Songfacts®:

• Between 10:05 and 10:15 p.m on October 1, 2017, a gunman, Stephen Paddock, opened fire on the crowd at the Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas, killing at least 58 people. It was the deadliest mass shooting in modern US history. This emotionally poignant song finds Daya channeling her grief over the senseless atrocity while harkening back to a nostalgic time when the world seemed more innocent.
  
  When we were ah-aha-aha-aha-aha safe
  Back then when we were ah-aha-aha-aha-aha safe
  There's not much comfort in this place
  Ah-aha-aha-aha-aha I'll keep you safe
  When you can't fight the bitter taste
  Ah-aha-aha-aha-aha I'll keep you safe
  
  Daya explained: "The song draws on the feelings of safety / invincibility that I experienced during my early childhood, where the only big horror stories were well-crafted movies or books of fiction. But there are always antagonists in society trying to build their own real-life horror stories, and now these stories increasingly seem to be happening in traditionally safe spaces like schools and festivals."
  
  She added: "We're being forced to confront - at younger and younger ages - the proximity of evil and how easily it could affect us or someone we love. The song explores that childhood illusion of safety and how I wish I could wrap a blanket of safety around myself and the people I love."
• Throughout the song Daya switches back and forth between a feeling of helplessness and a sense that she can still play an important part in preventing such evil. She explained to Teen Vogue:
  
  "I think in the moment I was writing the song, I felt powerless and frustrated and hurt and it was very much an unfiltered conversation with myself. But in the end our individual voices do count and we need to use them in the best way possible, whether it's through donations or spreading awareness on socials or marching."
• Daya co-wrote the song with Laleh and Joel Little. The latter pair also produced the track.
  
  Laleh is a Swedish singer-songwriter who has also worked with Demi Lovato ( "Stone Cold ", "Yes" and "Father"), Tori Kelly ("Should've Been Us," "City Dove"), Ellie Goulding ("Lost And Found") and Adam Lambert ("Welcome To The Show "). Laleh also supplied vocals on Lambert's track.
  
  New Zealand producer Joel Little is best known for being Lorde's collaborator on her debut album. Pure Heroine. He has also worked with Khalid ("Young, Dumb and Broke") and Shawn Mendes ("Youth").
• The lyric video for "Safe" is composed entirely of VHS footage to create various video backgrounds and textures.
• The song's music video features Daya sitting alone in a pink bedroom on a swing and in a studio reflecting back on a more innocent time. In tandem with her visual, Daya launched her new #SafeIs campaign across her social media accounts where she's encouraging fans to share what "safe" means to them.
  
  "I want my song 'Safe' to be an invitation to start a positive dialogue in a world in need of compassion," the singer said in her launch video for the project. "Let's uplift each other, create your own version of what safe means to you."