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Starships (song)

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"Starships" is a song by Trinidadian-American hip hop artist Nicki Minaj from her second studio album Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded. It premiered during On Air with Ryan Seacrest and was released as the lead single from the album on the same day. It was produced by RedOne, Carl Falk and Rami Yacoub. The song was released for digital download on February 14, 2012.

"Starships"
Song

"Starships" debuted at number 9 on the Billboard Hot 100, marking her second solo arrival in the Top 10 of the chart, after "Super Bass" (#3, 2011). The song has thus far peaked at number 6 in the US. In the United Kingdom, the track debuted at number 16 - reaching a peak of number 3 for the week ending March 17, 2012 - marking Minaj's highest charting single as a solo artist in the region, also becoming the highest charting song by a female rapper in UK chart history.[4]

Background and recording

Minaj said about the song: "'Starships' is one of my absolute, absolute favorite records on Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded. It just sounds like a Ryan Seacrest-type of record. And I'm so excited for you to give this song your blessing, Ryan, because I know people are gonna love it. It feels right. It just feels good. It makes people feel happy and that's all I want. I want to start the year off with making people feel good. The [Grammy] performance was the performance, that was my clear craziness, and now it's time to make people dance and have fun, and that’s all I want to do". In a separate interview, she gave further details on the recording of the track: "There was so much love surrounding the making of the song, because RedOne is just so sweet to work with, he just sent me that one day, and he said, 'Hey, I got something for you!' I was like, 'You got to be kidding me, right?' I went to the studio and started writing ... scratch that ... I didn't even write the first verse! That was just me mumbling and just saying the first thing that came to my head, and we recorded it, because I just felt like: 'Let's go to the beach ... let's go get away.' It was just so good. It feels good!"[5]

Composition

 
"Starships"
A 21 second sample of the song's chorus, which features similar background vocals to Britney Spears' "Till the World Ends".[6]
Problems playing this file? See media help.

"Starships" is a multi-genre song,[3] which heavily utilizes Eurodance,[1] Europop,[2] and Euro house,[3] while also incorporating other genres such as pop,[3] dance,[2] reggae,[7] pop rock,[8] and hip hop.[9] After the chorus, there is a '90s-influenced Eurodance breakdown, which some critics have compared to the likes of Europop groups 2 Unlimited and C+C Music Factory. During the final Breakdown, a stadium football chant can be heard chanting the lead notes of the song. The background vocals on the chorus were considered extremely similar to Britney Spears' 2011 single "Till the World Ends" by Scott Schettler of Popcruch.[6] Jocelyn Vena of MTV also said that "it's hard not to see Spears' influence on the rapper/singer when listening to the song."[10]

Critical reception

The song received positive reviews. Los Angeles Times said that "The new single will undoubtedly divide Minaj's fan base. Longtime fans may want the cypher queen they fell in love with when she was young and hungry on the mixtape circuit, while her newer, sugar pop-loving delegation will likely crave the quirkier verses -- and cotton candy-colored wigs -- of today's Minaj".[11] MTV said that "The song not only is pure pop perfection, but RedOne's influence is evident, thanks to its grinding Euro dance beats", adding that "It is certainly the perfect song for those who enjoyed shaking their groove thang to "Super Bass" The lighthearted, feel-good vibe of the song is perfect for casual Barbz to blast. It's hard not to see Britney Spears' influence on the rapper/singer when listening to the song, and given that the two toured together last year, Minaj may be trying to remind her pop fans that she has an ear for what they want."[12] Entertainment Weekly gave a negative review, stating that it's "super clubby and contains almost no rapping, which continues Minaj's push into the complete opposite direction she should be heading."[13]

Music video

In early March 2012, a fan asked Minaj on Twitter if there will be a video for Starships. She quickly replied, " Yes. Of course barbz. Don't be silly".[14] According to Nickidaily.com, Minaj's assistant Safaree Samuels streamed on UStream that a video for "Starships" will be released before the album comes out.[15] Minaj started filming the video on March 13, 2012 in Hawaii. Like the "Super Bass" video, it will have lots of eye candy, the treatment calls for lots of skin, swimsuits, and male models. The director is Anthony Mandler.[16] Photos of the video leaked online showing Minaj in a pink bikini and female back-up dancers. Another set of photos leaked showing Minaj rolling in the sand wearing the same pink bikini. The video is set to be released in the next couple of weeks.

Live performance

On February 26, 2012, Minaj performed the single live for the first time along with "Moment 4 Life", "Turn Me On" and "Super Bass" at the 2012 NBA All-Star Game.

Track listing

Digital Download (Clean or Explicit)

  1. "Starships" - 3:31

Charts and certifications

Release history

Country Date Format
United States[35] February 14, 2012 Radio premiere, digital download
Canada[36] Digital download
United Kingdom[37]
Ireland[38]
Belgium[39] February 15, 2012 Digital download
Spain[40]
Finland[41]
Italy[42]
Luxembourg[43]
Netherlands[44]
New Zealand[45]
Norway[46]
Austria[47]
Portugal[48]
Singapore[49]
United States[50][51] February 21, 2012 Mainstream and Rhythmic radio
Germany[52] April 6, 2012 CD-single

References

  1. ^ a b Vena, Joceyln (February 14, 2012). "Nicki Minaj Shows Off 'Big Talent' On 'Starships'". MTV. Viacom. Retrieved February 15, 2012.
  2. ^ a b c Sherman, Maria (February 14, 2012). "Nicki Minaj Debuts New Single 'Starships': Listen". Billboard. Rovi. Retrieved February 15, 2012.
  3. ^ a b c d Vena, Joceyln (February 14, 2012). "Nicki Minaj Drops Fist-Pumping 'Starships' Single". MTV. Viacom. Retrieved February 15, 2012.
  4. ^ "Breaking: Nicki Minaj Becomes Highest Charting Female Rapper In UK History". ThatGrapeJuice. March 11, 2012. Retrieved 2012-03-11.
  5. ^ http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1679255/nicki-minaj-starships.jhtml
  6. ^ a b Shetler, Scott (February 14, 2012). "NICKI MINAJ, 'STARSHIPS' – SONG REVIEW". PopCrush. Retrieved February 18, 2012.
  7. ^ Florino, Rick (February 16, 2012). "Nicki Minaj "Starships" Song Review — 5 out of 5 stars". Artist Direct. Rogue. Retrieved February 16, 2012.
  8. ^ Kennedy, Gerrick (February 14, 2012). "Nicki Minaj's 'Starships' reaffirms her pop star aims". LA Times. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 16, 2012.
  9. ^ Anderson, Kyle (February 14, 2012). "Nicki Minaj releases new song 'Starships': Hear it here". Entertainment Weekly. CNN. Retrieved February 16, 2012.
  10. ^ Vena, Jocelyn (February 14, 2012). "Nicki Minaj Shows Off 'Big Talent' On 'Starships'". MTV. MTV Networks. Retrieved February 19, 2012.
  11. ^ [http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2012/02/nicki-minaj-starships-pop-star-aims.html
  12. ^ http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1679255/nicki-minaj-starships.jhtml
  13. ^ http://music-mix.ew.com/2012/02/14/nicki-minaj-starships-new-single/
  14. ^ "@NickiMinaj Tweets". Retrieved March 11, 2012.
  15. ^ "Nicki Minaj 'Pink Friday Roman Reloaded' Tracklist Will Be Revealed Next Week!". March 10, 2012. Retrieved March 11, 2012.
  16. ^ http://www.rap-up.com/2012/03/14/nicki-minaj-flies-to-hawaii-for-starships-video/
  17. ^ "Nicki Minaj – Starships". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  18. ^ "Top 40 Urban Albums & Singles Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Archived from the original on 2012-03-11.
  19. ^ "Brasil Hot 100 Airplay". Billboard Brasil (Brasil: bpp) (2): 80. 25 March 2012. ISSN 977-217605400-2
  20. ^ "Brasil Hot Pop & Popular Songs". Billboard Brasil (Brasil: bpp) (2): 97. March, 2011. ISSN 977-2159605400-2
  21. ^ [1]
  22. ^ Starships in the French Singles Chart
  23. ^ "Chart Track: Week 10, 2012". Irish Singles Chart.
  24. ^ "Nicki Minaj – Starships" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  25. ^ "Nicki Minaj – Starships". Top 40 Singles.
  26. ^ "Nicki Minaj – Starships". VG-lista.
  27. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  28. ^ "Nicki Minaj – Starships". Singles Top 100.
  29. ^ "Nicki Minaj – Starships". Swiss Singles Chart.
  30. ^ "Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company.
  31. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  32. ^ Trust, Gary (2012-02-22). "Katy Perry's 'Part of Me' Debuts Atop Hot 100". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved 2012-02-22.
  33. ^ http://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100#/song/nicki-minaj/starships/28188714
  34. ^ http://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100#/song/nicki-minaj/starships/28188714
  35. ^ http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/starships/id502736189?i=502736191&ign-mpt=uo%3D2
  36. ^ http://itunes.apple.com/ca/album/starships/id502736189?i=502736191&ign-mpt=uo%3D2
  37. ^ http://www.hmvdigital.com/artist/nicki-minaj/starships-1
  38. ^ http://itunes.apple.com/ie/album/starships-single/id502855340
  39. ^ http://fr-be.7digital.com/artist/nicki-minaj/release/starships
  40. ^ http://es.7digital.com/artist/nicki-minaj/release/starships
  41. ^ http://fi.7digital.com/artist/nicki-minaj/release/starships
  42. ^ http://it.7digital.com/artist/nicki-minaj/release/starships
  43. ^ http://lu.7digital.com/artist/nicki-minaj/release/starships
  44. ^ http://nl.7digital.com/artist/nicki-minaj/release/starships
  45. ^ http://nz.7digital.com/artist/nicki-minaj/release/starships
  46. ^ http://no.7digital.com/artist/nicki-minaj/release/starships
  47. ^ http://at.7digital.com/artist/nicki-minaj/release/starships
  48. ^ http://pt.7digital.com/artist/nicki-minaj/release/starships
  49. ^ http://sg.7digital.com/artist/nicki-minaj/release/starships
  50. ^ http://www.webcitation.org/65VL6MUYZ
  51. ^ http://www.webcitation.org/query?id=1329425476750151&date=%400&fromform=1
  52. ^ http://www.amazon.de/Starships-2-Track-Nicki-Minaj/dp/B007II41IO/ref=sr_1_5?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1331304596&sr=1-5
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