"Swalla" is a song by American singer Jason Derulo featuring Trinidadian-born rapper Nicki Minaj and fellow American singer Ty Dolla $ign, released on February 24, 2017 by Warner Bros. Records. The song was written by the artists alongside LunchMoney Lewis, Robert Diggs, Jacob Kasher Hindlin, Russell Jones. and producer Ricky Reed.[2] The song was originally intended to be the first single from Derulo's album, titled 777, however the album was never released.[3] It was later included on his fifth studio album Nu King (2024).
Derulo previewed "Swalla" in a video posted in August 2016.[4] He officially announced it as a single on January 2, 2017.[4] "Swalla" premiered on February 23, 2017,[5] and was released for download on iTunes Store the next day.[6] While talking about the song on the red carpet of the 59th Grammy Awards, Derulo said:
"I never believe in forcing a collaboration. You know, I’m a fan of both of theirs and I thought that they fit the track perfectly. It’s one of those ones that’ll get you up and doing your thing. I feel like it’s gonna stick out on the radio. There’s nothing that sounds like it."[5]
Parts of the chorus are created as an interpolation of ODB's song "Shimmy Shimmy Ya".[7]
On May 12, 2017, the trio released "Swalla (After Dark Remix)", a slow-paced acoustic remix of the original song.[8] In an interview with The Fader, Derulo said about the remix: "It was so nice we had to do it twice! The original version is the ultimate club track, so the idea was to give people the flip side of the song. The subject matter and melody is so sexy, but you might miss the 'sexy' in all the fun of 'Swalla'. So, 'After Dark' is on the opposite side of the spectrum and is SURE to set the mood."[8]
Critical receptionedit
Justin Ivey from XXL wrote that Minaj "comes through to close out the track with bars that steal the show".[9] Joshua Espinoza of Complex wrote that "Jason and Ty handle their verses nicely, but Nicki is definitely the star", also saying that the song "definitely has potential".[10]Rap-Up also praised Minaj's verse saying that she "anchors the track with a third and final verse that many will likely assume is another thinly-veiled jab at Remy Ma".[11] Hilary Hughes from MTV News wrote that this is a "steamy number that has all three chiming in over a wobbly beat that would feel right at home on the floor of a beach club in the Caribbean".[12]
Music videoedit
On February 24, 2017, the official lyric video for "Swalla", directed by Alex Lockett, was uploaded to Derulo's YouTube channel.[13] The music video premiered on March 17, 2017.[14] As of 2023, the music video has received over 1.7 billion views on YouTube.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
Referencesedit
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^"Jason Derulo interpolates an Ol' Dirty Bastard classic on his new single Swalla". Genius. February 24, 2017. Retrieved July 22, 2017.
^ ab"Jason Derulo Reunites With Nicki Minaj And Ty Dolla $ign For After Dark Remix Of "Swalla"". The FADER. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
^"Nicki Minaj and Ty Dolla Sign Join Jason Derulo for "Swalla"". XXL. February 23, 2017. Retrieved February 24, 2017.
^"Jason Derulo Enlists Nicki Minaj and Ty Dolla Sign for His New Track "Swalla"". Complex. February 24, 2017. Retrieved February 24, 2017.
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