Turn Up the Music (Chris Brown song)
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"Turn Up the Music" is a song by American recording artist Chris Brown. It was written by Alexander "Fuego" Palmer, Brown, Damon Thomas, Harvey Mason Jr., Michael "Mike J" Jimenez,
Terence Coles Terence DeCarlo Coles (born January 5, 1990), also known as T-Coles and De'Carlo, is a Brazilian-born American songwriter and recording artist who is credited with co-writing a number of successful songs by various artists. Early life Terence ...
and Agent X, while production was handled by Fuego and The Underdogs. "Turn Up the Music" was sent to contemporary hit radio playlists in the United States on February 7, 2012, as the
lead single A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. Release s ...
from Brown's fifth studio album '' Fortune'' (2012). It was released for digital download on February 10, 2012. "Turn Up the Music" 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 ...
song which draws from the genres of electronic dance and house. Instrumentation consists of pulsating
beat 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 (c ...
s,
synth A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and ...
esizers, a "throbbing bass" and
percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Ex ...
. According to Mason Jr., the song's inspiration came from visualizing Brown as an artist, "how he dances and how he performs, and giving him something to match that energy." "Turn Up the Music" garnered positive reviews from
music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...
, who complimented its production and compared the song to Brown's previous singles "
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" (2008) and "
Yeah 3x "Yeah 3x" (pronounced "Yeah three times", "Yeah Yeah Yeah", or “Yeah three-x”); sometimes stylized as "Yeah 3X") is a song by American singer Chris Brown, which features American producer DJ Frank E as an uncredited featured artist, and wa ...
" (2010), for its similar musical direction. Critics also noted its similarities to the work of
LMFAO LMFAO (an initialism for Laughing My Freaking Ass Off or Laughing My Fucking Ass Off) are an American electronic dance music duo consisting of Redfoo and Sky Blu. Redfoo is the youngest son of Motown Records founder Berry Gordy and Nancy Le ...
and
David Guetta Pierre David Guetta ( , ; born 7 November 1967) is a French DJ and music producer. He has over 10 million album and 65 million single sales globally, with more than 10 billion streams. In 2011, 2020 and 2021, Guetta was voted the number one D ...
. "Turn Up the Music" achieved commercial success worldwide, becoming Brown's first number one single 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 his eleventh top ten single on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart. The song also reached the top ten in Australia and New Zealand, and the top twenty in Canada, Hungary, Ireland and Slovakia. It was certified double platinum by the
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(ARIA), and gold by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ). The accompanying
music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...
for "Turn Up the Music" was directed by Godfrey Taberez and Brown, and filmed in
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, California. It features Brown at a party filled with masked people, where he performs heavily choreographed dance routines. The video garnered positive reception from critics, for its series of dance sequences which were compared to
Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...
. It won
Best Male Video The MTV Video Music Award for Best Male Video was one of four original general awards that have been handed out every year since the first MTV Video Music Awards in 1984. In 2007, though, the award was briefly renamed Male Artist of the Year, and ...
and Best Choreography at the
2012 MTV Video Music Awards The 2012 MTV Video Music Awards, hosted by Kevin Hart, took place on Thursday, September 6, 2012, honoring the best music videos from the previous year. The awards were broadcast from the Staples Center arena at L.A. Live in Downtown Los Angeles. ...
, and earned Taberez and Brown a nomination for Video Director of the Year at the
2012 BET Awards The 12th BET Awards were held at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California on July 1, 2012. The awards recognize Americans in music, acting, sports, and other fields of entertainment over the past year. Actor Samuel L. Jackson hosted the ev ...
. Brown promoted the song with live performances on televised shows and awards ceremonies, including '' Dancing with the Stars'', ''
Today Today (archaically to-day) may refer to: * Day of the present, the time that is perceived directly, often called ''now'' * Current era, present * The current calendar date Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Today'' (1930 film), a 1930 ...
'', the
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halftime show, the 54th Grammy Awards, the
2012 Billboard Music Awards The 2012 ''Billboard'' Music Awards is a music award ceremony that was held on May 20, 2012 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. It aired on ABC at 8:00/7:00 PM central. The show was hosted by ''Modern Family''s Julie Bowen and T ...
and the
2012 BET Awards The 12th BET Awards were held at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California on July 1, 2012. The awards recognize Americans in music, acting, sports, and other fields of entertainment over the past year. Actor Samuel L. Jackson hosted the ev ...
. He also included the song in his
set list A set list, or setlist, is typically a handwritten or printed document created as an ordered list of songs, jokes, stories and other elements an artist intends to present during a specific performance. A setlist can be made of nearly any materi ...
at
Supafest Supafest was an annual music festival held in Australia during April, created by Paper Chase Touring and Entertainment PTY LTD. It started in 2010, spreading out to in five major capital cities (Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney), t ...
Australia. The official remix of "Turn Up the Music" premiered online on February 20, 2012, and features Brown's former girlfriend Rihanna.


Background and release

"Turn Up the Music" was written by Alexander "Fuego" Palmer, Chris Brown, Damon Thomas, Harvey Mason Jr., Michael "Mike J" Jimenez, Terence Cole and Agent X. Production for the song was handled by Fuego and The Underdogs. The
mixing engineer A mixing engineer (or simply mix engineer) is responsible for combining ("mixing") different sonic elements of an auditory piece into a complete rendition (also known as "final mix" or "mixdown"), whether in music, film, or any other content of a ...
ing process was completed by John Hanes with assistance by Phil Seaford, while the
audio mixing Audio mixing is the process by which multiple sounds are combined into one or more channels. In the process, a source's volume level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated or enhanced. This practical, aesthetic ...
was completed by Serban Ghenea. "Turn Up the Music" was recorded at
The Record Plant The Record Plant is a recording studio established in New York City in 1968 and currently operating in Los Angeles, California. Known for innovations in the recording artists' workspace, it has produced highly influential albums, including Blon ...
in
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, California and Mason Sound in
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by Andrew Hey and Brian Springer with assistance by Iain Findley. In an interview with MTV News, Mason Jr. revealed that inspiration for the song came from visualizing Brown as an artist. He explained, "The inspiration was really him as an artist, visualizing how he dances and how he performs, and giving him something to match that energy." On January 25, 2012, Brown announced via his official
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account that the
lead single A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. Release s ...
from his fifth studio album '' Fortune'' would be called "Turn Up the Music", tweeting "New FORTUNE single coming 1/26!!! TURN UP THE MUSIC!!!!". It replaced "Biggest Fan" and "One Of Those Nights", which had each previously been announced as the
lead single A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. Release s ...
. The following day, both the single and its artwork were posted online, showing Brown wearing an unbuttoned shirt and a fedora, while words in different languages are displayed. "Turn Up the Music" was officially sent to contemporary hit radio playlists in the United States on February 7, 2012. It was released as a one-track digital download in Oceania and most European countries on February 10, 2012. However, in the United Kingdom, "Turn Up the Music" was released as a three-track digital download on March 25, 2012, which contained Brown's previous single "
Strip Strip or Stripping may refer to: Places * Aouzou Strip, a strip of land following the northern border of Chad that had been claimed and occupied by Libya * Caprivi Strip, narrow strip of land extending from the Okavango Region of Namibia to ...
" and the Invaderz remix of "
Yeah 3x "Yeah 3x" (pronounced "Yeah three times", "Yeah Yeah Yeah", or “Yeah three-x”); sometimes stylized as "Yeah 3X") is a song by American singer Chris Brown, which features American producer DJ Frank E as an uncredited featured artist, and wa ...
" (2010). It was also released as a two-track
CD single A CD single (sometimes abbreviated to CDS) is a music single in the form of a compact disc. The standard in the Red Book for the term ''CD single'' is an 8 cm (3-inch) CD (or Mini CD). It now refers to any single recorded onto a CD of any si ...
in Germany on April 6, 2012, including "Strip" as a B-side. An unofficial remix of "Turn Up the Music" made by
DJ Pauly D Paul Michael DelVecchio Jr. (born July 5, 1980), known as Pauly D and DJ Pauly D, is an American television personality and DJ. He is best known for being a cast member of MTV's reality show ''Jersey Shore''. In 2011, he made a three-album dea ...
, premiered on Ryan Seacrest's morning radio show ''
On Air with Ryan Seacrest ''On Air with Ryan Seacrest'' is a weekday syndicated radio program hosted by Ryan Seacrest. It was launched in 2004 as a drive time show at the same time on Los Angeles Top 40 station 102.7 KIIS-FM as the television show with the same name, ...
'' on February 14, 2012. The official remix of "Turn Up the Music" premiered online on February 20, 2012, and features Brown's former girlfriend Rihanna. Brown previously hinted via Twitter that Rihanna would be the featured artist on the remix, after rumors that he would feature on the remix of her single "
Birthday Cake A birthday cake is a cake eaten as part of a birthday celebration. Birthday cakes are often layer cakes with frosting served with small lit candles on top representing the celebrant's age. Variations include cupcakes, cake pops, pastries, an ...
" (2012) sparked media controversy, due to the fact that Brown physically assaulted Rihanna before a Pre- Grammy Awards party in 2009. The remix marks the first collaboration from the two singers since they last collaborated on " Bad Girl" (2009).


Composition and lyrics

"Turn Up the Music" 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 ...
electronic dance, and house song, which last for a duration of three minutes and forty-nine seconds.
Instrumentation Instrumentation a collective term for measuring instruments that are used for indicating, measuring and recording physical quantities. The term has its origins in the art and science of scientific instrument-making. Instrumentation can refer to ...
is provided by pulsating beats, synthesizers and
percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Ex ...
. '' Rap-Up'' described the production as "synth-heavy". The song opens with Brown singing "Turn up the music cause the sun just came up / Turn up the music if they try to turn us down / Turn up the music cause I'm trying to hear the speakers blow / Turn up the music, fill your cup and drink it down". It is then followed by repeated chants of "If you're sexy and you know it put your hands up in the air". Jason Lipshutz of '' Billboard'' noted that the chanting was a reference to
LMFAO LMFAO (an initialism for Laughing My Freaking Ass Off or Laughing My Fucking Ass Off) are an American electronic dance music duo consisting of Redfoo and Sky Blu. Redfoo is the youngest son of Motown Records founder Berry Gordy and Nancy Le ...
's "
Sexy and I Know It "Sexy and I Know It" is a hit song by American duo LMFAO from their second studio album, '' Sorry for Party Rocking''. It was released as the third single from the album on September 16, 2011. The song was written by Stefan Kendal Gordy, GoonRoc ...
" (2011). Andy Kellman of
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...
likened the song to
Baltimora Baltimora was an Italian music project from Milan, active from 1984 to 1987. They are best known for their 1985 single " Tarzan Boy" and are often considered a one-hit wonder in the United Kingdom and the United States. In other European countri ...
's "
Tarzan Boy "Tarzan Boy" is the debut single by Italian-based act Baltimora. The song was written by Maurizio Bassi and Naimy Hackett, and released in 1985 as the lead single from Baltimora's debut album '' Living in the Background''. The song was re-rec ...
" (1985). It is written in a key of C# major and composed with a tempo of 130
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 ...


Music video


Background and development

The accompanying
music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...
for "Turn Up the Music" was directed by Godfrey Taberez and Brown, and filmed in Los Angeles, California on February 1–2, 2012. It was produced by Andrew Listermann of Riveting Entertainment. On February 2, 2012, Brown revealed details about the video via his official Twitter account, tweeting "I'll let you guys judge but this Turn Up the music video hands down is probably my best video by far!!!". Several images from the shoot were leaked online the same day, showing Brown in the passenger seat of a
classic car A classic car is an older car, typically 25 years or older, though definitions vary.While other languages, such as German and Dutch, may refer to classic cars as "oldtimers", this usage is unknown in English, where "old-timer" refers to an elder ...
, and standing shirtless on top of a vehicle with a group of people. Another image showed one of the dancer's face covered with a "wild mask". A behind-the-scenes video clip was posted online on February 14, 2012. The video showed Brown, dressed in a black suit, performing dance routines with several backup dancers in a club, surrounded by people wearing animal heads. Another scene showed Brown dancing in the rain and in the streets. The music video premiered online on February 17, 2012, and features a cameo appearance by hip hop trio The Rej3ctz.


Synopsis

The video is set at night and opens with Brown, dressed in a black suit, drinking alcohol in the streets, before hailing a futuristic hover-cab. Brown asks the cab driver to take him to the best spot in town. He then asks the driver to turn up the air conditioner because he's hot, but the driver turns up the music instead, while wearing a
horse The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million yea ...
mask A mask is an object normally worn on the face, typically for protection, disguise, performance, or entertainment and often they have been employed for rituals and rights. Masks have been used since antiquity for both ceremonial and pra ...
on his head. As the song begins, Brown exits the cab and arrives at a street party filled with people wearing animal heads. He then enters a club, where he performs the first dance sequence in the video with his male
backup dancer A backup dancer also known as background dancer is a performer who dances with or behind the lead performers in a live musical act or in a music video. Their movements (especially where there are many moving together) improve the visual aesthetic ...
s. During the first chorus, Brown arrives inside the main room of the club filled with flashing lights and people dancing while wearing animal heads. After a hat gets tossed to him by one of his dancers in the crowd, Brown and his backup dancers perform another dance sequence as the queen of the party watches them from her perch. These party scenes are intercut with scenes of Brown dancing alone in another room surrounded by flashing lights and speakers in the background. During the second chorus, Brown enters another room surrounded by people in animal heads, and performs the third dance sequence in the video with his backup dancers. Towards the end of the chorus, Brown and his dancers appear back inside the main room and continue dancing. At one point, the video is slowed down as Brown and his dancers do
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. In other scenes, he is seen dancing alone with a cane in a rain-filled room, wearing white dress pants, a black tank top and a fedora. Brown then splits into three people, comes back together, takes off his shirt and throws it at the camera, causing its
lens A lens is a transmissive optical device which focuses or disperses a light beam by means of refraction. A simple lens consists of a single piece of transparent material, while a compound lens consists of several simple lenses (''elements ...
to crack.


Reception

The music video received positive reviews from critics. ''Rap-Up'' called the video "electrifying" and complimented the "slickly-choreographed routines" performed by Brown. Andrew Martin of ''Prefix'' magazine praised Brown's "killer dance moves". Katie Hasty of HitFix gave the video a positive review, writing "there is a serious series of sweeping dance shots that may impress the hating-est of haters". Jacob Moore of ''Complex'' magazine noted that the dance party scenes is what "you'd expect from a Breezy video". Meena Rupani of
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felt that the video took her "into a whole different world" that reminded her of the films ''
Eyes Wide Shut ''Eyes Wide Shut'' is a 1999 erotic mystery psychological drama film directed, produced, and co-written by Stanley Kubrick. It is based on the 1926 novella '' Traumnovelle'' (''Dream Story'') by Arthur Schnitzler, transferring the story's set ...
'' (1999) and ''
Men in Black In popular culture and UFO conspiracy theories, men in black (MIB) are purported men dressed in black suits who claim to be quasi- government agents, who harass, threaten, or sometimes even assassinate unidentified flying object (UFO) witnesse ...
'' (1997). Rupani also described it as "extremely futuristic and looks like it belongs in the year 2030". Jocelyn Vena of MTV News called it an "eye-popping video" and noted that there were several outfits Brown wore that paid homage to
Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...
. A reviewer for Capital FM praised Brown's "impressive dance routines" and noted that it was "similar to that of a Michael Jackson show". This was echoed by Amy Sciarretto of PopCrush who wrote that Brown's dance routines were "quite reminiscent of Michael Jackson and his classic, dance-driven videos". Joey of WXRK found the video to "be a hybrid between Michael Jackson's '
Smooth Criminal "Smooth Criminal" is a song by the American singer Michael Jackson, released on November 14, 1988, as the seventh single from his seventh album, '' Bad'' (1987). It was written by Jackson and produced by Jackson and Quincy Jones. The lyrics add ...
', a party that Ke$ha would be at, and that scene from '' Fame'' when everyone is dancing in the streets on top of cabs and cars". The video earned Brown and Taberez a nomination for Video Director of the Year at the 2012 BET Awards. It won
Best Male Video The MTV Video Music Award for Best Male Video was one of four original general awards that have been handed out every year since the first MTV Video Music Awards in 1984. In 2007, though, the award was briefly renamed Male Artist of the Year, and ...
and Best Choreography at the
2012 MTV Video Music Awards The 2012 MTV Video Music Awards, hosted by Kevin Hart, took place on Thursday, September 6, 2012, honoring the best music videos from the previous year. The awards were broadcast from the Staples Center arena at L.A. Live in Downtown Los Angeles. ...
. On September 19, 2012, the video received a nomination at the 2012
Soul Train Music Awards The Soul Train Music Awards is an annual music awards show which previously aired in national broadcast syndication, and honors the best in African-American culture, music and entertainment. It is produced by the makers of '' Soul Train'', the p ...
for Best Dance Performance.


Live performances

"Turn Up the Music" was performed live for the first time at the 54th Grammy Awards ceremony, which took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California on February 12, 2012. Brown performed the song as part of a medley with " Beautiful People" from '' F.A.M.E.'' (2011). He was dressed in a white and gray varsity jacket, white pants and sparkling sneakers. Brown and his backup dancers performed heavily choreographed routines to "Turn Up the Music" atop a collection of blocks, which changed from colors red to blue to yellow and green. He then sang "Beautiful People" as he jumped across the blocks, while the dancers followed in a high-flying routine. The performance ended when Brown saluted to the audience before he took a bow. Rob Markman of MTV News noted that the blocks "resembled the 1980s arcade game
Q*bert ''Q*bert'' (also known as ''Qbert'') is an arcade video game developed and published for the North American market by Gottlieb in 1982. It is a Video game graphics, 2D action game with Puzzle video game, puzzle elements that uses Isometric video ...
", while Evelyn McDonnell of ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...
'' noted that Brown
lip-synched Lip sync or lip synch (pronounced , the same as the word ''sink'', short for lip synchronization) is a technical term for matching a speaking or singing person's lip movements with sung or spoken vocals. Audio for lip syncing is generated th ...
his performance. Andrew Martin of ''Prefix'' magazine wrote that it was one of the worst performances at the Grammy Awards due to the fact that he lip-synched. The performance was made available for download via the
iTunes Store The iTunes Store is a digital media store operated by Apple Inc. It opened on April 28, 2003, as a result of Steve Jobs' push to open a digital marketplace for music. As of April 2020, iTunes offered 60 million songs, 2.2 million apps, 25,00 ...
in the United States on February 15, 2012. Brown performed a shortened version of "Turn Up the Music" during the halftime show of the
2012 NBA All-Star Game The 2012 NBA All-Star Game was an exhibition basketball game that was played on February 26, 2012, during the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2011–12 season. It was the 61st edition of the NBA All-Star Game, and was played at the Amw ...
in
Orlando Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures re ...
on February 26, 2012. In April 2012, Brown performed the song during his set at
Supafest Supafest was an annual music festival held in Australia during April, created by Paper Chase Touring and Entertainment PTY LTD. It started in 2010, spreading out to in five major capital cities (Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney), t ...
Australia, as part of a
set list A set list, or setlist, is typically a handwritten or printed document created as an ordered list of songs, jokes, stories and other elements an artist intends to present during a specific performance. A setlist can be made of nearly any materi ...
, which included "
Run It! "Run It!" is the debut single by American recording artist Chris Brown. It was produced by Scott Storch and written by Sean Garrett alongside guest artist Juelz Santana. The song appeared on his debut studio album, '' Chris Brown'', and was r ...
", "Yeah 3x", " Look at Me Now", "
She Ain't You "She Ain't You" is a song by American recording artist Chris Brown. The Tempo, mid-tempo Contemporary R&B, R&B record was written by Brown, Jean Baptiste Kouame, Jean Baptiste, Ryan Buendia, Kevin McCall and Jason Boyd, and was produced by Free ...
", " Wet the Bed", "
Body 2 Body "Body 2 Body" is the third official single from rapper Ace Hood from his third album Blood, Sweat & Tears. The hip hop song features R&B singer Chris Brown and was released July 26, 2011. Critical reception David Jeffries praised the track: "Co ...
" and "Birthday Cake". ''Rap-Up'' wrote that "A tatted Chris Brown thrilled with his chart-topping hits". On May 8, 2012, Brown performed the song on '' Dancing with the Stars''. He later performed "Turn Up the Music" at the
2012 Billboard Music Awards The 2012 ''Billboard'' Music Awards is a music award ceremony that was held on May 20, 2012 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. It aired on ABC at 8:00/7:00 PM central. The show was hosted by ''Modern Family''s Julie Bowen and T ...
ceremony, which took place at the
MGM Grand Garden Arena The MGM Grand Garden Arena (originally known as the MGM Grand Garden Special Events Center) is a 17,000-seat multi-purpose arena located within the MGM Grand Las Vegas on the Las Vegas Strip. Sporting events From its opening on December 18, 1993 ...
in Paradise, Nevada on May 20, 2012. Brown wore a leopard fur-lined jacket, waxed pants,
Air Jordan Air Jordan is an American brand of basketball shoes produced by American corporation Nike. The first Air Jordan shoe was produced for Hall of Fame former basketball player Michael Jordan during his time with the Chicago Bulls in late 1984 an ...
sneakers and a bandana. The performance began when Brown entered the stage on a fluorescent bike and asked his astronaut doll to activate the fun zone. The fluorescent and graffitied-drawn backdrop then lit up as several dancers appeared onstage and performed with Brown, while "
BMX bike A BMX bike is an off-road sport bicycle used for racing or stunt riding. BMX mean''s bicycle'' ''motocross''. Construction Though originally denoting a bicycle intended for BMX racing, the term "BMX bike" is now used as a generic term to ...
riders performed several high-flying tricks" on bike ramps behind them. The performance received a mixed response from celebrities, most notably Joe Jonas,
Pink Pink is the color of a namesake flower that is a pale tint of red. It was first used as a color name in the late 17th century. According to surveys in Europe and the United States, pink is the color most often associated with charm, politeness, ...
and Carey Hart, who all criticized Brown for lip-synching. On June 8, 2012, Brown performed "Turn Up the Music" on ''
Today Today (archaically to-day) may refer to: * Day of the present, the time that is perceived directly, often called ''now'' * Current era, present * The current calendar date Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Today'' (1930 film), a 1930 ...
'' as part of its Summer Concert Series, for which he wore a
New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...
cap, a multicolored Snow Beach Polo jacket, black jeans and white sneakers. The set list also included " Don't Wake Me Up", "Yeah 3x" and "Forever". Brown later performed a medley of "Turn Up the Music" and "Don't Wake Me Up" at the
2012 BET Awards The 12th BET Awards were held at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California on July 1, 2012. The awards recognize Americans in music, acting, sports, and other fields of entertainment over the past year. Actor Samuel L. Jackson hosted the ev ...
ceremony on July 1, 2012, for which he appeared shirtless for the performance with half his body spray painted in grey. Brown performed acrobatic moves with six backup dancers "under triangle-shaped beams" as green and red flashing lights appeared throughout the stage. Georgette Cline of ''The Boombox'' wrote that Brown "put on an energetic show" and described his dance routines during the performance as "eye-catching".


Critical reception

"Turn Up the Music" garnered positive reviews from
music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...
, who complimented its production. Christina Garibaldi of MTV News noted that the song is similar to "Yeah 3x", and that it "is destined to get people in the clubs and on the dance floor". Georgette Cline of ''The Boombox'' described it as a "dance-inspired track" that "will undeniably move partygoers to showcase their best moves". Liz Barker of MTV Buzzworthy described it as an "undeniably dance floor-ready" track that "deserves to be played at maximum decibels". Jim Farber of the '' Daily News'' viewed "Turn Up the Music" as one of the standout tracks on ''Fortune''. A reviewer for ''Rap-Up'' described "Turn Up the Music" as a "party anthem" that "is bound to become the soundtrack for clubgoers everywhere". Bryan of radio station WNOW-FM wrote that the song sees Brown taking his "music to the next level!". Mark Iraheta of ''
Complex Complex commonly refers to: * Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe ** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...
'' magazine called "Turn Up the Music" a "soon-to-be smash" that will see Brown making "substantial damage on the Top 100 charts". Robbie Daw of
Idolator An idolator is a practitioner of idolatry. Idolater or Idolator may also refer to: Books *''Os Idólatras'', 1968 Portuguese novel by Maria Judite de Carvalho Music * Idolator (website), an American music blog * ''Idolator'' (album), third album ...
described the song as "energetic" and wrote that it follows in the footsteps of Brown's past hits "
Forever Forever or 4ever may refer to: Film and television Films * ''Forever'' (1921 film), an American silent film by George Fitzmaurice * ''Forever'' (1978 film), an American made-for-television romantic drama * ''Forever'' (1992 film), an American ...
" (2008) and "Yeah 3x", "but with more dancefloor urgency". Daw concluded by writing that the song "should please the same crowd" that listen to the music of LMFAO, Kesha and
Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta ( ; born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenag ...
. Melinda Newman of
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described "Turn Up the Music" as a cousin to LMFAO's "
Party Rock Anthem "Party Rock Anthem" is a song by American music duo LMFAO, featuring British singer Lauren Bennett and American music producer GoonRock. It was released as the first single from their second album '' Sorry for Party Rocking'' in 2011. The sin ...
" (2011), and called it "an absolute smash". Scott Shelter of PopCrush awarded the song three and a half stars out of four, and noted its similarities to the work of
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and LMFAO. Shetler also commented that the production was lacking originality and the song "isn't going to blow anyone away from a lyrical perspective". Andrew Martin of ''Prefix'' magazine was critical of the song, writing that it sounds like a left over track from Guetta's album ''
Nothing but the Beat ''Nothing but the Beat'' is the fifth studio album by French DJ and record producer David Guetta, released on 26 August 2011. Released as a double album, the first disc features collaborations with artists from the R&B, hip hop and pop worlds s ...
'' (2011). At the
2012 BET Awards The 12th BET Awards were held at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California on July 1, 2012. The awards recognize Americans in music, acting, sports, and other fields of entertainment over the past year. Actor Samuel L. Jackson hosted the ev ...
, "Turn Up the Music" was nominated for the Viewer's Choice Award.


Chart performance

In Australia, "Turn Up the Music" debuted on the ARIA Singles Chart at number thirteen on February 20, 2012, becoming the highest new entry for that week. The song also entered the ARIA Urban Singles Chart at number six. The following week, "Turn Up the Music" ascended to number six on the ARIA Singles Chart and number four on the ARIA Urban Singles Chart. The song was certified double platinum by the
Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) is a trade association representing the Australian recording industry which was established in the 1970s by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing ...
(ARIA), denoting shipments of 140,000 units. In New Zealand, "Turn Up the Music" debuted and peaked at number nine on February 20, 2012, and spent 11 weeks in the chart. The song was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ), denoting shipments of 7,500 copies. In the United States, "Turn Up the Music" entered the
Pop Songs Pop Airplay (also called Mainstream Top 40, Pop Songs, and Top 40/ CHR) is a 40-song music chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' Magazine that ranks the most popular songs of pop music being played on a panel of Top 40 radio stations in the Un ...
chart at number 36 on the chart dated February 25, 2012, becoming the highest debut for that week. It also gained airplay and entered the Radio Songs chart at number 71. Following Brown's performance of the song at the 54th Grammy Awards, "Turn Up the Music" debuted on the Digital Songs chart at number nine on the chart dated March 3, 2012, with 180,000 copies sold. That same week, the song debuted and peaked at number ten on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, giving Brown his eleventh top ten single on the chart. "Turn Up the Music" also saw a 27% increase in airplay to 21 million audience impressions, moving from number 71 to number 56 on the Radio Songs chart. On the chart dated March 24, 2012, the song peaked at number 24 on the Radio Songs chart. As of August 2012, "Turn Up the Music" has sold a million digital copies in the United States. In Canada, "Turn Up the Music" entered the Canadian Hot 100 at number 38 on the chart dated March 3, 2012. It peaked at number nineteen on April 14, 2012, and spent four weeks in the chart. "Turn Up the Music" also reached the top twenty in some European countries. It peaked at number fifteen on the Hungarian Airplay Chart, and number 20 on the Slovak Airplay Chart. On the Irish Singles Chart, "Turn Up the Music" peaked at number 12 and spent 18 weeks in the chart. In the United Kingdom, the song first charted on March 10, 2012, in a cover version by Beautiful People, reaching the top 100. On April 7, 2012, the Chris Brown version, having sold 83,777 copies in its first week, became Brown's first UK number one single. That same week, it also debuted at number one on the
Scottish Singles Chart The Scottish Albums Chart is a chart compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC) which is based on how physical and digital sales towards the UK Albums Chart fare in Scotland. The official singles chart for Scotland, the Scottish Singles Chart, ...
. "Turn Up the Music" has sold 273,000 copies in the UK as of December 2012.


Formats and track listing

*;Digital download #"Turn Up the Music" – 3:49 *;Digital download – Live at the 54th Grammy Awards #"Turn Up the Music" / "Beautiful People" – 4:07 #"Turn Up the Music" / "Beautiful People" – 4:07 *;German CD single #"Turn Up the Music" – 3:49 #"Strip" – 2:49 *;UK digital download #"Turn Up the Music" – 3:49 #"Strip" – 2:49 #"Yeah 3x" – 4:05


Credits and personnel

*Chris Brown – lead vocals,
songwriter 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 ...
*Terence Cole – songwriter *Iain Findley – assistant recorder *
Serban Ghenea Șerban Ghenea (born October 13, 1969) is a Grammy award-winning Romanian-Canadian audio engineer and mixer. Early life and education Ghenea was born in Bucharest, Romania in 1969. In 1976 he moved to Montreal with his family. He later attended ...
– mixer *John Hanes – mix engineer *Andrew Hey – recorder *Michael "Mike Jay" Jiminez – songwriter, background vocals *Alexander "Fuego" Palmer – songwriter, producer *Phil Seaford – assistant mix engineer *Brian Springer – recorder *The Underdogs – songwriter, producer *Greg Bonnick, Leon Price and Hayden Chapman (Agent X) – songwriters Sources:


Charts


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


Certifications

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Release history


See also

* List of number-one hits of 2012 (Scotland) * List of number-one hits of 2012 (UK)


References

{{Authority control 2012 singles Chris Brown songs Electronic dance music songs Hi-NRG songs House music songs Number-one singles in Scotland UK Singles Chart number-one singles MTV Video Music Award for Best Male Video Songs about dancing Songs about music Song recordings produced by the Underdogs (production team) 2012 songs RCA Records singles Songs written by Damon Thomas (record producer) Songs written by Harvey Mason Jr. Songs written by Greg Bonnick Songs written by Hayden Chapman