"Flashlight" is a song recorded by British singer

Jessie J Jessica Ellen Cornish (born 27 March 1988), known professionally as Jessie J, is an English singer and songwriter. Born and raised in London, she began her career on stage, aged 11, with a role in the West End musical '' Whistle Down the Wind ...

for the soundtrack to the film ''

Pitch Perfect 2 ''Pitch Perfect 2'' is a 2015 American musical comedy film directed and produced by Elizabeth Banks (in her feature directorial debut) and written by Kay Cannon. It is a sequel to the 2012 film '' Pitch Perfect''. The film centers on the fictio ...

'' (2015). The song was written by Sia, Christian Guzman, Jason Moore, and

Sam Smith Samuel Frederick Smith (born 19 May 1992) is an English singer and songwriter. In 2012, they rose to prominence when they featured on Disclosure (band), Disclosure's breakthrough single "Latch (song), Latch", which peaked at number eleven on ...

. The song was originally obtained when one pre-ordered the ''Pitch Perfect 2'' soundtrack in the United States, beginning on 23 April 2015; it later became available for download on its own. "Flashlight" was released in the United Kingdom on 11 May 2015 both on the soundtrack and as a stand-alone single. The song received mixed 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 ...

, who praised Jessie J's vocal performance, while others dismissed the ballad as generic and predictable. Despite the critical reception, "Flashlight" peaked at number one in Malaysia and The Philippines, number two in Australia, number seven in New Zealand, and number thirteen in the UK.

Hailee Steinfeld Hailee Steinfeld (born December 11, 1996) is an American actress, singer, and songwriter. She had her breakthrough with the western film ''True Grit (2010 film), True Grit'' (2010), which earned her List of awards and nominations received by H ...

performs a version of "Flashlight" titled the "Sweet Life Mix" in the film ''Pitch Perfect 2''. Her version of the song is included on the special edition of the film's soundtrack as well as Japanese version of Steinfeld's debut EP, '' Haiz'' (2015). The song, would become Jessie's J final chart entry to date.

Composition

According to the sheet music published at musicnotes.com, the song has a tempo of 74 beats per minute. Jessie J's version is in the key of

F major F major is a major scale based on F, with the pitches F, G, A, B, C, D, and E. Its key signature has one flat.Music Theory'. (1950). United States: Standards and Curriculum Division, Training, Bureau of Naval Personnel. 28. Its relati ...

. Hailee Steinfeld's version is in E-flat major.

Critical reception

"Flashlight" received generally mixed reviews. In a less favourable review, Steven J. Horowitz 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 ...

'' gave the song two stars out of five, saying: "prone to funny bone shout-singing on her more upbeat singles, Jessie J dials back her vocal force on the tepid "Flashlight", off the ''Pitch Perfect 2'' soundtrack. The more subtle delivery would be welcome if the track weren't so paint-by-numbers, it plays like a pantomime of a Sia ballad, but without the emotive edge."

Music video

The music video (directed by

Hannah Lux Davis Hannah Lux Davis (born May 17, 1986) is an American music video, commercial and film director. She's known for her work especially with female artists, such as Ariana Grande, Katy Perry, Demi Lovato, Nicki Minaj, Miley Cyrus, Avril Lavigne, Christ ...

) was released on 23 April 2015 on YouTube. In the video, Jessie J heads to Barden University (the campus of

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...

) where she performs the ballad while watching the students go about their days while walking around the campus, while scenes from ''Pitch Perfect 2'' are shown.

Use in film

The song is first sung by Barden University freshman Emily (

) for her audition into the Barden Bellas, who have been suspended from competition. Emily explains that she writes songs to compensate for her anxieties, in this case, leaving home. Emily sings the song again later during the "Riff Off" which, due to it being an original song, causes the Bellas to be disqualified. Upon learning that Emily writes her own songs, Beca (

Anna Kendrick Anna Cooke Kendrick (born August 9, 1985) is an American actress. Known for playing upbeat and endearing characters in comedies and musicals, List of awards and nominations received by Anna Kendrick, her accolades include nominations for an Aca ...

) offers to work with her on it and record the song in a studio. At the climax of the film, the Bellas incorporate "Flashlight" into their World Championships setlist.

Chart performance

The song debuted on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart on 6 June 2015, at number 68. The song debuted on the UK Singles Chart on 24 May 2015, at number 62, eventually reaching number 13. The song debuted on the

ARIA Charts The ARIA Charts are the main Australian record chart, 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 beca ...

on 18 May 2015, at number 15 and reached number 2 as of 8 June 2015. It reached number one in Indonesia.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{authority control 2010s ballads 2015 singles 2015 songs Songs written for films Jessie J songs Hailee Steinfeld songs Republic Records singles Pop ballads Music videos directed by Hannah Lux Davis Songs written by Sam Smith (singer) Songs written by Sia (musician) Songs containing the I–V-vi-IV progression Pitch Perfect (franchise)