"Electric" is a song by American singer

Katy Perry Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984), known professionally as Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. She is one of the List of best-selling music artists, best-selling music artists in hist ...

from the '' Pokémon 25'' soundtrack album (2021). It was released on May 14, 2021, by

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007), and simply known as Capitol, is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-base ...

as the second single from the album. It is an

electropop Electropop is a popular music fusion genre combining elements of the electronic and pop styles. It has been described as a variant of synth-pop with emphasis on a hard electronic sound. The genre was developed in the 1980s and saw a rev ...

ballad written by Perry,

Jon Bellion Jonathan David Bellion (born December 26, 1990) is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, and record producer. He was born and raised in Lake Grove, New York on Long Island. He is best known for his 2016 single "All Time Low," which peaked at ...

, Lucas Marx, Rachel Kanner, Al Calderon, and the producers Jordan Johnson, Oliver "German" Peterhof and Stefan Johnson of

the Monsters & Strangerz The Monsters & Strangerz are an American production and songwriting team from Miami, Florida. The team features The Monsters: Alexander " Eskeerdo" Izquierdo, Stefan Johnson, and Jordan K. Johnson and The Strangerz: Marcus "Marc Lo" Lomax and Cla ...

and Bruce Wiegner. Accompanying video was directed by

Carlos López Estrada Carlos López Estrada (born September 12, 1988) is a Mexican-American filmmaker, music video director, commercial director, theatre director, and actor. Born in Mexico, he moved to the United States when he was 12 and later enrolled at Chapman ...

. In it, Perry and

Pikachu Pikachu (; Japanese: , Hepburn: ) is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's ''Pokémon'' media franchise, and the franchise's mascot. First introduced in the video games ''Pokémon Red'' and ''Blue'', it was created by Atsuko N ...

assist younger versions of themselves. The younger version of Perry is played by Meili Aspen Caputo. Commercially, "Electric" charted in the low-tier positions of ''

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 ...

''-published

Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music industry record chart in Canada for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' magazine. It was launched on the issue dated March 31, 2007 as the standard record chart in Canada; a new chart ...

(number 97) and

Global 200 The Global 200 is the list of ecoregions identified by the World Wide Fund for Nature ( WWF), the global conservation organization, as priorities for conservation. According to WWF, an ecoregion is defined as a "relatively large unit of land or w ...

(number 120). It entered digital component charts in the United States and Germany.

Background and composition

On January 13, 2021, it was announced that the celebration of the 25th anniversary of Japanese media franchise ''

Pokémon is a Japanese media franchise consisting of List of Pokémon video games, video games, Pokémon (TV series), animated series and List of Pokémon films, films, Pokémon Trading Card Game, a trading card game, and other related media. The fran ...

'' would commence with a musical collaboration with Perry. Describing herself as a "lifelong Pokémon fan", she stated that "In this moment of unknown, there are dependable places and characters and institutions and people, and I hope I can be one of them. That's what I hope for in my personal self, and even in my involvement with this collab." On May 10, 2021, the singer officially announced the single's title and release date through her social media accounts. Perry later told

MTV News MTV News was the news production division of MTV. The service was available in the US with localized versions on MTV's global network and an online news team. In 2016, MTV refreshed the MTV News brand to compete with the likes of BuzzFeed and ...

that she was asked to write an empowerment anthem, and explained her philosophy regarding writing songs: "Some people write only heartache songs or sexy songs or a combination. And my lane seems to be the 'you can do it, ignite your light' empowerment. It's all within, you know? That's a message I love standing by." "Electric" was structured as an

ballad composed in the

C major C major is a major scale based on C, consisting of the pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. C major is one of the most common keys used in music. Its key signature has no flats or sharps. Its relative minor is A minor and its parallel min ...

key. It talks about the joy that comes after achieving life goals with the help of friends. It was written by Perry,

, Lucas Marx, Oliver Peterhof, Rachel Kanner, Bruce Wiegner, Jordan Johnson and Stefan Johnson. It was produced by

, Wiegner and German. Perry's vocals spans from G₃ to D₅.

Release and promotion

"Electric" was released to

digital download Digital download may refer to: *Downloading, the processing of copying data to a computer from an external source *Digital distribution, a method of downloading software or audio-visual media as opposed to buying it at a traditional point of sale * ...

and

streaming Streaming media refers to multimedia delivered through a network for playback using a media player. Media is transferred in a ''stream'' of packets from a server to a client and is rendered in real-time; this contrasts with file downl ...

on May 14, 2021. It was released to Italian radios at the same day. The song serves as the second single of ''Pokémon 25: The Album'' after

Post Malone Austin Richard Post (born July 4, 1995), known professionally as Post Malone, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor. His music blends various genres including hip-hop, Pop music, pop, Contemporary R&B, R&B, Tra ...

's cover of " Only Wanna Be with You". A

CD single A CD single is a single (music), music single in the form of a compact disc (CD). Originally the ''CD single'' standard (as defined in the Rainbow Books, Red Book) was an 8 cm (3-inch) "mini CD" (''CD3''); later on the term referred to any si ...

was released on June 25. Additionally on the same page, pieces of merchandise inspired by the single are also sold. Additionally, "Electric" was included on the

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

film soundtrack of ''

He's All That ''He's All That'' is a 2021 American teen romantic comedy film directed by Mark Waters, from a screenplay by R. Lee Fleming Jr. The film is a gender-swapped remake of the 1999 film ''She's All That'', which was a modern adaptation of George Bern ...

'' (2021). In the United States, "Electric" debuted at number 25 on

Digital Song Sales The Digital Song Sales (previously named Digital Songs and Hot Digital Songs) ranks the best-selling digital songs in the United States, as compiled by Luminate and published by ''Billboard'' magazine. Although it originally started tracking so ...

chart. Elsewhere, it managed to peak at number 97 on

, 120 on

and 112 on Global 200 Excluding U.S. charts. In Latin American countries, the song charted within top 20 of Ecuador, El Salvador, Panama and Uruguay English charts. Jack White of

Official Charts Company The Official UK Charts Company Limited (formerly Music Industry Chart Services Limited), trading as the Official Charts Company (OCC) or the Official Charts (formerly the Chart Information Network), is a British inter-professional organisation ...

listed "Electric" as one of the songs responsible for driving 20% of CD single sales year-on-year, together with songs from artists such as

Ed Sheeran Edward Christopher Sheeran ( ; born 17 February 1991) is an English singer-songwriter. Born in Halifax, West Yorkshire, and raised in Framlingham, Suffolk, he began writing songs around the age of eleven. In early 2011, Sheeran independently r ...

Olivia Rodrigo Olivia Isabel Rodrigo (born February 20, 2003) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. She began her career as a child, appearing in commercials and the direct-to-video film '' An American Girl: Grace Stirs Up Success'' (2015). She rose ...

Cardi B Belcalis Marlenis Cephus (; born October 11, 1992), known professionally as Cardi B, is an American rapper. Noted for her unfiltered public image and lyrics, Cardi B is one of the most successful female rappers. From 2015 to early 2017, she ga ...

, and

Coldplay Coldplay are a British Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1997. They consist of vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer and percussionist Will Champion, and manager Phil Harvey (band m ...

among others.

Reception

Halle Kiefer of ''

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 Nort ...

'' said that it follows "in the well-trod footsteps of '

Roar A roar is a type of animal vocalization that is loud, deep and resonating. Many mammals have evolved to produce roars and other roar-like vocals for purposes such as long-distance communication and intimidation. These include various species of ...

' and '

Firework Fireworks are Explosive, low explosive Pyrotechnics, pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. They are most commonly used in fireworks displays (also called a fireworks show or pyrotechnics), combining a large numbe ...

, describing all three of them as "inspirational

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

ballads". A staff review from ''

'' wrote that the song "sees Perry return to anthemic pop." MTV's Patrick Hosken called the song "belt-ready bop." In an article published by

Universal Music Poland Universal Music Polska Sp. z o.o. (Universal Music Poland) is a Polish subsidiary of Universal Music Group, it was founded in 1998 in Warsaw. Labels CEO is Maciej Kutak after Jan Kubicki's departure. Label was founded after PolyGram, within its P ...

, the writer said the song "makes he listenerimmediately charged with the positive energy, in keeping with the song's title."

Music video

Development and release

The music video was directed by Mexican-American filmmaker

, written by Estrada, Doug Klinger and Perry, with Klinger beinger executive producer, and Santiago Gonzales being director of photography. It was recorded on Hawaiian island

Oahu Oahu (, , sometimes written Oahu) is the third-largest and most populated island of the Hawaiian Islands and of the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital, Honolulu, is on Oahu's southeast coast. The island of Oahu and the uninhabited Northwe ...

in such locations as Diamond Head Lighthouse and

Kualoa Ranch Established in 1850, Kualoa is a private nature reserve and working cattle ranch, as well as a popular visitor attraction and filming location on the Windward and leeward, windward coast of Oahu, Oahu in Hawaii. It is about from Waikiki, and f ...

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and Admiralty law, law enforcement military branch, service branch of the armed forces of the United States. It is one of the country's eight Uniformed services ...

approved shooting on the island. Perry told MTV said that one of the ideas behind the music video was a "reminder of her trying to figure out who she wanted to be as a teenage artist performing under her given name, Katheryn Hudson." Singer also added that she chose Hawaii as clip's location because it "provided the perfect lush and naturalistic surroundings." Shooting took two 12-hour days. Before the shooting, the production team was looking for a "girl with blonde hair and blue eyes that could play the guitar." Meili Aspen Caputo was finally cast to play the younger version of the singer in the video. The actress said that her mother received a phone call from the production team, and after a hair color change, Caputo played in the music video. During an interview with ''

MidWeek ''MidWeek'' is a weekly United States tabloid shopper and advertisement periodical published Wednesday in Honolulu, Hawaii and distributed throughout the Islands of Oahu and Kauai. It is owned by Black Press and is a sister publication of th ...

'' magazine, the actress shared that being on the set was a "fun" experience. Perry also mentioned: " aputoput her hair in pigtails and she looks identical to this one from that video I have of me playing." ''

Good Morning America ''Good Morning America'', often abbreviated as ''GMA'', is an American breakfast television, morning television program that is broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC. It debuted on November 3, 1975, and first expanded to weekends wit ...

'' shared a thirty-second sneak peek of the "Electric" music video on May 13, 2021, which premiered in full the following day. The behind-the-scenes video was published on Perry's official

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

channel on June 7, 2021.

Synopsis and reception

The video starts with Perry and

hanging out in

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

. The two stop at Diamond Head Lighthouse and enjoy the view while in meditation. While they are meditating, they travel back in time. They encounter the younger versions of themselves, who are performing at the farmer's marketplace. The older version of Perry subtly manipulates the marketplace to help the younger version of herself find her style in music. Afterwards, she gets her younger version to join a talent competition being held at the island. By the end of the video, the younger version of Perry gives her first club performance as the older version of Perry and Pikachu looks on from the crowd until they wake up from their meditation. ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...

''s Joey Nolfi and Pure Chart's Yohann Ruelle described the music video as "adorable." Halle Kiefer from Vulture stated that Pichu is the video's highlight. Patrick Hosken of MTV wrote that this song "needed a locale as large as its sound."

Credits and personnel

Song credits

Credits adapted from

Tidal Tidal is the adjectival form of tide. Tidal may also refer to: * ''Tidal'' (album), a 1996 album by Fiona Apple * Tidal (king), a king involved in the Battle of the Vale of Siddim * TidalCycles, a live coding environment for music * Tidal (servic ...

and

. Publishing and recording locations * Published by When I'm Rich You'll Be My Bitch/WB Music Corp/Songs Of A Beautiful Mind/Art In The Fodder Music/ BMG Chrysalis/Kobalt Music Copyrights SARL/1916 Publishing/BBMG Music/ Kobalt Songs Music Publishing/BMG Platinum Songs/R8D Music/Songs of BBMG Publishing/Bruce Weigner publishing designee/Lucas Marx Music * Recorded at Unsub Studios, Los Angeles, and Secret Garden Studios, Santa Barbara, California * Mixed at MixStar Studios, Virginia Beach, Virginia * Mastered at The Mastering Palace, New York, New York Personnel *

vocals, songwriting * Bruce Wiegner songwriting, production, co-production, programming *

The Monsters & Strangerz The Monsters & Strangerz are an American production and songwriting team from Miami, Florida. The team features The Monsters: Alexander " Eskeerdo" Izquierdo, Stefan Johnson, and Jordan K. Johnson and The Strangerz: Marcus "Marc Lo" Lomax and Cla ...

production, programming ** Jordan K. Johnson songwriting ** Stefan Johnson songwriting * German production, programming * Bart Schoudel vocal production, programming *

songwriting * Lucas Marx songwriting * Oliver Peterhof songwriting * Rachel Kanner songwriting * Rachael Findlen engineering, recording, studio personnel *

Serban Ghenea Serban Ghenea () is a Canadian audio engineer and mixer. He has been nominated for a Grammy Award a total of 45 times and has won 21 times. Early life and education Ghenea was born in Romania, and in 1976 he moved to Montreal with his family. H ...

mixing, studio personnel * John Hanes mixing engineering * Dave Kutch mastering

Music video credits

Credits adapted from music video's promotional poster. *

writing, directing * Doug Klinger writing, executive production * Katy Perry writing, starring * Nicole Jordan Webber production * Andrew Chennisi production * Yusef Chabayta production * Maverick Media animation * Targa Sahyoun commission * Anna Heinrich head of production * Vance Lorenzini production designer * Santiago Gonzales photography direction * Julian Conner postproduction * Cami Starkman edition * Meili Aspen Caputo starring

Charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{Pokémon 2020s ballads 2021 songs 2021 singles Electropop ballads Katy Perry songs Songs written by Katy Perry Songs written by Jon Bellion Song recordings produced by the Monsters & Strangerz Capitol Records singles Songs from Pokémon Songs written by Jordan Johnson (songwriter) Songs written by Stefan Johnson