"Build a Bitch" is the debut single by Filipino-American

internet celebrity An Internet celebrity (also known as a social media influencer, social media personality, internet personality, or simply influencer) is a celebrity who has acquired or developed their fame and notability through the Internet. The rise of socia ...

Bella Poarch Denarie Taylor (born February 9, 1997), known professionally as Bella Poarch ( ), is a Filipino-born American singer and social media personality. On August 17, 2020, she created the most liked video on TikTok, in which she lip syncs to the so ...

from her debut

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

, ''Dolls'' (2022). The song was written by Poarch alongside David Arkwright, Justin Gammella,

Salem Ilese Salem Ilese Davern (born August 19, 1999) is an American singer-songwriter best known for her viral singles "Mad at Disney" and "PS5". She has also co-written songs for artists such as Bella Poarch and Demi Lovato. Originally from Mill Valley, ...

, Elie Rizk, and

Sub Urban A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area, which may include commercial and mixed-use, that is primarily a residential area. A suburb can exist either as part of a larger city/urban area or as a separa ...

, while produced by Arkwright, Gammella, Rizk, Sub Urban, and Stefan Max.

Warner Records Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...

released it on May 14, 2021 for digital download and

streaming Streaming media is multimedia that is delivered and consumed in a continuous manner from a source, with little or no intermediate storage in network elements. ''Streaming'' refers to the delivery method of content, rather than the content i ...

. After she achieved success on

TikTok TikTok, known in China as Douyin (), is a short-form video hosting service owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which can range in duration from 15 seconds to 10 minutes. TikTok is an international version ...

, Poarch signed a record deal with Warner in May 2021 to launch her music career. A dark-pop and

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' (G ...

track, Poarch revealed that the song is about one embracing oneself. A few

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 ...

have suggested that it also contains feminist themes. Upon release, "Build a Bitch" received positive reviews from music critics, who praised its sound. The song reached the top 10 in India, Malaysia, and Singapore. It also peaked within the top 30 in multiple countries, including Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. The song was awarded platinum certifications by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/ ...

(RIAA) and

Music Canada Music Canada (formerly Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA)) is a non-profit trade organization that was founded 9 April 1963 to represent the interests of companies that record, manufacture, produce, and distribute music in Canada. It ...

(MC) in the United States and Canada, respectively. An accompanying music video directed by Andrew Donoho was released alongside the single. It features a factory similar to a

Build-A-Bear Workshop Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. is an American retailer headquartered in Saint Louis, Missouri that sells teddy bears and other stuffed animals and characters. Customers go through an interactive process in which the stuffed animal of their choice ...

where men can create their ideal woman. Various internet celebrities appear in the visual, including

Valkyrae Rachell Hofstetter (born January 8, 1992), better known as Valkyrae, is an American Internet personality. She has been YouTube's most-watched female streamer since 2020, and appeared on ''Forbes 30 Under 30 list in 2022. She was named "Gami ...

and

Bretman Rock Bretman Rock Sacayanan Laforga (born July 31, 1998) is a Filipino-American beauty influencer and social media personality based in Honolulu, Hawaii. He rose to fame as a creator on YouTube and Vine after one of his contouring videos went ...

. The music video received nominations at the

2021 MTV Video Music Awards The 2021 MTV Video Music Awards were held on September 12, 2021, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York City. This marked the first time in eight years that the venue hosted the show. The show was hosted by hip-hop rapper and singer Doja ...

2021 UK Music Video Awards The 2021 UK Music Video Awards were held on 4 November 2021, at the Roundhouse in London to recognise the best in music videos and music film making from United Kingdom and worldwide, unlike last year's ceremony, the ceremony for this year is exp ...

, and

2022 iHeartRadio Music Awards The 2022 iHeartRadio Music Awards were held at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on March 22, 2022, and was broadcast live on Fox from 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM EDT. The ceremony was returned to its traditional March schedule after the last two ev ...

Background and release

Prior to joining the

online video platform An online video platform (OVP), provided by a video hosting service, enables users to upload, convert, store and play back video content on the Internet, often via a structured, large-scale system that may generate revenue. Users will generally u ...

, Poarch enrolled in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

when she was 17 and left it when she was 23. The celebrity joined the platform in January 2020 and in August, she published the most-liked TikTok video, which depicts her

lip synching 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 thr ...

to Millie B's "M to the B (Soph Aspin Send)". In May 2021, Poarch signed a record deal with

, stating in an interview with ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' that she "feel like hefound erfamily and part of that family is the label" and how Warner "has helped" several artists which "meant the most to er, including

Prince A prince is a Monarch, male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary title, hereditary, in s ...

Dua Lipa Dua Lipa ( , ; born ) is an English and Albanian singer and songwriter. Possessing a mezzo-soprano vocal range, she is known for her signature disco-pop sound. Lipa has received numerous accolades, including six Brit Awards, three Grammy ...

, and Madonna. "Build a Bitch" was released on May 14, 2021 by Warner for digital download and

in various countries. The aforementioned label also sent it for

radio airplay Airplay is how frequently a song is being played through broadcasting on radio stations. A song which is being played several times every day ( spins) would have a significant amount of airplay. Music which became very popular on jukeboxes, in ...

in Italy on May 24 and to

contemporary hit radio Contemporary hit radio (also known as CHR, contemporary hits, hit list, current hits, hit music, top 40, or pop radio) is a radio format that is common in many countries that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by ...

stations in the US on June 1.

Composition and lyrics

Musically, "Build a Bitch" has been described as a dark-pop and

song. Poarch co-wrote it with

, David Arkwright, Justin Gammella, and Elie Rizk, while the latter five produced it alongside Stefan Max. Jaycen Joshua mixed the track and Colin Leonard mastered it. Writing for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'',

Jon Pareles Jon Pareles (born October 25, 1953) is an American journalist who is the chief popular music critic in the arts section of ''The New York Times''.oarchas she points out that women aren't consumer products". Zoe Haylock from ''

Vulture A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including Condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to North a ...

'' observed that Poarch sings the

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song) or refrain, line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in which all verse ...

"to the lilting lullaby beat". A

hoax A hoax is a widely publicized falsehood so fashioned as to invite reflexive, unthinking acceptance by the greatest number of people of the most varied social identities and of the highest possible social pretensions to gull its victims into pu ...

later went viral on TikTok, accusing Poarch of stealing a composition by

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition r ...

for the song. Talking to ''Billboard'', she revealed that the song is mainly "about accepting yourself and embracing imperfections and your flaws", while also saying she wants "people to realize that

hey Hey or Hey! may refer to: Music * Hey (band), a Polish rock band Albums * ''Hey'' (Andreas Bourani album) or the title song (see below), 2014 * ''Hey!'' (Julio Iglesias album) or the title song, 1980 * ''Hey!'' (Jullie album) or the title s ...

don’t have to be perfect". In the song, Poarch references fictional character

Bob the Builder ''Bob the Builder'' is a British animated children's television series created by Keith Chapman for HIT Entertainment and Hot Animation. The series follows the adventures of Bob, a building contractor, specialising in masonry, along wi ...

, and dolls

Barbie Barbie is a fashion doll manufactured by American toy company Mattel, Inc. and launched on March 9, 1959. American businesswoman Ruth Handler is credited with the creation of the doll using a German doll called Bild Lilli as her inspiratio ...

and Ken. ''

I-D ''i-D'' is a British bimonthly magazine published by Vice Media, dedicated to fashion, music, art and youth culture. ''i-D'' was founded by designer and former ''Vogue'' art director Terry Jones in 1980. The first issue was published in the for ...

'' George Griffiths declared that Poarch "coos over the unrealistic standards men hold women to", while Robin Murray of '' Clash'' opined that the song "focusses on

female empowerment Women's empowerment (or female empowerment) may be defined in several ways, including accepting women's viewpoints, making an effort to seek them and raising the status of women through education, awareness, literacy, and training.Kabeer, Naila ...

". During the

nursery rhyme A nursery rhyme is a traditional poem or song for children in Britain and many other countries, but usage of the term dates only from the late 18th/early 19th century. The term Mother Goose rhymes is interchangeable with nursery rhymes. From ...

chorus, the singer affirms, "This ain't build a bitch / You don't get to pick and choose."

Reception

The song was met with positive reviews from

who complimented its sound. Griffiths deemed it "bratty" and "a candy-coated pop track". Pareles declared that "Poarch is making a move into her own music nd'Build a Bitch' comes across cute and furious". Haylock called the track " cutesy pop song". ''Billboard'' Jason Lipshutz considered it "an audacious, darkly comic slice of new-school pop". Hattie Collins of ''

Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine ** ''Vogue China'', ...

'' said that the song "demonstrates both her innate musical talent and ambitions as an artist" and noted Poarch is "deftly dismantling the impossible standards of beauty that we are put under". Collins also noted that "Build a Bitch" is "incredibly catchy". The track was used in around a million videos on TikTok within a week following its release. On the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, "Build a Bitch" debuted at number 58 on the week ending May 29, 2021. The song reached its peak position of 56 two weeks later, and attained a platinum certification from the

(RIAA) in the US. "Build a Bitch" reached the top ten in India, Malaysia, and Singapore. It further peaked within the top 30 in Australia, Czech Republic, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, New Zealand, Norway, Slovakia, and on the ''Billboard'' Global 200. The track also reached the top 30 in Canada and United Kingdom, where it received a platinum certification from

(MC) in the former and a silver one in the latter from the

British Phonographic Industry British Phonographic Industry (BPI) is the British recorded music industry's Trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards, the Classic BRIT Awards, National Album Day, is home to the Mercury Prize, and co-owns the Official Charts Company wi ...

. In Poland, the song reached number 60 and was certified diamond by the

Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry The Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry ( pl, Związek Producentów Audio-Video, ZPAV) is the trade organization that represents the interests of the music industry in Poland, and the Polish chapter of the International Federation of th ...

(ZPAV).

Music video

Directed by Andrew Donoho, the

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 devi ...

for "Build a Bitch" premiered alongside the single on May 14, 2021. The video depicts a factory where men can create their ideal woman, akin to a

. Poarch subsequently begins a revolution and burns the factory down, escaping to freedom. The music video features cameos from several internet celebrities such as

Larray Larri Merritt (born July 22, 1998), professionally known as Larray, is an American YouTuber and social media influencer. He produces comedic video content on his YouTube channel, and is part of the collaborative TikTok collective known as The Hy ...

, and

ZHC The ZHC () is a test held by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security of the People's Republic of China to test Chinese citizens' proficiency in Mandarin Chinese. Purpose and history This exam tests the candidates’ ability to use Ch ...

. Speaking to ''Vogue'', Poarch admitted that she "really believe the people in the video embody the message of the song and being imperfect, being different, being themselves".

Reception

Griffiths deemed the video to be "provocative", while Haylock found the song to "juxtapose" with the visual. Griffiths and Pareles compared the video to American

dystopian A dystopia (from Ancient Greek δυσ- "bad, hard" and τόπος "place"; alternatively cacotopiaCacotopia (from κακός ''kakos'' "bad") was the term used by Jeremy Bentham in his 1818 Plan of Parliamentary Reform (Works, vol. 3, p. 493). ...

science fiction, neo-

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US * Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that i ...

television series ''

Westworld ''Westworld'' is an American science fiction-thriller media franchise that began with the 1973 film ''Westworld'', written and directed by Michael Crichton. The film depicts a technologically advanced Wild-West-themed amusement park populate ...

'', with Haylock further comparing Poarch to the series' character, Dolores Abernathy. Within less than a week, it received 70 million views on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second most ...

. The music video received nominations for

Best Visual Effects This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress# ...

at the

, for Best Pop VideoInternational at the

, and Best Music Video at the

Personnel

Credits adapted from

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 dat ...

. *Bella Poarchlead vocals, songwriter *David Arkwrightsongwriter, producer *Justin Gammellasongwriter, producer *

songwriter *Jaycen Joshua mixing *Colin Leonard mastering *Stefan Maxexecutive producer *Elie Rizksongwriter, producer *

songwriter, producer

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{Authority control 2021 debut singles 2021 songs Bella Poarch songs Body image in popular culture Songs with feminist themes Songs written by Bella Poarch Warner Records singles