Barbie World
"Barbie World" | ||||
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Single by Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice with Aqua | ||||
from the album Barbie: The Album | ||||
Released | June 23, 2023 | |||
Recorded | 2023 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 1:49 | |||
Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) | RiotUSA | |||
Nicki Minaj singles chronology | ||||
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Ice Spice singles chronology | ||||
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Aqua singles chronology | ||||
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Barbie singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Barbie World" on YouTube |
"Barbie World" is a song by Trinidadian rapper Nicki Minaj and American rapper Ice Spice from Barbie: The Album, the soundtrack of the film Barbie (2023). It was released by Atlantic Records, 10K Projects, and Capitol Records as the soundtrack's third single on June 23, 2023. The song was serviced to United States radio on June 27, 2023. "Barbie World" heavily samples the 1997 single "Barbie Girl" by Danish Europop band Aqua, who are credited as performers and co-writers in the song.
Background
Artists
In 1997, Danish-Norwegian band Aqua released "Barbie Girl", a song about two dolls manufactured by Mattel named Barbie and Ken.[2] The song was a massive success, thrusting the band into worldwide fame.[3][4] According to Stephen Thomas Erlewine, "Barbie Girl" was an "inexplicable pop culture phenomenon",[5] and Bree Player of Marie Claire wrote it helped solidify the Barbie doll as a cultural icon.[6] However, Mattel reacted negatively to "Barbie Girl" and sued Aqua's US label MCA Records, claiming the band violated their trademark and the lyrics' sexually suggestive nature stained the company's reputation as a child-friendly brand.[7]
Since the beginning of her career, rapper Nicki Minaj has made the Barbie doll a significant part of her public persona.[8][9][10] A widely known aspect of her artistry is her use of alter egos,[11][12] one of whom is named Harajuku Barbie. Through this alter ego, Minaj showcases her feminine, fashion-savvy side[13] with wigs, makeup, and nails that are bright and vibrant in color.[14] Her Barbie image extends to her fanbase's name, the "Barbz", derived from Harajuku Barbie's name.[15] Mattel has interacted with Minaj once: the two worked on a custom-made Harajuku Barbie-inspired doll auctioned for a charity for people affected with HIV/AIDS.[16] When compiling the soundtrack, Barbie music supervisor George Drakoulias said: "We always wanted Nicki Minaj."[17]
Film
In April 2022, it was announced that the Greta Gerwig-directed live-action Barbie film would be released on July 21, 2023.[18] Fans expected "Barbie Girl" to feature in the film. However, Ulrich Møller-Jørgensen, manager for Aqua lead singer Lene Nystrøm, stated that it was not used. Variety speculated that this was due to bad relations between Mattel and MCA Records.[19]
Music and lyrics
In an episode of Minaj's Queen Radio show, Minaj revealed that Ice Spice had invited her to collaborate on the song; she accepted her offer as she felt it was the first time the song had been interpolated "in a way that didn't make [Minaj] uncomfortable or gimmicky".[20] She figured out "it needed to be a beat that would still [embody] Barbie & Nicki [...]".[20] She also assured fans would be impressed by producer RiotUSA's "reimagined twist" on "Barbie Girl".[21]
The song combines syncopated beats and loud bass drums[22] with a sample of Aqua's "Barbie Girl".[23][20] specifically, the production loops vocals from the band's Lene Nystrøm.[22] Due to the sample, Aqua received performing and writing credits on the song.[23][24] Per Kyle Denis of Billboard, "Barbie World" incorporates elements of two hip hop subgenres, Jersey club and drill, fusing the sounds with Minaj's and Ice Spice's specific musical styles.[20]
The song begins with back-and-forth rapping between Ice Spice ("And I'm bad like the Barbie") and Minaj ("I'm a doll but I still wanna party"). The two namedrop Jazzie, Stacie, and Nikki, three dolls who canonically are Barbie's sister, cousin, and friend, respectively. The Nikki namedrop doubly acts as a reference to Minaj. Afterwards, Minaj raps, "all of the Barbies is bad".[25] One of the lyrics, teased at the end of the film's trailer, reads "it's Barbie, bitch, if you still in doubt".[26] As observed by Natalee Gilbert of XXL, Minaj came up with "it's Barbie, bitch" as a way to say goodbye to people, influenced by her alter ego, Harajuku Barbie.[27]
Release
In May 2023, a second trailer for the film was released, which featured a snippet of a new song with vocals from Minaj. Media speculated the composition to be a remix of "Barbie Girl".[28][29] On May 25, Barbie: The Album, the soundtrack to the film, was announced.[30] Minaj and fellow rapper Ice Spice were revealed among multiple artists to be performing new original material on the record.[31] Following the tracklist release, it was confirmed that the new song was a collaboration between Minaj and Ice Spice, titled "Barbie World".[32]
On June 10, both rappers announced the song's release date as June 23, 2023, marking the fourth single from the film's soundtrack.[33] Minaj previewed "Barbie World" twice on her social media, on June 12 and 22.[34][35] It marks the second collaboration between Minaj, Ice Spice, and producer RiotUSA, following the remix of "Princess Diana" (2023).[20]
Commercial performance
In the United States, "Barbie World" debuted at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 with 16.2 million streams, 37,000 digital downloads sold, and 4.7 million airplay audience—matching the peak of "Barbie Girl". With this, Minaj extended her record for the most top-ten entries by a female rapper (23); she also tied Whitney Houston as the woman with the sixth-most top-tens on the chart. The song also became Ice Spice's fourth and Aqua's second top-ten. As Aqua's second top-ten, it marked the sixth-longest gap between two top 10s in the chart's history, with a span of almost 26 years. It additionally marked the second-longest gap among groups and the longest since Nat King Cole's "The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas to You)" in 2022 (59 years, 6 months).[36] It went on to become Ice’s third and Minaj’s second song to top the United States Spotify chart and first since Bang Bang in 2014.[37]
The song also debuted atop the Digital Songs chart, becoming Minaj's 16th, Ice Spice's second, and Aqua's first number-one.[36]
Music video
The music video for "Barbie World" was released to YouTube on June 23, 2023. Hannah Lux Davis directed the visual, which stars Minaj and Ice Spice in Barbie-like attires in a fictitious Barbie Dreamhouse.[38]
Track listings
- Streaming/digital download
- "Barbie World"
- Streaming/digital download – Versions[39]
- "Barbie World" (explicit)
- "Barbie World" (clean)
- "Barbie World" (extended)
- "Barbie World" (sped up)
- "Barbie World" (slowed down)
- "Barbie World" (instrumental)
- "Barbie World" (music video)
Personnel
All credits are adapted from CD liner notes of Barbie: The Album.[40]
- Onika Maraj – songwriter
- Naija Gaston – songwriter
- Ephrem Louis "RiotUSA" Lopez Jr. – songwriter, producer
- Søren Rasted – songwriter
- Johnny Pederson – songwriter
- Claus Norreen – songwriter
- Karsten Dahlgaard – songwriter
- René Dif – songwriter
- Lene Nystrøm – songwriter
- Aubry "Big Juice" Delaine – additional production, Nicki Minaj vocal engineering
- Serban Ghenea – mixing
- Bryce Bordone – assistant mix engineer
Charts
Chart (2023) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australia (ARIA)[41] | 3 |
Australia Hip Hop/R&B (ARIA)[42] | 2 |
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[43] | 22 |
Canada CHR/Top 40 (Billboard)[44] | 47 |
France (SNEP)[45] | 157 |
Global 200 (Billboard)[46] | 12 |
Greece International (IFPI)[47] | 40 |
Hungary (Single Top 40)[48] | 20 |
Iceland (Plötutíðindi)[49] | 29 |
Ireland (IRMA)[50] | 21 |
Lithuania (AGATA)[51] | 35 |
Netherlands (Single Tip)[52] | 12 |
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[53] | 25 |
Nigeria (TurnTable Top 100)[54] | 84 |
Portugal (AFP)[55] | 151 |
South Africa (Billboard)[56] | 17 |
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[57] | 64 |
UK Singles (OCC)[58] | 20 |
UK Hip Hop/R&B (OCC)[59] | 8 |
US Billboard Hot 100[60] | 7 |
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[61] | 3 |
US Pop Airplay (Billboard)[62] | 30 |
US Rhythmic (Billboard)[63] | 19 |
Release history
Region | Date | Format(s) | Version | Label(s) | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Various | June 23, 2023 | Single | [64] | ||
June 26, 2023 | Versions EP | [39] | |||
United States | June 27, 2023 | Contemporary hit radio | Single |
|
[65] |
Rhythmic contemporary radio | [66][67] |
References
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The new track puts Spice and Nicki's complementary flows over a bombastic trap beat from RIOTUSA that sticks close to its source material: Aqua's 1997 classic "Barbie Girl."
- ^ Hyman, James (September 13, 1997). "Hot Vinyl" (PDF). Music Week, in RM (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). p. 4. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
- ^ "'Barbie Girl' Hitmakers Aqua Still Have Their Sights Set on More Success in the States". Peoplemag. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
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- ^ a b c d e Denis, Kyle (June 23, 2023). "Nicki Minaj & Ice Spice Welcome Us To 'Barbie World': Stream It Now". Billboard. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
- ^ Pointer, Flisadam (June 11, 2023). "The 'Barbie World' Sample Isn't 'Cheesy', According To Nicki Minaj". Uproxx. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
- ^ a b Anderson, Carys (June 23, 2023). "Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice take us to "Barbie World" for Barbie soundtrack: Stream". Consequence. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
- ^ a b Singh, Surej (June 12, 2023). "Ice Spice and Nicki Minaj confirm release date for 'Barbie World'". NME. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
- ^ Corrine, Amber (June 12, 2023). "Nicki Minaj And Ice Spice Announce "Barbie World" Collab Release Date". Vibe. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
- ^ Mier, Tomás (June 23, 2023). "Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice Revive Aqua's Hit With 'Barbie World' Video". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
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- ^ Gilbert, Natalee (June 12, 2023). "Nicki Minaj teases new song with Ice Spice for Barbie movie". XXL. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
- ^ Wratten, Marcus (May 26, 2023). "Barbie fans are going wild for one epic moment from the new trailer". PinkNews. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
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- ^ Aramesh, Waiss (May 25, 2023). "Dua Lipa, Lizzo, Ice Spice, Charli XCX, and Even Ryan Gosling Feature on 'Barbie' Soundtrack". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
- ^ Chelosky, Danielle (May 25, 2023). "Nicki Minaj & Ice Spice Will Unite For A 'Barbie Girl' Remake". Uproxx. Retrieved May 25, 2023.
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- ^ Jones, Cierra (June 22, 2023). "Nicki Minaj drops a snippet of her Aqua-sampled single with Ice Spice". Revolt. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
- ^ a b Trust, Gary (July 3, 2023). "Morgan Wallen Adds 13th Week Atop Hot 100, Nicki Minaj, Ice Spice & Aqua Debut in Top 10". Billboard. Retrieved July 3, 2023.
- ^ "Spotify Charts - Spotify Charts are made by fans". charts.spotify.com. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
- ^ Strauss, Matthew (June 23, 2023). "Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice Share Video for New Song "Barbie World (With Aqua)": Watch". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
- ^ a b Minaj, Nicki; Spice, Ice (June 26, 2023). "Barbie World (with Aqua) [From Barbie The Album] [Versions] - EP". Apple Music (US). Archived from the original on June 26, 2023. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
- ^ Barbie The Album (Media notes). Various artists. Atlantic Records. 2023.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ "ARIA Top 50 Singles Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. July 31, 2023. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
- ^ "ARIA Top 40 Hip Hop/R&B Singles Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. July 31, 2023. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
- ^ "Nicki Minaj Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
- ^ "Nicki Minaj Chart History (Canada CHR/Top 40)". Billboard. Retrieved July 10, 2023.
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- ^ "IRMA – Irish Charts". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
- ^ "2023 30-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. July 28, 2023. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
- ^ "Dutch Single Tip 01/07/2023". dutchcharts.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved July 1, 2023.
- ^ "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. July 24, 2023. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
- ^ "TurnTable Nigeria Top 100: 7 July 2023 – 13 July 2023". TurnTable. Archived from the original on July 22, 2023. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
- ^ "Nicki Minaj & Ice Spice with Aqua – Barbie World". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
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- ^
- Minaj, Nicki; Spice, Ice (June 23, 2023). "Barbie World (with Aqua) [From Barbie The Album] – Nicki Minaj & Ice Spice". Apple Music. Archived from the original on June 23, 2023. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
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{{cite web}}
:|archive-date=
/|archive-url=
timestamp mismatch; June 22, 2023 suggested (help) - ^ "CROSSOVER: YOUR RADIO ADD RECAPS". HITS Daily Double. June 27, 2023. Archived from the original on July 6, 2023. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
- ^ "Nicki Minaj, Ice Spice & Aqua's "Barbie World" Ranks As Most Added Song At Pop, Rhythmic Radio". Headline Planet. June 27, 2023. Archived from the original on July 6, 2023. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
{{cite web}}
:|archive-date=
/|archive-url=
timestamp mismatch; June 27, 2023 suggested (help)
- Barbie
- 2023 songs
- 2023 singles
- Nicki Minaj songs
- Ice Spice songs
- Aqua (band) songs
- Songs written by Nicki Minaj
- Songs written by Ice Spice
- Songs written by Claus Norreen
- Songs written by Søren Rasted
- Songs written by René Dif
- Songs written by Lene Nystrøm
- Atlantic Records singles
- Capitol Records singles
- Music videos directed by Hannah Lux Davis