"Get Sexy" is a song by British girl group

Sugababes Sugababes are a British girl group composed of Mutya Buena, Keisha Buchanan and Siobhán Donaghy. The lineup changed three times before returning to the original lineup in 2011. Formed in 1998 by All Saints manager Ron Tom, Sugababes releas ...

, taken from their seventh studio album, ''

Sweet 7 ''Sweet 7'' is the seventh studio album by British girl group Sugababes, released on 15 March 2010 by Island Records. Production for the album began in April 2009 and was completed in January 2010. ''Sweet 7'' is the only Sugababes album to feat ...

'' (2010). It was written by

Fred Fairbrass Right Said Fred are an English pop band formed by brothers Fred and Richard Fairbrass in 1989. They are best known for the hit 1991 song "I'm Too Sexy". Their achievements include number 1 hits in 70 countries including one US number 1, on ...

Richard Fairbrass Richard Peter John Fairbrass (born 22 September 1953) is an English singer, bassist and television presenter, best known as lead singer of the pop group Right Said Fred, which achieved two hits in the early 1990s with the singles "I'm Too Sexy" a ...

, Rob Manzoli, Philip Lawrence, Ari Levine,

Bruno Mars Peter Gene Hernandez (born October 8, 1985), known professionally as Bruno Mars, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is known for his stage performances, retro showmanship, and for performing in a wide range of musical ...

and produced by the latter three under their stage name

The Smeezingtons The Smeezingtons were an American songwriting and record production team consisting of Bruno Mars (born 1985), Philip Lawrence (born 1980), and Ari Levine (born May 5, 1984). The Smeezingtons were established in Los Angeles, California; their ...

. The song was released on 30 August 2009 as the album's lead single. Musically, "Get Sexy" is an

uptempo A variety of musical terms are likely to be encountered in printed scores, music reviews, and program notes. Most of the terms are Italian, in accordance with the Italian origins of many European musical conventions. Sometimes, the special mus ...

electropop Electropop is a hybrid music genre combining elements of electronic and pop genres. Writer Hollin Jones has described it as a variant of synth-pop with heavy emphasis on its electronic sound. The genre was developed in the 1980s and saw a r ...

song with influences of

dance Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoire ...

techno Techno is a Music genre, genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally music production, produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempo often varying between 120 and 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central Drum beat, rhythm is typ ...

and R&B. The song features an

interpolation In the mathematical field of numerical analysis, interpolation is a type of estimation, a method of constructing (finding) new data points based on the range of a discrete set of known data points. In engineering and science, one often has ...

of Right Said Fred's " I'm Too Sexy". It is the last single to feature founding member Keisha Buchanan. "Get Sexy" received mixed reviews from contemporary music critics; some reviewers criticised its lack of originality, while others praised its production and lyrics. The song peaked at number two on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

and number three on the

Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is the Republic of Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA) and compiled on their behalf by the Official Charts Company. Chart rankings are bas ...

. It also charted on the singles charts in Australia, Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Germany, Slovakia and Sweden. The song's accompanying music video was directed by

Emil Nava Emil William Capper Nava (born 29 March 1985) is a British music video director. After leaving school at 16, Emil started his career as a chef. He shot to fame after directing Jessie J's song " Do It Like A Dude". He has since directed over 1 ...

and features the group's members in a house of mirrors, a bird cage and a room covered in graffiti.

Background and release

In April 2009, Sugababes travelled to the United States to work on their seventh studio album, ''

''. They signed a contract with

Jay Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one o ...

's record label,

Roc Nation Roc Nation is an entertainment agency founded by Jay-Z in 2008. The company is headquartered in Manhattan and has additional offices in Los Angeles and London. Roc Nation comprises a comprehensive talent agency, sports agency, record label, mana ...

, resulting in working with high-profile producers . "Get Sexy", which was selected as the album's lead single, was written by

, Rob Manzoli, Philip Lawrence,

Ari Levine The Smeezingtons were an American songwriting and record production team consisting of Bruno Mars (born 1985), Philip Lawrence (born 1980), and Ari Levine (born May 5, 1984). The Smeezingtons were established in Los Angeles, California; their ...

and produced by the latter three under their stage name

. Working with The Smeezingtons was described by group member

Amelle Berrabah Amelle Berrabah (born 22 April 1984), also known as Amelle, is a British singer, best known for being a former member of the girl group the Sugababes, replacing founding member Mutya Buena, who left the group in December 2005. She achieved a so ...

as an "amazing" and "great opportunity". Berrabah also stated in an interview with ''Bang Showbiz'' that the song "doesn't sound like anything we have ever done before". The song premiered on

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance ...

on 7 July 2009 in a show presented by

Scott Mills Scott Robert Mills (born 28 March 1973) is an English radio DJ, television presenter and occasional actor. He is best known for presenting the '' Scott Mills'' show on BBC Radio 1 from 2004 to 2022 and since then, on BBC Radio 2. Mills has also ...

. In an interview for

Digital Spy Digital Spy (DS) is a British-based entertainment, television and film website and brand and is the largest digital property at Hearst UK. Since its launch in 1999, Digital Spy has focused on entertainment news related to television programmes, ...

, Keisha Buchanan said that the response to the song was great, saying: "From the beginning there's been a real buzz about the track. It's had a great response from so many people, even if they say, 'Forget about the rest of them, this one I love'." Later, on 27 September 2013, Buchanan said of the song, "I just didn't feel like that was a representation of who we were as a band but we didn't, at that point, have a lot of say." However, she also said she enjoyed working with Mars and would like to collaborate on a new song with him and founding Sugababes members Mutya Buena and

Siobhán Donaghy Siobhán Emma Donaghy (born 14 June 1984) is an English-Irish singer and songwriter. She is best known as a founding member of the girl group Sugababes. Donaghy left the Sugababes in 2001 and released her debut solo album, '' Revolution in Me'', ...

. "Get Sexy" was digitally released on 30 August 2009, while the CD single was made available the following day. Between the release of "Get Sexy" and " About a Girl", Buchanan left the group. As a result, "Get Sexy" was re-recorded along with a number of other tracks to feature the vocals of new member

Jade Ewen Jade Louise Ewen (born 24 January 1988) is a British singer, actress and a former member of the girl group Sugababes. She began her singing career in a girl group named Trinity Stone, which signed with Sony BMG in 2005 but disbanded in 2007 wit ...

in place of Buchanan for the release of ''Sweet 7'' in 2010.

Composition

"Get Sexy" is an

song, with

and R&B influences. David Balls and Nick Levine of

described it as an "electro-R&B club banger". The song has a length of three minutes and 14 seconds. The song was composed in the key of

E minor E minor is a minor scale based on E, consisting of the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. Its key signature has one sharp. Its relative major is G major and its parallel major is E major. The E natural minor scale is: : Changes needed ...

, with a beat set in

common time The time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, or measure signature) is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats (pulses) are contained in each measure (bar), and which note val ...

and a tempo moving at 124

beats per minute Beat, beats or beating may refer to: Common uses * Patrol, or beat, a group of personnel assigned to monitor a specific area ** Beat (police), the territory that a police officer patrols ** Gay beat, an area frequented by gay men * Battery ...

. "Get Sexy" makes use of techno synthesizers that are present immediately before the song's chorus, which has been described as "siren-peaked". Balls also called the song a "slamming dance anthem". "Get Sexy" features an

of Right Said Fred's song " I'm Too Sexy", which was composed by Christopher Fairbrass, Richard Fairbrass, and Robert Manzoli. It samples the trademark lyric, "I'm too sexy for my shirt, too sexy for my shirt, so sexy it hurts", but replaces "for my shirt" with "in this club". According to Digital Spy, in an interview with ''

Teletext A British Ceefax football index page from October 2009, showing the three-digit page numbers for a variety of football news stories Teletext, or broadcast teletext, is a standard for displaying text and rudimentary graphics on suitably equipp ...

'', Buchanan revealed that inspiration for the song came "by accident", saying: "The producers were messing around going, 'I'm too sexy for the studio'. We were like, 'That sounds cool', and he producersaid, 'You remember that Right Said Fred song?' We were like, 'Do you think we can do it?' By accident it came together." Balls and Levine compared the song to "

Boom Boom Pow "Boom Boom Pow" is a song recorded by American group the Black Eyed Peas for their fifth studio album '' The E.N.D.'' (2009). It was written by group members will.i.am, apl.de.ap, Taboo and Fergie, being produced by will.i.am. The song feat ...

" by

Black Eyed Peas Black Eyed Peas (also known as The Black Eyed Peas) is an American musical group consisting of rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap, Taboo. The group's line-up during the height of their popularity in the 2000s featured Fergie, who replaced Kim H ...

Critical reception

"Get Sexy" garnered mixed reviews from contemporary music critics. Caroline Sullivan of ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers '' The Observer'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the ...

'' described the song as a "grinding, fiercely catchy R&B number". David Balls of

gave the song a four out of five star rating, saying: "'Get Sexy' is a dancefloor stomper that nestles somewhere between 'Boom Boom Pow' and ' Bonkers' in its blend of electropop, techno and R&B sounds. It may not be massively original, nor an instant classic to rival '

About You Now "About You Now" is a song by British girl group Sugababes from their fifth studio album, ''Change'' (2007). Written and produced by Dr. Luke along with Cathy Dennis and Steven Wolf, it was released on 24 September 2007 by Island Records as the ...

' or ' Push the Button', but with a Right Said Fred-sampling hook, a thundering chorus and plenty of attitude – most noticeably from Amelle – it returns Sugababes right to the forefront of the pop landscape.'

Popjustice Popjustice is a music website founded in 2000 by UK freelance music journalist Peter Robinson, who has worked for '' NME'', ''The Guardian'', ''Attitude'' and many others. It is composed of the work of editor Robinson, features editor Michael Cr ...

positively reviewed "Get Sexy", saying "'Get Sexy' is a punchy, explosive pop single which while not being quite as adventurous as it thinks it could never be described as a pedestrian". Fraser McAlpine of BBC gave the single a mainly negative review, calling it a "mess" which has "not bothered to make it rhyme" in the way the original, ' I'm Too Sexy' did. McAlpine went on to say: "the 'shut up and watch me walk' bit is pilfered from the Ting Tings. .. melle's 'silly boys' bit – which is brilliant, by the way – may have more than a passing acquaintance with 'My Humps'. ..the chorus is desperate for someone to scream 'will.i.am drop the beat now'.

Chart performance

During the first week of its release, "Get Sexy" was ahead of its nearest competitor, "Run This Town", by Jay-Z featuring Rihanna and

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...

, at number one. Eventually, "Get Sexy" debuted at number two on the

, selling 55,707 copies in its first week of release. The song spent 9 weeks inside the UK Singles Chart. "Get Sexy" has sold 165,000 copies in the UK, making it their eighth best-selling single in that country. The single debuted and peaked at number three on the

, becoming the band's highest-charting single in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...

since "About You Now". It remained on the chart in the country for seven weeks. "Get Sexy" peaked at number 42 on the singles chart in Sweden, becoming the group's first single since "About You Now" to chart in the country. The song peaked at number 41 on the

German Singles Chart The GfK Entertainment charts are the official music charts in Germany and are gathered and published by GfK Entertainment (formerly Media Control and Media Control GfK International), a subsidiary of GfK, on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindust ...

and number 72 on the

Austrian Singles Chart Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen, see Austrian nationality law * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ...

. It also charted on the singles charts in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, both at number 48. The song also impacted the charts in Belgium, peaking at numbers 21 and 37 on the Flanders and Wallonia charts, respectively. "Get Sexy" also became the group's first single since "About You Now" to chart in Australia when it debuted at number 76 on the

Australian Singles Chart The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...

. The following week, it rose to its peak of number 75.

Music video

"Get Sexy"'s music video premiered on 1 August 2009 on

More4 More4 is a British free-to-air television channel, owned by Channel Four Television Corporation. The channel launched on 10 October 2005. Its programming mainly focuses on lifestyle and documentaries, as well as foreign dramas. Content When ...

. The video features Berrabah in a bird cage, Buchanan posing on a couch and Heidi Range in a

house of mirrors A house of mirrors or hall of mirrors is a traditional attraction at funfairs (carnivals) and amusement parks. The basic concept behind a house of mirrors is to be a maze-like puzzle. In addition to the maze, participants are also given mirror ...

shot at by intense light beams. During the chorus, all three members are seen standing together with chains around their waists and arms, tying them together. The video ends with the Sugababes in a room covered in

graffiti Graffiti (plural; singular ''graffiti'' or ''graffito'', the latter rarely used except in archeology) is art that is written, painted or drawn on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from s ...

. Popjustice praised the video, saying that it "seems to feature Sugababes 3.0 as 'the full package', and makes sense of this lineup, for the first time. This is a good thing."

Track listing

*Extended play (EP) # "Get Sexy" – 3:14 # "Get Sexy" (Max Sanna & Steve Pitron Mix) – 7:13 # "Get Sexy" (Bitrocka Remix) – 6:03 # "Get Sexy" (Superbass Vocal Mix) – 5:23 # "Get Sexy" ( Hadouken! Dub Remix) – 4:57 *CD single # "Get Sexy" – 3:14 # "Get Sexy" (Max Sanna & Steve Pitron Mix) – 7:13 # "Get Sexy" (Bitrocka Remix) – 6:03 # "Get Sexy" (Superbass Vocal Mix) – 5:23 *European CD single # "Get Sexy" – 3:14 # "Get Sexy" (Superbass Vocal Mix) – 5:23

Credits and personnel

songwriting A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music gen ...

, instruments, production * Philip Lawrence - songwriting, production *Ari Levine - songwriting, instruments, recording, mixing, production *

- songwriting *

- songwriting *Rob Manzoli - songwriting *

- production *Mike Stevens - additional vocal production *Marcus Byrne - additional vocal production *Jeremy Wheatley - additional vocal mixing *Richard Edgeler - additional vocal mixing Credits adapted from the liner notes of ''Sweet 7''.

Charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{authority control 2009 singles 2009 songs Dance-pop songs Island Records singles Song recordings produced by the Smeezingtons Songs written by Ari Levine Songs written by Bruno Mars Songs written by Philip Lawrence (songwriter) Sugababes songs Synth-pop songs