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Freak (Estelle song)

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"Freak"
Song

"Freak" is a single by English musician Estelle. The song, which features Canadian rapper Kardinal Offishall, was produced by French DJ David Guetta. It contains an interpolation of "Back to Life" by music group Soul II Soul in the chorus. "Freak" was featured on the soundtrack to Step Up 3D and the reissue of David Guetta's album One Love, entitled One More Love.

The single was released in North America on 26 February 2010, and in the UK on 3 May 2010 as a buzz single after the song failed to chart in the Top 100.[2] The song was released as her third international single, after "American Boy" and "Come Over" and received positive reaction from most music critics. The song was used as one of the songs of the São Paulo Fashion Week 2010, during the parade of Colcci and in the movie Step Up 3D in 2010.[3] "Freak" was due to be released as the first single from her third studio album All of Me but was instead included as a US bonus track.[4]

Reception

The song received a positive review from Billboard's Melanie Bertoldi. She described the song as "wilder and freakier, and ultimately appealing," she went on to comment on Offishall's verse, stating "Kardinal Offishall jumps in for a silly verse that adds to the free-form fun." She finished the review positively, stating "the song's bridge ("I wanna hear you say," she coos) serve as the cherry atop this club-worthy treat."[5] Dirrtyinc.com gave a positive review of the song, calling it "A fun song to sing along, Estelle definitely doesn’t disappointment [sic]."[6] Nick Levine from Digital Spy rated it 4 stars and said, positively, that: "Fortunately, the track itself is almost as ear-snagging as the lyrics. Produced by David Guetta - has he had a day off in the last 12 months? - this 'Freak' is a rubbery, club-ready electro-hop tune that lifts the chorus from Soul II Soul's 'Back to Life (However Do You Want Me)' and turns it into a sexual invitation. So, however do we want it? Well, however Estelle wants to give it to us, to be honest".[7]

Music video

The music video was released on Estelle's website on 26 February 2010.

Controversy

On 2 March 2010 it was reported on British entertainment website Digital Spy that Estelle's latest video had been criticised online for apparently 'blacking up'.[8] She was accused of 'blacking up' because of her decision to wear black make-up in the "Freak" video. When asked about the decision to wear black make-up she responded in saying "I think [people] need to wait to see the clip. I could defend myself, but it's just silly. I'm black, so how do I do blackface?" She went on to compare her video to Missy Elliott's video for her 1999 single "She's a Bitch" by saying that "Missy [Elliott] did the same thing [with her video] 'She's a Bitch'."

Track listings

U.S. Digital Single[9]
  1. "Freak" (Album Version) - 3:41
U.S. & UK "Remixes" Digital EP[10]
  1. "Freak" (Riva Starr Extended Vocal Mix) - 6:16
  2. "Freak" (Riva Starr Dub) - 6:17
  3. "Freak" (Riva Starr Extended Instrumental) - 6:16
  4. "Freak" (Michael Woods Remix) - 7:01
  5. "Freak" (Plastik Funk Remix) - 5:54
  6. "Freak" (Plastik Funk's Listen & Repeat Mix) - 6:24
  7. "Freak" (Extended Version) - 4:52

Chart performance

The song debuted on the Canadian Hot 100 at its current peak of 83.

Charts

Chart (2010) Peak
position
Canadian Hot 100[11] 83
German Black Chart[12] 5
US Hot Dance Club Play[13] 27
UK Singles Chart[14] 103
UK Dance (OCC)[15] 13

Release history

Region Date Format Label
United States 26 February 2010 Digital download Atlantic, Homeschool
Canada
United Kingdom 3 May 2010

References

  1. ^ http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/music/singlesreviews/a218078/estelle-ft-kardinal-offishall-freak.html Estelle ft. Kardinal Offishall: 'Freak' - Music Singles Review - Digital Spy
  2. ^ http://www.radio1.gr/music/forthcoming_uk_singles.htm
  3. ^ IMDB.Com (2010). Soundtracks for Step Up 3D 'IMDB Retrieved 2011-03-05
  4. ^ "Play.com - Buy Estelle - All Of Me online". Play.com. Retrieved February 8, 2012.
  5. ^ Estelle - Featuring Kardinal Offishall (Freak) - Billboard
  6. ^ Single Review - Estelle: Freak (feat. Kardinal Offishall)
  7. ^ Levine, Nick (May 10, 2010). Music - Singles Review - Estelle ft. Kardinal Offishall: 'Freak' - Digital Spy' Copyright © 1999-2011 Digital Spy Limited. All Rights Reserved. "Digital Spy" is the Registered Trade Mark of Digital Spy Limited. Retrieved 2011-03-05
  8. ^ http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/music/news/a206259/estelle-stands-by-blacked-up-video.html
  9. ^ Amazon.com: Freak (Feat. Kardinal Offishall): Estelle: MP3 Downloads
  10. ^ Freak (Remixes): Estelle: Amazon.co.uk: MP3 Downloads
  11. ^ http://www.billboard.com/charts/2010-04-10/canadian-hot-100?order=gainer
  12. ^ [1]
  13. ^ "Chart Highlights: Pop, Country, Latin Songs & More". Billboard. 2010-04-26. Retrieved 2010-04-26. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  14. ^ Retrieved 2010-05-23.
  15. ^ "Official Dance Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company.
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