It Girl (song)
Encyclopedia
"It Girl" is a recorded song by American recording artist Jason Derülo
. It released as the second single from his second studio album, Future History
on August 9, 2011 through Beluga Heights
, Warner Bros
. The song was written by Derülo, E. Kidd Bogart, Lindy Robbins and Emanuel "Eman" Kiriakou
, who also handled the song's production. Musically, "It Girl" is a mid-tempo
pop
and R&B
love song, that features a whistling
intro
and an acoustic guitar
melody
. Lyrically, it revolves around Derülo singing the praises of the perfect girl he found after searching all over.
The song received positive reviews from music critics, who praised its catchy production and radio-friendly lyrics. They also added that it has the potential to overshadow the commercial success of Derülo debut single, "Whatcha Say
" (2009). "It Girl" has so far attained top-ten positions in Australia, Denmark, Ireland, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. As of October 2011, it has reached a high point of number 17 on the US Billboard Hot 100
chart. The accompanying music video of "It Girl" was directed by Colin Tilley
and portrays a fictional relationship between Derülo and his love interest played by Tika Sumpter
. Derülo has promoted "It Girl" in the US through live performances on America's Got Talent
as well as The Wendy Williams Show
.
, who also produced the track. On July 29, 2011, the song was uploaded to Derülo's official YouTube
account. "It Girl" was added to the B-playlist of urban radio station BBC Radio 1Xtra
in the United Kingdom on August 5, and was sent to contemporary hit radio
in the United States on August 16. When speaking of the song, Derülo told The Daily Telegraph
, "I wanted to put myself in a position as if I'd found my It Girl, to make myself feel like if I found that one true love. I've basically described what it would be like if I found her." Derülo further elaborated about the concept of the song in another interview with Matt Elias of MTV News
:
Derülo explained that he did not believe in the possibility of "It Girl" to be the next single from Future History. However, his peers were saying that it was very distinct from the lead single
, "Don't Wanna Go Home
" and that response motivated him to pick it as the second single. He believed that showing the difference in the new album was important in picking the single. He did not want to put another dance song so that his fans do not assume that the entire album consisted of uptempo
songs. He concluded that "growing up has definitely taken place. My music has always been a representation of who I am and I guess I speak differently, my demeanour is different."
and R&B
love song, built on a finger-clicking beat
. According to Rap-Up
, the song lyrically finds Derülo as the male protagonist singing praises of "a lovely lady", comparing her to his "greatest hit". "It Girl" opens with a whistling
intro
and an acoustic guitar
melody
. In the first verse
, he chants about how he searched all over and finally found the girl of his dreams. He also affirms that the girl means much more than a Grammy Award
to him. Its hook
, which forms part of the chorus
, contains the lyrics: "You could be my it girl / Baby, you're the shit girl / Lovin; you could be a crime / Crazy how we fit, girl / This is it, girl / Gimme 25 to life / I just wanna rock all night long and put you in the middle of my spotlight / You could be my it girl / You're my biggest hit, girl / Let me play it loud." Scott Shelter from Pop Crush noted that the song uses the "oh-oh-oh-oh" vocal chants after the chorus.
, who viewed "It Girl" as Derülo's "valiant attempt to trump his monstrous [...] hit 'Whatcha Say', gave the song a positive review, writing that it is catchy and it is "perfectly crafted for radio success". Robbie Daw of Idolator
wrote that the song "comes dangerously close to being just another bland, cookie cutter R&B-pop experience, but lucky for him, that whistle gimmick in the chorus makes it a somewhat enjoyable three minutes."
Kyle Anderson of Entertainment Weekly
awarded the song a B- rating and wrote that "perhaps [Derülo] should have pitched woo with something hotter than a flat midtempo beat, some acoustic flourishes, and a whistle garnish." Shahryar Rizvi of Dallas Observer
gave the song a mixed review, criticizing its lyrics: "[...] if you read between the lines in 'It Girl', it becomes clear that Derülo has some really weird taste in women." Lewis Corner of Digital Spy
gave the song a negative review, "with the charts now welcoming the return of the organic singer-songwriter", Derülo may not have equipped enough himself with "his own gut-wrenching ballad."
chart. The following week, the song fell to number 68. After descending the Hot 100 for three consecutive weeks, "It Girl" moved up from number 61 to number 38 in its fifth week. It has so far attained a high point of number 17 on the Hot 100 chart. On the Pop Songs
chart, "It Girl" debuted at number 34 on the issue dated September 10, 2011, and has so far peaked at number 23 as of the issue dated September 17, 2011. In Canada, the song made its chart debut at number 73 on the Canadian Hot 100
chart and peaked at 37.
In Australia, "It Girl" debuted at number 16 on the Australian Singles Chart
on August 22, 2011, becoming as the highest debuting single of that week. The following week, the song peaked at number three, and at number one on the Australian Urban Singles Chart. "It Girl" was eventually certified double platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association
(ARIA), for selling over 140,000 copies. The song has achieved top-ten debuts on the New Zealand Singles Chart
at number three, and on the Danish Singles Chart
at number nine. In the United Kingdom, "It Girl" debuted at number four on the UK Singles Chart
and number two on the UK R&B Chart
on October 1, 2011. "It Girl" became Derülo's fifth top 5 hit in the United Kingdom.
for "It Girl" was directed by Colin Tilley
and shot at a mansion in Malibu, sitting on a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean
. On July 19, 2011, several stills from the video were released online, and showed Derülo at the oceanside mansion dressed in a white suit. Gossip Girl
actress, Tika Sumpter
, also appeared in the photos, and plays Derülo's "It Girl" in the video. Derülo told MTV News
that he wanted the video to look like an open book. He said,
A behind-the-scenes footage from the video shoot showed Derülo wearing different outfits, includng a dark pinstripe suit with a pair of sunglasses, a rose-colored button-down shirt and white pants. The footage also showed Derülo and Sumpter shooting a scene in a silver corvette
, as well as a kissing scene between the two. A 37-second sneak preview of the video was released on August 12, 2011. The completed video premiered online on August 15.
, and shows Derülo sitting on the hood of a corvette outside a Malibu mansion dressed in 1920s attire. In another scene, Derülo is seen dancing at an area of the mansion which is surrounded by trees. The video then shows intercut scenes in full color of Derülo at the beach, on the mansion's balcony, and in the bedroom with his love interest (played by Tika Sumpter). More scenes in full color, show Derülo on the balcony interacting with her, and also shows him singing to her in the bedroom using a microphone. During another scene, Derülo is seen dressed in all white. The video ends with a kissing scene between the two which then fades away.
Melinda Newman of HitFix
praised the concept of the video, writing: "[...] when [Derülo is not] busy showing off his dance moves, he is living the high life wiht his lady in their palatial estate. He sings to her, she wraps her legs around him, they pose in some awesome topiary gardens. It is not the most thrilling of videos, and he may want to think twice about moonwalking in a video-- someone did it before him and better-- but it is a nice change of pace from some of his more hectic, gruffer clips." Cameron Matthews of AOL Music
commented that the video gives "a kaleidoscopic view" between Derulo's beachfront paradise, an assortment of "edgy suits" and "a little bit of pillow talk with his new 'It Girl'." According to Jenna Hally Rubenstein of MTV
, "the romance factor in Jason's full-length 'It Girl' video is very, very high."
" on America's Got Talent
on August 4, 2011. He later sang the song on The Wendy Williams Show
on September 30, 2011.
Jason Derulo
Jason Joel Desrouleaux , better known by his stage name Jason Derülo, is an American singer-songwriter, actor and dancer. After producing records for several artists and writing songs for Cash Money Records, co-founder of the label Birdman, Young Money Entertainment owner Lil Wayne and rapper...
. It released as the second single from his second studio album, Future History
Future History (album)
Future History is the second studio album by American recording artist Jason Derülo, first released on September 16, 2011. Production for the album was provided by DJ Frank E, The Fliptones and frequent collaborator J.R...
on August 9, 2011 through Beluga Heights
Beluga Heights Records
Beluga Heights Records is a Los Angeles-based record label founded by producer J. R. Rotem. The label is known for working with top musical artists such as Rihanna and Leona Lewis as well as discovering and developing new acts like Sean Kingston, Jason Derülo, Iyaz, Auburn and Mann.-History:The...
, Warner Bros
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
. The song was written by Derülo, E. Kidd Bogart, Lindy Robbins and Emanuel "Eman" Kiriakou
Emanuel Kiriakou
- Early life :Emanuel "Eman" Kiriakou started playing music at the age of thirteen in his father’s Greek band.-Producer:...
, who also handled the song's production. Musically, "It Girl" is a mid-tempo
Tempo
In musical terminology, tempo is the speed or pace of a given piece. Tempo is a crucial element of any musical composition, as it can affect the mood and difficulty of a piece.-Measuring tempo:...
pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
and R&B
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
love song, that features a whistling
Whistle
A whistle or call is a simple aerophone, an instrument which produces sound from a stream of forced air. It may be mouth-operated, or powered by air pressure, steam, or other means...
intro
Introduction (music)
In music, the introduction is a passage or section which opens a movement or a separate piece. In popular music this is often abbreviated as intro...
and an acoustic guitar
Acoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
melody
Melody
A melody , also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones which is perceived as a single entity...
. Lyrically, it revolves around Derülo singing the praises of the perfect girl he found after searching all over.
The song received positive reviews from music critics, who praised its catchy production and radio-friendly lyrics. They also added that it has the potential to overshadow the commercial success of Derülo debut single, "Whatcha Say
Whatcha Say
"Whatcha Say" is the debut single by American recording artist Jason Derülo. It was produced by J. R. Rotem with additional production by German producer Fuego and samples the song "Hide and Seek" by Imogen Heap. "Whatcha Say" topped the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in the United States.Derülo recorded a...
" (2009). "It Girl" has so far attained top-ten positions in Australia, Denmark, Ireland, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. As of October 2011, it has reached a high point of number 17 on the US Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart. The accompanying music video of "It Girl" was directed by Colin Tilley
Colin Tilley
Colin Tilley is an award winning music video director for Riveting Entertainment who has written and directed music videos for artists including Chris Brown, Justin Bieber, 50 Cent, Lil Wayne, Diddy, Usher, Melanie Fiona, Keri Hilson, Wiz Khalifa and U.K. rapper Chipmunk among others. His most...
and portrays a fictional relationship between Derülo and his love interest played by Tika Sumpter
Tika Sumpter
Euphemia "Tika" Sumpter is an American actress.Sumpter is known for her role as Layla Williamson on One Life to Live.-Private Life:...
. Derülo has promoted "It Girl" in the US through live performances on America's Got Talent
America's Got Talent
America's Got Talent is an American reality television series on the NBC television network, and part of the global British Got Talent franchise. It is a talent show that features singers, dancers, magicians, comedians, and other performers of all ages competing for the advertised top prize of...
as well as The Wendy Williams Show
The Wendy Williams Show
The Wendy Williams Show is a syndicated talk show hosted by Wendy Williams that premiered on July 14, 2008, as six-week sneak peek, in Detroit, Dallas, Los Angeles, and New York City. The test run was picked up for a full season that began its run on July 13, 2009 in over 70% of the country in...
.
Background and development
"It Girl" was written by Jason Derülo, E. Kidd Bogart, Lindy Robbins and Emanuel "Eman" KiriakouEmanuel Kiriakou
- Early life :Emanuel "Eman" Kiriakou started playing music at the age of thirteen in his father’s Greek band.-Producer:...
, who also produced the track. On July 29, 2011, the song was uploaded to Derülo's official YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
account. "It Girl" was added to the B-playlist of urban radio station BBC Radio 1Xtra
BBC Radio 1Xtra
BBC Radio 1Xtra is a digital radio station in the United Kingdom from the BBC specialising in new black music, sometimes referred to as urban music. Launched at 18:00 on 16 August 2002, it had been codenamed Network X during the consulation period and is the sister station to BBC Radio 1...
in the United Kingdom on August 5, and was sent to contemporary hit radio
Contemporary hit radio
Contemporary hit radio is a radio format that is common in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top 40 music charts...
in the United States on August 16. When speaking of the song, Derülo told The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph (Australia)
The Daily Telegraph is an Australian tabloid newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, by Nationwide News, part of News Corporation.The Tele, as it is also known, was founded in 1879. From 1936 to 1972, it was owned by Frank Packer's Australian Consolidated Press. That year it was sold to...
, "I wanted to put myself in a position as if I'd found my It Girl, to make myself feel like if I found that one true love. I've basically described what it would be like if I found her." Derülo further elaborated about the concept of the song in another interview with Matt Elias of MTV News
MTV News
MTV News is the news division of MTV, one of the first and most popular music television network in the U.S., as well as some of MTV's related channels around the world. MTV News began in the late 1980s with the program The Week In Rock, hosted by Kurt Loder, the first official MTV News correspondent...
:
An 'It Girl' to me is someone who is selfless, someone who's always thinking about others before she thinks about herself. You know, my mom is a very charitable woman, so I'd want someone who is in line with that kind of thought process. I also like a girl who's polite. I feel like that's a lost art, and just saying 'please' and 'thank you' goes a very long way with me. That's just so lost these days. So, ladies, it's OK to say 'thank you.'
Derülo explained that he did not believe in the possibility of "It Girl" to be the next single from Future History. However, his peers were saying that it was very distinct from the lead single
Lead single
A lead single is usually the first single released by a musician or a band before the release of its home album.During the era of the grammophone record, all music arrived in the marketplace as what is now termed a single, one potential hit song backed by an additional song of generally less...
, "Don't Wanna Go Home
Don't Wanna Go Home
"Don't Wanna Go Home" is a song recorded by American recording artist Jason Derülo. It was released as the lead single from his second studio album, Future History on May 20, 2011. "Don't Wanna Go Home" was written by Derülo, Chaz Mishan, David Delazyn, William Attaway, Irving Burgie, Allen George...
" and that response motivated him to pick it as the second single. He believed that showing the difference in the new album was important in picking the single. He did not want to put another dance song so that his fans do not assume that the entire album consisted of uptempo
Tempo
In musical terminology, tempo is the speed or pace of a given piece. Tempo is a crucial element of any musical composition, as it can affect the mood and difficulty of a piece.-Measuring tempo:...
songs. He concluded that "growing up has definitely taken place. My music has always been a representation of who I am and I guess I speak differently, my demeanour is different."
Composition
"It Girl" is a mid-tempo popPop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
and R&B
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
love song, built on a finger-clicking beat
Beat (music)
The beat is the basic unit of time in music, the pulse of the mensural level . In popular use, the beat can refer to a variety of related concepts including: tempo, meter, rhythm and groove...
. According to Rap-Up
Rap-Up
Rap-Up is a magazine launched in 2001 by founder Devin Lazerine. The publication was originally a website devoted to hip hop, until Lazerine decided to pitch the possibility of a magazine to several publishers. The magazine is focused on the hip hop and R&B aspect of the music industry, and...
, the song lyrically finds Derülo as the male protagonist singing praises of "a lovely lady", comparing her to his "greatest hit". "It Girl" opens with a whistling
Whistle
A whistle or call is a simple aerophone, an instrument which produces sound from a stream of forced air. It may be mouth-operated, or powered by air pressure, steam, or other means...
intro
Introduction (music)
In music, the introduction is a passage or section which opens a movement or a separate piece. In popular music this is often abbreviated as intro...
and an acoustic guitar
Acoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
melody
Melody
A melody , also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones which is perceived as a single entity...
. In the first verse
Song structure (popular music)
The structures or musical forms of songs in popular music are typically sectional, repeating forms, such as strophic form. Other common forms include thirty-two-bar form, verse-chorus form, and the twelve bar blues...
, he chants about how he searched all over and finally found the girl of his dreams. He also affirms that the girl means much more than a Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
to him. Its hook
Hook (music)
A hook is a musical idea, often a short riff, passage, or phrase, that is used in popular music to make a song appealing and to "catch the ear of the listener". The term generally applies to popular music, especially rock music, hip hop, dance music, and pop. In these genres, the hook is often...
, which forms part of the chorus
Refrain
A refrain is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse; the "chorus" of a song...
, contains the lyrics: "You could be my it girl / Baby, you're the shit girl / Lovin; you could be a crime / Crazy how we fit, girl / This is it, girl / Gimme 25 to life / I just wanna rock all night long and put you in the middle of my spotlight / You could be my it girl / You're my biggest hit, girl / Let me play it loud." Scott Shelter from Pop Crush noted that the song uses the "oh-oh-oh-oh" vocal chants after the chorus.
Critical reception
Describing "It Girl" as "a catchy pop song with major hit potential", Scott Shetler of Pop Crush awarded the song four-and-a-half out of five stars, writing that "even though Derülo's debut produced hits like 'Whatcha Say' and 'In My Head', 'It Girl' could be his best single to date." Shetler concluded that "every element of the song works, from the sweet whistling intro to the acoustic guitar melody to the 'oh-oh-oh-oh' vocal chants after the chorus." Similarly, Jenna Hally Rubenstein of MTVMTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
, who viewed "It Girl" as Derülo's "valiant attempt to trump his monstrous [...] hit 'Whatcha Say', gave the song a positive review, writing that it is catchy and it is "perfectly crafted for radio success". Robbie Daw of Idolator
Idolator (website)
Idolator is a music blog. Created by the blog network Gawker Media in August 2006, Idolator was later sold to rival blog network Buzz Media, which also owns music blog Stereogum. From the 2007 departure of original head writer Brian Raftery until November 2009, the blog's head writer was Maura...
wrote that the song "comes dangerously close to being just another bland, cookie cutter R&B-pop experience, but lucky for him, that whistle gimmick in the chorus makes it a somewhat enjoyable three minutes."
Kyle Anderson of Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
awarded the song a B- rating and wrote that "perhaps [Derülo] should have pitched woo with something hotter than a flat midtempo beat, some acoustic flourishes, and a whistle garnish." Shahryar Rizvi of Dallas Observer
Dallas Observer
The Dallas Observer is a free alternative weekly newspaper distributed around the Dallas, Texas . At its inception, it was conceived as a weekly local arts and cinema review publication, with the credo "Advocate for Excellence in the Arts" on the cover. For a time during the early years, the paper...
gave the song a mixed review, criticizing its lyrics: "[...] if you read between the lines in 'It Girl', it becomes clear that Derülo has some really weird taste in women." Lewis Corner of Digital Spy
Digital Spy
Digital Spy is a British entertainment and media news website. According to Alexa Internet traffic statistics, as of February 2011, Digital Spy is the 93rd most popular website in the United Kingdom, with an overall Alexa ranking of 2,088....
gave the song a negative review, "with the charts now welcoming the return of the organic singer-songwriter", Derülo may not have equipped enough himself with "his own gut-wrenching ballad."
Chart performance
On the issue dated August 27, 2011, "It Girl" debuted at number 39 on the US Billboard Hot 100Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart. The following week, the song fell to number 68. After descending the Hot 100 for three consecutive weeks, "It Girl" moved up from number 61 to number 38 in its fifth week. It has so far attained a high point of number 17 on the Hot 100 chart. On the Pop Songs
Mainstream Top 40 (Pop Songs)
The Mainstream Top 40 is an airplay chart from Billboard magazine, and is also known as Pop Songs on billboard.com. It was often mistaken for and confused with the now discontinued Pop 100 Airplay chart...
chart, "It Girl" debuted at number 34 on the issue dated September 10, 2011, and has so far peaked at number 23 as of the issue dated September 17, 2011. In Canada, the song made its chart debut at number 73 on the Canadian Hot 100
Canadian Hot 100
The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007...
chart and peaked at 37.
In Australia, "It Girl" debuted at number 16 on the Australian Singles Chart
ARIA Charts
The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...
on August 22, 2011, becoming as the highest debuting single of that week. The following week, the song peaked at number three, and at number one on the Australian Urban Singles Chart. "It Girl" was eventually certified double platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association
Australian Recording Industry Association
The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956...
(ARIA), for selling over 140,000 copies. The song has achieved top-ten debuts on the New Zealand Singles Chart
Recording Industry Association of New Zealand
The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand...
at number three, and on the Danish Singles Chart
Tracklisten
Tracklisten is a Danish top 40 record chart that is presented every Thursday midnight at .The weekly Danish Singles Chart also known as Track Top-40 combines the 40 best selling tracks from legal music downloads and the sales of music singles on either CD or vinyl...
at number nine. In the United Kingdom, "It Girl" debuted at number four on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
and number two on the UK R&B Chart
UK R&B Chart
The Official UK R&B Chart is a forty-position R&B/Hip-Hop chart compiled by The Official UK Charts Company. Although the chart does not receive any airplay, its compilation is viewed on BBC Radio 1's website and publications such as ChartsPlus and Music Week...
on October 1, 2011. "It Girl" became Derülo's fifth top 5 hit in the United Kingdom.
Background and development
The music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for "It Girl" was directed by Colin Tilley
Colin Tilley
Colin Tilley is an award winning music video director for Riveting Entertainment who has written and directed music videos for artists including Chris Brown, Justin Bieber, 50 Cent, Lil Wayne, Diddy, Usher, Melanie Fiona, Keri Hilson, Wiz Khalifa and U.K. rapper Chipmunk among others. His most...
and shot at a mansion in Malibu, sitting on a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
. On July 19, 2011, several stills from the video were released online, and showed Derülo at the oceanside mansion dressed in a white suit. Gossip Girl
Gossip Girl
Gossip Girl is an American young adult novel series written by Cecily von Ziegesar and published by Little, Brown and Company, a subsidiary of the Hachette Group. The series revolves around the lives and romances of the privileged teenagers at the Constance Billard School for Girls, an elite...
actress, Tika Sumpter
Tika Sumpter
Euphemia "Tika" Sumpter is an American actress.Sumpter is known for her role as Layla Williamson on One Life to Live.-Private Life:...
, also appeared in the photos, and plays Derülo's "It Girl" in the video. Derülo told MTV News
MTV News
MTV News is the news division of MTV, one of the first and most popular music television network in the U.S., as well as some of MTV's related channels around the world. MTV News began in the late 1980s with the program The Week In Rock, hosted by Kurt Loder, the first official MTV News correspondent...
that he wanted the video to look like an open book. He said,
I wanted it to be almost like a photo album, so every single scene is kind of like a picture that you're kind of looking into our relationship. So it is a 1920s vibe, it's black and white, very high fashion—you know, you'll see me very dapper in 1920s, Frank Sinatra-ish. So you'll see the cars from that era, you'll definitely feel the vibe of the house having that 1920s vibe as well. So it's very different and very intimate, and it's not a lot of dancing—it's more personal.
A behind-the-scenes footage from the video shoot showed Derülo wearing different outfits, includng a dark pinstripe suit with a pair of sunglasses, a rose-colored button-down shirt and white pants. The footage also showed Derülo and Sumpter shooting a scene in a silver corvette
Chevrolet Corvette
The Chevrolet Corvette is a sports car by the Chevrolet division of General Motors that has been produced in six generations. The first model, a convertible, was designed by Harley Earl and introduced at the GM Motorama in 1953 as a concept show car. Myron Scott is credited for naming the car after...
, as well as a kissing scene between the two. A 37-second sneak preview of the video was released on August 12, 2011. The completed video premiered online on August 15.
Synopsis and reception
The beginning of the video is shot in black-and-whiteBlack-and-white
Black-and-white, often abbreviated B/W or B&W, is a term referring to a number of monochrome forms in visual arts.Black-and-white as a description is also something of a misnomer, for in addition to black and white, most of these media included varying shades of gray...
, and shows Derülo sitting on the hood of a corvette outside a Malibu mansion dressed in 1920s attire. In another scene, Derülo is seen dancing at an area of the mansion which is surrounded by trees. The video then shows intercut scenes in full color of Derülo at the beach, on the mansion's balcony, and in the bedroom with his love interest (played by Tika Sumpter). More scenes in full color, show Derülo on the balcony interacting with her, and also shows him singing to her in the bedroom using a microphone. During another scene, Derülo is seen dressed in all white. The video ends with a kissing scene between the two which then fades away.
Melinda Newman of HitFix
HitFix
HitFix, or the HitFix.com is an entertainment news website that launched in December 2008 specializing in breaking entertainment news, insider information and providing reviews and critiques of film, music and television...
praised the concept of the video, writing: "[...] when [Derülo is not] busy showing off his dance moves, he is living the high life wiht his lady in their palatial estate. He sings to her, she wraps her legs around him, they pose in some awesome topiary gardens. It is not the most thrilling of videos, and he may want to think twice about moonwalking in a video-- someone did it before him and better-- but it is a nice change of pace from some of his more hectic, gruffer clips." Cameron Matthews of AOL Music
AOL
AOL Inc. is an American global Internet services and media company. AOL is headquartered at 770 Broadway in New York. Founded in 1983 as Control Video Corporation, it has franchised its services to companies in several nations around the world or set up international versions of its services...
commented that the video gives "a kaleidoscopic view" between Derulo's beachfront paradise, an assortment of "edgy suits" and "a little bit of pillow talk with his new 'It Girl'." According to Jenna Hally Rubenstein of MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
, "the romance factor in Jason's full-length 'It Girl' video is very, very high."
Live performances
Derülo performed "It Girl" along with "Don't Wanna Go HomeDon't Wanna Go Home
"Don't Wanna Go Home" is a song recorded by American recording artist Jason Derülo. It was released as the lead single from his second studio album, Future History on May 20, 2011. "Don't Wanna Go Home" was written by Derülo, Chaz Mishan, David Delazyn, William Attaway, Irving Burgie, Allen George...
" on America's Got Talent
America's Got Talent
America's Got Talent is an American reality television series on the NBC television network, and part of the global British Got Talent franchise. It is a talent show that features singers, dancers, magicians, comedians, and other performers of all ages competing for the advertised top prize of...
on August 4, 2011. He later sang the song on The Wendy Williams Show
The Wendy Williams Show
The Wendy Williams Show is a syndicated talk show hosted by Wendy Williams that premiered on July 14, 2008, as six-week sneak peek, in Detroit, Dallas, Los Angeles, and New York City. The test run was picked up for a full season that began its run on July 13, 2009 in over 70% of the country in...
on September 30, 2011.
Track listing
-
- Worldwide Digital download
- "It Girl" – 3:12
-
- Europe Digital EP
- "It Girl" – 3:12
- "It Girl" (Radio Version) – 3:11
- "It Girl" (Ed Case Remix) – 4:34
- "It Girl" (7th Heaven7th Heaven Remix & Production7th Heaven [members: Jon Dixon & Andy Wetson] is a British remix and music production team founded in 2008, releasing their first single in the same year...
Club Mix) – 6:24 - "It Girl" (R.A.W. Club Mix) – 6:52
- "It Girl' (Ed Case Dub Mix) – 5:08
-
- German CD Single
- "It Girl" (Album Version) – 3:12
- "It Girl" (7th Heaven Club Mix) – 6:24
Credits and personnel
Credits adapted from the liner notes for Future History.- E. Kidd Bogart – songwritingSongwriterA songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
- Jason DesrouleauxJason DeruloJason Joel Desrouleaux , better known by his stage name Jason Derülo, is an American singer-songwriter, actor and dancer. After producing records for several artists and writing songs for Cash Money Records, co-founder of the label Birdman, Young Money Entertainment owner Lil Wayne and rapper...
– songwriting, lead vocals - Serban Ghenea – mixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
- Andrew Goldstein – additional keyboards and drum programming
- John Hanes – mix engineeringMix engineerA mix engineer, also referred to as "mixing engineer", is a person who, once all instruments, voices, and sounds, etc., have been recorded, creates what is called the final version of a song, hence the term "mix engineer"...
- Emanuel "Eman" KiriakouEmanuel Kiriakou- Early life :Emanuel "Eman" Kiriakou started playing music at the age of thirteen in his father’s Greek band.-Producer:...
– songwriting, productionRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, keyboardMusical keyboardA musical keyboard is the set of adjacent depressible levers or keys on a musical instrument, particularly the piano. Keyboards typically contain keys for playing the twelve notes of the Western musical scale, with a combination of larger, longer keys and smaller, shorter keys that repeats at the...
s, whistle, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
s, bassBass (instrument)Bass describes musical instruments that produce tones in the low-pitched range. They belong to different families of instruments and can cover a wide range of musical roles...
, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
, drum programming - Jens Koerkmeier – engineeringAudio engineeringAn audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
, editing, additional keyboards and drum programming - Lindy Robbins – songwriting
- Phil Seaford – assistant mix engineering
Weekly charts
| Chart (2011) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
3 |
| Australian Urban Singles Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
1 |
| Belgian Singles Chart Ultratop 50 Ultratop 50 singles, often just Ultratop 50, is the weekly chart of fifty best-selling singles in Flanders, Belgium, and is produced and published by the Ultratop organization. The chart has existed since March 31, 1995... (Flanders) |
32 |
| Belgian Singles Chart (Wallonia) | 39 |
| Canadian Hot 100 Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007... |
34 |
| Danish Singles Chart Tracklisten Tracklisten is a Danish top 40 record chart that is presented every Thursday midnight at .The weekly Danish Singles Chart also known as Track Top-40 combines the 40 best selling tracks from legal music downloads and the sales of music singles on either CD or vinyl... |
9 |
| Dutch Top 40 | 19 |
| Dutch Urban Chart MegaCharts MegaCharts is responsible for the composition and exploitation of a broad collection of official charts in the Netherlands, of which the Mega Top 50 and the Mega Album Top 100 are the most known ones. Mega Charts also provides information to the Stichting Nederlandse Top 40, of which the Dutch Top... |
78 |
| French Singles Chart | 30 |
| Irish Singles Chart Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured... |
3 |
| Italian Singles Chart | 14 |
| Japan Hot 100 Japan Hot 100 The Japan Hot 100 is a music singles chart in Japan. It is compiled by Billboard and Hanshin Contents Link ever since February 2008. The chart is updated every Wednesday at billboard-japan.com and every Thursday at billboard.com .... |
13 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... |
3 |
| Norwegian Singles Chart | 15 |
| Scottish Singles Chart | 4 |
| Slovak Airplay Chart Rádio Top 100 Oficiálna Rádio Top 100 Oficiálna is the name of the Slovakian national airplay chart published by the IFPI Czech Republic on a weekly basis since the cancellation of the Slovakian national section on December 31, 2009.... |
30 |
| Swedish Singles Chart Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association .... |
35 |
| UK R&B Chart UK R&B Chart The Official UK R&B Chart is a forty-position R&B/Hip-Hop chart compiled by The Official UK Charts Company. Although the chart does not receive any airplay, its compilation is viewed on BBC Radio 1's website and publications such as ChartsPlus and Music Week... |
2 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
4 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
17 |
| US Hot Dance Club Songs | 6 |
| US Pop Songs Mainstream Top 40 (Pop Songs) The Mainstream Top 40 is an airplay chart from Billboard magazine, and is also known as Pop Songs on billboard.com. It was often mistaken for and confused with the now discontinued Pop 100 Airplay chart... |
10 |
Certifications
| Country | Certification |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956... ) |
2× Platinum |
| New Zealand (RIANZ Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... ) |
Gold |
Radio date and release history
| Region | Date | Format |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | August 5, 2011 | Urban radio BBC Radio 1Xtra BBC Radio 1Xtra is a digital radio station in the United Kingdom from the BBC specialising in new black music, sometimes referred to as urban music. Launched at 18:00 on 16 August 2002, it had been codenamed Network X during the consulation period and is the sister station to BBC Radio 1... |
| Canada | August 9, 2011 | Digital download Music download A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment... |
| Sweden | ||
| United States | ||
| Australia | August 15, 2011 | |
| Spain | August 16, 2011 | |
| United States | Contemporary hit radio Contemporary hit radio Contemporary hit radio is a radio format that is common in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top 40 music charts... |
|
| France | August 22, 2011 | Digital download |
| Norway | ||
| United Kingdom | August 24, 2011 | Mainstream radio BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock... |
| Finland | August 29, 2011 | Digital download |
| Italy | August 30, 2011 | |
| Netherlands | September 2, 2011 | |
| United Kingdom | September 18, 2011 | Digital EP |
| October 13, 2011 | Digital download | |
| Germany | November 25, 2011 | CD |