Lala (Alicia Keys song) explained

Lala (Unlocked)
Cover:Cover_of_Lala_(Unlocked)_by_Alicia_Keys.jpeg
Type:single
Artist:Alicia Keys featuring Swae Lee
Album:Keys
Genre:R&B
Length:4:26
Label:RCA
Chronology:Alicia Keys
Prev Title:Wasted Energy (Remix)
Prev Year:2020
Next Title:Best of Me
Next Year:2021

"Lala (Unlocked)" (stylized as "LALA (Unlocked)") is a song by American singer Alicia Keys featuring fellow American rapper and singer Swae Lee. The song was written by the artists alongside Darryl Ellis, Ruben Locke, Paul Richmond, and Mike Will Made It, who produced it with Keys. It was released through RCA Records as the lead single from her eighth studio album, Keys, on September 9, 2021.

Background and release

Keys announced the song on social media on September 1, posting a snippet of the song and the single's cover art.[1] A 30-second snippet of the song was posted on Keys's YouTube channel on September 4, 2021.[2] In an interview on Apple Music 1 with Zane Lowe, Keys explained the creative process of the collaboration:

Composition

"Lala" is an R&B song that samples "In the Mood" by Tyrone Davis.[3] [4] Swae Lee sings on the track "Light the incense/ Not to mention/ Skin like whiskey/ She's cold like on the rocks".[1] Keys sings "Feelings get lost in the lala".

Critical reception

Rolling Stone called the song "sultry" and wrote that Keys and Lee "trade flirtatious lines" on the song.[5] Rap-Up wrote that Keys and Lee "show off their chemistry as they trade love-drunk verses" on the "breezy" track.[6] In his review of the album, Liam Inscoe-Jones from The Line of Best Fit called the song “slick”, but opined that the song should have been on the Originals side of the album.[7]

Live performances

Keys and Swae Lee performed the song at the 2021 MTV Video Music Awards on September 12, 2021.[8] Their performance was broadcast from Liberty State Park. Rolling Stone wrote that Keys sang "sultry rendition" of the song while Vibe commented that Keys' and Lee's "creative chemistry translated from the studio to the big stage".[9] [10] USA Today ranked the performance as the fifth best performance of the show while Paste named it one of the best performances, commenting that "Swae Lee['s] heavily autotuned vocals were quite a contrast to Keys’ effortlessly smooth singing".[11] [12]

Charts

Chart (2021)! scope="col"
Peak
position
US Hot R&B Songs (Billboard)[13] 20
US Adult R&B Songs (Billboard)[14] 25

Notes and References

  1. Bowenbank, Starr . Alicia Keys Uses Her Midas Touch to Announce New Song Featuring Swae Lee . . 2021-09-01. 2021-09-16.
  2. Web site: LALA Teaser - Alicia Keys Ft. Swae Lee . . 2021-09-09.
  3. Web site: LALA (Unlocked) (feat. Swae Lee) - Single by Alicia Keys. Apple Music. 2021-10-02.
  4. Web site: Powell, Jon . Alicia Keys Teams Up with Swae Lee and Mike WiLL Made-It for "LALA (Unlocked)" . . 2021-10-02 . 2021-09-09.
  5. Legaspi, Althea . Hear Alicia Keys, Swae Lee's Sultry New Duet 'LaLa' . . 2021-09-09. 2021-10-02.
  6. Web site: Alicia Keys And Swae Lee Team Up On 'LALA (Unlocked)' . . 2021-10-02 . 2021-09-09.
  7. Web site: Alicia Keys Continues to Settle Into a Fruitful Groove on the Unique Double Album KEYS. Inscoe-Jones, Liam. 2021-12-08 . The Line of Best Fit. 2021-12-27.
  8. Web site: Hussey, Allison . MTV VMAs 2021: Watch Alicia Keys Perform "Lala" and "Empire State of Mind" . . 2021-09-16 . 2021-09-12.
  9. Kreps, Daniel . Alicia Keys, Swae Lee Debut New Single 'LaLa' at 2021 VMAs . . 2021-09-12. 2021-09-16.
  10. Web site: Brown, Breezy . Alicia Keys And Swae Lee Perform "LALA (Unlocked)" At MTV Video Music Awards . . 2021-09-13. 2021-09-16.
  11. Web site: Ruggieri, Melissa . Brutally Honest Reviews of Every VMAs 2021 Performance, Including Lil Nas X and Ed Sheeran . . 2021-09-12. 2021-09-16.
  12. Web site: Russell, Scott . The 10 Best 2021 VMAs Performances . . 2021-09-13. 2021-09-16.
  13. Web site: Alicia Keys Chart History (Hot R&B Songs). Billboard. September 22, 2021.
  14. Web site: Alicia Keys Chart History (Adult R&B Songs). Billboard. December 12, 2021.