"Love Is the Name" is the debutsingle by American recording artistSofia Carson. It was written and produced bySteve Mac, with additional songwriting byIna Wroldsen. The song was released on April 7, 2016, byHollywood andRepublic Records. An official remix featuring Colombianreggaeton singerJ Balvin was also released on the same day. "Love Is the Name" is aninterpolation of Austrian bandOpus' 1984 single "Live Is Life", which was the main inspiration behind its production. Commercially, it reached the top forty on theLatin Pop Songs andTropical Songs component charts ofBillboard in the United States, and peaked inside the top thirty in Poland. The song's accompanying music video, directed byHannah Lux Davis, portrays Carson dancing in the sunset on a beach and in a luxurious mansion. To further promote the song, Carson performed it on the2016 Radio Disney Music Awards. It is a part of Carson's self-titled first studio album (2022)'s Japanese release.
"Love Is the Name" was written and produced bySteve Mac, with additional songwriting byIna Wroldsen.[1] The song is aninterpolation of Austrian bandOpus' 1984 single "Live Is Life", which was the main inspiration behind its production; therefore, the band members are also credited as songwriters.[1][2] Initially, it was listed onBMI with American singerDemi Lovato as the designated artist; however, "Love is the Name" was eventually recorded and released by Carson after she signed a worldwide record deal withHollywood andRepublic Records.[1] The singer revealed that "it was a collective decision between the two labels, the [recording] team, and [herself]" to release it as her debut single:[2]
"I think the fact that the original song was such a global hit already helped a lot, because that melody is very infectious and already in people's minds. We also loved that the song sounded so global, and that's what we want with my music. We want it to be global and very international sounding. We all thought it was a terrific track because I'm a dancer, and dancing is who I am as a performer."[2]
"Love Is the Name" was first serviced tocontemporary hit radio on April 7, 2016, in the United States, with a premiere onRadio Disney that same day.[1] The song was then made available for sale and global streaming on April 8, along with a remix featuring Colombianreggaeton singerJ Balvin.[3] According to Griselda Flores ofBillboard, he adds "Latin flavor to the track with flirtatious Spanish lyrics" such as "No sigas buscando que tú eres para mí (Stop searching because you are meant for me)".[4] Lyrically, Carson described the song as a "celebration of love," further adding that "when I first heard the track [...], I flipped. I rolled down all my windows and turned [it up] so loud."[5] Official remixes by DJ Laszlo, Nando Pro, Mack & Jet Set Vega, MADIZIN andMoto Blanco were also commissioned.[6]
The music video for "Love Is the Name" was directed byHannah Lux Davis and produced by Brandon Bonfiglio, with choreography done byTeresa Espinosa.[7][8][9] It was filmed in a luxurious mansion, and includes shots of the singer dancing in the sunset on a beach.[4][5] The video officially premiered onDisney Channel during Carson's 23rd birthday, on April 10, 2016.[10] On the same day, it was announced that the singer would star in a series of three featurettes calledBeing Sofia, to further promote the release of the song.[11] On April 30, 2016, Carson recorded a performance of the song on the2016 Radio Disney Music Awards, which aired the following day.[12] She was also named Radio Disney's "Next Big Thing", with a series of videos on her journey launching her music career being released.[13] A remix video featuring J Balvin was released on May 17, 2016.[14] Two years later, on April 17, 2018, the main version of the video surpassed 100 million views onVevo.[15]
