| Candy | |
| Cover: | Doja Cat - Candy.jpg |
| Alt: | A photo of Doja Cat with a double bun hairstyle, a red jacket, and black shoes, kneeling in front of a white backdrop. Above her is large black text that spells out her name. To its bottom right is smaller text, shown in red, that reads "Candy". |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Doja Cat |
| Album: | Amala |
| Released: | March 23, 2018 |
| Studio: | The Himalayas (Los Angeles, California) |
| Genre: | |
| Length: | 3:10 |
| Label: |
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| Producer: |
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| Chronology: | Doja Cat |
| Prev Title: | Go to Town |
| Prev Year: | 2018 |
| Next Title: | Mooo! |
| Next Year: | 2018 |
"Candy" is a song by American rapper and singer Doja Cat for her debut album, Amala (2018). Released on March 23, 2018, as the second single from the album, through Kemosabe and RCA.[1] The song was written by Doja Cat alongside producers Budo & Yeti Beats and additional producer Cambo.[2] "Candy" peaked at number 86 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
"Candy" was written by Amala Dlamini and Cameron Bartolini. Bartolini also co-produced the single with Budo and Yeti Beats and worked with the instruments. The song was mixed by Neal Pogue.[3] "Candy" was released on March 23, 2018, as the second single from Doja Cat's debut studio album Amala (2018).[4] [5] Following its release, she posted a preview on her Instagram account.[6] [7] The audio video for the song premiered simultaneously as the single.[8] According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Sony/ATV Music Publishing, the song is performed in the key of G Minor with an up-tempo 120 beats per minute.[9]
"Candy" received generally positive reviews from music critics. Mike Wass of Idolator praised it as a "trap-heavy hip-hop jam",[10] and AllMusic's Matt Collar selected it as one of the album's highlights.[11] Milca P. of HotNewHipHop praised the song's musical direction and said it "leans more toward the typically R&B-heavy catalog of the RCA signee".[12] Rap-Up added to their blog "Rising rapper-singer Doja Cat continues to ‘push the envelope’ on her latest, risqué and sensually-driven single, Candy."[13]
Andrew P. Hale for PopMatters described the song as "smooth but adult-oriented" and pointed it out for its sexual themes, writing that "A very smooth and intimate beat with a degree of excitement by Budo, Cambo, and Yeti Beats, Doja Cat rides it with confidence and talent. Better for husbands and wives, can't promote the content for the youth."[14]
Recording and management
Personnel
Credits adapted from Hot Pink (Japan Version) liner notes.[2]
| Chart (2018–2020) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[15] | 92 |
| Greece (IFPI)[16] | 40 |
| Lithuania (AGATA)[17] | 34 |
| Romania (Airplay 100)[18] | 71 |
| Chart (2020) | Position | |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[19] | 92 | |
| US Hot R&B Songs (Billboard)[20] | 41 |
| Country | Date | Format | Label | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | March 23, 2018 | Digital download | ||
| April 12, 2018 | Urban contemporary radio | [21] |