Ronald (song)

"Ronald" is a song by American rock band Falling in Reverse, featuring American rapper Tech N9ne and Russian singer Alex Terrible, of Slaughter to Prevail It was released on May 7, 2024, through Epitaph Records. The song was released as the sixth single from the band's upcoming fifth studio album Popular Monster.

Promotion and release
Unlike their previous singles, the band did not promote the song in advance. Suddenly on May 7, 2024, the single was released under the name "Ronald" which is the real name of vocalist Ronnie Radke. The song features American rapper Tech N9ne and Slaughter to Prevail vocalist Alex Terrible. In 2022 the band had announced that they were going to release an EP called Neon Zombie, however this did not happen as the band never announced a preview or release date.

After 7 years of the release of their fourth studio album Coming Home, the band finally announced that they would be releasing their fifth studio album called Popular Monster which was originally supposed to be released on July 26, 2024, however it got pushed back to August 16, 2024. The band also announced "The Popular MonsTour II" in the United States, alongside Dance Gavin Dance, Black Veil Brides, Tech N9ne, Jeris Johnson and Nathan James as headliners. After six years, the band also announced that they will perform outside the United States, headlining the "We Missed Ourselves Fest" in Mexico.

Composition and lyrics
The song was written by vocalist Ronnie Radke, Tyler Smyth, All That Remains guitarist Jason Richardson, Tech N9ne and drummer Luke Holland and was composed by Ronnie Radke and Tyler Smyth. It was again produced by Tyler Smyth, Ronnie Radke and Charles Kallaghan Massabo. According to an article about the song by Fresh Flow Nation, "Ronald" dives "into the transition from innocence to the harsh realities of adult life. It's as a blunt outcry against the world's darkness, underlined by a recognition of inner demons and societal evils. This song isn't just a tune; it's a bold wake-up call to the chilling truths that surround us."

It is the band's heaviest song, and throughout the song there are breakdowns, screaming and death growls characteristic of metalcore; only in Tech N9ne's verse, however, is when the song is completely rap, until a heavier sound returns again in the final part of the song, which features Alex Terrible.

Commercial performance
The song entered the Top 100 of YouTube Top Songs Charts in the United States for the first time, debuting at No. 74. The music video became number one on YouTube's trending page in the United States, and already has more than 15 million streams in digital platforms.

Music video
The music video was again directed by Jensen Noen, who is acclaimed for his work on other music videos. The music video is a continuation of the video for the single "Watch the World Burn", beginning with Ronnie Radke waking up in an ambulance and attacking the paramedics, who are wearing the same suit as in the previous video. Radke finds himself in a post-apocalyptic world, fleeing from demons and a S.W.A.T team, before appearing with Tech N9ne, who is shown to be God, and sends Radke to hell. He confronts the Devil, who is shown to be Alex Terrible; the video ends with the two fighting, without knowing who was the winner of the fight.

Personnel
Credits adapted from Genius.

Falling in Reverse Additional personnel
 * Ronnie Radke – lead vocals, programming, producer, writer, composer, keyboards
 * Max Georgiev – lead guitar
 * Christian Thompson – rhythm guitar
 * Luke Holland – drums, percussion, writer, composer
 * Tyler Burgess – bass
 * Tech N9ne – guest vocals, writer
 * Alex Terrible – guest vocals
 * Tyler Smyth – producer, strings, additional writer, recording, mixing, mastering, programming, engineered
 * Charles Kallaghan Massabo – producer, vocal producer, engineerd, beat instrumental
 * Jason Richardson – writer, guitar composer