On 30 July 2017, Garrix invited Guetta on stage to perform the song for the first time, during his mainstage appearance at Tomorrowland 2017. This initial version featured female vocals provided by English singer Ellie Goulding. On 21 August, Garrix brought out Guetta to play the song once again, during a performance in Ibiza. A short footage captured by someone in the booth surfaced on Instagram. Prior to the performance, Garrix spoke to Capital about the song, calling it a "radio-friendly song" that will be released soon. Garrix posted short studio teasers of the song via Instagram Stories on 19 November, suggesting that it would be released soon. On 22 November, Garrix revealed that Goulding was no longer featured on the song, when replying to an Ellie Goulding fan account on Twitter, who commented on Garrix's teasers. Goulding admitted in a series of tweets that her management and label were displeased because Garrix played the song at Tomorrowland before she had even heard the final product, leading to her vocals being cut from the track, but she emphasized that she was not behind the decision. She wrote that Garrix's statement "she didn't want to release it" is "completely untrue and unfair". Garrix confirmed on 26 November that "So Far Away" and the AREA21 track "Glad You Came" would be released on the same day, when replying to a fan who tweeted him asking which one comes out first. On 29 November, Garrix released an official teaser on social media, revealing the song's release date and featured artists, Jamie Scott and Romy Dya, the latter of which sang on the demo version of the track.
Critical reception
Kat Bein of Billboard called the song "a beautiful, future-pop ballad". He praised Dya for providing a "vulnerable and powerful" performance. Matthew Meadow of Your EDM also wrote that Dya did a "phenomenal job" with Scott, giving listeners goosebumps. He criticized the drop for its lack of originality, calling it "Scared to be Lonely v2". Erik of EDM Sauce gave a similar review, writing: "The song will most likely not see the same level of success without as it is nothing absolutely outstandingly original." He also wrote that the song "has heaps of mainstream appeal" and "is exactly what the radio audiences in America currently look for in a release".
Music video
The accompanying music video was directed and produced by Damian Karsznia. The storyline features a young couple who were once in love and are currently struggling with the end of their relationship. As of December 2018, the video has received over 215 million views.
