"Lala (Unlocked)" (stylized as "LALA (Unlocked)") is a song by American singer

Alicia Keys Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer and songwriter. A classically trained pianist, Keys began composing songs at the age of 12 and was signed by Columbia Records at 15. After d ...

featuring fellow American rapper and singer

Swae Lee Khalif Malik Ibn Shaman Brown (born June 7, 1993), known professionally as Swae Lee, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. Known for his wide vocal range and genre-bending, Lee first saw mainstream recognition as one half of the Mississ ...

. The song was written by the artists alongside Darryl Ellis, Ruben Locke, Paul Richmond, and

Mike Will Made It Michael Len Williams II (born March 23, 1989), known professionally as Mike Will Made It (often stylized as Mike WiLL Made-It) or simply Mike Will, is an American record producer. He is best known for producing trap beats for several Southern hi ...

, who produced it with Keys. It was released through

RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic R ...

as the lead single from her eighth studio album, ''

Keys Key, Keys, The Key or The Keys may refer to: Common uses * Key (cryptography), a piece of information needed to encode or decode a message * Key (instrument), a component of a musical instrument * Key (lock), a device used to operate a lock * ...

'', on September 9, 2021.

Background and release

Keys announced the song on social media on September 1, posting a snippet of the song and the single's cover art. A 30-second snippet of the song was posted on Keys's

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channel on September 4, 2021. In an interview on Apple Music 1 with

Zane Lowe Alexander Zane Reed Lowe (born 1973) is a New Zealand radio DJ, live DJ, record producer, and television presenter. After an early career in music creation, production and DJing, he moved to the UK in 1997. He came to prominence through pr ...

, Keys explained the creative process of the collaboration:

Composition

"Lala" is an R&B song that samples "In the Mood" by

Tyrone Davis Tyrone Davis (born Tyrone D. Fettson or Tyrone D. Branch, October 3, 1937 – February 9, 2005) (although many sources have his date of birth as May 4, 1938), was an American blues and soul singer with a long list of hit records over more th ...

. Swae Lee sings on the track "Light the incense/ Not to mention/ Skin like whiskey/ She's cold like on the rocks". Keys sings "Feelings get lost in the lala".

Critical reception

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' called the song "sultry" and wrote that Keys and Lee "trade flirtatious lines" on the song. ''

Rap-Up ''Rap-Up'' is a magazine launched in 2001 by founder Devin Lazerine. The publication was originally a website devoted to hip hop, until Lazerine decided to pitch the possibility of a magazine to several publishers. The magazine is focused on the ...

'' wrote that Keys and Lee "show off their chemistry as they trade love-drunk verses" on the "breezy" track. In his review of the album, Liam Inscoe-Jones from ''

The Line of Best Fit ''The Line of Best Fit'' is an independent online magazine based in London, concentrating on new music. It publishes independent music reviews, features, interview, and media. Founded by Richard Thane in February 2007 and currently edited by P ...

'' called the song “slick”, but opined that the song should have been on the Originals side of the album.

Live performances

Keys and Swae Lee performed the song 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 ...

on September 12, 2021. Their performance was broadcast from

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. ''

'' wrote that Keys sang "sultry rendition" of the song while ''

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'' commented that Keys' and Lee's "creative chemistry translated from the studio to the big stage". ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...

'' ranked the performance as the fifth best performance of the show while ''

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'' named it one of the best performances, commenting that "Swae Lee sheavily autotuned vocals were quite a contrast to Keys’ effortlessly smooth singing".

Charts

References

{{Alicia Keys singles 2021 singles 2021 songs Alicia Keys songs Swae Lee songs Songs written by Alicia Keys Songs written by Swae Lee Songs written by Mike Will Made It Song recordings produced by Alicia Keys Song recordings produced by Mike Will Made It RCA Records singles