How Forever Young conquered 2024
In September 2024, something unexpected happened: a 40-year-old synthpop song started trending on TikTok. Within weeks, Alphaville's "Forever Young" was the most-used sound on the platform, inspiring over 3 million videos and climbing to #1 on the TikTok Billboard Top 50.
The TikTok moment
It started organically — users began using the song's chorus for nostalgia-themed videos. The emotional resonance of "Forever Young" proved irresistible: graduation montages, childhood photos, friendship tributes. The song's universal theme — the desire to stay young, the bittersweet passage of time — connected with Gen Z just as powerfully as it had with their parents.
The David Guetta collaboration
French superstar DJ David Guetta, seeing the viral moment, reached out to Alphaville for a collaboration. The result: a new version featuring American pop singer Ava Max, released on October 18, 2024.
The remix adds EDM production and Ava Max's vocals while preserving the iconic melody and Marian Gold's original vocal. It debuted at #22 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped dance charts worldwide.
What Marian Gold said
Marian Gold embraced the revival: "It's surreal and wonderful to see 'Forever Young' connect with a generation that wasn't born when we wrote it. The song's message is timeless — that's not something we planned, but something we're incredibly grateful for."
The original vs. the remix
The original (1984): Pure synthpop. Analog synths, cold war atmosphere, Marian Gold's vulnerable tenor. Listen to the original here. The Guetta remix (2024): EDM production, Ava Max's powerful vocals on new verses, festival-ready drops. Same iconic chorus.Both versions are great — and both will be in your head when you're at MVM Dome on October 30, 2026.
The numbers
- 3 million+ TikTok videos using the sound
- #1 on TikTok Billboard Top 50
- #22 on Billboard Hot 100 (Guetta version)
- 500 million+ combined streams across platforms
- 40 years between the original and the viral moment
From TikTok to the arena
Many fans who discovered Alphaville through TikTok in 2024 are now buying concert tickets. The Budapest show at MVM Dome will be a unique mix of original fans from the 80s and new fans from the TikTok generation — united by a song that truly is forever young.
More about Alphaville: Get your tickets →
