Through their official website (www.linkinpark.com) LINKIN PARK has announced the worldwide MTV/VH1 premiere of the video ‘The Catalyst’ on August 26th 2010. The video will premiere on MTV, VH1, MTV2, mtvU, MTV Hits, MTV Tr3s and all MTV international territories, (MTV, VH1 and MTV2 at 8:00pm primetime PDT/EDT). It will go online globally on MTV.com and onVH1.com at 12am EDT on the night of August 25th. The channels and websites will begin airing a 30 second clip of the video as well as exclusive shots from the video shoot leading up to the premiere.
The video of “The Catalyst” was directed by Linkin Park’s Joe Hahn. “When coming up with the idea of the visual piece to accompany the song, I thought of the end, “ Hahn says. “What would it look like and feel like if someone pushed the button to decide our fate? What would it feel like if we accepted our fate in the moment of devastation? If we had a final moment to celebrate our final living moments, how would that feel? When J. Robert Oppenheimer, the father of the atomic bomb, described the first test detonation of the atomic bomb, he famously recalled the Bhagavad Ghita, which says, ‘If the radiance of a thousand suns were to burst at once into the sky, that would be like the splendor of the mighty one.’”
‘The Catalyst’ which went to radio on August 2nd, became the first song to debut at Number 1 in the 14-month history of the Billboard Rock Songs chart. The radio airplay survey measures the most–heard titles on alternative, mainstream rock and triple A radio. ‘The Catalyst’ launched with 12.2 million audience impressions in its first week. The song is also featured in a trailer for EA Games’ highly anticipated title, Medal of Honor, which launched along with the single and quickly went to #1 on YouTube.
A THOUSAND SUNS (Machine Shop Recordings / Warner Bros) will be released September 14th. The album is co-produced by Rick Rubin (U2, Johnny Cash) and Linkin Park vocalist Mike Shinoda.