Disturbed Reveal New Video for “Don’t Tell Me” with Heart’s Ann Wilson

The song is the band’s first collaboration on a studio album

Hard rock titans Disturbed have revealed a brand new video for their single, “Don’t Tell Me.” The song, from the band’s latest chart-topping album, features a very special guest appearance from Heart’s Ann Wilson. It is the first time Disturbed have featured a guest on one of their studio albums. Stream the official clip below, directed by Matt Mahurin.

In an interview with Terrie Carr of WDHA-FM 105.5 FM, Disturbed drummer Mike Wengren said, “That was always supposed to be the ‘power ballad,’ per se. And as we were tracking it in the studio, David [Draiman, Disturbed frontman] just threw out the idea, ‘Hey, let’s do a duet on this song.’ We’ve tossed around the idea before, but there wasn’t ever either the right material or the right time. So in this particular case, we kind of said, ‘Well, who you’ve got in mind?’ And he didn’t even have a list; he just had one person, and that was Ann. It was a no-brainer. ‘Hey, let’s hit up Ann. Let’s see if she’d be into it.’ And she was on board right away; we didn’t have to convince her.”

They [David and Ann] sort of struck up a bit of a friendship, a little bit of a rapport. When ‘The Sound of Silence’ came out years back and had its success, she was one of many artists and celebrities that took it up themselves to go on Twitter and praise the song and praise our version of it, which we couldn’t have been more honored. Iconic, legendary Ann Wilson thinks that we did a great job with a Simon & Garfunkel cover. That’s pretty incredible, a pretty great honor. So when we reached out to her, she was more than willing to jump on board. And she came in and she killed it… And she’s super cool and down to earth too, and just incredibly talented. It’s such an honor to have her be on our record. And to me, the blending of her voice and David’s voice, they really, really work so well together. I’m so proud of David and just so honored to have her a part of our record.”

In September 2022 interview with Detroit’s WRIF Meltdown, Disturbed guitarist Dan Donegan, whose divorce inspired “Don’t Tell Me”, said, “Early in our career, we wanted to really establish ourselves without having any guests. We didn’t really talk about it much, but just [felt], ‘This is the band.’ Not that we were ever against it, but this far along in our career… We’re always pushing ourselves, trying to do stuff that’s different musically. And there’s so much talent out there and so many people we would love to do collaborations with now or later in our career.

Ann Wilson had mentioned before — she tweeted about us before,” he continued. “A few years back, somebody asked her in an interview or whatever if there’s anything new out there, or newer, musically that she’s heard that she’s fan of, and she mentioned she really loved our version of ‘The Sound of Silence’. And that kind of opened the door to a social media friendship between her and David a bit. And then when we wrote this song, it just seemed like it would lend itself to Ann’s voice and then trying to see that merge between her and David’s voices together. She jumped on the opportunity. Immediately she responded, and we were, like, ‘Holy shit. She just said yes to this.’

Next week, Disturbed are embarking on another North American tour leg along with Falling In Reverse and Plush. The Take Back Your Life Tour kicks off on January 19 at the Peoria Civic Center in Peoria, Illinois and wraps up on March 3 at the BAKKT Theater at the Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas, Nevada. The run will see all three acts making stops in Kansas City, Baltimore, Nashville, Orlando, and more.

Revisit our review and live photos from the first leg of the band’s tour HERE.

Plush recently unleashed a cover of Heart’s mega-hit, “Barracuda.” The track, produced by Johnny K (Megadeth, Disturbed, Sevendust), is from the group’s forthcoming EP, Find the Beautiful, which arrives on January 19 thought Pavement Entertainment. The EP will be available on CD, vinyl, and autographed CD + t-shirt bundle.

In May, Disturbed are headlining Sonic Temple alongside Misfits, Pantera, and Slipknot. The four-day jaunt is set for May 16 through May 19 in Columbus, Ohio. Other featured acts include Judas Priest, Sleep Token, Falling In Reverse, Limp Bizkit, 311, A Day to Remember, Clutch, Mr Bungle, Anthrax, Mudvayne, and many more. The 2024 installment marks the first time that Sonic Temple will feature a fourth stage, expanding the lineup for even more acts to play.

Disturbed’s eighth studio album Divisive arrived last November via Reprise Records. It was produced by Drew Faulk (Papa Roach, Highly Suspect, Motionless In White). The album performed well commercially, hitting No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Hard Rock and Top Alternative Albums charts.

Back in October, fans at Ann Wilson’s Santa Rosa, California show were treated to a monumental surprise. For the show’s encore, Ann brought out a very special guest – none other than her sister and fellow Heart member, Nancy Wilson. The duo had not shared a stage together since 2019, but reunited for a raucous performance of the band’s classic 1977 hit, “Barracuda.” Check out fan-filmed footage of the performance HERE.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we have an answer to a question with us tonight,” Ann said to the crowd. “A very, very good friend of mine – more than a friend. Let’s bring her out. Come on.”

Following the impromptu jam, Heart confirmed a special performance on New Year’s Eve [December 31] at Climate Pledge Arena in their hometown of Seattle, Washington. It was the group’s first live performance since 2019. Building on the momentum, the band also played the new Acrisure Arena in Palm Springs, California on Thursday, December 28.

This summer, Heart are hitting the road with Def Leppard and Journey. The stadium run will feature very special guest appearances by Heart, Cheap Trick, and Steve Miller Band on select dates. The trek kicks off on July 6 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri and wraps up on September 8 at Coors Field in Denver, Colorado.