"Pretty Girl Rock" is a song by American singer-songwriter

Keri Hilson Keri Lynn Hilson (born December 5, 1982) is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Decatur, Georgia, she began her musical career as a songwriter and backing vocalist for other artists under the wing of record producer Anthony De ...

, taken from her second

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

, '' No Boys Allowed'' (2010). It was released 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 ...

internationally and was the second single from that album released in the United States. The song was written by

Ne-Yo Shaffer Chimere Smith (born October 18, 1979), known professionally as Ne-Yo ( ), is an American singer and songwriter. Regarded as a leading figure of Contemporary R&B#2000s, 2000s R&B music, he is the recipient of numerous accolades, includi ...

and

Chuck Harmony Charles T. Harmon (born December 18, 1979),Gerrick D. Kennedy''Los Angeles Times'', February 24, 2015. known professionally as Chuck Harmony, is an American record producer and songwriter from Nashville, Tennessee. He is a three-time Grammy Awar ...

, who also handled its production. It includes a sample of " Just the Two of Us", which was written by

Bill Withers William Harrison Withers Jr. (July 4, 1938 – March 30, 2020) was an American singer and songwriter. He is known for having several hits over a career spanning 18 years, including "Ain't No Sunshine" (1971), "Grandma's Hands" (1971), "Use Me ( ...

, William Salter and

Ralph MacDonald Ralph Anthony MacDonald (March 15, 1944 – December 18, 2011) was an American percussionist, steelpan virtuoso, songwriter, musical arranger, and record producer. His compositions include " Where Is the Love", a Grammy Award winner for the due ...

.Matthew Horton
"Hey, Pop Stars! Beware The Curse Of Kanye West,"
''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

'', May 1, 2012. "Pretty Girl Rock" is a

mid-tempo In musical terminology, tempo (Italian for 'time'; plural 'tempos', or from the Italian plural), measured in beats per minute, is the speed or pace of a given composition, and is often also an indication of the composition's character or atmos ...

R&B song that features a slinky piano and bouncy R&B beats. Lyrically, the song is a cheeky ode to

self-empowerment Empowerment is the degree of autonomy and self-determination in people and in communities. This enables them to represent their interests in a responsible and self-determined way, acting on their own authority. It is the process of becoming strong ...

. Critical reception towards the song was mixed to positive. Music critics noted it as the standout track on the album, and praised its catchy production. However, critics were of disparate opinions on the song's lyrics. In the United States, "Pretty Girl Rock" peaked at number 24 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart and at number four on the

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

chart. The song was certified platinum by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

(RIAA), for selling over 1,000,000 digital copies. Internationally, the song reached the top 20 in Germany and New Zealand, and the top 30 in Austria and Slovakia. An accompanying music video for the song was directed by Joseph Kahn and features Hilson portraying an array of mostly African American female icons of the past, including

Josephine Baker Freda Josephine Baker (; June 3, 1906 – April 12, 1975), naturalized as Joséphine Baker, was an American and French dancer, singer, and actress. Her career was centered primarily in Europe, mostly in France. She was the first Black woman to s ...

Dorothy Dandridge Dorothy Jean Dandridge (November 9, 1922 – September 8, 1965) was an American actress and singer. She was the first African-American film star to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for '' Carmen Jones'' (1954). Dandridge had a ...

The Andrews Sisters The Andrews Sisters were an American close harmony singing group of the swing and boogie-woogie eras. The group consisted of three sisters: contralto LaVerne Sophia Andrews (1911–1967), soprano Maxene Anglyn Andrews (1916–1995), and mezzo ...

The Supremes The Supremes were an American girl group formed in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959 as the Primettes. A premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s, the Supremes were the most commercially successful of Motown's acts and the most successful Amer ...

Donna Summer Donna Adrian Gaines (December 31, 1948May 17, 2012), known professionally as Donna Summer, was an American singer and songwriter. She gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s and became known as the "Queen of Disco", while her music ...

Janet Jackson Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress and dancer. She is noted for her innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows. Her sound and choreogr ...

and

T-Boz Tionne Tenese Watkins (born April 26, 1970), also known by her stage name T-Boz, is an American singer. Watkins rose to fame in the early 1990s as a member of the girl-group TLC. She has won four Grammy Awards for her work with TLC. Early life ...

of the R&B girl group

TLC TLC may refer to: Arts and entertainment Television * ''TLC'' (TV series), a 2002 British situational comedy television series that aired on BBC2 * TLC (TV network), formerly the Learning Channel, an American cable TV network ** TLC (Asia), an A ...

. The video received positive response from critics and was nominated for Video of the Year at the

2011 BET Awards The 11th BET Awards took place at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California on June 26, 2011. The awards recognized Americans in music, acting, sports, and other fields of entertainment over the past year. Comedian and actor Kevin Hart host ...

, and Best Dance Performance at the 2011

Soul Train Music Awards The Soul Train Music Awards is an annual music awards ceremony which honors the best in African-American culture, music and entertainment. It is produced by the production company of '' Soul Train'', the program from which it takes its name, and ...

. Hilson promoted the song through live performances on various televised shows, including ''

The Ellen DeGeneres Show ''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'' is an American first-run syndicated talk show that was hosted by Ellen DeGeneres. The show ran for nineteen seasons from September 8, 2003, to May 26, 2022, in which it broadcast 3,339 episodes. It was produced by ...

'' and ''

Germany's Next Topmodel ''Germany's Next Topmodel'' (often abbreviated as ''GNTM'') is a German reality television series based on the concept introduced by Tyra Banks with ''America's Next Top Model''. The competition is hosted by Heidi Klum, who also serves as the ...

'', as well as in live concerts such as, the VH1 Divas Salute the Troops and the 84th Annual

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is an annual parade in New York City presented by the American-based department store chain Macy's. The Parade first took place in 1924, tying it for the second-oldest Thanksgiving parade in the United States ...

. A version featuring rapper

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer and record producer. One of the most prominent figures in hip-hop, he is known for his varying musical style and polarizing cultural and political commentary. After ...

served as the albums closing track. R&B girl group

RichGirl RichGirl was an American R&B vocal girl group, consisting of four members: Audra Simmons, Christina "Brave" Williams, Lyndriette Smith (now known as Kristal, a member of June's Diary) and Amber Streeter (now known as Sevyn Streeter). The gro ...

and American rapper

Lil' Kim Kimberly Denise Jones (born July 11, 1974), Those giving 1974 include: * * * * * better known by her stage name Lil' Kim, is an American rapper. She was born and raised in New York City and lived much of her adolescent life on the streets after ...

have also released their own remixes to "Pretty Girl Rock", and American rock band

Parachute A parachute is a device designed to slow an object's descent through an atmosphere by creating Drag (physics), drag or aerodynamic Lift (force), lift. It is primarily used to safely support people exiting aircraft at height, but also serves va ...

have covered the song.

Background and release

"Pretty Girl Rock" (titled "Pretty Girls" during production) was written by

and

, who also produced the track. It features a sample of the 1981 single " Just the Two of Us", which was written by

, William Salter and

. It was recorded in 2010 at Westlake Recording Studios and Vanilla Sky Studios in Los Angeles, California. According to Hilson, the song was Ne-Yo's idea. She said, "I remember Ne-Yo playing it for me in the studio. I loved it as soon as I heard it!" Hilson debuted the song at the

Beats By Dr. Dre Beats Electronics, LLC (also known as Beats by Dr. Dre, Beats by Dre or simply Beats) is an American consumer audio products manufacturer headquartered in Culver City, California. The company was founded in 2006 by the music producer Dr. Dre and ...

concert in New York City on September 29, 2010. Later that same day, ''

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 ...

'' magazine unveiled the single cover and confirmed that it would serve as the second single from Hilson's second studio album, '' No Boys Allowed'', following its

, " Breaking Point". In an interview with

4Music 4Music was a British music television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. Launched on 15 August 2008, the original incarnation, replacing The Hits television channel, showed a mix of music and entertainment pr ...

, Hilson explained the concept of the song:

I'm giving you an example of how I think every woman should feel about herself. No matter what anyone tells you – you're too tall, you're too short, you're too big, you're too skinny ... there's so many 'rules' to society's view of beauty. I wanted to dispel that and get rid of that. We're all beautiful in our own unique ways, you just have to find that happy place within yourself. And that's what the record's all about.

"Pretty Girl Rock" premiered online on October 4, 2010 and was then released for

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 * ...

on October 12. The song was sent for

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 ...

airplay in the United States on October 19, 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 ...

airplay on October 26. The official remix, featuring Kanye West, premiered online on November 23, 2010, and was later included on ''No Boys Allowed'' as the thirteenth track. An

extended play An extended play (EP) is a Sound recording and reproduction, musical recording that contains more tracks than a Single (music), single but fewer than an album. Contemporary EPs generally contain up to eight tracks and have a playing time of 1 ...

, featuring three additional remixes produced by

dance Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

group Cahill, were released for digital download in the United Kingdom on January 9, 2011. On June 10, 2011, "Pretty Girl Rock" was released as a Compact Disc single containing two additional remixes, in Germany.

Composition

"Pretty Girl Rock" is a

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 ...

and R&B song, that incorporates an interpolation of " Just the Two of Us" by

Grover Washington Jr. Grover Washington Jr. (December 12, 1943 – December 17, 1999) was an American jazz-funk and soul-jazz saxophonist and Grammy Award winner. Along with Wes Montgomery and George Benson, he is considered by many to be one of the founders and le ...

The song makes use of heavy drums and slinky piano and is built on bouncy R&B beats. Sara Anderson from

AOL Radio AOL Radio was an online radio streaming service available exclusively in the United States. Originally powered by XM Satellite Radio and later CBS Radio and Slacker, the platform offered users access to more than 200 free digital stations. H ...

noted that it "weaves in piano trills, prominent backbeats, ska slang 'eh's and self-awareness." According to Georgette Cline from ''The Boombox'', the song is a "self-love anthem" that showcases Hilson's "attempt at uniting women over their shared beauty rather than the jealousy that drives them apart." Luke Gibson from Hip Hop DX noted that lyrics such as: "'Girls think I'm conceited 'cause I know I'm attractive / Don't worry about what I think, why don't you ask him?', capture the attitude of a

Fabolous John David Jackson (born November 18, 1977), known professionally as Fabolous, is an American rapper. Raised in Brooklyn, he first gained recognition for his ability upon performing live on DJ Clue's WQHT, Hot 97 radio show. Jackson then signed ...

Jadakiss Jason Terrance Phillips (born May 27, 1975), better known by his stage name Jadakiss (, ), is an American rapper who began his career in the 1990s and formed the hip hop trio the Lox alongside Styles P and Sheek Louch in 1994. The group signed w ...

track." Chad Grischow from

IGN Music ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former edi ...

referred to "Pretty Girl Rock" as a "girl-power jam" and noted that Hilson "exudes confidence" with the lines: "Pretty as a picture / Sweet as a Swisher / Mad cuz I'm cuter than the girl that's with ya."

Critical reception

"Pretty Girl Rock" received mixed to positive reviews from music critics. Andy Kellman of

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

, Mikael Wood of ''

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, ...

'' and editors of ''

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 ...

'', all considered it to be the stand out track from ''No Boys Allowed''. Eric Henderson of

Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New Yor ...

wrote that the song, "comes on like a cat fight, but it eventually reveals itself to be a tough-loving 'love yourself' anthem, a stately but danceable approximation of Dove's campaign for 'real beauty'". Matthew Horton of

BBC Music BBC Music is the arm of the BBC responsible for the music played across its services. The current director of music is Lorna Clarke. Officially it is a part of the BBC's Radio operational division; however, its remit also includes music used i ...

called it a "lovely single", while Ken Capobianco of ''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe,'' also known locally as ''the Globe'', is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Boston Globe'' is the oldest and largest daily new ...

'' called it "swaggering". Glenn Gamboa of ''

Newsday ''Newsday'' is a daily newspaper in the United States primarily serving Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island, although it is also sold throughout the New York metropolitan area. The slogan of the newspaper is "Newsday, Your Eye on LI" ...

'' wrote that, "Though Ne-Yo gives 'Pretty Girl Rock' an addictive sheen, it's the remix featuring some memorable verses from

that gets the point across best." Kyle Anderson of MTV Newsroom praised Hilson's "confidence and sweetness" on the song, and described the beat as "funky and sick." Editors of DesiHits described "Pretty Girl Rock" as an "upbeat and catchy track ... and we have to say the beat really rocks!." Rob Sheffield of ''

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 "Pretty Girl Rock" one of the "high points" on ''No Boys Allowed'', describing the track as "a lighter-than-air jump-rope rhyme about how hot

eri Eri may refer to: People * Eri (biblical figure) * Eri (given name), a Japanese feminine given name, including lists of people and fictional characters * Eri (king), the progenitor of the Umu-Eri and Umu-Nri-Igbo ancient Nigerian city-states * ...

is." Ben Ratliff of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' wrote that "Pretty Girl Rock" was one of the tracks on the album that was "good enough to stop the overthinking comparisons" with

Rihanna Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, businesswoman, and actress. One of the List of music artists by net worth, wealthiest musicians in the world, List of awards and nominations received by Rihanna, her vario ...

. He described it as "four minutes of schoolyard singsong about eri'sfabulousness." Becky Bain of

Idolator An idolator is a practitioner of idolatry. Idolator or Idolater may also refer to: * Idolator (website), an American music blog * ''Idolator'' (album), a 2005 album by Blood Stain Child * ''Idolator'', a 1986 album by Ole Evenrud * "Idolater", a ...

called it a "saucy R&B number" and wrote that "the song's not too bad". Chad Grischow of IGN Music wrote that, "there are plenty of reasons to despise 'Pretty Girl Rock', but the twinkling girl-power jam is too charming and catchy to stay mad." Karen Tye of ''Adelaide Now'' described it as "catchy, sparkly pop", but also added that the song is "complete with mindless lyrics." Katie Hasty of

HitFix HitFix, or HitFix.com, was an entertainment news website that launched in December 2008 specializing in breaking entertainment news, insider information, and reviews and critiques of film, music, and television. In mid-2010 HitFix crossed the 1,00 ...

criticized the song's lyrics for being "tacky". Hasty also mentioned that the track was intended "to empower women but fails in anti-feminist." Melinda Newman, also writing for HitFix, agreed writing that the song is "absolutely paper thin and not even remotely girl-empowering."

Chart performance

In the United States, "Pretty Girl Rock" entered the US

chart at number 76 on the chart issue dated November 20, 2010, and peaked at number four on the chart issue dated February 12, 2011. The song also peaked at number 24 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart. On June 7, 2011, "Pretty Girl Rock" was certified platinum by the

(RIAA) for selling over 1,000,000 digital copies. In Canada, "Pretty Girl Rock" debuted and peaked at number 81 on the

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 ...

. On the

New Zealand Singles Chart The Official Aotearoa Music Charts, formerly the Official New Zealand Music Chart (), is the weekly New Zealand top 40 singles and albums charts, issued weekly by Recorded Music NZ (formerly Recording Industry Association of New Zealand). The M ...

, the song debuted at number 12 on December 27, 2010, and peaked at number 11 on January 10, 2011. It was later certified platinum by

Recorded Music NZ Recorded Music NZ (formerly the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ)) is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell recorded music in New Zealand. Membership of Recorded ...

(RMNZ), for 30,000 equivalent units. In Ireland, "Pretty Girl Rock" debuted at number 50 on the

Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is the Republic of Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA) and compiled on their behalf by the Official Charts Company. Chart rankings are ...

on January 13, 2011, and left the chart the following week. In the United Kingdom, it debuted on the UK Singles Chart at number 53 on January 22, 2011, before dropping 38 places to number 91 the following week. "Pretty Girl Rock" also charted on the

UK R&B Singles Chart Official Hip Hop and R&B Albums Chart The UK Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart and the UK Hip Hop and R&B Albums Chart (also known as The Official UK Hip Hop and R&B Charts, and previously the Top 40 Hip Hop and RnB Singles and the Top 40 Hip Hop and ...

, where it peaked at number 17. On the

Austrian Singles Chart Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ** Austria-Hungary ** Austria ...

, the song debuted at number 50 on June 10, 2011, and peaked at number 21 in its third week, spending a total of eight consecutive weeks on the chart. In Germany, "Pretty Girl Rock" debuted and peaked at number 14 on the

German Singles Chart The GfK Entertainment charts are the official charts for music, home video, and video games in Germany and are gathered and published by GfK Entertainment (formerly Media Control and Media Control GfK International), a subsidiary of GfK, on be ...

on June 27, 2011, and spent a total of ten consecutive weeks on the chart. "Pretty Girl Rock" entered the Slovak Airplay Chart at number 39, and peaked at number 25 the following week.

Music video

The music video for "Pretty Girl Rock" was directed by Joseph Kahn. Hilson told Kahn that she did not want the video to be about her, since she felt that the song was already very much about herself. During an interview with

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 ...

while on the set of the video, Hilson explained that in the video she does nine outfit changes because it will show "10 different eras", starting from 1920 and up until 2010, in which she portrays herself. She also said, " he video is myway of paying homage to groundbreaking women, strong women who were fearless and so bold and so confident that they made women feel that way ... And I hope to do the same." Kahn wanted Hilson to pay homage to some female singers in the video. He discussed about it with Hilson, who chose the singers she loved and was inspired by as a youth to appear in the video. The completed video premiered on ''

106 & Park ''106 & Park'' is an American hip hop and R&B music video show, set up in a countdown format, that was broadcast on weekdays at 6:00 pm ET/5:00 pm CT on BET; it aired on a one-day delay on BET International. It was the network's highest- rated ...

'' on November 11, 2010. Pretty Girl Rock influences

The video opens in

black-and-white Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white to produce a range of achromatic brightnesses of grey. It is also known as greyscale in technical settings. Media The history of various visual media began with black and white, ...

and shows Hilson portraying

, before transforming into

. The video then switches to color and Hilson is shown portraying lead singer Patty from the singing group

. She is then seen channeling

Diana Ross Diana Ross (born Diane Ernestine Earle Ross March 26, 1944) is an American singer and actress. Known as the "Queen of Motown Records", she was the lead singer of the vocal group the Supremes, who became Motown#Major divisions, Motown's most suc ...

as lead singer of

, before switching to

while wearing a blue sequined mini-dress. Hilson then portrays

from the military-inspired "

Rhythm Nation "Rhythm Nation" is a song by American singer Janet Jackson, released as the second single from her fourth studio album, '' Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814'' (1989). It was written and produced by Jackson, in collaboration with Jimmy Jam and ...

" music video. Lastly, she is shown as singer

of the R&B girl group

, wearing light blue silk pajamas from their "

Creep The Committee for the Re-election of the President (or the Committee to Re-elect the President, CRP, but often mocked by the acronym CREEP) was, officially, a fundraising organization of United States President Richard Nixon's 1972 re-election ...

" music video. Two background dancers appear as

Left Eye Lisa Nicole Lopes (May 27, 1971 – April 25, 2002), also known by her stage name Left Eye, was an American singer and rapper. She was a member of the R&B girl group TLC, alongside Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins and Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas. Besides ...

wearing red pajamas, and Chilli wearing white pajamas. At the end of the video, Hilson is shown dressed as herself in a simple T-shirt and jeans, singing in front of a black backdrop. Ed Easton Jr. from radio station

WNOW-FM WHHH (100.9 FM, "Hot 100.9") is a radio station licensed to Speedway, Indiana. Owned by Urban One, it broadcasts an mainstream urban format serving the Indianapolis metropolitan area. Its studios are co-located with its sister stations at Mer ...

wrote that the video was "different, creative and fun" and awarded it eight out of ten stars. Billy Johnson Jr. from

Yahoo! Music Yahoo Music was a brand under which Yahoo provided music services including Internet radio, a digital music store, music streaming service, media player software, and original programming. Yahoo Music was sold to Rhapsody in early 2008. Pro ...

called the video "very nice" and wrote that Hilson's portrayal of Janet Jackson was her "best remake" in the video. Mariel Concepcion from ''

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 ...

'' magazine commented that the "video made her like the song ven more" Nicole James from MTV Buzzworthy gave Hilson 100 bonus points for the authenticity of the wig she wore portraying T-Boz. Becky Bain from Idolator was unsure if the video "was nice homage to the women in music who have come before her," or if Hilson was "just playing a hilarious game of dress up." The video was nominated for Video of the Year at the

, and Best Dance Performance at the 2011

Live performances

On November 22, 2010, Hilson performed "Pretty Girl Rock" on ''

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' is an American television talk show broadcast by NBC. The show is the fourth and sixth installment of ''The Tonight Show''. Hosted by Jay Leno, it aired from May 25, 1992, to May 29, 2009, replacing ''The Ton ...

''. She later performed the song at the 84th Annual

on November 25. Hilson was dressed in pink and performed the song on My Princess Academy's "Castle of Dreams" float high above a pink castle. On December 3, Hilson performed "Pretty Girl Rock" at the VH1 Divas Salute the Troops concert. She took to the stage dressed in a gold bustier with high-waisted pants and a fringe-laden jacket to perform the song in front of an audience that included members of the US Armed Forces. Hilson was backed by four female dancers, who wore stylized military jackets. Mawuse Ziegbe from MTV News wrote that, "Hilson brought her saucy, sexpot swagger to the stage." The promotion of the song continued on December 7, when she performed a remixed version of "Pretty Girl Rock" on ''

Lopez Tonight ''Lopez Tonight'' is an American late-night television talk show that was hosted by the comedian George Lopez. The hour-long program premiered on November 9, 2009, on cable network TBS. Lopez was the first Mexican-American to host a late-ni ...

'', dressed in a silver and black

leotard A leotard () is a unisex skin-tight one-piece garment that covers the torso from the crotch to the shoulder. The garment was made famous by the French acrobatic performer Jules Léotard (1838–1870). There are sleeveless, short-sleeved, and l ...

. Hilson later performed "Pretty Girl Rock" on December 14 on the ''

Today Show ''Today'' (also called ''The Today Show'') is an American morning television show that airs weekdays from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on NBC. The program debuted on January 14, 1952. It was the first of its genre on American television ...

'', mixing the track with

James Blunt James Blunt (born James Hillier Blount, 22 February 1974) is an English singer, songwriter and musician. He is known for his songs "You're Beautiful" and "Goodbye My Lover". As a British Army captain in the aftermath of the Kosovo War, Blunt ...

's single "

You're Beautiful "You're Beautiful" is a song by English singer-songwriter James Blunt. It was written by Blunt, Sacha Skarbek and Amanda Ghost for Blunt's debut album, '' Back to Bedlam'' (2004). It was released as the third single of the album in 2005. In ...

". For the performance, she wore a glittery multi-colored jacket over a black blouse, skin-tight jeans and stilettos. A day before the release of ''No Boys Allowed'', Hilson performed the song at ''

's'' first live Tastemakers event in New York City on December 20. On January 4, 2011, Hilson gave a Motown-themed performance of "Pretty Girl Rock" on the ''

Late Show with David Letterman ''Late Show with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the ''Late Show'' franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by Letterman's production com ...

'', by paying tribute to Diana Ross and The Supremes with her two female back-up singers. On January 25, she performed "Pretty Girl Rock" on ''

'', also mixing Blunt's "You're Beautiful" into the song. Backed by four female dancers, Hilson wore a white button-down shirt, knee-length pants and black heels. Robbie Daw from Idolator wrote that, "Keri Hilson amped up the sex factor." In April 2011, Hilson performed "Pretty Girl Rock" during her set at the

Supafest Supafest was an annual music festival held in Australia during April, created by Paper Chase Touring and Entertainment PTY LTD. It started in 2010, spreading out to in five major capital cities (Adelaide, Brisbane, Queensland, Brisbane, Melbour ...

Festival in Australia, dressed in a denim jacket, black bra and cutoff shorts. On June 9, Hilson performed a remix of the song on the finale of ''

'', as models strutted down the runway. The song was added to Hilson's

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's I Am Still Music Tour in North America in July 2011, in which she served as an opening act. It was also included to the set list of Hilson's first headlining European tour in October 2011.

Remixes and cover version

R&B girl group

recorded their own remix to the song renamed "RichGirl Rock", which was included on their mixtape ''

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'' in February 2011. American rapper

also remixed "Pretty Girl Rock" and renamed it "Kimmy Girl" for her mixtape '' Black Friday'' in March 2011. American rock band

covered the song during their Mashup Mondays session for ''Billboard'' magazine in September 2011. Jessica Letkemann of ''Billboard'' magazine wrote that the band transformed "the super self-assured R&B strut of Keri Hilson's 'Pretty Girl Rock' into a sweet, poppy acoustic rock bounce."

Track listing

* Digital download # "Pretty Girl Rock" – 4:04 * Germany CD single # "Pretty Girl Rock" (Jost & Damien Radio Mix) – 3:26 # "Pretty Girl Rock" (Main Version) (featuring

) – 4:16 * UK digital EP # "Pretty Girl Rock" – 4:04 # "Pretty Girl Rock" ( Cahill Radio Edit) – 3:23 # "Pretty Girl Rock" (Cahill Dub Remix) – 5:39 # "Pretty Girl Rock" (Cahill Club Remix) – 6:09

Credits and personnel

* Kevin "KD" Davis – mixing * Moses Gollart – assistant vocal recording engineer * Charles "Chuck Harmony" Harmon – songwriter, producer * Keri Hilson – additional arrangements, lead vocals * Bryan "The Beard" Jones – vocal recording engineer * Chang and Mike "TrakGuru" Johnson – vocal recording engineer * Jerel Lake – assistant mixing engineer * Sam Salter – songwriter * Shaffer "Ne-Yo" Smith – songwriter * Bill Withers – songwriter Source:

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Radio and release history

References

{{Authority control 2010 singles 2010 songs Cultural depictions of Josephine Baker Keri Hilson songs Interscope Records singles Music videos directed by Joseph Kahn Songs with feminist themes Songs written by Bill Withers Songs written by Chuck Harmony Songs written by Ne-Yo Songs written by Ralph MacDonald