"Inescapable" is a song by Australian recording artist

Jessica Mauboy Jessica Hilda Mauboy (born 4 August 1989) is an Australian singer, songwriter and actress. Born and raised in Darwin, Northern Territory, she rose to fame in 2006 on the fourth season of ''Australian Idol'', where she was runner-up and subseq ...

. It was written by

Diane Warren Diane Eve Warren (born September 7, 1956) is an American songwriter. She has received several awards including a Grammy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, two Golden Globe Awards, three ''Billboard'' Music Awards and an Honorary Academy Award. War ...

and produced by Youngboyz, Anthony Egizii and David Musumeci. "Inescapable" was sent to Australian

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 ...

on 4 July 2011, and was released for digital download on 15 July 2011 as the first single from the deluxe edition of Mauboy's second studio album ''

Get 'Em Girls ''Get 'Em Girls'' is the second studio album by Australian recording artist Jessica Mauboy, released on 24 August 2010 by SRC Records and Universal Republic Records. Mauboy recorded the album in Los Angeles, New York City and Atlanta. She wo ...

''. The song's lyrics revolve around "a relationship all gone wrong but also a celebration." "Inescapable" peaked at number four on the

ARIA Singles Chart 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 ...

and became Mauboy's highest-charting single since 2008's "

Burn A burn is an injury to skin, or other tissues, caused by heat, cold, electricity, chemicals, friction, or ultraviolet radiation (like sunburn). Most burns are due to heat from hot liquids (called scalding), solids, or fire. Burns occur mainl ...

". It 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 replac ...

(ARIA). 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 devi ...

was directed by Mark Alston and features scenes of Mauboy on different coloured backdrops and a dedication to

Jay Dee Springbett Jay Dee Springbett (1975 – 30 June 2011), was a British Australian record executive who appeared as a judge on the singing competition '' Australian Idol'' during the show's seventh season in 2009. Springbett was one of three judges, along wit ...

Background and composition

"Inescapable" was written by

and produced by Youngboyz, Anthony Egizii and David Musumeci. It was one of the songs Warren and Mauboy worked on in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...

for her second studio album ''

'' (2010). However, the song did not make the final track list on the standard edition of ''Get 'Em Girls'' and was later included on the deluxe edition. "Inescapable" is a pop song written in the key of

E minor E minor is a minor scale based on E, consisting of the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. Its key signature has one sharp. Its relative major is G major and its parallel major is E major. The E natural minor scale is: : Changes nee ...

. Mauboy told ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was f ...

'' that it "is just about a relationship all gone wrong but also a celebration." Her manager David Champion said "Inescapable" was a dedication to

Sony Music Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainmen ...

record-label executive

, who was found dead at his Sydney apartment on 30 June 2011. Champion said, "Jess and JD worked very closely together on making 'Inescapable' and she is devastated by his passing... His spirit lives on in the recording."

Reception

Jonathon Moran of ''

'' praised "Inescapable" for being "catchy, sexy, ndradio-friendly", while a writer for 97.3 FM called it "an absolute smash." For the week commencing 1 August 2011, "Inescapable" debuted at number 20 on the

and number eight on the ARIA Urban Singles Chart. The song peaked at number four on the ARIA Singles Chart on 15 August 2011, and became Mauboy's fifth top-ten single. On the ARIA Urban Singles Chart, "Inescapable" peaked at number one. It was certified double platinum by the

(ARIA), for selling over 140,000 copies.

Music video

Background

The

was directed by Mark Alston and filmed in Sydney. A behind-the-scenes video of the shoot was posted on ''

'' website on 3 July 2011. The completed video premiered on Mauboy's

Vevo Vevo ( , an abbreviation for "Video Evolution", stylized as VEVO until 2013) is an American multinational video hosting service, best known for providing music videos to YouTube. The service is also available as an app on selected smart TVs, ...

account on 15 July 2011.

Synopsis

The video opens showing Mauboy on a blue backdrop singing with a gold microphone inside a gold cube without walls. The next scene shows her in front of a gold backdrop wearing a leopard-print dress with black boots; she is standing beside a man who is tied up and sings to him with a megaphone. Another scene shows Mauboy wearing a navy blue jumpsuit in a room full of mirrors. Throughout the video, Mauboy is seen with two male dancers performing choreography on a dark grey backdrop. The video ends with a dedication to Jay Dee Springbett saying, "To Jay, We did it! This is our song. Your forever in my heart. Love Jess."

Reception

A writer for 97.3 FM called the video "vibrant, fun, ndcolourful fantastic" and wrote that it "showcases Jess at her best & is exactly what the Australian public love about our girl." A biographer of Mauboy's for The Celebrity Bureau commented, "Her single 'Inescapable' was written by renowned US songwriter Diane Warren and went on to achieve DOUBLE PLATINUM sales and over 1 million views on YouTube/Vevo."

Live performances

Mauboy performed "Inescapable" live for the first time at the

2011 ASTRA Awards The 9th Annual ASTRA Awards was an event held on Thursday, 21 July 2011 at the Sydney Theatre. The ASTRA Pioneer Award and the ASTRA Industry Excellence Awards were presented prior to the ceremony at the annual ASTRA Conference, also held in Sydne ...

on 21 July 2011. On 2 August 2011, she performed the song on the ''

Australia's Got Talent ''Australia's Got Talent'' is an Australian reality television talent show. The show is based on the '' Got Talent'' series format that originated in the United Kingdom with Simon Cowell. The first six seasons aired on the Seven Network, from ...

'' grand finale, wearing a leopard-print jacket, black dress and black heels. She also performed "Inescapable" on ''

Sunrise Sunrise (or sunup) is the moment when the upper rim of the Sun appears on the horizon in the morning. The term can also refer to the entire process of the solar disk crossing the horizon and its accompanying atmospheric effects. Terminology ...

'' on 9 August 2011, wearing a black and white dress with black heels. A live version of "Inescapable" was included on Mauboy's extended play ''

iTunes Session ''iTunes Sessions'' are a series of live albums and extended plays (EP) recorded by various artists and released exclusively through the iTunes Store, and are a companion series to iTunes Originals. Bands who have recorded EPs and some existing ar ...

'' (2014).

Track listing

*Digital download # "Inescapable" (Youngboyz Mix) – 3:35 # "Inescapable" ( OFM Mix) – 3:33

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{authority control 2011 songs 2011 singles Jessica Mauboy songs Songs written by Diane Warren Sony Music Australia singles