Bang is a collaborative extended play (EP) by English singer Rita Ora and Kazakh producer Imanbek. The record was released for digital download and streaming in various countries by Atlantic, Warner and What a DJ on 12 February 2021. Created amidst the pandemic of COVID-19, it discovers various genres of club, dance, house and pop with 1980s and 1990s influences. The record was promoted with the release of a single, "Big", and a film shot in Bulgaria as a tribute to Ora's Albanian and Imanbek's Kazakh heritages. Following its release, it was met with a warm reception from music critics for the collaboration between the artists, its mainstream appeal and production. Commercially, the record reached number 16 on the US BillboardTop Dance/Electronic Albums chart.
Background and composition
On 4 February 2021, Ora and Imanbek announced the forthcoming release of their collaborative extended play entitled Bang.[1][2] The artists confirmed its release date and track listing through an image uploaded on their social media that showcased the involved collaborators.[3][4] The record was created remotely using the American software Zoom amidst the pandemic of COVID-19, with the aim of establishing creative connections with artists from around the world.[5][6][7] Despite jointly writing all four songs, it took Ora and Imanbek eight months to complete the creation process of the record.[1][8][9] Ora stated that "it's amazing how much technology allowed our connection to shine through [...] and this EP is proof that creative process has the power to transcend any obstacle that separates us".[1] Imanbek further elaborated on the process that "[It] brought us together not only creatively but personally and that was a great experience".[1]Atlantic, Warner and What a DJ ultimately released the record for digital download and streaming in various countries on the scheduled date of 12 February 2021.[10] Additionally, an acoustic version of it was simultaneously introduced on the same date.[11]
With a running time of 11 minutes and 24 seconds,[10]Bang discovers various genres of club, dance, house and pop with the incorporation of sounds from the 1980s and 1990s.[12][13][14] For the record, Ora and Imanbek collaborated with several composers, including Alexander Eskeerdo Izquierdo, Gia Koka, Mike Hawkins, Sam Martin, Toby Green and William Spencer Bastian.[15] It opens with "Big" featuring American rapper Gunna, which was created by Ora and Imanbek in partnership with British singer Ed Sheeran and French disc jockey David Guetta.[10][16][17] Classified as a dance, electronic dance music (EDM), electropop, hip hop and house song,[18][19] it commemorates the moment of having a good time.[20][21][22] The record progresses with the second song "Bang Bang", which samples German producer Harold Faltermeyer's single "Axel F" (1985).[10][23][24] Designated as an EDM song with a club energy and house notes,[13] the song explores a dangerous and seductive love, that brings trouble.[17][25][26] A song featuring English and Spanish lyrics, "Mood" is the third song on the record and features Argentine rapper Khea.[10][27] The song combines elements of dance and hip hop with a rhythmic and upbeat funky instrumental.[17][25][28] The record ends with the fourth song "The One", which comprises house, pop and trap music accompanied with dance basslines and dark influences.[12][14][28]
Following its release, Bang was met with a warm reception from music critics. Designating it as a "star-studded EP", Farrell Sweeney from Dancing Astronaut acknowledged that each song on the record boasts its "own unique capacity for mainstream appeal" and distinguished "Big" as its "radio favorite".[25] Similarly, Ryan Ford for We Rave You described the record as a "club-ready EP" possessing "four deliciously unique singles".[17] He further emphasised "The One" as a positive conclusion to what he labeled as a "superb EP", also highlighting Ora's "vocal talents" and the duo's "impressive" mainstream appeal.[17] Selene Moral of Los 40 commented that "we find pop sounds [in the EP] that take us to the club culture of the [80s and 90s] and a flavor of house music".[19] According to a review by the editorial staff of Mix1, the record is a "remarkable compilation of songs" that incorporates several musical genres.[12] Furthermore, the latter staff awarded the song a favorable rating of 7 out of 8 stars.[12] Commercially, Bang reached number 16 on the US BillboardTop Dance/Electronic Albums ranking.[29]
To accompany the release, a four-minute and 50-second lasting film for Bang premiered to Ora's official YouTube channel on 12 February 2021, incorporating a snippet from each song as an introduction to the record.[30][31][32] On the same occasion, "Big" and its accompanying music video were released as the record's lead single.[21][33] Directed by Jasmine Loignon,[34] the scenes were filmed at the mount of Buzludzha and the cities of Pernik and Sofia in Bulgaria.[35][36][37] The visuals pay tribute to Ora's Albanian and Imanbek's Kazakh heritages.[7][9] In it, the singer wears a traditional Albanian attire created by Kosovo-Albanian designer Valdrin Sahiti, which was aimed to display the Albanian ethnographic style, as intended by her.[38][39] For further promotion, Ora performed "Bang Bang" for the first time in the eighth season of the American talk show The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on 3 March 2021.[40][41][42] A day later, the singer went on to perform the song on Australian breakfast show Sunrise.[43]
^ ab"Bang – EP by Rita Ora". Spotify. 12 February 2021. Archived from the original on 12 August 2023. Retrieved 12 August 2023. Note: Click on the three dots on the right of the respective tracks to display the credits.
^Sifredi, Bianca (15 March 2021). "Al ritmo de Rita Ora". L'Officiel (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 14 March 2023. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
^"Bang (Acoustic) – EP by Rita Ora". Spotify. 12 February 2021. Archived from the original on 12 August 2023. Retrieved 12 August 2023. Note: Click on the three dots on the right of the respective tracks to display the credits.
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