Pussy Fairy (OTW)
"Pussy Fairy (OTW)" | ||||
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Single by Jhené Aiko | ||||
from the album Chilombo | ||||
Released | January 16, 2020 | |||
Genre | R&B | |||
Length |
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Label | Def Jam | |||
Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) | Julian-Quán Việt Lê | |||
Jhené Aiko singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Pussy Fairy (OTW)" on YouTube |
"Pussy Fairy (OTW)" (stylized as "P*$$Y Fairy (OTW)"
The song received generally positive reviews from music critics, who praised its sexual content. They compared the explicit lyrics to
Brandon Parker directed the song's
Background and release
On February 21, 2020, Aiko released a "super
Music and lyrics
"Pussy Fairy (OTW)" is an
The single is about sexuality; Aiko sings about her "bedroom skills",
In a review of Chilombo, Stephen Kearse of Pitchfork interpreted its first six tracks, including "Pussy Fairy (OTW)", as narrating a story about "a woman enduring heartbreak and emerging stronger".[21] MTV News' Trey Alston wrote that the song was part of a larger theme in Aiko's music that features her singing about "how sex ties us all together and strengthens some emotions while weakening others".[28] "Pussy Fairy (OTW)" is referenced in "On The Way", a track added to the album's deluxe edition.[29]
Hypebeast's Sophie Caraan characterized "Pussy Fairy (OTW)"'s lyrics as "no-holds-barred".[5] Aiko brags about her sexual performance, "I know you love fucking me", and she sings, "that dick make me so proud", to make the listener question "who is giving and receiving pleasure".[21] In a Revolt article, Tamantha Gunn remarked that Aiko acts "all types of freaky" by singing the chorus: "Don’t be surprised boy, when I buss it wide / I hypnotize you with this pussy / Now you feel like you can fly."[6][24] Reviewers believed the song was about Aiko's ex-boyfriend, Big Sean.[24][30] HotNewHipHop's Lynn S. identified the line "that dick make my soul smile" as being directed toward him.[30] Uproxx's Carolyn Droke said the lyrics, "I got you sprung off in the spring time / Fuck all your free time / You don’t need no me time / That’s you and me time", were about intimacy with a partner,[31] while White believed they were about being overly possessive in a relationship.[27]
Critical reception
"Pussy Fairy (OTW)" was met with generally positive reviews from music critics. Billboard's Carl Lamarre praised it as the "punchiest and most provocative track" from Chilombo.[19] In a review of the album for Exclaim!, Ryan B. Patrick said the song is "catchy and ribald as all get out" and selected it as one of the highlights.[32] A contributor for HipHopDX wrote that "Triggered (Freestyle)" and "Pussy Fairy (OTW)" had set high expectations before the album's release.[33] While praising Aiko's vocals, Entertainment Weekly's Marcus Jones described "Pussy Fairy (OTW)" as a "siren call hypnotizing lovers into sauntering right back into the bedroom for an extended holiday break".[34] Glamour and Rolling Stone ranked "Pussy Fairy OTW" as one of the best songs of 2020.[35][36]
Some critics praised the song for its sexually explicit lyrics,[37] which Vibe's Candace McDuffie described as showing Aiko "relishing in the power of her own anatomy".[38] Trey Alston commended the lyrics as "so particular and direct that you can't help but want to follow her every order".[28] Joi-Marie McKenzie of Essence cited "Pussy Fairy (OTW)" as an example of how Aiko's focus on vibrational healing on Chilombo resonates without being "too hippy-dippy".[39] In an April 2020 article for Elle, Nerisha Penrose named "Pussy Fairy (OTW)" one of the top 24 songs of the year to date. Penrose enjoyed the focus on the sacral chakra since it added depth to the sexual content.[40] Praising the song as an album highlight, Laura Snapes summed it up as an "unapologetic demand for pleasure and rejection of judgment".[23] Stephen Kearse enjoyed "Pussy Fairy (OTW)", but criticized Aiko for acting too "coy and inert" in the follow-up track "Happiness Over Everything (H.O.E.)" despite calling herself the "pussy fairy".[21]
Commercial performance
According to a 2020 Uproxx article, "Pussy Fairy (OTW)" was "heavily popular".[15] It peaked at number 40 on the US Billboard Hot 100 on March 21, 2020, and remained on the chart for 25 weeks.[43] The song was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of 500,000 units.[44]
Twelve of Chilombo's tracks appeared on the Billboard
"Pussy Fairy (OTW)" also peaked at number 28 on the US
Music video
Brandon Parker directed the song's music video, which was released on January 16, 2020, in North Hollywood. In it, Aiko dances with a man in a dance studio that has purple lighting.[7][31] She uploaded an instructional video to her YouTube channel to break down the music video's dance moves for viewers.[7] She also released a video that included trivia about the song, its music video, and her personal life. In an Uproxx article, Aaron Williams likened the concept of Aiko's video to the television show Pop-Up Video.[61]
The song and music video received a positive response on
Credits and personnel
Credits adapted from the liner notes of Chilombo and Tidal:[1][2]
- Jhené Aiko Efuru Chilombo – composer, lyricist
- Julian-Quán Việt Lê – producer, composer, lyricist, recording engineer, studio personnel
- Micah Powell – composer, lyricist
- Andy Guerrero – assistant recording engineer, studio personnel
- Trey Pearce – assistant recording engineer, studio personnel
- Gregg Rominiecki – mixing, studio personnel
- Christian Plata – recording engineer, studio personnel
- Fisticuffs – recording engineer, studio personnel
- Zeke Mishanec – recording engineer, studio personnel
Charts
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
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Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United Kingdom (BPI)[67] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
United States (RIAA)[44] | Platinum | 1,000,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
References
Footnotes
- ^ a b c d Chilombo 2020.
- ^ a b c d Tidal 2020.
- ^ Chilombo 2020; Tidal 2020
- ^ AllMusic; Espinoza 2020; Gunn 2020
- ^ a b c Caraan 2020a.
- ^ a b c Gunn 2020.
- ^ a b c d Espinoza 2020.
- ^ Findlay 2020.
- ^ Ransom 2020.
- ^ Vibe 2020.
- ^ AllMusic.
- ^ a b Caraan 2020b.
- ^ a b Higgins 2020.
- ^ Rap-Up 2020.
- ^ a b Williams 2020b.
- ^ Espinoza 2020; Nolfi et al. 2020; Sheffield 2020a
- ^ a b c d Wang 2020.
- ^ a b c Corry 2020b.
- ^ a b Lamarre 2020.
- ^ YouTube 2019.
- ^ a b c d e Kearse 2020.
- ^ a b c Kiefer 2020.
- ^ a b Snapes 2020.
- ^ a b c Mamo 2020.
- ^ Droke 2020; Embley 2020; Espinoza 2020; Lynn S. 2020.
- ^ Embley 2020.
- ^ a b White 2020.
- ^ a b Alston 2020.
- ^ Rose 2020.
- ^ a b Lynn S. 2020.
- ^ a b c Droke 2020.
- ^ Patrick 2020.
- ^ HipHopDX 2020.
- ^ Nolfi et al. 2020.
- ^ Sheffield 2020b.
- ^ Rosa 2020.
- ^ Alston 2020; McDuffie 2020; McKenzie 2020; Wonderland 2020
- ^ McDuffie 2020.
- ^ McKenzie 2020.
- ^ Penrose 2020.
- ^ a b Corry 2020a.
- ^ Jenkins 2020.
- ^ a b Billboard b.
- ^ a b Recording Industry Association of America.
- ^ Zellner 2020.
- ^ Billboard c.
- ^ Billboard h.
- ^ a b Billboard g.
- ^ Billboard j.
- ^ Billboard e.
- ^ a b Billboard d.
- ^ Billboard i.
- ^ Billboard l.
- ^ Billboard f.
- ^ Billboard k.
- ^ Billboard a.
- ^ a b Rolling Stone.
- ^ Mediabase 2020.
- ^ a b c Official Charts Company.
- ^ a b c Recorded Music NZ 2020.
- ^ Williams 2020a.
- ^ Caraan 2020a; Elder 2020; Espinoza 2020.
- ^ Elder 2020.
- ^ Billboard m.
- ^ Billboard n.
- ^ Billboard o.
- ^ "British single certifications – Jhene Aiko – P*Ssy Fairy (Otw)". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
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- Caraan, Sophie (January 20, 2020). "Jhené Aiko Flaunts Her Femininity on New Single 'P*$$Y Fairy (OTW)'". Hypebeast. Archived from the original on May 25, 2020.
- Caraan, Sophie (February 24, 2020). "Jhené Aiko Shares 'Super Clean' Version of 'P*$$Y Fairy (OTW)'". Hypebeast. Archived from the original on May 26, 2020.
- ARTium, Def Jam. 2020.)
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