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"'''Boyz'''" is the debut solo single by English singer ], featuring Trinidadian-born rapper ]. It was released on 8 October 2021, through ]. It was Nelson's first solo single since her departure from British girl group ] in 2020. The song samples American rapper ]'s "]" and lyrically, speaks of Nelson's infatuation with rebellious men. The song and its video received negative reviews. It peaked at number four on the ] Nelson’s first top five single as a solo artist there.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Elton John & Dua Lipa’s Cold Heart (Pnau Remix) climbs to Number 1|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/elton-john-and-dua-lipa-s-cold-heart-pnau-remix-claims-number-1-on-the-official-singles-chart__34232/|access-date=2021-10-15|website=www.officialcharts.com|language=en}}</ref> It also charted at number sixteen in Ireland. "'''Boyz'''" is the debut solo single by English singer ], featuring Trinidadian-born rapper ]. It was released on 8 October 2021, through ]. It was Nelson's first solo single since her departure from British girl group ] in 2020. The song samples American rapper ]'s "]" and lyrically, speaks of Nelson's infatuation with rebellious men. The song entered and peaked within the top 5 at number four on the ] which is something the last four Little Mix singles released since Nelson left the group did not achieve, it also became Nelson’s first top five single as a solo artist there.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Elton John & Dua Lipa’s Cold Heart (Pnau Remix) climbs to Number 1|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/elton-john-and-dua-lipa-s-cold-heart-pnau-remix-claims-number-1-on-the-official-singles-chart__34232/|access-date=2021-10-15|website=www.officialcharts.com|language=en}}</ref> It also charted at number sixteen in Ireland, becoming her first top twenty hit in the country.


==Background== ==Background==
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==Critical reception== ==Critical reception==
The song received horrendous reviews. '']'' writer Laura Snapes found the song derivative and dated, concluding: "The long-awaited debut is a farrago of incomprehensible lyrics and queasy tropes that undermines her self-help journey".<ref>{{Cite web|last=Snapes|first=Laura|date=2021-10-08|title=Jesy Nelson: Boyz review – derivative and dated P Diddy mashup|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/oct/08/jesy-nelson-boyz-review-derivative-and-dated-p-diddy-mashup|access-date=2021-10-09|website=]}}</ref> Roisin O'Connor of '']'' wrote that "Boyz" is "a terrible song, on which a barely comprehensible Nelson sings like ] doing ] karaoke, lisping and gasping her way around a sample of Diddy's "Bad Boy for Life". Where Diddy's original was gritty, sharp and visceral, Nelson's has been polished and autotuned to death&nbsp;... It's a novelty, not a career-launcher." She considered The song received negative reviews. '']'' writer Laura Snapes found the song derivative and dated, concluding: "The long-awaited debut is a farrago of incomprehensible lyrics and queasy tropes that undermines her self-help journey".<ref>{{Cite web|last=Snapes|first=Laura|date=2021-10-08|title=Jesy Nelson: Boyz review – derivative and dated P Diddy mashup|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/oct/08/jesy-nelson-boyz-review-derivative-and-dated-p-diddy-mashup|access-date=2021-10-09|website=]}}</ref> Roisin O'Connor of '']'' wrote that "Boyz" is "a terrible song, on which a barely comprehensible Nelson sings like ] doing ] karaoke, lisping and gasping her way around a sample of Diddy's "Bad Boy for Life". Where Diddy's original was gritty, sharp and visceral, Nelson's has been polished and autotuned to death&nbsp;... It's a novelty, not a career-launcher." She considered
Nelson's solo career debut "one of the most disastrous in recent memory", considered that Minaj was a "dubious feature" due to her ongoing legal case, as well as Minaj’s "testiclegate" incident, where she promoted vaccine information online, drawing ire from a UK COVID press briefing, (in which afterwards she called ] gorgeous, tweeted insults at journalist ] & ], and posted a video praising ] in a British accent, bizarrely claiming she went to school with ]). Questions were also asked about the song's commercial performance; "How much of that has been generated by hate-clicks and shares by people who can't believe how bad the song is".<ref name="independent">https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/jesy-nelson-boyz-charts-little-mix-b1938231.html</ref> Nelson's solo career debut "one of the most disastrous in recent memory".<ref>https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/jesy-nelson-boyz-charts-little-mix-b1938231.html</ref>


==Music video== ==Music video==
The ] was released on 8 October 2021, the same day as the song's release. In the video, Nelson wears grills on her teeth, braids, bandanas, and sings about liking men who are "so hood".<ref name="guardian"/> The video was inspired by the original "Bad Boy For Life" music video, with Diddy himself appearing in a cameo playing the role Ben Stiller played in the original video. The video has reached 10 million views on YouTube.<ref>{{Citation|title=Jesy Nelson Ft. Nicki Minaj - Boyz (Official Music Video)|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u884fEIPY3g|language=en|access-date=2021-10-11}}</ref> Critics noted the video has scenes "mimicking classic 2000s hip-hop videos".<ref name="guardian"/> The ] was released on 8 October 2021, the same day as the song's release. The video is a homage to the original "Bad Boy For Life" music video, with Diddy himself appearing in a cameo playing the role Ben Stiller played in the original video. The video has reached 10 million views on YouTube.<ref>{{Citation|title=Jesy Nelson Ft. Nicki Minaj - Boyz (Official Music Video)|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u884fEIPY3g|language=en|access-date=2021-10-11}}</ref>


===Controversy=== ===Controversy===
On the day of the release of the music video, Nelson faced accusations of both ] and ] for her appearance in the music video. Several noted that Nelson's skin tone looked "unnaturally, un-genetically tanned", while "parroting the aesthetics of Blackness".<ref>{{Cite web|last=Kent|first=Sara-Aisha|date=2021-10-08|title=Jesy Nelson under fire for new music video as she's accused of blackfishing|url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/jesy-nelson-under-fire-new-25168312|url-status=live|access-date=2021-10-09|website=]}}</ref><ref>https://www.vogue.com/article/the-problem-with-blackfishing-jesy-nelson</ref> '']'' writer Mikki Kendall said that Nelson "will dispose of her Black costume when it no longer serves her" and that she "examplifies the exact attitute that makes this type of racist cosplay so desirable. She's able to make jabs at the person whose appearance she's seemingly jealous of and insists she's not racist, too."<ref name="guardian">https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/oct/12/jesy-nelson-boyz-video-blackfishing-race-black-culture</ref> '']'' writer Roisin O'Connor called it "a grotesque caricature of what Nelson perceives Black culture to be".<ref name="independent"/> On the day of the release of the music video, Nelson faced accusations of both ] and ] for her appearance in the music video. Several noted that Nelson's skin tone looked "unnaturally, un-genetically tanned", while "parroting the aesthetics of Blackness".<ref>{{Cite web|last=Kent|first=Sara-Aisha|date=2021-10-08|title=Jesy Nelson under fire for new music video as she's accused of blackfishing|url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/jesy-nelson-under-fire-new-25168312|url-status=live|access-date=2021-10-09|website=]}}</ref><ref>https://www.vogue.com/article/the-problem-with-blackfishing-jesy-nelson</ref>


In response, Nelson said, "I take all those comments made seriously. I would never intentionally do anything to make myself look racially ambiguous, so that's why I was initially shocked that the term was directed at me."<ref>{{Cite web|last=Kumari|first=Priyanca|date=2021-10-09|title=Jesy Nelson responds to 'blackfishing' claims following new music|url=https://www.digitalspy.com/showbiz/a37916276/jesy-nelson-blackfishing-accusations-new-music/|access-date=2021-10-09|website=Digital Spy}}</ref> In an ], Nelson said furthermore that her "intention was never ever to offend people of color with the video" and instead wanted to "celebrate 90's R&B because that era of music is what I love." She shared, "It actually does really hurt me that it may have offended people."<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-10-11|title=Nicki Minaj Appears to Slam Jesy Nelson’s Little Mix Bandmates Amid “Blackfishing” Accusations|url=https://www.eonline.com/news/1305618/nicki-minaj-appears-to-slam-jesy-nelsons-little-mix-bandmates-amid-blackfishing-accusations|access-date=2021-10-12|website=E! Online}}</ref> Nicki Minaj defended Nelson from the accusations of blackfishing, and accused Little Mix's member ] over unverified messages allegedly sent by the latter on the topic, calling Pinnock "jealous" and "a clown".<ref>https://www.nme.com/news/music/nicki-minaj-says-little-mixs-leigh-anne-pinnock-is-jelaous-of-ex-member-jesy-nelson-3067993</ref> British TV presenter ], of Jamaican descent, called Nelson and Minaj's conversation "embarrassing".<ref>https://chroniclelive.co.uk/news/tv/loose-women-charlene-white-jesy-21830968</ref> In response, Nelson said, "I take all those comments made seriously. I would never intentionally do anything to make myself look racially ambiguous, so that's why I was initially shocked that the term was directed at me."<ref>{{Cite web|last=Kumari|first=Priyanca|date=2021-10-09|title=Jesy Nelson responds to 'blackfishing' claims following new music|url=https://www.digitalspy.com/showbiz/a37916276/jesy-nelson-blackfishing-accusations-new-music/|access-date=2021-10-09|website=Digital Spy}}</ref> In an ], Nelson said furthermore that her "intention was never ever to offend people of color with the video" and instead wanted to "celebrate 90's R&B because that era of music is what I love." She shared, "It actually does really hurt me that it may have offended people."<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-10-11|title=Nicki Minaj Appears to Slam Jesy Nelson’s Little Mix Bandmates Amid “Blackfishing” Accusations|url=https://www.eonline.com/news/1305618/nicki-minaj-appears-to-slam-jesy-nelsons-little-mix-bandmates-amid-blackfishing-accusations|access-date=2021-10-12|website=E! Online}}</ref> Nicki Minaj defended Nelson from the accusations of blackfishing, and criticized Little Mix's member ] over unverified messages allegedly sent by the latter on the topic, calling Pinnock "jealous" and "a clown".<ref>https://www.nme.com/news/music/nicki-minaj-says-little-mixs-leigh-anne-pinnock-is-jelaous-of-ex-member-jesy-nelson-3067993</ref>


== Track listing == == Track listing ==
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Revision as of 03:33, 16 October 2021

2021 single by Jesy Nelson featuring Nicki Minaj

"Boyz"
Single by Jesy Nelson featuring Nicki Minaj
Released8 October 2021
GenreHip hop • R&B
Length2:59
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Loose Change
Nicki Minaj singles chronology
"Whole Lotta Money (Remix)"
(2021) 		"Boyz"
(2021)
Music video
"Boyz" on YouTube

"Boyz" is the debut solo single by English singer Jesy Nelson, featuring Trinidadian-born rapper Nicki Minaj. It was released on 8 October 2021, through Polydor Records. It was Nelson's first solo single since her departure from British girl group Little Mix in 2020. The song samples American rapper Diddy's "Bad Boy for Life" and lyrically, speaks of Nelson's infatuation with rebellious men. The song entered and peaked within the top 5 at number four on the UK Singles Chart, which is something the last four Little Mix singles released since Nelson left the group did not achieve, it also became Nelson’s first top five single as a solo artist there. It also charted at number sixteen in Ireland, becoming her first top twenty hit in the country.

Background

In December 2020, Nelson announced she was leaving Little Mix for mental health reasons. A few months later, she signed a record deal with Polydor Records. Nelson teased a comeback in August 2021, saying: "For me, this is the music that I've always wanted to make. I don't think that anyone is gonna expect this."

On 28 September 2021, Nelson confirmed that her first solo single, "Boyz", was being released soon. Nelson said that a "horrible breakup" inspired the single. In an interview with Noctis Magazine, Nelson described the song as "in your face", adding: "I wrote it when I was going through a break-up and it’s me all over. I just love a bad boy. I say it to people all the time... it's not healthy!"

Nelson shared a teaser of the single on Instagram, showing her practicing the choreography.

When asked about working with Nicki Minaj, Nelson said in an interview with Paper:

I've worked with Nicki Minaj before when I was in the band, on "Woman Like Me," so I already had a relationship with her, but when I wrote this song I knew I wanted Nicki on it. There was no one else I wanted. She was so perfect for it and we're label buddies, so our label helped make it happen. They sent her the song and she loved it and said she wanted to jump on it, which was amazing.

Critical reception

The song received negative reviews. The Guardian writer Laura Snapes found the song derivative and dated, concluding: "The long-awaited debut is a farrago of incomprehensible lyrics and queasy tropes that undermines her self-help journey". Roisin O'Connor of The Independent wrote that "Boyz" is "a terrible song, on which a barely comprehensible Nelson sings like Britney Spears doing TLC karaoke, lisping and gasping her way around a sample of Diddy's "Bad Boy for Life". Where Diddy's original was gritty, sharp and visceral, Nelson's has been polished and autotuned to death ... It's a novelty, not a career-launcher." She considered Nelson's solo career debut "one of the most disastrous in recent memory".

Music video

The music video was released on 8 October 2021, the same day as the song's release. The video is a homage to the original "Bad Boy For Life" music video, with Diddy himself appearing in a cameo playing the role Ben Stiller played in the original video. The video has reached 10 million views on YouTube.

Controversy

On the day of the release of the music video, Nelson faced accusations of both cultural appropriation and blackfishing for her appearance in the music video. Several noted that Nelson's skin tone looked "unnaturally, un-genetically tanned", while "parroting the aesthetics of Blackness".

In response, Nelson said, "I take all those comments made seriously. I would never intentionally do anything to make myself look racially ambiguous, so that's why I was initially shocked that the term was directed at me." In an Instagram Live, Nelson said furthermore that her "intention was never ever to offend people of color with the video" and instead wanted to "celebrate 90's R&B because that era of music is what I love." She shared, "It actually does really hurt me that it may have offended people." Nicki Minaj defended Nelson from the accusations of blackfishing, and criticized Little Mix's member Leigh-Anne Pinnock over unverified messages allegedly sent by the latter on the topic, calling Pinnock "jealous" and "a clown".

Track listing

  • Digital download / streaming
  1. "Boyz" (featuring Nicki Minaj) – 2:59
  • UK CD single
  1. "Boyz" (featuring Nicki Minaj) – 2:59
  2. "Boyz" (acoustic) – 2:34

Charts

Chart performance for "Boyz"
Chart (2021) Peak
position
Ireland (IRMA) 16
UK Singles (OCC) 4

Release history

Release dates and formats for "Boyz"
Region Date Format(s) Label Ref.
Various 8 October 2021 Polydor
United Kingdom CD single Universal
Australia 11 October 2021 Contemporary hit radio

References

  1. "Elton John & Dua Lipa's Cold Heart (Pnau Remix) climbs to Number 1". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
  2. ^ Pearce, Tilly (29 September 2021). "Jesy Nelson teases solo single 'Boyz' as she teams up with Nicki Minaj". Yahoo! News. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
  3. Biggs, Jade (30 September 2021). "We're *obsessed* with this teaser of Jesy Nelson and Nicki Minaj's collab". Cosmopolitan. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
  4. "Jesy Nelson Can't Be Stopped". PAPER. 9 October 2021. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
  5. Snapes, Laura (8 October 2021). "Jesy Nelson: Boyz review – derivative and dated P Diddy mashup". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
  6. https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/jesy-nelson-boyz-charts-little-mix-b1938231.html
  7. Jesy Nelson Ft. Nicki Minaj - Boyz (Official Music Video), retrieved 11 October 2021
  8. Kent, Sara-Aisha (8 October 2021). "Jesy Nelson under fire for new music video as she's accused of blackfishing". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 9 October 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  9. https://www.vogue.com/article/the-problem-with-blackfishing-jesy-nelson
  10. Kumari, Priyanca (9 October 2021). "Jesy Nelson responds to 'blackfishing' claims following new music". Digital Spy. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
  11. "Nicki Minaj Appears to Slam Jesy Nelson's Little Mix Bandmates Amid "Blackfishing" Accusations". E! Online. 11 October 2021. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
  12. https://www.nme.com/news/music/nicki-minaj-says-little-mixs-leigh-anne-pinnock-is-jelaous-of-ex-member-jesy-nelson-3067993
  13. "Boyz UK CD tracklist". Universal Music Group.
  14. "Official Irish Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
  15. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
  16. "Boyz - Jesy Nelson & Nicki Minaj". Spotify. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
  17. "Boyz CD Single tracklist (Uk only)". Retrieved 8 October 2021.
  18. "Singles to Radio". Retrieved 11 October 2021.
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