OTW (Khalid, Ty Dolla Sign and 6lack song)

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"OTW"
Single by Khalid, Ty Dolla Sign and 6lack
from the EP Suncity (vinyl edition)
ReleasedApril 20, 2018 (2018-04-20)
GenreR&B
Length4:23
LabelRCA
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Nineteen85
Khalid singles chronology
"Lovely"
(2018)
"OTW"
(2018)
"Youth"
(2018)
6lack singles chronology
"Cutting Ties"
(2018)
"OTW"
(2018)
"Switch"
(2018)
Ty Dolla Sign singles chronology
"Off Guard"
(2018)
"OTW"
(2018)
"Accelerate"
(2018)
Music video
"OTW" on YouTube

"OTW" (an acronym for "on the way") is a song by American singers Khalid, Ty Dolla Sign, and 6lack. The artists wrote the song with Brian Alexander Morgan, Idan Kalai and producer Nineteen85. It was released by RCA Records on April 20, 2018 as a stand-alone single, before being added as a bonus track to the vinyl of Khalid's EP Suncity (2018).

Release[edit]

On March 31, 2018, Khalid posted a snippet of the song on Twitter.[1] He officially announced the single during the nominations announcement for the 2018 Billboard Music Awards.[2]

Composition[edit]

"OTW" is a dark and melodic R&B song with '90s influences.[3][4] It features a "silky smooth" and "mellow" production,[5][6][7] backed by "a trap-infused R&B beat".[8] A booty-call theme channels throughout the track,[9] as the artists sing about meeting up with a love interest.[10]

Critical reception[edit]

Michael Love Michael of Paper regarded the song as "a refreshing slice of smooth, radio-ready, but throwback '90s R&B". He praised the song's "undercurrent of bittersweet melancholy characteristic of the genre's most forward-thinking productions", describing it as "an addictively rhythmic tune".[11] MTV News' Ross McNeilage wrote: "The slick and sultry track is a nice extension from the sound of his debut album, and 6LACK and Ty Dolla $ign complement the song perfectly."[12] Devin Ch of HotNewHipHop praised Khalid's songwriting talents, writing that "all performers adhere to the general 'vibe' of the song".[13] Lauren O'Neill of Noisey described the song as a destined summer track, writing that it "feels most like a head massage you'll hear all week". He complimented Khalid's ability to produce a "relentlessly catchy but also somehow extremely laid back hook".[14]

Music video[edit]

The music video for "OTW", directed by Calmatic, premiered via Khalid's Vevo channel on July 3, 2018.[15]

Credits and personnel[edit]

Credits adapted from Tidal.[16]

  • Nineteen85 – production
  • Eazy - vocal engineer
  • Denis Kosiak – mix engineer, record engineer
  • Chris Athens – master engineer
  • Andy Barnes – record engineer
  • JT Gagarin – record engineer

Charts[edit]

Certifications[edit]

‹See Tfd›
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[38] 3× Platinum 210,000
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[39] Platinum 40,000
Canada (Music Canada)[40] 2× Platinum 160,000
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[41] Platinum 90,000
New Zealand (RMNZ)[42] Gold 15,000
United Kingdom (BPI)[43] Gold 400,000
United States (RIAA)[44] 2× Platinum 2,000,000
Streaming
Sweden (GLF)[45] Gold 4,000,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
Streaming-only figures based on certification alone.

Release history[edit]

Region Date Format Label Ref.
Various April 20, 2018 RCA [16]
United States June 5, 2018 Urban contemporary radio [46]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Espinoza, Joshua (April 20, 2018). "Khalid Teams Up With Ty Dolla Sign and 6lack on "OTW"". Complex. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
  2. ^ Thompson, Desire (April 17, 2018). "Khalid To Release Single With Ty Dolla $ign & 6LACK On Friday". Vibe. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
  3. ^ Younger, Briana (April 24, 2018). ""OTW" [ft. 6LACK, Ty Dolla $ign] by Khalid Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 26, 2018.
  4. ^ Renshaw, David (April 20, 2018). "Khalid teams up with Ty Dolla $ign and 6LACK on new song "OTW"". The Fader. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
  5. ^ Cummings-Grady, Mackenzie (April 20, 2018). "Khalid Tells Croons His Way to a Lover In Steamy New Song 'OTW': Listen". Billboard. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
  6. ^ "New Music: Khalid, 6LACK, & Ty Dolla $ign – 'OTW'". Rap-Up. April 19, 2018. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
  7. ^ "The 5 Biggest Songs To Drop This Week". Capital XTRA. April 20, 2018. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
  8. ^ McKinney, Jessica (April 20, 2018). "Khalid Teams Up With Ty Dolla $ign And 6lack For The Smooth Track, "OTW"". Vibe. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
  9. ^ Reed, Ryan (April 20, 2018). "Hear Khalid's Seductive New Song 'OTW' With Ty Dolla $ign, 6lack". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
  10. ^ Coleman II, C. Vernon (April 20, 2018). "Ty Dolla Sign and 6lack Join Khalid on New Song "OTW"". XXL. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
  11. ^ Michael, Michael (April 20, 2018). "Bops Only: 10 Songs You Need To Start Your Weekend Right". Paper. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
  12. ^ McNeilage, Ross (April 20, 2018). "New Music Round-Up: Ariana Grande, Liam Payne, Anne-Marie". MTV News. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
  13. ^ Ch, Devin (April 19, 2018). "Khalid Taps Ty Dolla $ign & 6LACK For Virtuoso Performances On "OTW"". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
  14. ^ O'Neill, Lauren (April 20, 2018). "Khalid's "OTW" Is Certified Sunny Day Music". Noisey. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
  15. ^ "Watch Khalid's New Throwback 'OTW' Video With 6lack, Ty Dolla $ign". Rolling Stone. July 3, 2018. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
  16. ^ a b "OTW / Khalid TIDAL". Tidal. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
  17. ^ "Khalid feat. Ty Dolla $ign & 6lack – OTW". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved May 26, 2018.
  18. ^ "Khalid feat. Ty Dolla $ign & 6lack – OTW" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved June 2, 2018.
  19. ^ "Khalid Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 22, 2018.
  20. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Change the chart to CZ – SINGLES DIGITAL – TOP 100 and insert 201821 into search. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
  21. ^ "Khalid feat. Ty Dolla $ign & 6lack – OTW". Tracklisten. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
  22. ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Khalid". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved May 26, 2018.
  23. ^ "Khalid feat. Ty Dolla $ign & 6lack – OTW" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved May 19, 2018.
  24. ^ "Khalid feat. Ty Dolla $ign & 6lack – OTW". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
  25. ^ "Khalid feat. Ty Dolla $ign & 6lack – OTW". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
  26. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select SINGLES DIGITAL - TOP 100 and insert 201821 into search. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
  27. ^ "Khalid feat. Ty Dolla $ign & 6lack – OTW". Singles Top 100. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
  28. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 5, 2018.
  29. ^ "Khalid Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
  30. ^ "Khalid Chart History (Hot R&B Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
  31. ^ "Khalid Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
  32. ^ "Khalid Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved September 25, 2018.
  33. ^ "ARIA End of Year Singles 2018". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved January 10, 2019.
  34. ^ "Canadian Hot 100 – Year-End 2018". Billboard. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
  35. ^ "Top AFP - Audiogest - Top 200 Singles 2018" (in Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
  36. ^ "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 2018". Billboard. Retrieved December 31, 2018.
  37. ^ "Hot R&B Singles: Year-End 2019". Billboard. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
  38. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2019 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved December 22, 2019.
  39. ^ "Brazilian single certifications – Khalid feat. Ty Dolla $ign & 6LACK – OTW" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
  40. ^ "Canadian single certifications – Khalid, Ty Dolla $ign and 6lack – OTW". Music Canada.
  41. ^ "Danish single certifications – Khalid, Ty Dolla $ign and 6lack – OTW". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
  42. ^ "New Zealand single certifications – Khalid, Ty Dolla $ign and 6lack – OTW". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
  43. ^ "British single certifications – Khalid, Ty Dolla $ign and 6lack – OTW". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
  44. ^ "American single certifications – Khalid, Ty Dolla $ign and 6lack – OTW". Recording Industry Association of America.
  45. ^ "Sverigetopplistan – Khalid, 6lack & Ty Dolla $ign" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved September 22, 2022.
  46. ^ "Urban/UAC Future Releases". All Access. Archived from the original on May 26, 2018. Retrieved May 28, 2018.