"Scared to Be Lonely" is a song recorded by Dutch DJ Martin Garrix and English and Albanian singer Dua Lipa.

The song was released for digital download and streaming as a standalone single on 27 January 2017 by Stmpd Rcrds and Epic Records, after being premiered by Garrix at the 2017 AVA Festival a month earlier.

The two further promoted the song in 2017 with live performances at Capital FM's the Jingle Bell Ball, the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, and on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

Following the release of a club record in his third extended play Seven (2016), Martin Garrix wanted to return to the more pop-leaning sound of his single "In the Name of Love" (2016) with Bebe Rexha.

Engineering was done by Garrix, JP Negrete, and Cameron Gower-Poole, while Frank van Essen contributed the arrangement, violin, and strings.

[5] After receiving Lipa's final version, Garrix went back into the studio and polished off the song, editing the melodies and incorporating lots of live instrumentation with real strings.

[9][18][19] The production also consists of a beat that has trap vibes ever so often,[15] emotive strings,[20] "boisterous" bass notes, and "tantalizing" hi-hats.

[28] On 22 March 2017, Lipa and Garrix performed "Scared to Be Lonely" on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

[29] During his 15 April 2017 set at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, Garrix brought out Lipa to perform the song.

"[34] Sebas E. Alonso of Jenesaispop thought the song is reminiscent of the Chainsmokers as well as the tropical house of Lipa's own "Hotter than Hell" (2016).

He went on to put forward the song's potential to be a bonus track on Dua Lipa, as it does not succumb to dembow, dancehall, or trap styles.

[35] In a positive review from Dancing Astronaut, Haylee Graham said the song was "well worth the wait" and praised Lipa's "velvet-smooth vocals" that emphasize the "feels."

She continued by complimenting the "heart-rending" lyrics and how Garrix has proven he is worthy of his dance music industry vanguard status.

[9] In a separate Dancing Astronaut review, Kassi Chrys viewed that the song shows Garrix's "true artistry.

"[16] In her review for Time, Raisa Bruner named "Scared to Be Lonely" a "thoughtful ballad" that converts into a "slow-burning banger," while also praising the space given for Lipa's vocals to "shine.

[47] In the United States, "Scared to Be Lonely" debuted at number 88 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart issue dated 18 February 2017.

[49] In December 2020, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) awarded the song a double platinum certification for selling 2,000,000 track-equivalent units in the US.

[50] "Scared to Be Lonely" further reached the top 10 of charts in Austria,[51] Belgium (Flanders),[52] the Czech Republic,[53] Denmark,[54] Finland,[55] Germany,[56] Hungary,[57] Malaysia,[58] New Zealand,[59] Norway,[60] Portugal,[61] Scotland,[62] Slovakia,[63] Sweden,[64] and Switzerland.

The company sourced several potential locations around Scotland, eventually choosing a Category B-listed 19th century building in Dumfries and Galloway.

Two drone teams were used, one to supply a bright light on Garrix that emphasizes his character's loneliness, and one to actually film the video with an Alexa camera.

His production uses big saw chords, ambient pads, and plucks with soft attack and drum patterns, while also introducing new melodies for the drop.

The staff of Dancing Astronaut thought that the track shows Garrix's "true versatility" and "artistic abilities," while Myles Tanzer of The Fader commended the "gorgeous" string section.