"Rockstar" is the second single from former

N-Dubz N-Dubz are an English hip-hop trio from Camden Town, London, England, consisting of cousins Dappy and Tulisa, and their friend Fazer. After winning a MOBO Award for Best Newcomer in 2007, N-Dubz briefly signed with Polydor Records before j ...

lead rapper

Dappy Costadinos Contostavlos (Greek language, Greek: Κωνσταντίνος Κοντόσταυλος; born 11 June 1987), better known by his stage name Dappy, is an English rapper, singer, songwriter and actor. He is the lead singer of the Lond ...

's debut studio album, '' Bad Intentions'' staying with the commercial pop template of his previous single, " No Regrets". It was released on 23 February 2012. The song also features

Queen Queen most commonly refers to: * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen (band), a British rock band Queen or QUEEN may also refer to: Monarchy * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Q ...

guitarist

Brian May Sir Brian Harold May (born 19 July 1947) is an English musician, songwriter, record producer, animal welfare activist and astrophysics, astrophysicist. He achieved global fame as the lead guitarist and backing vocalist of the rock band Queen ...

Music video

A music video to accompany the release of "Rockstar" was first released onto YouTube on 18 January 2012 at a total length of three minutes and forty-eight seconds. It was directed by

Colin Tilley Colin Tilley (born June 27, 1988) is an American filmmaker, music video director, and television commercial director. Tilley is the CEO and owner of Boy in the Castle Productions. He has directed more than 300 music videos. Tilley directed, pr ...

. The video has received 16.5 million 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 ...

Critical reception

Lewis Corner of ''

Digital Spy Digital Spy (DS) is a British-based entertainment, television and film website and brand and is the largest digital property at Hearst UK. Since its initial launch in 1999, Digital Spy has focused on entertainment news related to television pro ...

'' gave the song a very positive review stating:

Fortunately, Dappy hasn't wandered too far away from what made his first cut so successful. Head-bopping beats and lyrical word play detail the star's turbulent relationship with the press ("If the Guardian's my angel, why's The Sun burning holes in me?"). But what sets this apart from his previous effort is May's rumbling guitar riffs which culminate in an electrifying solo at the end. Given it's something few can resist, we're confident this will be another bona fide smash. .Dappy ft. Brian May: 'Rockstar' - Single review

Digital Spy Digital Spy (DS) is a British-based entertainment, television and film website and brand and is the largest digital property at Hearst UK. Since its initial launch in 1999, Digital Spy has focused on entertainment news related to television pro ...

Chart performance

"Rockstar" made its first chart appearance in the week ending 8 March 2012, where it debuted at number fifteen 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 ...

- lower than predecessor " No Regrets" (#8, September 2011). The track then debuted at number two on the UK Singles Chart with first week sales of 57,415 copies for the week ending 10 March 2012. "Rockstar" also debuted at number-one on the

R&B chart 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 ...

, dethroning

Flo Rida Tramar Lacel Dillard (born September 16, 1979), known professionally as Flo Rida ( ), is an American rapper and singer. His 2007 debut and breakout single "Low (Flo Rida song), Low" was number one for 10 weeks in the United States and broke the ...

and Sia's " Wild Ones".

Track listing

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{Authority control 2012 singles Dappy songs Songs written by Dappy Takeover Entertainment singles Music videos directed by Colin Tilley 2012 songs All Around the World Productions singles Song recordings produced by TMS (production team) Songs written by Peter Kelleher (songwriter) Songs written by Tom Barnes (songwriter) Songs written by Ben Kohn Songs written by Ayak Thiik Rap rock songs