"Alibi" is a song by Iranian-Dutch artist

Sevdaliza Sevda Alizadeh (; born 1 September 1987), known professionally as Sevdaliza, is an Iranian-Dutch singer, songwriter, record producer, visual artist, and director. In 2015, she released two EPs, ''The Suspended Kid'' and ''Children of Silk''. Whil ...

, Brazilian singer

Pabllo Vittar Phabullo Rodrigues da Silva (born 1 November 1993), known professionally as Pabllo Vittar (), is a Brazilian drag queen and singer. Life and career 1993–2016: Early life Born in São Luís, Maranhão, São Luís, Phabullo is a fraternal twi ...

and French singer-songwriter Yseult. It was released on 28 June 2024 through Twisted Elegance as the fourth single from Sevdaliza's upcoming third studio album, ''Heroina''. It samples Colombian musician

Magín Díaz Magín Díaz García (30 December 1922 – 28 November 2017) was a Colombian musician and composer. He is best known for performing traditional music from the Caribbean coast of Colombia and for composing several popular songs. He is particularly ...

's song "Rosa", a version of the Cuban son "Rosa, qué linda eres", first recorded by the Sexteto Habanero Godínez in 1918. Musically, "Alibi" is an

alternative pop Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...

song with

club Club may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Club'' (magazine) * Club, a ''Yie Ar Kung-Fu'' character * Clubs (suit), a suit of playing cards * Club music * "Club", by Kelsea Ballerini from the album ''kelsea'' Brands and enterprises * ...

-influenced production that incorporates elements of various

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

genres, including

funk carioca Funk carioca (), also known as baile funk and Brazilian funk, or even simply funk, is a Brazilian hip hop music, hip hop-influenced music genre from Rio de Janeiro, taking influences from musical styles such as Miami bass and Freestyle music, f ...

reggaeton Reggaeton (, ) is a modern style of popular music, popular and electronic music that originated in Panamanian reggaetón, Panama during the late 1980s, and which rose to prominence in the late 1990s and early 2000s through a plethora of Puert ...

, and

bullerengue Bullerengue is a traditional musical genre and dance from the Caribbean region of Colombia and the Darién Province in Panama. It is sung and preserved primarily by elderly women, accompanied by local artisan drums, and developed in the Palenque ...

. Commercially, "Alibi" peaked at number 16 on the ''Billboard'' Global 200 and reached the top 10 in Brazil, France, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Poland, Romania and Switzerland. In the United States, the song debuted at number 95 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, earning all three artists their first entries on the chart. Vittar became the second

drag queen A drag queen is a person, usually male, who uses Drag (entertainment), drag clothing and makeup to imitate and often exaggerate Femininity, female gender signifiers and gender roles for entertainment purposes. Historically, drag queens have ...

ever to chart on the Hot 100 after

RuPaul RuPaul Andre Charles (born November 17, 1960) is an American drag queen, television host, singer, producer, writer, and actor. He produces, hosts, and judges the reality competition series ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' and has received List of awards ...

. A remix version of "Alibi" was released on 6 September 2024, with the addition of the Brazilian singer

Anitta Anitta may refer to: *Anitta (king), Hittite king *Anitta (singer) Larissa de Macedo Machado (born 30 March 1993), known professionally as Anitta (), is a Brazilian singer, songwriter, dancer, actress, and occasional television host. One of Br ...

. Another remix of the song by Dutch DJ

Tiësto Tijs Michiel Verwest (; born 17 January 1969), known professionally as Tiësto ( , ), is a Dutch DJ and record producer. He was voted "The Greatest DJ of All Time" by ''Mix (magazine), Mix'' magazine in a 2010/2011 poll amongst fans. In 2013, h ...

followed on 29 November 2024.

Background and release

"Alibi" is an "operatic"

murder ballad Murder ballads are a subgenre of the traditional ballad form dealing with a crime or a gruesome death. Their lyrics form a narrative describing the events of a murder, often including the lead-up and/or aftermath. The term refers to the conten ...

. Music critics described it as a "

-focused"

song, though it also experiments with

rhythms such as

, and

. With lyrics sung in French, English, Spanish, and Portuguese, it incorporates ominous bass tones and a heavy syncopated beat. While each performer contributes with a verse in the song, the chorus samples the song "Rosa" by Colombian musician

. A song also performed by fellow Colombian artists

Carlos Vives Carlos Alberto Vives Restrepo (born 7 August 1961) is a Colombians, Colombian singer, songwriter and actor. One of the List of best-selling Latin music artists, best-selling Latin music artists of all time, with over 20 million records world ...

and

Totó la Momposina Sonia Bazanta Vides (born 1 August 1940), better known as Totó la Momposina, is a Colombian singer of Afro-Colombian and Indigenous descent. She reached international attention with the release of her 1993 album '' La Candela Viva'' on Peter Ga ...

, "Rosa" is a version of the Cuban son "Rosa, qué linda eres". Before its commercial release, "Alibi" went viral globally on

TikTok TikTok, known in mainland China and Hong Kong as Douyin (), is a social media and Short-form content, short-form online video platform owned by Chinese Internet company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which may range in duration f ...

, earning over one million creations on the app. In less than three weeks, the song surpassed 35 million streams on

Spotify Spotify (; ) is a List of companies of Sweden, Swedish Music streaming service, audio streaming and media service provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. , it is one of the largest providers of music streaming services ...

Reception

Rosie Long Decter, writing for ''Billboard Canada'', described "Alibi" as an "enticing tribute to womanhood, with a menacing undertone." Josh Sharpe of ''

BroadwayWorld BroadwayWorld is a theatre news website based in New York City, New York. Launched in 2003, the site covers Broadway, Off-Broadway, regional, and international theater productions, with sections devoted to particular countries, cities, or regi ...

'' saw the song as a "passionate and emotive continuation" of Sevdaliza's artistry in an "exploration of the divine female energy", amplified by "the shared experiences of all three artists".

Charts

Weekly charts

Monthly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Notes

References

{{Authority control 2024 songs 2024 singles Pabllo Vittar songs Macaronic songs Number-one singles in Portugal Number-one singles in Romania Number-one singles in Turkey Reggaeton songs