"No Lie" is a song by Jamaican

dancehall Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially, dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots reggae, roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2 ...

musician

Sean Paul Sean Paul Ryan Francis Henriques (born 9 January 1973) is a Jamaican dancehall musician. Paul's first album, ''Stage One'', was released in 2000. He gained international fame with his second album, ''Dutty Rock'', in 2002. Its single "Get Busy ...

featuring British-Albanian singer

Dua Lipa Dua Lipa ( ; born22 August 1995) is an English and Albanian singer, songwriter and actress. List of awards and nominations received by Dua Lipa, Her accolades include seven Brit Awards and three Grammy Awards. Lipa worked as a model before v ...

, from the former's first EP, '' Mad Love the Prequel'' (2018). The song was written by Paul, Andrew Jackson, Emily Warren, and Sermstyle. Production and co-production were handled by Sermstyle and Pip Kembo, respectively. It was released through

Island Records Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in Jamaica by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in 1959, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, another ...

on 18 November 2016 as the

lead single A lead single (or first single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. A similar term, "debut ...

from the EP. The song was later included on '' Dua Lipa: Complete Edition'' (2018), the super deluxe

reissue In the music industry, a reissue (also re-release, repackage or re-edition) is the release of an album or single which has been released at least once before, sometimes with alterations or additions. Reasons for reissue New audio formats Reco ...

of Lipa's eponymous debut studio album. "No Lie" is an R&B-tinged

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...

and tropical pop song, with the lyrics seeing Paul express his attraction to a girl in a club scene. Several

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 ...

praised Lipa's vocal performance and the party-like qualities shown throughout the song. It became a successful single in Europe, entering the top 10 of the charts in 7 countries across the continent, including the UK Singles Chart, becoming Paul's 12th and Lipa's first top 10 single in the United Kingdom. The song has since been certified gold or higher in eight different territories, including Italy, where it holds a quadruple platinum certification, and the UK, having received a platinum certification in the country. "No Lie" was accompanied by a

music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...

, released in January 2017 that was directed by Tim Nackashi. It features Paul and Lipa dancing in several different mirrored rooms and halls. The two promoted the song with numerous live performances, including performing it at

BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend (R1BW) (previously known as One Big Weekend, for 2012 as Radio 1's Hackney Weekend, and for 2018 as BBC Music's Biggest Weekend) is a British music festival run by BBC Radio 1. It is held once a year, in a different l ...

, as well as Capital FM's Jingle Bell Ball and

Summertime Ball Capital's Summertime Ball is a mini-festival in London, usually held on either first or second Saturday or Sunday of June by the radio station Capital (radio network), Capital. The first ball was at Emirates Stadium in 2009, and it has since b ...

. Remixes of the song by Sam Feldt and Delirious & Alex K, respectively, have been released.

Background and composition

"No Lie" was written by

alongside Andrew Jackson, Emily Warren, and Sermstyle, who also produced the song alongside Pip Kembo. Paul had been doing many writing camps at the time of writing. Sermstyle originally played the rhythm for Paul, after which he expressed his admiration of it. He wrote onto the rhythm and recorded a demo for it, with Warren singing the

hook A hook is a tool consisting of a length of material, typically metal, that contains a portion that is curved/bent back or has a deeply grooved indentation, which serves to grab, latch or in any way attach itself onto another object. The hook's d ...

vocals on the demo, which she wrote. At the time, Paul could not imagine anyone else singing the hook. However, his management thought they should search for another vocalist and someone in the management group suggested

, which led to her also recoding a demo of the song. After hearing the demo, Paul immediately fell in love with Lipa's voice and went on to finish the song with her vocals.

Engineering Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...

was handled by Paul Bailey, while James Royo was responsible for mixing, and the song was mastered by Barry Grint at Alchemy Mastering in London. Musically, "No Lie" is an R&B-tinged,

and tropical pop track, that runs for 3 minutes and 41 seconds. The production makes use of a keyboard and beats, while the opening

chords Chord or chords may refer to: Art and music * Chord (music), an aggregate of musical pitches sounded simultaneously ** Guitar chord, a chord played on a guitar, which has a particular tuning * The Chords (British band), 1970s British mod ...

give off sensuality. The song starts somewhat moody, before Lipa handles the chorus. Paul uses

-like rapping and singing with a vocal rhythm, while Lipa's vocals were described as "deep" and "sultry" with a reggae-tinged accent. Lyrically, the song is about having fun in a club scene. Paul comments on the physique of a woman and his attraction to her, eventually expressing to the woman what he can do for her. The title "No Lie" comes from a saying in Jamaica that is said when you want someone to believe you.

Release and promotion

Paul announced the release of "No Lie" two days prior to its release, alongside sharing a 15-second preview of the song with both his and Lipa's vocals. The song was released for digital download 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 ...

through

as a single on 18 November 2016. On 13 January 2017, the song was released on 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 ...

in Germany, with Paul's single "Tek Weh Yuh Heart" that features

Tory Lanez Daystar Shemuel Shua Peterson (born July 27, 1992), known professionally as Tory Lanez, is a Canadian singer-songwriter and record producer. First discovered by Sean Kingston, he received initial recognition for his mixtape ''Conflicts of My S ...

as the

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...

. "No Lie" was serviced to

rhythmic contemporary Rhythmic contemporary, also known as Rhythmic Top 20, Rhythmic Top 30, Rhythmic Top 40, Rhythmic CHR or rhythmic crossover, is a primarily American music-radio format that includes a mix of EDM, upbeat rhythmic pop, hip-hop and upbeat R&B hit ...

and

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

stations in the United States on 17 January 2017. It was sent 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 n ...

in Italy three days later. Remixes by Sam Feldt and Delirious & Alex K were released on 27 January 2017. The song serves as the

and closing track from Paul's debut EP ''Mad Love the Prequel'', released 29 June 2018. It was later included as the seventh track on the second disc of the

of Lipa's eponymous debut studio album '' Dua Lipa: Complete Edition'', released on 19 October 2018. "No Lie" was included on the soundtrack to the film ''

Baywatch ''Baywatch'' is an American Drama (film and television), drama television series about lifeguards who patrol the beaches of Los Angeles County, California, and Hawaii, starring David Hasselhoff. It was created by Michael Berk, Douglas Schwartz ...

'' (2017), as well as in the opening credits of '' Code Black'' Season 3, Episode 11: "One of Our Own", in 2018. The

for "No Lie" was directed by Tim Nackashi and released on 10 January 2017. It was filmed at

West London West London is the western part of London, England, north of the River Thames, west of the City of London, and extending to the Greater London boundary. The term is used to differentiate the area from the other parts of London: Central London, N ...

's Sunbeam studios in the third studio, as well as the garden. The visual showcases Paul and Lipa dancing in an assortment of mirrored rooms and halls, with Paul wearing several different parkas. Critics viewed the video as stylish, hypnotic, and dizzying. In April 2022, the video surpassed one billion views on

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 ...

. "No Lie" was promoted with several live performances. Paul and Lipa performed the song for the first time on 3 December 2016 at the Jingle Bell Ball for Capital FM. On 27 May, the two performed it at

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...

Big Weekend for 2017, and Lipa also performed a solo version of the song as a medley with her track "Dreams" (2017) at the same event. Paul and Lipa performed the song for the final time together at the

for Capital FM 2017, while the song was included on Paul's 2017

Pinkpop Festival Pinkpop is an annual music festival held in Landgraaf, Netherlands. It is usually held on the Pentecost weekend (''Pinksteren'' in Dutch, hence the name). If Pentecost falls on an early date in May, the festival is held later in June. Starting in ...

, 2017 RNB Fridays Live, and

Glastonbury Festival 2019 The 2019 Glastonbury Festival, Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts took place between 26 and 30 June. The three headlining acts were Stormzy, the Killers and The Cure. This was the last regular edition until Glastonbury Festival ...

setlists, as well as Lipa's setlist at Capital FM's Jingle Bell Ball 2017. The song was also included on the setlists of Lipa's Self-Titled Tour (2017–18), for which she occasionally performed it as a medley with "Dreams". Both Lipa and Paul have a little reunion to performance at the 2018 UEFA Champions League final in

Kyiv Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

, Ukraine.

Reception

For ''

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 ...

'', Kat Bein named the song a "totally replay-able ..party jam," as well as calling it "real sexy" and the hook "rump-shaking." In her review for '' V'', Mariana Fernandez viewed the song as an "impressive morph of

, reggae, and pop," while also praising the "infectious combination" of Paul and Lipa's vocals. Robbie Daw of '' Idolator'' thought the song is "quite a jam," and "a step in the right direction" for Paul. He went on to compliment Paul's choice of Lipa as a featured artist, and noted how she mirrors the melody of " Puttin' On the Ritz" (1929) by

Irving Berlin Irving Berlin (born Israel Isidore Beilin; May 11, 1888 – September 22, 1989) was a Russian-born American composer and songwriter. His music forms a large part of the Great American Songbook. Berlin received numerous honors including an Acade ...

. The staff of Much named the song "an instant addition to your weekend playlist." ''HotNewHipHop''s Danny Schwartz thought it would be commercially successful on the radio. '' The Singles Jukebox'' staff gave the song a rating of 4.25/10, with many complimenting Lipa's performance, but many criticizing how Paul was stuck in the past. In April 2020, Christopher Rosa of '' Glamour'' ranked "No Lie" as Lipa's fourth worst song, stating it is "just off."

Commercial performance

"No Lie" became a successful single in Europe. In the United Kingdom, the song debuted at number 53 on the UK Singles Chart dated 23 November 2016. The song lasted for 30 weeks on the chart, and reached a peak of number 10 in its 11th week, becoming Paul's 12th and Lipa's first UK top 10 single. In February 2022, the song was certified double platinum by the

British Phonographic Industry BPI (British Recorded Music Industry) Limited, trading as British Phonographic Industry (BPI), is the British recorded music industry's trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards; is home to the Mercury Prize; co-owns the Official Charts C ...

(BPI) for track-equivalent sales of 1,200,000 units in the UK. The song entered the top 10 of the charts in Bulgaria, CIS, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, India, Italy, Set "Tipo" on "Singoli". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Dua Lipa". the Netherlands, Romania and Scotland. It was certified platinum in Germany and the Netherlands by the

Bundesverband Musikindustrie The ( English: Federal Music Industry Association), or simply BVMI, represents the music industry in Germany. The association represents the interests of nearly 280 labels and music industry related enterprises, which comprise 90% of the music i ...

(BVMI) and the Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld – en geluidsdragers (NVPI), respectively as well as diamond in France by the

Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique SNEP (, in English National Syndicate of Phonographic Publishing) is the inter-professional organisation that protects the interests of the French record industry. Originally known under the acronym SNICOP, the organisation was established in ...

(SNEP). In Italy, the song reached number 11 on the FIMI Singles Chart, and was certified quadruple platinum by the

Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana The Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana (FIMI) or the Federation of the Italian Music Industry is an umbrella organization that keeps track of virtually all aspects of the music recording industry in Italy. It was established in 1992, when ...

(FIMI) for 200,000 track-equivalent sales in the country. Outside of Europe, it reached number 43 and 45 in Venezuela and Colombia, respectively, as well as charting at number 20 on the Hot Canadian Digital Songs chart, and number 27 on the

Mexico Airplay Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

chart.

Music video

The

for "No Lie" was directed by Tim Nackashi and released on 10 January 2017. It was filmed at

Track listings

*Digital download and streaming #"No Lie" (featuring Dua Lipa) – 3:41 *CD single #"No Lie" (featuring Dua Lipa) – 3:41 #"Tek Weh Yuh Heart" (featuring

) – 3:46 *Digital download and streaming – remixes #"No Lie" (featuring Dua Lipa) Sam Feldt remix">nowiki/> Sam Feldt remix– 2:52 #"No Lie" (featuring Dua Lipa) elirious & Alex K remix– 4:18

Personnel

vocals *

vocals * Sermstyle production * Pip Kembo/Dr Chaii co-production * James Royo mixing * Paul Bailey engineering * Barry Grint mastering

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

Footnotes

References

External links

* *
Lyrics of this song
at MetroLyrics {{authority control 2016 songs 2016 singles Sean Paul songs Dua Lipa songs Island Records singles Songs written by Sermstyle Songs written by Emily Warren Songs written by Sean Paul