Gold (Kiiara song)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Gold"
Single by Kiiara
from the EP Low Kii Savage and the studio album Lil Kiiwi
ReleasedOctober 26, 2015
Recorded2015
Genre
Length3:45
LabelAtlantic
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Felix Snow
Kiiara singles chronology
"Gold"
(2015)
"Feels"
(2016)
Music video
"Gold" on YouTube

"Gold" is the debut single by American singer Kiiara, released on October 26, 2015.[1] It was the lead single from her debut extended play (EP) Low Kii Savage (2016)[2] and was also included on her debut studio album, Lil Kiiwi (2020)[3] Commercially, the single was a sleeper hit, becoming her first entry on the US Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 13. A remix featuring Lil Wayne was released on November 18, 2016.[4]

Background[edit]

Kiiara first wrote "Gold" on a classical guitar in 2014.[5] The song was based on a childhood lesson of not having to answer to anybody: "It just seemed right; it fell out of my mouth when I wrote it."[6] Then, a producer named Felix Snow made an electro-pop twist of the song that was more vibe-oriented and less lyrical than Kiiara's classical acoustic version.[7][8] Another co-writer the singer worked with, preferring the classical acoustic version over Snow's rendition, recommended doing a mixture of both types of songs.[9] The artist originally planned to name the song "W.E.L.Y.K," acronym for "without ever letting you know," but ultimately decided on "Gold" after finding the initial title too "trendy."[10]

Release[edit]

The track was first released on SoundCloud in the summer of 2015, which at the time Kiiara kept her real identity unknown for the music to be focused on;[8] a day later, she garnered a swarm of emails from several major labels and signed with Atlantic.[11] Shortly after, it, as well as "Feels," played on the first week of Zane Lowe's Beats 1 show.[11]

By July 2016, "Gold" had garnered 188 million Spotify plays.[11]

Composition[edit]

According to the sheet music published at musicnotes.com, the song is written in F minor, with a moderate tempo of 84–88 beats per minute.[12] It features a prominent glitchy vocal sound effect that appears throughout the chorus. This effect was done by producer Felix Snow who took portions of the pre-chorus and added them to an MPC, giving the song its distinctive trill sound. Musically, "Gold" is an electropop and trap song that contains elements of snap as well as Alt-pop beats. The song's verses are backed by a finger-click beat with double and triple-timed hi-hats in the chorus, along with a bassline and contains synths and vocal effects.

Critical reception[edit]

"Gold" received positive reviews. Website Renowned for Sound described the song as an "electrifying mix" between Scandinavian electropop and Atlanta trap.[13] Carl Williott of Idolator stated "The Illinois singer sounds a bit like Ellie Goulding crossed with Lorde, and she was wise to pair up with SZA collaborator Felix Snow, who has given the track a nice balance of snappy percussion and warped atmospherics. The most intriguing part, though, would be the chorus. It's equal parts disorienting and addictive, and the bold choice suggests she knows exactly what she wants to accomplish with this project."[14] Stereogum's Tom Breihan claimed that "[Gold] feels like some fascinating new mutation of bedroom-pop music," and said that it "takes cues from icy R&B and from glitched-out, spacey dance music, but it also has the wide-open heart of a classic pop song."[15]

Billboard ranked "Gold" at number 69 on their Billboard's 100 Best Pop Songs of 2016" commenting "With Lorde (hopefully) still working on her much-anticipated second LP, Kiiara stepped in with the minimalist snap-pop jam of the year – giving everyone "Royals" flashbacks, right down to the gold teeth. Still, not even Ella Yelich-O'Connor [Lorde] ever boasted a groove or chorus this cold, with the booming simplicity of early Run-DMC and the tech-garbled vocals of prime Art of Noise."[16]

Commercial performance[edit]

"Gold" debuted at number 96 on the US Billboard Hot 100 issued for June 11, 2016.[17] The song peaked at number 13 in its 20th week on the chart and charted for 27 weeks in total.[18][19] The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified it 3× Platinum, which denotes three million units based on sales and track-equivalent on-demand streams.[20] On the Canadian Hot 100, "Gold" peaked at number 20 and was certified 3× Platinum by Music Canada.[21][22]

The song reached number five in Australia and was certified 2× Platinum.[23][24] It peaked at number 15 in Belgium and attained a Platinum certification.[25][26] "Gold" charted within the top 20 of national record charts, at number six in Romania,[27] number 10 in Bulgaria,[28] number 12 in Denmark,[29] and number 13 in Lebanon.[30] The song was certified Platinum in Brazil,[31] Italy,[32] New Zealand,[33] and the United Kingdom,[34] as well as Gold in Denmark[35] and Germany.[36]

Charts[edit]

Certifications[edit]

Certifications for "Gold"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[24] 2× Platinum 140,000
Belgium (BEA)[26] Platinum 20,000
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[31] Platinum 60,000
Canada (Music Canada)[22] 4× Platinum 320,000
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[35] Platinum 60,000^
Germany (BVMI)[36] Gold 200,000
Italy (FIMI)[32] Platinum 50,000
New Zealand (RMNZ)[33] Platinum 30,000
Poland (ZPAV)[67] Gold 25,000
United Kingdom (BPI)[34] Platinum 600,000
United States (RIAA)[20] 3× Platinum 3,000,000

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history[edit]

Release dates and format(s) for "Gold"
Region Date Format Label Ref.
Worldwide June 17, 2015 Streaming Atlantic [68]
Worldwide October 26, 2015 Digital download [1][69][70][71]
Italy April 15, 2016 Mainstream radio Atlantic [72]
United States May 10, 2016
  • Atlantic
  • Warner
[73]

Media usage[edit]

"Gold" is on the soundtrack of NBA 2K17. It is also used as a background music in the evening gown segment of Miss Universe 2016.[74]

References[edit]

Citations[edit]

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  2. ^ "iTunes Store (US) - Music - Kiiara - low kii savage - EP". iTunes Store (US). March 22, 2016. Archived from the original on July 19, 2018. Retrieved March 31, 2016.
  3. ^ Wass, Mike (October 1, 2020). "Kiiara Reveals Cover & Release Date Of Debut LP 'lil kiiwi'". Idolator. Archived from the original on April 13, 2024. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
  4. ^ "kiiara". SoundCloud. Archived from the original on 2017-12-11. Retrieved 2016-11-19.
  5. ^ Benjamin 2016, 0:27–0:31.
  6. ^ Benjamin 2016, 0:31–0:39.
  7. ^ Benjamin 2016, 0:39–0:51.
  8. ^ a b Feeney, Nolan (August 30, 2016). "Kiiara struck 'Gold' with an unlikely pop smash". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on August 7, 2020. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  9. ^ Benjamin 2016, 0:51–0:58.
  10. ^ Benjamin 2016, 1:18–1:36.
  11. ^ a b c Leight, Elias (July 22, 2016). "Kiiara's Hit Song 'Gold' Was Inspired by 'The Idea That You Don't Have to Answer to Anyone'". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 24, 2020. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  12. ^ Kiara, Saulters; Felix, Snow; David, Singer-Vine; Kiiara (2016-08-24). "Gold". www.musicnotes.com. Archived from the original on 2021-09-19. Retrieved 2024-04-13.
  13. ^ Bohlsen, Christopher (April 8, 2016). "EP Review: Kiiara – low kii savage". Renowned for Sound. Archived from the original on March 31, 2017. Retrieved April 17, 2016.
  14. ^ Williott, Carl (June 17, 2015). "Kiiara Strikes 'Gold' With Debut Single: Listen - Idolator". Idolator. Archived from the original on April 13, 2024. Retrieved March 31, 2016.
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  35. ^ a b "Danish single certifications – Kiiara – Gold". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved April 16, 2016.
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  44. ^ "Chart Track: Week 31, 2016". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved August 5, 2016.
  45. ^ "Top Digital – Classifica settimanale WK 21 (dal 2016-05-20 al 2016-05-26)" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Archived from the original on 2019-02-03. Retrieved May 27, 2016.
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  49. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 18, 2016.
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  52. ^ "Kiiara – Gold". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved May 16, 2016.
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  58. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 2016". Hung Medien. Archived from the original on December 29, 2016. Retrieved December 29, 2016.
  59. ^ "Canadian Hot 100 – Year End 2016". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 10, 2016. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
  60. ^ "Track Top-100, 2016". Hitlisten.NU. Archived from the original on December 30, 2016. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
  61. ^ "Top Selling Singles of 2016". Recorded Music NZ. Archived from the original on December 24, 2016. Retrieved December 25, 2016.
  62. ^ "Årslista Singlar – År 2016" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Archived from the original on June 21, 2020. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  63. ^ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2016 – hitparade.ch". Hung Medien. Archived from the original on January 6, 2017. Retrieved January 2, 2017.
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  67. ^ "Wyróżnienia – Złote płyty CD - Archiwum - Przyznane w 2021 roku" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
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  70. ^ "iTunes Store (NZ) - Music - Kiiara - Gold - Single". iTunes Store (NZ). October 26, 2015. Archived from the original on April 13, 2024. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
  71. ^ "iTunes Store (UK) - Music - Kiiara - Gold - Single". iTunes Store (UK). October 26, 2015. Archived from the original on April 25, 2016. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
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  73. ^ "Mainstream Top 40 Future Releases - AllAccess". AllAccess Media Group. May 10, 2016. Archived from the original on April 2, 2016. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
  74. ^ Makuch, Eddie (12 August 2016). "NBA 2K17 Soundtrack Revealed". Archived from the original on 20 October 2017. Retrieved 12 March 2017.

Videos[edit]