| Tea Party | |
| Cover: | Kerli Tea Party remixes.jpg |
| Border: | yes |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Kerli |
| Album: | Almost Alice |
| Recorded: | 2009 |
| Genre: | |
| Length: | 3:29 |
| Label: | Buena Vista |
| Producer: | Brian Ziff |
| Prev Title: | The Creationist |
| Prev Year: | 2009 |
| Next Title: | Army of Love |
| Next Year: | 2011 |
"Tea Party" is a song by Estonian singer Kerli. It is featured on the album Almost Alice, a multi-artist compilation album which features music inspired by the 2010 film Alice in Wonderland[1] released on March 2, 2010.[2]
"Tea Party" was released as a single from the Almost Alice soundtrack[3] through a maxi single featuring the song and six remixes that was released digitally on June 15, 2010.[4]
The music video, which is directed by Justin Harder, premiered on March 10, 2010.[5]
Kerli stated she wanted to create something "psychedelic [and] twisted" and inspired by the Alice in Wonderland film.[6]
Kerli stated it was intended that the song would never see its proper release as a single as she feels her upcoming second studio album is better and she "didn't want the label to fully go with something like 'Tea Party' as a single and then not push all the other stuff if 'Tea Party' didn't do everything they needed it to."[7] However, a remix single was given a digital release on June 15, 2010.[4] [8]
USA Today gave "Tea Party" a positive review while criticizing the Almost Alice album as a whole, citing it as "curiously meek" and stating the album lacked an Alice in Wonderland theme with the exception of "Tea Party": a "bouncy, innuendo-packed slice of dance pop that will have parents wondering how it slipped past Disney censors."[9]
About.com opined that the track "meld[s] the styles of Avril Lavigne and Lady Gaga for an energetic electro-pop number that seems uncharacteristic for her, despite how much fun it is."[10]
The Houston Chronicle gave Almost Alice a negative review along with "Tea Party", saying the song could have "benefited from a more adventurous arrangement".[11]
The music video is directed by Justin Harder and debuted on March 10, 2010.[5] It features Kerli throwing a lavish tea party with her guests in abstract make-up and costumes. It is revealed towards the end Kerli added a potion to the tea which causes the guests to turn into dolls which she collects and places on a shelf.
Kerli performed "Tea Party", "Walking on Air" and "Strange" at the Alice in Wonderland Ultimate Fan Event at the Hollywood and Highland Center on February 19, 2010. The performance was a promotion of the Alice in Wonderland film and its soundtrack.[12]
On May 26, 2010, Kerli performed "Tea Party" at the opening night of the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising exhibit for Walt Disney Studios in Los Angeles, California.[13]