"Sexy Bitch", also known as "Sexy Chick" in clean versions, is a song by French DJ

David Guetta Pierre David Guetta (; born 7 November 1967) is a French DJ and record producer. He has sold over 10 million albums and 65 million singles globally, with more than 30 billion streams on Spotify. Guetta was voted the number one DJ in the DJ Mag ...

recorded for his fourth studio album '' One Love'' (2009). The song features vocals from Senegalese singer

Akon Aliaune Damala Bouga Time Puru Nacka Lu Lu Lu Badara Akon Thiam (born April 16, 1973), known mononymously as Akon (), is a Senegalese-United States, American singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer, businessman, and philanthropist. An influ ...

. It was released as the second single from ''One Love'' internationally. The song was serviced to

mainstream Mainstream may refer to: Film * ''Mainstream'' (film), a 2020 American film Literature * ''Mainstream'' (fanzine), a science fiction fanzine * Mainstream Publishing, a Scottish publisher * ''Mainstream'', a 1943 book by Hamilton Basso * ...

and rhythmic crossover radios on 1 September 2009, in the United States, through

Astralwerks Astralwerks (or Astralwerks Records) is an American record label primarily focused on electronic music that is now owned by Universal Music Group. Its material is distributed via Capitol Music Group in the United States. The label was founded in ...

, together with

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007), and simply known as Capitol, is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-base ...

. It was written by Giorgio Tuinfort, Aliaune Thiam, David Guetta, Jean-Claude Sindres and

Sandy Vee Sandy Julien Wilhelm (; born 22 April 1975), better known by his stage name Sandy Vee, is a French music producer, DJ and songwriter. He gained much commercial and critical recognition for co-producing Rihanna's " Only Girl (In the World)", Katy ...

; the latter three also produced the song. The song was made in one night after the two main artists met at a concert. The lyrics of "Sexy Bitch" deal with the protagonist's infatuation with a woman. "Sexy Bitch" garnered generally mixed to positive reviews from music critics, who commended the song's production. The song achieved commercial success worldwide, peaking inside the top five in several countries, including topping the charts in Australia, Austria, Canada, Germany, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. "Sexy Bitch" peaked at number five on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and became Guetta's first top five hit in the United States. The song also became his best selling song in the United States, earning a triple platinum certification 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), with sales of 3,507,000 copies as of March 2014. The music video for "Sexy Bitch" features Guetta and Akon at a house party and performing in a concert.

Background

"Sexy Bitch" was written by Giorgio Tuinfort, Aliaune Thiam,

, Jean-Claude Sindres and

. The production was helmed by Guetta, Sindres and Vee. Guetta, in an interview for

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 ...

, said the collaboration with Akon came after they met during a performance of "

When Love Takes Over "When Love Takes Over" is a song by French DJ and record producer David Guetta featuring vocals by American singer Kelly Rowland, from Guetta's fourth studio album, '' One Love'' (2009). It was released as the lead single from the album on 21 Apr ...

" with

Kelly Rowland Kelendria Trene Rowland (born February 11, 1981) is an American singer, actress, and television personality. She rose to fame in the late 1990s as a member of Destiny's Child, one of the world's List of best-selling girl groups, best-selling gir ...

. Akon approached him, asking if they could work together, and Guetta suggested that they should start immediately, so they rented a studio in London and made the song in one night. "Sexy Bitch" was released as the second single from '' One Love'' (2009), after the international success of "When Love Takes Over". It was released worldwide as a digital promotional single, which preceded the release ''One Love'', on 24 July 2009.

, together with

, solicited the song to mainstream and rhythmic radios on 1 September 2009 in the United States under the name "Sexy Chick". On 7 September 2009, an extended play was serviced to digital retailers, containing an extended version of the song and two remixes by Chuckie, Lil Jon and Koen Groeneveld. That same day, a remixes extended play was released featuring remixes by disc jockeys Afrojack, Abel Ramos, and Groeneveld. On 13 September 2009, an extended play of "Sexy Bitch" was released in the United Kingdom featuring the clean edit and remixes by DJ Footloose, Chuckie,

Lil Jon Jonathan H. Smith (born January 17, 1971), better known by his stage name Lil Jon, is an American rapper, DJ, and record producer. Regarded as a progenitor of the club-oriented hip-hop subgenre crunk, his production and voice presence were inst ...

, Abel Ramos, and Groeneveld.

Composition

"Sexy Bitch" runs for 3 minutes and 14 seconds. It features a driving,

8-bit In computer architecture, 8-bit integers or other data units are those that are 8 bits wide (1 octet). Also, 8-bit central processing unit (CPU) and arithmetic logic unit (ALU) architectures are those that are based on registers or data bu ...

style beat. According to the digital music sheet published at Musicnotes.com by

Faber Music Faber Music is a British sheet music publisher best known for contemporary classical music. It also publishes music tutor books, and in 2005 acquired popular music publisher International Music Publications. Faber Music has close relations with ...

, the song is written in a key of

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

. It is set in common time with a fast tempo of 130 beats per minute. Akon's vocals range from a low note of B₃ to a high note of G₅. The song has a basic accompaniment pattern consisting of

open fifth In music theory, a perfect fifth is the musical interval corresponding to a pair of pitches with a frequency ratio of 3:2, or very nearly so. In classical music from Western culture, a fifth is the interval from the first to the last of the ...

s instead of chords, in a pattern of B₅-D₅-G₅-D₅-E_5. The lyrics deal with the protagonist's infatuation with a female, demonstrated in lines like "I'm trying to find the words to describe this girl without being disrespectful," and "nothing like the neighbourhood whore". Eric Lyndal Martin of ''

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, ...

'' commented that the song's lines would serve best in "Take Back the Night" ballads than on electronica songs.

Critical reception

Michael Menachem of ''

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 ...

'' praised the song, writing "Don't be surprised if this track takes over dancefloors as the summer ends." Nick Levine 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 "Sexy Bitch" a three star rating, expressing some discontent towards the lyrical content but cited the hook and beats as factors that make the song "bearable". In the review of ''One Love'' for the same publication, David Balls offered a less optimistic view of the song, calling it "a throwaway affair with a sell-by-date to rival a pint of milk." David Jeffries 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 ...

noted it as one of the album's highlights, writing that "Akon and guilty pleasure lyrics ... make for a perfect match." Eric Lyndal Martin of ''

'' commented, "the final product makes you wonder just how sexy this bitch actually is," and commended the track for its driving beats, writing that they "make this song a lot of fun."

Chart performance

"Sexy Bitch" was released as the follow-up single to "

", which was experiencing international success during the time of the single's release. It proved to surpass "When Love Takes Over" in the United States when it debuted on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 at number 56 on the week ending 15 August 2009, becoming Guetta's highest-peaking single on the chart at the time. The song reappeared on the Hot 100 following the single's release to

and rhythmic crossover radio. Within months, the song entered the top 10 tier, where it ascended and descended until 13 February 2010, when it peaked at number five. "Sexy Bitch" exited the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 after 40 weeks, and earned a double-platinum certification by the

(RIAA) on 11 February 2010 and a triple-platinum certification on 9 July 2012. It has amassed sales of 3,507,000 digital downloads in the United States by March 2014. In Canada, the song debuted 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 ...

at number nine, becoming the week's "highest debut". It fell down the chart up until its fourth week, when it hit number 35. The song got its "second wind" in its fifth week, rising to number 21, and eventually reached the summit of the chart, where it stalled for two weeks. "Sexy Bitch" replicated the chart success of the previous single in international territories. In the Australasian countries, it reached the summit of the singles charts in Australia and New Zealand. However, the song was more successful in Australia, where it logged the top position for seven weeks and lasted on the chart for 38 weeks. The song earned a quintuple-platinum certification 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 Records (Australia), Festival, Sony Music ...

(ARIA), denoting shipments of 350,000 copies. In New Zealand, "Sexy Bitch" lasted three weeks at number one and 23 weeks on the chart. The song shipped 30,000 copies to the country, earning a double platinum certification by the

Recording Industry Association of New Zealand 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 ...

(RIANZ). "Sexy Bitch" showed similar standings in the European countries, continuing Guetta's mainstream success around the world. The song topped the charts in four countries and reached the top five in nine. In the United Kingdom, it entered the

singles chart A record chart, in the music industry, also called a music chart, is a ranking of recorded music according to certain criteria during a given period. Many different criteria are used in worldwide charts, often in combination. These include re ...

at number 21 on 21 August 2009. The song rose to number one in the following week becoming Guetta's second and Akon's third UK number one, it lasted 40 weeks on the chart, amassing sales of 740,000 copies in the United Kingdom. "Sexy Bitch" showed the most longevity in Switzerland, where it logged 77 weeks on the

. The song reached a peak of number two, where it stalled for three consecutive weeks in October 2009. It eventually earned a quadruple-platinum certification by International Federation of the Phonographic Industry Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland), denoting shipments of 80,000 copies. "Sexy Bitch" experienced a successful chart run in Sweden, entering the

at number eight and after more than two months, reached a peak at number two. The song lasted 55 weeks on the chart, 25 of which were spent inside the top 10. In Austria, the song reached the summit of the

, where it stayed for three consecutive weeks.

Music video

The video was directed by Stephen Schuster. The video starts with a plane coming and girls in bikinis are seen tanning and swimming. The camera switches to

who wakes up and finds pictures of his date from David Guetta's pool party. He then finds lipstick note on his mirror that reads "find me at pool party" with yet another photo. As the party starts, people enter; a group of teenage boys are denied entry but they employ various methods to get in. The camera switches to Akon again, who is shown singing underwater. The camera flicks to Guetta arriving meeting up with Akon, who then grabs Guetta and they throw each other in the pool. The party continues as Akon pushes more people in, girls dance and Akon with Guetta are shown to be having a water fight. The scene then skips to the Pacha Night Club in Ibiza Town, to David Guetta’s "Fuck Me, I'm Famous" night where

is performing with

Tocadisco Roman Böer (; born 9 June 1974), better known as DJ Tocadisco, formerly Tocadisco (, Spanish for "turntable"), is a German DJ and record producer. Biography Born in Berlin, the son of the photographer and media designer Gerry Böer. He grew up ...

, and Akon is walking in from the back, where he meets some girls. Akon then arrives and performs "Sexy Bitch" A light up man in blue and green appears. Girls are shown dancing and Akon does a crowd surf before the video ends. At the end, Akon is seen sleeping in the bed waking up finding pictures but goes back to sleep. The video was filmed in Pacha

Ibiza Ibiza (; ; ; #Names and pronunciation, see below) or Iviza is a Spanish island in the Mediterranean Sea off the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. It is 150 kilometres (93 miles) from the city of Valencia. It is the third largest of th ...

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

, Spain,

St. Julian's Saint Julian's () is a town in the Eastern Region of Malta. As of 2020, its registered number of inhabitants stands at 13,792. It is situated along the coast, north of the country's capital, Valletta. It is known for tourism-oriented businesse ...

, Malta and

Swindon Swindon () is a town in Wiltshire, England. At the time of the 2021 Census the population of the built-up area was 183,638, making it the largest settlement in the county. Located at the northeastern edge of the South West England region, Swi ...

, England around 27 July 2009. An alternate version for a censored version of the song ("Sexy Chick") depicts two girls in Akon's bedroom; one is taking Polaroid photos of the other. They even take photos of themselves in Akon's bed while he sleeps. Akon's bed is covered in photos, and as the girls leave, the one most heavily photographed writes in lipstick on the bathroom mirror, "find me at pool party". She attaches another photo and leaves a lipstick impression of her lips on the mirror before she goes to the pool party. Akon then wakes up. The rest of the video is much like the other version, with a few scenes cut or added at the pool party and the club. For example, the underwater singing scene is omitted.

Controversy

On 24 March 2010,

Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

groups in

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

have stated the music video was considered offensive, due to the fact that the

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha (),* * * was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist legends, he was ...

statue is found in several shots in the background throughout. With protests held along with demanding a concert cancellation, the Sri Lankan Government prohibited Akon from entering Sri Lanka with a visa. In response, Akon said "I was not aware that the statue was even on the set of the video until now. I would never set out to offend or desecrate anyone’s religion or religious beliefs... I myself am a spiritual man, so I can understand why they are offended, but violence is never the answer and I am disheartened."

Credits and personnel

* Songwriting —

Giorgio Tuinfort Giorgio Hesdey Tuinfort (born 30 April 1981) is a Dutch record producer and songwriter. He is best known for his production work for Senegalese-American singer Akon and French DJ David Guetta. Giorgio has been credited on releases by prominent m ...

, Aliaune Thiam,

, Jean-Claude Sindres,

* Production — David Guetta, Jean-Claude Sindres, Sandy Vee Credits adapted from the liner notes of ''One Love'',

Virgin Records Virgin Records is a British record label owned by Universal Music Group. They were originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman (musician), ...

, EMI France.

Track listing

* UK CD single # "Sexy Bitch" – 3:14 # "Sexy Bitch" (extended version) – 5:12 * French CD single # "Sexy Bitch" – 3:14 # "Sexy Bitch" ( Chuckie &

Remix) – 5:58 # "Sexy Chick" (US version) – 3:13 # "Sexy Bitch" (video) * European CD single # "Sexy Bitch" ( Chuckie &

Remix) – 5:58 # "Sexy Bitch" (Koen Groeneveld Remix) – 7:15 # "Sexy Bitch" (Koen Groeneveld Remix) (David Guetta Vocal Re-Edit) – 7:30 # "Sexy Bitch" (Abel Ramos Atlanta With Love Remix) – 7:13 # "Sexy Bitch" (

Afrojack Nick Leonardus van de Wall (; born 9 September 1987), known professionally as Afrojack (stylized in all caps), is a Dutch DJ, record producer and remixer. In 2007, he founded the record label Wall Recordings; his debut album ''Forget the World ( ...

Remix) – 4:45 # "Sexy Bitch" (extended version) – 5:12 # "Sexy Bitch" – 3:14 * US CD single # "Sexy Bitch" ( Chuckie &

Remix) – 4:45 # "Sexy Bitch" (Footloose Remix) – 5:12 # "Sexy Bitch" (album version) – 3:14 # "Sexy Bitch" (extended version) – 5:12 # "Sexy Bitch" (extended instrumental) – 5:12 # "Sexy Chick" (clean album version) – 3:14 # "Sexy Chick" (clean album version extended) – 5:12

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{Authority control 2009 songs 2009 singles David Guetta songs Akon songs Buddhism-related controversies Canadian Hot 100 number-one singles European Hot 100 Singles number-one singles Hip house songs Number-one singles in Australia Number-one singles in Austria Number-one singles in Germany Number-one singles in Israel Number-one singles in New Zealand UK singles chart number-one singles Ultratop 50 Singles (Wallonia) number-one singles Ultratop 50 Singles (Flanders) number-one singles Music video controversies Songs written by David Guetta Songs written by Sandy Vee Songs written by Akon Song recordings produced by Sandy Vee Song recordings produced by David Guetta Virgin Records singles EMI Records singles Religious controversies in music