Freedun

"Freedun"
Single by M.I.A. featuring Zayn
from the album AIM
Released 2 September 2016 (2016-09-02)
Format
Genre
Length 4:42
Label Interscope
Writer(s)
Producer(s)
  • Polow da Don
  • M.I.A.
M.I.A. singles chronology
"Bird Song"
(2016)		 "Freedun"
(2016)
Zayn singles chronology
"Cruel"
(2016)		 "Freedun"
(2016)

"Freedun" is a song by British musician M.I.A., featuring British singer and songwriter Zayn, from her fifth studio album, AIM (2016). The song was co-written by M.I.A., alongside Keisha Hollins and Polow da Don. Production of the song was handled by Polow da Don. Levi Lennox, who produced "Borders" from AIM, also produced Zayn's debut single "Pillowtalk".[1] Lyrically, the song is politically influenced and references refugees, an undercurrent theme on AIM.[2][3]

M.I.A. revealed she had been contacted by their mutual publisher to pen a song for Zayn's debut solo album Mind of Mine.[4] The song, however, never got past the demo stage. She would then ask Zayn to feature on her own song which she had written a long time before but always thought it was "too mainstream".[5] The pair began working on the track remotely via the instant messaging client WhatsApp during M.I.A.'s stay in India[6][7] and completed it in the first week of August 2016.[8] The song was originally called "Swagistan", as previewed on Periscope in May 2016.[9]

M.I.A. announced the release of the single on 31 August 2016.[10] It was first premiered on the Annie Mac BBC Radio One show on 1 September 2016,[11] and was officially released on the next day. The song debuted at number one on the UK Asian Music Chart and remained at the top for one more week.[12]

Critical reception

The song has received mixed reception from music critics. While some gave it favorable reviews,[13][14][15] others called it "disappointingly generic"[16] and a "misstep".[17] Nonetheless, New Musical Express and The Independent picked the song as a highlight on the album.[18]

Music video

M.I.A. filmed a music video for the song in the Himalayas in Nepal. During filming, she needed the aid of an oxygen tank because of the lack of oxygen in the mountains.[19] She was also not able to film the video with Zayn because he could not leave the United States due to his commitments and she was denied visa to enter the country.[20]

Track listing

  1. "Freedun" (featuring Zayn) – 4:42

Charts

Chart (2016) Peak
position
UK Asian Music Chart (Official Charts Company)[21] 1
US Twitter Top Tracks (Billboard)[22] 4

Release history

Region Date Format Label Ref
Worldwide 2 September 2016 Interscope [23]

References

  1. ↑ Lothian-McLean, Moya (January 28, 2016). "Everything We Know About "Pillowtalk," Zayn Malik's Debut Single". The Fader. Retrieved August 31, 2016.
  2. ↑ Morris, Jessie (September 1, 2016). "M.I.A. And Zayn Connect On "Freedun"". complex.com. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
  3. ↑ Palermino, Chris (September 2, 2016). "Listen To MIA's Spacey Collaboration With Zayn Malik, "Freedun"". Myspace. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
  4. ↑ Platon, Adelle (August 8, 2016). "M.I.A. Reveals She Worked With Zayn Malik on New Song 'Freedun'". Billboard. Retrieved August 31, 2016.
  5. ↑ Earls, John (September 2, 2016). "MIA thought Zayn collaboration was 'too mainstream'". NME. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
  6. ↑ O'Donnell, Kevin (August 8, 2016). "M.I.A. scores Zayn Malik collaboration on new album AIM". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 31, 2016.
  7. ↑ Philips, Amy (August 8, 2016). "M.I.A. Enlists Zayn Malik for New Song "Freedun"". Pitchfork. Retrieved August 31, 2016.
  8. ↑ O'Donnell, Carey (August 8, 2016). "M.I.A. Will Feature Zayn Malik On Her New Album 'AIM'". Paper. Retrieved August 31, 2016.
  9. ↑ Platon, Adelle (18 May 2016). "M.I.A. Reveals Being in Talks with Rihanna for Collaboration". Billboard. Retrieved 24 August 2016.
  10. ↑ "M.I.A. on Twitter". Twitter. August 31, 2016. Retrieved August 31, 2016.
  11. ↑ "BBC Radio 1 - Annie Mac, M.I.A. + Zayn + Bastille, M.I.A. - Freedun (feat. ZAYN)". BBC Radio 1. September 1, 2016. Retrieved September 1, 2016.
  12. ↑ "Asian Music Chart Top 40 | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
  13. ↑ "MIA: AIM review – a true original's last hurrah?". www.theguardian.com. 11 September 2016. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
  14. ↑ Schwartz, Danny (1 September 2016). "M.I.A. - Freedun Feat. Zayn | Stream [New Song]". www.hotnewhiphop.com. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
  15. ↑ Corcoran, Nina (12 September 2016). "M.I.A. – AIM | Album Reviews | Consequence of Sound". consequenceofsound.net. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
  16. ↑ Cochrane, Greg (August 2016). "MIA, 'AIM' – Album review « Loud And Quiet". Loud and Quiet. Retrieved 7 September 2016.
  17. ↑ Carlick, Stephen (8 September 2016). "M.I.A. A.I.M.". Exclaim!. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
  18. ↑ Gill, Andy (8 September 2016). "Album reviews: Wilco – Wilco Schmilco, Jack White – Acoustic Recordings, MIA – AIM, and more". The Independent. Retrieved 11 September 2016.
  19. ↑ Wolfson, Sam (September 20, 2016). "MIA Has Scores to Settle". noisey.vice.com. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
  20. ↑ "Video Commentary with M.I.A. - Vevo UK". YouTube. September 21, 2016. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
  21. ↑ "Asian Music Chart Top 40 | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
  22. ↑ "M.I.A. - Chart history | Billboard". www.billboard.com. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
  23. ↑ "M.I.A. - Freedun (feat. ZAYN)". Interscope. 2 September 2016. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/26/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.