, 2018. Retrieved July 21, 2018.
5. "BBC – Radio 1 – Playlist". BBC Radio 1. Archived from the original on July 9, 2018. Retrieved July 9, 2018.
6. "Top 40-Rhythmic Future Releases". All Access. Archived from the original on July 3, 2018.
7. "Drake's "Don't Matter to Me" Scrapped as a Single in Favor of "In My Feelings"". Hiphopnmore.
8. "Top 40-Rhythmic Future Releases". All Access. Archived from the original on July 9, 2018.
9. "Top 40-Mainstream Future Releases". All Access. Archived from the original on July 9, 2018.
10. "How Paul Anka brought Michael Jackson to Drake's new album Scorpion". CBC. Jun 29, 2018. Retrieved July 21, 2018.
11. "Drake's Favorite Collaborators are Ghosts". Rollings Stone.
12. "On Scorpion, Drake loses sight of his own essence". Entertainment Weekly.
13. "Drake, Scorpion album review: Lacks a sting in the tail". The Independent.
14. Britton, Luke Morgan (July 2, 2018). "Drake – 'Scorpion' review". NME. Retrieved July 2, 2018.
15. Coleman, Jonny (June 29, 2018). "Critic's Notebook: Drake Overplays His Hand on Bloated Double Album 'Scorpion'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
16. Van Nguyen, Dean (June 29, 2018). "Drake: Scorpion review – A painfully dull barrage of lifeless tunes". The Irish Times. Retrieved July 20, 2018.
17. "Drake | Official Chart history". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 8, 2018.
18. "Michael Jackson | Official Chart history". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 8, 2018.
19. Trust, Gary (July 9, 2018). "Drake Claims 7 of Hot 100's Top 10, Breaking the Beatles' Record, As 'Nice For What' Returns to No. 1 For Eighth Week". Billboard. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
20. Scorpion (CD liner notes). Drake. Republic Records. 2018. 86318-2.CS1 maint: others (link)
21. "Scorpion / Drake TIDAL". Tidal. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
22. "Australian-charts.com – Drake feat. Michael Jackson – Don't Matter to Me". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
23. "Austriancharts.at – Drake feat. Michael Jackson – Don't Matter to Me" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved July 12, 2018.
24. "Ultratop.be – Drake feat. Michael Jackson – Don't Matter to Me" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved July 20, 2018.
25. "Ultratop.be – Drake feat. Michael Jackson – Don't Matter to Me" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved July 13, 2018.
26. "Drake Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved July 9, 2018.
27. "Drake Chart History (Canada CHR/Top 40)". Billboard. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
28. "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Change the chart to CZ – SINGLES DIGITAL – TOP 100 and insert 201827 into search. Retrieved July 9, 2018.
29. "Danishcharts.com – Drake feat. Michael Jackson – Don't Matter to Me". Tracklisten. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
30. "Drake: Don't Matter to Me (Feat. Michael Jackson)" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved July 8, 2018.
31. "Lescharts.com – Drake feat. Michael Jackson – Don't Matter to Me" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
32. "Offiziellecharts.de – Drake feat. Michael Jackson – Don't Matter to Me". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved July 6, 2018.
33. "Official IFPI Charts – Digital Singles Chart (International) – Week: 28/2018". IFPI Greece. Archived from the original on July 26, 2018. Retrieved July 1, 2018.
34. "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Stream Top 40 slágerlista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
35. "IRMA – Irish Charts". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
36. "Top Singoli – Classifica settimanale WK 27" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
37. "The Official Lebanese Top 20". The Official Lebanese Top 20. Retrieved August 7, 2018.
38. "Top 20 Most Streamed International & Domestic Singles In Malaysia" (PDF). Recording Industry Association of Malaysia. Retrieved August 25, 2018.
39. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 29, 2018" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40 Retrieved July 21, 2018.
40. "Dutchcharts.nl – Drake feat. Michael Jackson – Don't Matter to Me" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved July 6, 2018.
41. "Charts.nz – Drake feat. Michael Jackson – Don't Matter to Me". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
42. "Norwegiancharts.com – Drake feat. Michael Jackson – Don't Matter to Me". VG-lista. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
43. "Portuguesecharts.com – Drake Feat. Michael Jackson – Don't Matter to Me". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
44. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
45. "Singapore Top 30 Digital Streaming Chart Week 29" (PDF). Recording Industry Association (Singapore). Archived from the original (PDF) on July 29, 2018. Retrieved August 25, 2018.
46. "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select SINGLES DIGITAL - TOP 100 and insert 201828 into search. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
47. "Top 100 Canciones – Semana 27: del 29.06.2018 al 05.07.2018" (PDF) (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
48. "Swedishcharts.com – Drake feat. Michael Jackson – Don't Matter to Me". Singles Top 100. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
49. "Swisscharts.com – Drake feat. Michael Jackson – Don't Matter to Me". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved July 8, 2018.
50. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
51. "Official R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
52. "Drake Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
53. "Drake Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
54. "Drake Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
55. "Drake Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
56. "Track Top-100 2018" (in Danish). Hitlisten. Retrieved January 16, 2019.
57. "Top AFP - Audiogest - Top 200 Singles 2018" (in Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
58. "Årslista Singlar – År 2018" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved January 15, 2019.
59. "Top AFP - Audiogest - Top 3000 Singles + EPs Digitais" (PDF) (in Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
60. "Hot R&B Singles: Year-End 2019". Billboard. Retrieved December 18, 2019.
61. "ARIA Australian Top 50 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. August 13, 2018. Retrieved August 11, 2018.
62. "Canadian single certifications – Drake – Don't Matter to Me". Music Canada. Retrieved November 27, 2018.
63. "Danish single certifications – Drake ft Michael Jackson – Don't Matter to Me". IFPI Denmark. Retrieved September 25, 2018. Scroll through the page-list below until year 2018 to obtain certification.
64. "Veckolista Singlar, vecka 37, 2018 | Sverigetopplistan" (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Retrieved September 14, 2018. Scroll to position 78 to view certification.
65. "British single certifications – Drake ft Michael Jackson – Don't Matter to Me". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved January 18, 2019. Select singles in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type Don't Matter to Me in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
66. "Top 40/M Future Releases - Mainstream Hit Songs Being Released and Their Release Dates". All Access. September 24, 2018. Archived from the original on September 18, 2018. Retrieved September 24, 2018.