HEARTSTEEL, the newest musical act to come from the League of Legends franchise, debuted on October 23 with their first single, “PARANOIA.” The sextet comprises the popular male characters, known to players as champions: Ezreal, Kayn, Aphelios, Yone, K’Sante, and Sett. Riot Games, the video game developer behind League of Legends, tapped four international talents for the release: Baekhyun of EXO, ØZI, Tobi Lou, and Cal Scruby.

PARANOIA

Riot Games Music, the branch of Riot Games responsible for the company’s music production, is behind HEARTSTEEL’s debut. “PARANOIA” opens with Kayn, voiced by Cal Scruby, who delivers a bass-heavy rap verse. The instrumental escalates considerably in the pre-chorus, where Ezreal, voiced by Baekhyun, takes over the vocals. In the song’s explosive chorus, HEARTSTEEL’s layered vocals accompany clear percussion and distorted electric guitar synth. Sett, voiced by ØZI, raps in the second verse, while K’Sante, voiced by Tobi Lou, performs the song’s bridge. The fusion of hip-hop and electronic elements in “PARANOIA” delivers a high-energy, upbeat single that lives up to HEARTSTEEL’s “genre-bending” label. 


The six League of Legends champions are brought to life in the action-packed, highly colorful music video. Fans of the game will recognize not only the familiar faces of their beloved characters, but also references to in-game content. Namely, Kayn, Ezreal, and Sett demonstrated some of their in-game abilities, such as Kayn’s Shadow Step and Ezreal’s Arcane Shift. More than 50,000 people joined the live YouTube premiere of the song, which surpassed 600,000 views less than an hour following its release.

HEARTSTEEL Show You How to Crash A Party

Six-member hybrid group HEARTSTEEL tap artists renowned globally for their musical prowess. As per a press release, “the group’s personality and sound draws inspiration from modern music collectives, and a range of influences from across genres and eras, culminating in a bold, one-of-a-kind identity.” HEARTSTEEL’s debut track successfully proves the group’s ability to seamlessly meld musical inspirations. 

“HEARTSTEEL is a deep collaboration between all our talented in-house creative teams and some incredible new artists,” said Maria Egan, Global Head of Music & Events at Riot Games Entertainment, about the all-male band’s debut. Four of HEARTSTEEL’s six members give vocal or rap performances, while Yone and Aphelios are credited as the producer and songwriter, respectively.

HEARTSTEEL - Yone
HEARTSTEEL - Ezreal
HEARTSTEEL - K'Sante and Sett
Aphelios
Kayn
HEARTSTEEL members from the music video. Top row: Yone, Ezreal, K’Sante, and Sett. Bottom row: Aphelios and Kayn. Images courtesy of Riot Games.

Developed by Riot Games, League of Legends is a free-to-play multiplayer online battle-arena game. In this team-based strategy game, two teams of five, consisting of the player’s own choice of unique champion, compete in a face-off to destroy the other’s base. From playing as the leader of Iona’s criminal underworld to Demacia’s foremost virtuoso of the stringed etwahl, players can choose from more than 160 dynamic champions in an attempt for victory on Summoner’s Rift. Players can expect an exclusive line of in-game skins based off HEARTSTEEL’s debut, including a Legendary Kayn skin and a Prestige Yone skin.

If you liked HEARTSTEEL’s debut with “PARANOIA,” read about League of Legends’ recent release “GODS” featuring K-pop girl group NewJeans here!

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