ESPN’s Monday Night Football Teams with Artist Marshmello; Grammy-Nominated, Chart Topping Artist Remixes Iconic ‘Heavy Action’ Theme Song, Named Music Curator for 2022-23 NFL Season

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ESPN’s Monday Night Football Teams with Artist Marshmello; Grammy-Nominated, Chart Topping Artist Remixes Iconic ‘Heavy Action’ Theme Song, Named Music Curator for 2022-23 NFL Season

WATCH: Marshmello x ESPN

  • Theme Music Makes MNF Debut Leading into Broncos-Seahawks on Sept. 12
  • Marshmello’s New Single “Grown Man” Provides Soundtrack to Russell Wilson’s Return to Seattle Promotional Spot

ESPN has teamed with GRAMMY-nominated, chart-topping artist Marshmello for a season-long collaboration, which included the artist creating a remix of the ‘Heavy Action’ theme song. Additionally, Marshmello will periodically provide the soundtrack to weekly promotional spots for Monday Night Football during the season, becoming the fourth music curator for the NFL on ESPN.

‘Heavy Action’ Remix Features Modernized Version of Classic Song
The season debut of Monday Night Football — Broncos-Seahawks on September 12, 8 p.m. ET across ESPN, ABC, ESPN2 and ESPN+ — will feature the televised debut of the ‘Heavy Action’ remix, which is licensed exclusively by APM Music.  Marshmello is the first artist to remix Heavy Action, a song which was originally composed in 1970 and been heard for almost 50 years on Monday Night Football.  Now, “Mello makes it right” by adding his unique twist to a beloved staple for MNF, leading into each Monday Night Football game.

“Our goal was to take the classic Monday Night Football music and add a contemporary vibe to it,” explained Kevin Wilson, ESPN Creative Music Director.  “To get there, we wanted to enlist an artist, a move we have never previously done with a Heavy Action remix.”

Added Marshmello, “Working with ESPN is a dream come true as Monday Night Football and the NFL have been a part of my life ever since I can remember. Having the opportunity to put my own spin on an iconic song that NFL fans everywhere recognize was an amazing opportunity.”

Joanne Strange, ESPN’s Music Operation Supervisor, noted: “Marshmello with his distinctive modern sounds and artistry was the perfect artist to collaborate with. Fans will hear the classic MNF theme music they have been accustomed to with added energy and pace.”

Marshmello’s Music Selections to Provide Soundtrack to Multiple Monday Night Football Promotions
Already airing across ESPN networks, Marshmello picked his forthcoming new single Grown Man with Polo G, co-produced by Southside, as the song to narrate the promotional spot surrounding Russell Wilson’s heavily anticipated return to Seattle. Fans can expect to hear more of Marshmello’s music selections across NFL on ESPN promotional spots at select points throughout the season that will feature artists and tracks capturing the intensity of Monday Night Football, the teams and the matchup. Marshmello joins Drake (2021), DJ Khaled (2020), and Diplo (2019) as ESPN’s season-long music curator for 2022.

“Marshmello is the perfect curator for the fourth year of NFL on ESPN’s aggressive music initiative,” said Curtis Friends, ESPN Senior Director of Sports Marketing. “Each year, we strive to elevate the Monday Night Football brand with music selections that match the intensity and anticipation the weekly matchup. Marshmello, with his unique DJ style and artistry, will build or find tracks that are simultaneously unexpected and perfect to promote the biggest matchups of Monday Night Football this season.”

APM Music and ESPN
APM Music has the world’s largest and deepest production music library, with over one million tracks available for licensing. APM proudly partners with ESPN and exclusively licenses the original and remixed versions of Heavy Action.

“Everyone at APM is thrilled to hear the evolution of our most widely known copyright, Heavy Action” said Matthew Gutknecht, Director of Sports Entertainment at APM Music. “To see how the sound has evolved and has been intertwined in pop culture over generations is a marvel to witness. I believe this is the beginning of a new chapter and can’t wait to contribute to it!”

Star-Studded Monday Night Football Lineup
The addition of Marshmello adds to a star-studded Monday Night Football lineup. Joe Buck and Troy Aikman, the NFL’s longest current booth pairing and Pro Football Hall of Fame members, are the new voices of Monday Night Football. Lisa Salters, MNF’s longest-tenured sideline reporter, will return for her 11th season on the series. John Parry will be the officiating analyst once again.

Additionally, the Emmy-award winning Monday Night Football with Peyton and Eli will air 10 Monday Night Football alternate presentations for the second consecutive season, continuing the extensive relationship between The Walt Disney Company and Peyton Manning’s production company.

ABOUT MARSHMELLO
GRAMMY-nominated Marshmello’s star continues to rise as the famously masked artist breaks boundaries across the industry. With chart-topping singles and collaborations with the likes of Juice WRLD, Halsey, Demi Lovato, Bastille, Kane Brown, Selena Gomez, Jonas Brothers, and more, Marshmello has clocked a staggering 13 billion streams across Spotify alone. With over 45 million monthly listeners on the platform, he’s one of the top 40 most streamed artists in the world on Spotify and the third-most- subscribed artist on YouTube. Featured on the cover of the Forbes magazine “30 Under 30″ issue, Marshmello has proved to not only be an innovative producer, but a forward- thinking businessman. With his own brand of chocolate-filled marshmallows (“Stuffed Puffs”), he’s also launched a children’s entertainment channel, Mellodees. Marshmello collaborated with the Jonas Brothers on their early summer smash “Leave Before You Love Me,” which peaked at number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was also nominated for the best dance / electronic album at the 2022 Grammy’s. Most recently, Marshmello teamed up with Khalid to release “Numb.” The new single has continued to climb the charts since its release this summer, recently entering the top 50 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was nominated for “Song Of The Summer” at the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards.

ESPN Press Contacts:
Derek Volner
[email protected]

Marshmello Press Contacts:
Amanda Silverman
The Lede Company
[email protected]

Chris Iacullo
The Lede Company
[email protected]

Viveca Ortiz-Torres
The Lede Company
[email protected]

 

APM Music Press Contact 
Ezra Broder
[email protected]

 

 

Derek Volner

I currently lead ESPN’s NFL Communications, including Monday Night Football, NFL Draft and studio programming. Previously, I did the same for ESPN’s vast college football portfolio. I have been with ESPN since 2013.
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