Sugar (Brockhampton Song)
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"Sugar" is a song by American hip hop boy band Brockhampton from their fifth studio album, ''
Ginger Ginger (''Zingiber officinale'') is a flowering plant whose rhizome, ginger root or ginger, is widely used as a spice and a folk medicine. It is an herbaceous perennial that grows annual pseudostems (false stems made of the rolled bases of l ...
'' (2019). The song features guest vocals from
Ryan Beatty Ryan Kevin Beatty (born September 25, 1995) is an American singer-songwriter. He was born in Clovis, California, and now resides in Los Angeles. His debut EP, ''Because of You'', was released in 2012. After a hiatus, Beatty began to re-emerge i ...
. It was written by Matthew Champion, Ciarán McDonald, Dominique Simpson, Ian Simpson, Beatty, Jabari Manwarring, Romil Hemnani, and Chuks Chiejine, and was produced by Jabari Manwa and Romil Hemnani. The song impacted
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 ...
formats in the United States on November 19, 2019, as the album's fifth
single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...
, before being released globally on December 13, through Question Everything and
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. It is a
hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...
,
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
slow jam A slow jam is music with rhythm and blues and soul influences. Slow jams are commonly R&B ballads or downtempo songs, and are mostly soft-sounding with heavily emotional or romantic lyrical content. The earliest known use of the term is from a ...
, driven by an
acoustic guitar An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked, its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...
loop. Lyrically, the themes include drug abuse, codependency, and the stress of uncertainty. "Sugar" received positive reviews from
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 ...
, with several naming it a highlight on ''Ginger''. Some critics praised the song's production, as well as its boy band-qualities. The song peaked at number 66 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, while charting within the top 40 of charts in Australia, Canada, Ireland, and New Zealand. It was awarded a double platinum certification in the US by the
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(RIAA), as well as platinum certifications in Australia and triple platinum in New Zealand from the
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(ARIA) and
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(RMNZ), respectively. The commercial performance of the song has been attributed to a viral dance challenge on
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. It was promoted with the release of two
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 ...
s, both directed by Kevin Abstract. The first one features a series of incongruous scenes after an alien interrupts a sex scene that a cartoon sun watches. The video was complimented by critics for its weirdness and sci-fi elements. The second video features the band and Beatty singing on a sound stage. Brockhampton further promoted the song in 2019 with performances on ''
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'' and ''
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''. A remix of "Sugar", featuring English and 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 ...
, was released as a single on March 6, 2020. The remix adds additional vocals from Lipa and Jon B., as well as new contributions from Beatty, Joba, Champion, and Bearface. It also adds Brian Casey, Lipa,
Jermaine Dupri Jermaine Dupri Mauldin (born September 23, 1972) is an American rapper and record producer. Raised in Atlanta, Georgia as the son of Columbia Records executive Michael Mauldin, he began his career in music at the age of nine. He discovered th ...
, Jon B, Manuel Seal Jr.,
Usher Raymond Usher Raymond IV (born October 14, 1978) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. With some publications referring to him as the King of R&B, he is recognized as an influential figure in contemporary R&B and pop music. In 1994, U ...
, and William Wood as writers. The remix features a
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of Usher's song "
Nice & Slow "Nice & Slow" is a song from American singer-songwriter Usher's second album, ''My Way'' (1997). Released on January 6, 1998 by LaFace and Arista, the song became Usher's first number-one single on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart in Februa ...
" and sees Lipa joining in on the first verse, before duetting with Beatty and weaving her vocals in and out throughout, while Jon B. sings with Bearface in the third verse. In the lyrics, Lipa sings about a consuming love that makes her look past all of its negatives. Music critics complimented Lipa's performance in the remix for blending her vocals with Brockhampton. The remix was also commended for the pairing of unlikely collaborators. It was promoted through the release of a visualizer that sees Champion sitting on a basketball net.


Writing and recording

In September 2018, Brockhampton released their fourth studio album ''
Iridescence Iridescence (also known as goniochromism) is the phenomenon of certain surfaces that appear gradually to change colour as the angle of view or the angle of illumination changes. Iridescence is caused by wave interference of light in microstru ...
'', which debuted atop the US ''Billboard'' 200 chart. Despite its chart-topping debut, the album lacked longevity and crossover hits. Going into the recording for their follow-up in early 2019, the band desired to create an album people would keep going back to that had a crossover hit. Brockhampton attempted to go back to their roots, where they would just make music as a "group and family". The band started on more than 30 songs, referred to by band member Romil Hemnani in retrospect as the "pregame warm-ups", though ultimately abandoned those songs to search for completely new inspiration. After Brockhampton invited American actor
Shia LaBeouf Shia Saide LaBeouf ( ; born June 11, 1986) is an American actor and filmmaker. He played Louis Stevens in the Disney Channel series ''Even Stevens'', a role for which he received Young Artist Award nominations in 2001 and 2002 and won a Dayt ...
to their Los Angeles creative space to discuss promotional ideas, band members Dom McLennon and Jabari Manwa got back into the album-making mentality. The two began working on music immediately afterwards and within 20 minutes, they had the foundation for a new song, with the help of Chuks Chiejine. Manwa met Chiejine through Nigerian artist Odunsi (The Engine), a mutual friend of theirs while Manwa was stuck in London due to visa issues. They started with Chiejine playing a riff on the guitar, before Manwa began working on the beat. The former moved to the
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 * ...
, bass, and
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, prior to the latter playing the hi-hats. McLennon was immediately inspired to write and record, and he pointed out that the beat evoked a "nostalgia of being a hungry young artist working the graveyard shift at
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". Within a few hours, McLennon had recorded his verse. At first, the song consisted of his verse and the beat. Drawing on advice he received from producer
Michael Uzowuru Michael Uzowuru (born November 10, 1991) is an American record producer and songwriter. He has produced and written for SZA, Frank Ocean, FKA Twigs, Beyoncé, Donald Glover, Vince Staples, Earl Sweatshirt, and Rosalía, among others. Life and c ...
, Hemnani decided to pitch down the song by two semitones, in an effort to discover new pockets for harmonies. The song, as well as "No Halo" and "Boy Bye", was finished that night. The following day, its mixing process began. The band developed a few other additions to the track following that, including Bearface's bridge, the rearrangement of the chords leading into the chorus, and the addition of
Ryan Beatty Ryan Kevin Beatty (born September 25, 1995) is an American singer-songwriter. He was born in Clovis, California, and now resides in Los Angeles. His debut EP, ''Because of You'', was released in 2012. After a hiatus, Beatty began to re-emerge i ...
's vocals. Beatty came up with 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 ...
melody before him,
Kevin Abstract Clifford Ian Simpson (born July 16, 1996), known by his stage name Kevin Abstract, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter known for his role as a founding member of Brockhampton. Releasing music since 2009, he released his debut album, '' ...
, Manwa, and McLennon all put ideas forward, writing the hook together. "Sugar" was written by Matthew Champion, Ciarán McDonald, Dominique Simpson, Ian Simpson, Beatty, Manwa, Hemnani, and Chiejine, with the production being handled by Manwa and Hemnani. The song was recorded by Manwarring and Hemnani at the BH Factory in Los Angeles. It was mixed by
Tom Elmhirst Tom Elmhirst (born 8 June 1971) is a British mix engineer. He has worked with artists including Adele, Beck, David Bowie, Cage the Elephant, Lady Gaga, Residente, and Amy Winehouse, among many others. Elmhirst has received numerous accolades ...
at
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in
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, while the mastering was handled by
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at Vlado Meller Mastering in
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. The remix version adds Brian Casey,
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 ...
,
Jermaine Dupri Jermaine Dupri Mauldin (born September 23, 1972) is an American rapper and record producer. Raised in Atlanta, Georgia as the son of Columbia Records executive Michael Mauldin, he began his career in music at the age of nine. He discovered th ...
, Jonathan Buck, Manuel Seal Jr.,
Usher Raymond Usher Raymond IV (born October 14, 1978) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. With some publications referring to him as the King of R&B, he is recognized as an influential figure in contemporary R&B and pop music. In 1994, U ...
, and William Wood as writers.


Music and lyrics

Musically, "Sugar" is a
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and
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-influenced,
hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...
,
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
slow jam A slow jam is music with rhythm and blues and soul influences. Slow jams are commonly R&B ballads or downtempo songs, and are mostly soft-sounding with heavily emotional or romantic lyrical content. The earliest known use of the term is from a ...
, with
folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk horror ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Fo ...
and
funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the ...
elements. The stripped-back production is anchored by an
acoustic guitar An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked, its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...
loop, while it also uses processed guitars, bubbling drums, shingles of
synths A synthesizer (also synthesiser or synth) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis an ...
, and an R&B
groove Groove or Grooves may refer to: Music * Groove (music) * Groove (drumming) * The Groove (band), an Australian rock/pop band of the 1960s * The Groove (Sirius XM), a US radio station * Groove 101.7FM, a former Perth, Australia, radio station ...
. The song is centred around a melodic, Beatty-performed hook where the singer uses layered vocals over a "sparse", guitar-driven beat. He sings an anxious confessional to a crush, saying he can not sleep without thinking about this person and that he needs answers on how they feel about him. More production elements are added around Beatty's voice as the song progresses, that transform it from
downtempo Downtempo (or downbeat) is a broad label for electronic music that features an atmospheric sound and slower beats than would typically be found in dance music. Closely related to ambient music but with greater emphasis on rhythm, the style may ...
to
upbeat Up beat may refer to: *Upbeat, in music, the last beat in the previous bar which immediately precedes the downbeat *Anacrusis, a note (or sequence of notes) which precedes the first downbeat in a bar in a musical phrase * ''Upbeat'' (album), by t ...
. Brockhampton sings rhythmic lyrics in falsetto harmonies that stick to ''Ginger''s emotional and introspective themes. The lyrics of "Sugar" talk about drug abuse, codependency, and the timeless stress of uncertainty, while also seeing the band reflect on past relationships and yearn for a partner to be by their side. The verses of the song keep it hip hop, with the band members singing from a positive place, reminiscing on the good memories and focusing on their accomplishments. McLennon performs the emotional first verse with a
vocoder A vocoder (, a portmanteau of ''vo''ice and en''coder'') is a category of speech coding that analyzes and synthesizes the human voice signal for audio data compression, multiplexing, voice encryption or voice transformation. The vocoder wa ...
-like drawl style, while Matt Champion sings about using drugs to cope with anxiety in the second verse; both of them rap their verses with a sense of childhood nostalgia and longing to move forward. In the bridge, Abstract raps about passports, while Bearface promises his love is real in a
pre-chorus Song structure is the arrangement of a song, and is a part of the songwriting process. It is typically section (music), sectional, which uses repeating forms in songs. Common piece-level musical forms for vocal music include bar form, thirty-two-ba ...
towards the end before closing the song repeating the line "Do You Love Me?" The remix version of "Sugar" adds new vocals from Lipa and Jon B., as well as additional contributions from Beatty, Joba, Champion, and Bearface. The remix opens with Bearface sampling Usher's "
Nice & Slow "Nice & Slow" is a song from American singer-songwriter Usher's second album, ''My Way'' (1997). Released on January 6, 1998 by LaFace and Arista, the song became Usher's first number-one single on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart in Februa ...
" (1998). Lipa uses soulful vocals and joins in on the first verse, piggy-backing off McLennon's opening line from the original version "I move mountains on my own, don’t need nobody help", before reworking the rest of the lyrics. She shows up throughout the rest of the remix, duetting with Beatty in his parts while also adding
backing vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are us ...
. Lipa sings about yearning, longing, and devotion, while exploring a consuming love that makes her look past all of its negatives. Jon B. sings with Bearface on a reworked third verse. Abstract's bridge remains the same, while Joba performs a new outro repeating: "I'm your Candyman/I'll be your Candyman."


Release and promotion

"Sugar" was released through Question Everything and
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 ...
on August 23, 2019, as the second track on Brockhampton's fifth studio album ''
Ginger Ginger (''Zingiber officinale'') is a flowering plant whose rhizome, ginger root or ginger, is widely used as a spice and a folk medicine. It is an herbaceous perennial that grows annual pseudostems (false stems made of the rolled bases of l ...
''. The band originally intended to release the song as the album's
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 ...
, however it leaked in June 2019, resulting in them deciding to promote the song following the album's release. The band officially announced "Sugar" as the fifth
single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...
from ''Ginger'' in November 2019. The song was promoted to contemporary hit and
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formats in the United States on November 7, 2019, as a
promotional single A promotional recording, promo, or plug copy is an audio or video recording distributed free, usually in order to promote a recording that is or soon will be commercially available. Promos are normally sent directly to broadcasters, such as mu ...
. It officially impacted the former radio format on November 19 as a single. The song was released for
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and
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on December 13, 2019. It received playlist promotion through streaming platforms such as
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and
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, as well as promotion on social media platform
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. A remix of the song featuring Lipa was released for digital download and streaming as a single on March 6, 2020. The remix was accompanied by a visualizer that sees Matt Champion sitting on top of a basketball hoop. 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 on March 13, 2020, five days before being serviced to contemporary hit radio formats in Canada.


Reception

"Sugar" was met with positive reviews from
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 ...
. The song was named a highlight on ''Ginger'' by Shahlin Graves of ''Coup De Main Magazine'', Erika Marie of ''HotNewHipHop'', Julie Van Praet of ''
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'', Sophie Caraan of ''Hypebeast'', Matthew Strauss of ''
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'', Derrick Rossignol of ''
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'' and the staff of ''
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''. In ''
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'', Charles Holmes described the song as "wistful and sweet", while also mentioning that it feels like "a bold swing after the darkness" of the previous album track "No Halo". In another review from the publication, Claire Shaffer name the song one of Brockhampton's "most boy band-esque tracks", whereas ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
''s Michael Cragg called the song "honey-soaked". Marie called the song a "noteworthy addition" to ''Ginger''. The staff of '' DIY'' viewed it as a "sleek R&B-esque number", drawing comparisons to the band's other songs "Bleach" (2017) and "1999 Wildfire" (2018). In a review from '' Clash'', Debbie Ijaduola said "the lyrics overpower production here, resulting in a song that’s more melancholy than perhaps was intended". Dan Weiss of ''
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'' opined that "Sugar" shows growth for Brockhampton musically. Writing for ''
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'', Daniel Spielberger thought it is the band's "best foray into genre-bending" on ''Ginger''. ''
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'' writer Sophie Walker named the song a "sumptuous R'n'B throwback" while praising Bearface's contributions to it, saying "his blown-out croons fit right in". For ''Pitchfork'', Sheldon Pearce stated that the song, alongside fellow album tracks "No Halo" and "Boy Bye", makes it seem like the production crew "has unlocked its full potential". Steven Edelstone of ''
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'' noted that Brockhampton leans into their "capital-P Pop tendencies", while comparing Bearface's performance to
JC Chasez Joshua Scott "JC" Chasez (; born August 8, 1976) is an American singer, songwriter, actor, dancer, and record producer. He started his career as a singer, actor, and dancer on '' The All-New Mickey Mouse Club'' before rising to prominence as a ...
. He went on to say "it's what a 2019
One Direction One Direction, often shortened to 1D, were an English-Irish pop boy band formed in London in 2010. The group consisted of Niall Horan, Zayn Malik (until his departure in 2015), Liam Payne, Harry Styles, and Louis Tomlinson. The group sold o ...
song would sound like with a
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 ...
feature". In Contactmusic.com, Max Cussons thought that the acoustic touches and "cabin-like homely" hook are reminiscent of a
Fleet Foxes Fleet Foxes are an American indie folk band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 2006. The band currently consists of Robin Pecknold (vocals, guitar), Skyler Skjelset (guitar, mandolin, backing vocals), Casey Wescott (keyboards, mandolin, backin ...
or
Bon Iver Bon Iver ( ) is an American indie folk band founded in 2006 by singer-songwriter Justin Vernon in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Vernon had originally formed Bon Iver as a solo project, but it eventually became a band consisting of Vernon (vocals, guit ...
song, alongside mentioning that Bearface's "melodious, sensual serenade" is the "show-stopper". ''
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'' writer Brandon Yu described the song as "a sweet love song that is possibly the album's most immediately infectious track, and one of the group's best ever pop songs". The staff of ''Vulture'' called it "a perfect song to end a very heated hot gal summer", as well as "confused and melancholy". Trey Alston of MTV described "Sugar" as a "vertigo-inducing ride that takes you through a crash course of different feelings". Alex Robert Ross of ''
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'' viewed the song as "very chill", while the ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
'' Mikael Wood described it as "tender and silky". Marie also complimented the remix, saying that the singers' blend of vocals work nicely while stating "the interesting mix of singers may seem like an unlikely group but they all pull things together quite nicely". ''Vulture''s Chris Murphy stated "the remix does not disappoint" while praising Lipa's performance, saying she fits right in on the song as she "croons just like one of the boys". Van Praet also appreciated Lipa's performance, stating she "sleekly melts right alongside the rest" of Brockhampton. In ''Uproxx'', Wongo Okon opined that Lipa "adds a new balance" to the song "as her vocals seemingly even out" its experience. In ''Consequence'', Nina Corcoran stated that although "Lipa doesn't command any singular moment or verse", she "sleekly croons right alongside the rest" of the band. The reviewer stated "unlikely crossovers often result in some truly memorable songs", in this case "for better". For
MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...
, Trey Alston stated Lipa "claims the song as her own immediately", while also praising her appearance on the "final bone-chilling chorus" that makes "her case to be the next member of the group". He also complimented the "seriously sweet moment" of Jon B's and Bearface's intertwining of vocals. ''The Fader'' writer Shaad D'Souza stated the remix takes the song "one step closer to the realm of Top 40". In ''
Complex Complex commonly refers to: * Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe ** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...
'', Joshua Espinoza said it gives "new life" to the original. ''
Highsnobiety ''Highsnobiety'' is a global fashion and lifestyle media brand founded in 2005 by David Fischer. The youth-focused company is difficult to pigeonhole, as it straddles the line between a media company that reviews fashion and lifestyle products, ...
''s Liz Bautista noted that the remix keeps the original's "cool, chill, and I-wanna-cuddle vibe" with "a few upgrades". ''Vulture'' ranked "Sugar" as the eighth best song of 2019; writer Dee Lockett noted that it has "the hallmarks of a grade-A boy-band bop" with "airtight harmonies, an irresistible hook, and matters of the heart". In July 2020, ''Rolling Stone'' ranked it as the 73rd best boy band song of all time, stating it is "tender and honest, a heartfelt devotional filled with love, longing and just the right dash of youthful immortality", while comparing the acoustic guitar loop to that of "
I Want It That Way "I Want It That Way" is a song by American boy band Backstreet Boys. It was released on April 12, 1999, as the lead single from their third studio album, ''Millennium''. It was written by Max Martin and Andreas Carlsson, while Martin and Kris ...
" (1999) by the
Backstreet Boys Backstreet Boys (often abbreviated as BSB) are an American vocal group consisting of Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, AJ McLean, and cousins Brian Littrell and Kevin Richardson (musician), Kevin Richardson. The band formed in 1993 in Orlando, Flori ...
.


Commercial performance

The commercial performance of "Sugar" has been attributed to a dance trend using it that went viral on TikTok. The song spent one week at number nine on the US
Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (also known as Bubbling Under the Hot 100) is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. The chart lists the top songs that have not yet charted on the main ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Chart ...
chart, before entering the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 at number 70 on the chart dated January 18, 2020. The following week, the song reached a peak of number 66. It re-entered the chart at number 95 following the release of the remix, and spent a total of nine weeks on the chart. The song also reached respective peaks of numbers 31 and 28 on ''
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 ...
''s
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 ...
and
Mainstream Top 40 Pop Airplay (also called Mainstream Top 40, Pop Songs, and Top 40/contemporary hit radio, CHR) is a 40-song music chart published weekly by Billboard (magazine), ''Billboard'' Magazine that ranks the most popular songs of pop music being played o ...
charts. In November 2021, the song was awarded a double 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), which denotes 2,000,000 track-equivalent unit sales in the US. In January 2020, "Sugar" debuted at number 98 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 ...
, before peaking at number 21 in March of that year, following the release of the remix. On the UK Singles Chart, the song debuted at number 78 in January 2020, a month before peaking at number 58. It charted for nine weeks, and was certified silver 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) in July 2020 for 200,000 track-equivalent unit sales in the United Kingdom. Following the release of ''Ginger'', "Sugar" debuted at number 64 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 10, 2020, the song re-entered the chart at number 57 and reached a peak of number 36 four weeks later. It spent 14 weeks on the chart. In January 2020, the song charted for one week at number 98 in Sweden. The song was certified gold by the
Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry The Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry (; ZPAV) is the trade organization that represents the interests of the music industry in Poland, and the Polish chapter of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI). Founded ...
(ZPAV) in 2021 for sales of 10,000 track-equivalent units in Poland. It received the same certification from the
Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa The Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa (AFP; English: ''Portuguese Phonographic Association'') is the recording industry association of the major labels in Portugal. Created in 1989, it succeeded GPPFV (Portuguese group of producers of Phonogra ...
(AFP) in December 2020, which denotes 5,000 track-equivalent unit sales in Portugal. In Australia, "Sugar" debuted at number 37 on the
ARIA Singles Chart The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...
dated January 19, 2020, before peaking at number 19 two weeks later. The song returned to that peak following the remix's release and spent 13 weeks on the chart. In 2020, for selling 70,000 track-equivalent units in Australia, the song was awarded a 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). In New Zealand, it debuted at number 40 in January 2020. It initially peaked at number 13 the next month, before reaching number 12 following the release of the remix. The song spent 17 weeks on the chart. In April 2020,
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) awarded the song a platinum certification for track-equivalent sales of 30,000 units in New Zealand.


Music videos


Version 1

The
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 ...
for "Sugar" was directed by Abstract and released on December 10, 2019. The band promoted the video's release on
Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...
by posting rapid-fire tweets leading up its premiere. The video first premiered on
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and
MTVU MTVU (formerly stylized as MtvU and mtvU) is an American digital cable TV channel owned by the MTV Entertainment Group, a unit of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. MTVU programming initially served 750 college and univ ...
, as well as MTV's
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billboard, before being released onto
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 ...
. The video was produced by Elara Pictures and Ways & Means, with Brandon Robinson serving as the producer, the
Safdie brothers Josh Safdie, Joshua Henry Safdie (born April 3, 1984) and Benny Safdie, Benjamin Safdie (born February 24, 1986) are independent American filmmakers and actors based in New York City, who frequently collaborate on their films. They are best know ...
as co-producers, alongside Oscar Boyson, Lana Kim, and Jett Steiger as executive producers. Ashlan Grey was the director of photography, while Nick Lenzini handled the wardrobe styling and Nathan Blackmon did the editing. Color was handled by Irving Harvey and Sam Gursky with
VFX Visual effects (sometimes abbreviated as VFX) is the process by which imagery is created or manipulated outside the context of a live-action shot in filmmaking and video production. The integration of live-action footage and other live-action fo ...
by Frender and Max Colt, and
animation Animation is a filmmaking technique whereby still images are manipulated to create moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Animati ...
by Moving Colour and Brian Covalt. The concept of the video is based on a nightmare Abstract had after he was having trouble coming up with the concept. A director's cut version was released on the band's
Vimeo Vimeo ( ) is an American Online video platform, video hosting, sharing, and services provider founded in 2004 and headquartered in New York City. Vimeo focuses on the delivery of high-definition video across a range of devices and operates on a ...
channel. The video opens with a sex scene between a man and woman, portrayed by Drew Carter and Meredeith Vancuyk, where the explicit parts are censored out and a frowning cartoon sun watches them. The sun was created by Moving Colour after a request from Ways & Means for "some old-school stop-motion, or clay-mation, similar to what we grew up with in the 80's from
the California Raisins The California Raisins were a fictional rhythm and blues animated musical group as well as advertising and merchandising characters composed of anthropomorphized raisins. Lead vocals were sung by musician Buddy Miles. The California Raisins ...
and Dominos Noid". An alien, portrayed by Bobby Keene, then creeks through the bedroom door and shoots the man in the head before singing the intro of the song. Following this, the woman screams, before McLennon and Merlyn Wood enter the room through a window. A series of incongruous scenes including an alien invasion, Matt Champion performing with the devil, also played by Bobby Keene, in hell, Abstract stuck to the ceiling by green slime, which drips onto the other members', and Bearface lying on a dirty carpet follow. The video concludes by showing a title card with the song's title. For ''Complex'', Trace William Cowen stated that the band "pushes themselves to a new level of creativity" with the video, while also stating it "makes clear once again, cinema is an important facet of the multi-medium approach Brockhampton has always taken when distributing their work". In ''Rolling Stone'', Shaffer called the video "zany" and possibly Brockhampton's "most surreal" one, alongside stating that "it only gets weirder and weirder". Douglas Greenwood of ''
i-D ''i-D'' is a British biannual magazine dedicated to fashion, music, art, film and youth culture. The magazine was launched in 1980 by Terry Jones, originally as a hand-stapled fanzine it has since evolved into a glossy publication. In 2023 the ...
'' noticed that the video has the "weird, frenetic energy" of ''
Uncut Gems ''Uncut Gems'' is a 2019 American crime thriller film directed by Josh and Benny Safdie, who co-wrote the screenplay with Ronald Bronstein. It stars Adam Sandler, LaKeith Stanfield, Julia Fox, Kevin Garnett, Idina Menzel, and Eric Bogosian ...
'' (2019) and ''
Good Times ''Good Times'' is an American television sitcom that aired for six seasons on CBS, from February 8, 1974, to August 1, 1979. Created by Eric Monte and Mike Evans (actor), Mike Evans and developed by executive producer Norman Lear, it was televis ...
'' (1974–79) if either of those films "fornicated with an early 00s
Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (nicknamed Nick) is an American pay television channel and the flagship property of the Nickelodeon Group, a sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on April 1, 1979, as the first ca ...
TV show". ''The Fader'' writer Jordan Darville named the video "the best, most Brockhampton video yet". ''DIY'' viewed it as "sharp AF" video that "channels nostalgic sci-fi flicks", while also praising the video for being "a huge step-up in production from their previous visual releases" and stating the band has "once again shown their continuous artistic rise". For ''Highsnobiety'', Sarah Osei called the video a "trippy, four-minute ride", whereas the
Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is Australia’s principal public service broadcaster. It is funded primarily by grants from the federal government and is administered by a government-appointed board of directors. The ABC is ...
opined that it "gets progressively weirder" over its four minute length.


Version 2

A second music video for "Sugar" was released on February 17, 2020, also directed by Abstract. It was shot by Ashlan Grey with color, iPhone shots, and editing by HK. The
digital imaging technician A digital imaging technician (DIT) was created for the motion picture industry in response to the transition from the long established film movie camera medium into the current digital cinema era. The DIT is the camera department crew member who ...
was Kevin Doann, while Nick Lenzini and Weston Freas did the wardrobe styling. The second video was created because Brockhampton did not tell the entire visual story of the song with the first video. The visual has a much lower budget than the first video and takes place in an abandoned warehouse. In the warehouse, the band and Beatty perform on a sound stage that features props, including a revolving mirror, ladder, and chairs. Bearface comes to the shoot having just got out of bed with disheveled hair, while Abstract wears a
Myspace Myspace (formerly stylized as MySpace, currently myspace; and sometimes my␣, with an elongated Whitespace character#Substitute images, open box symbol) is a social networking service based in the United States. Launched on August 1, 2003, it w ...
t-shirt. The video ends with the performers running around the warehouse with Bearface repeating "Do you love me?" and the mirror getting wheeled away. ''Billboard''s Michael Saponara described the video as "pretty bland for the most part".


Live performances

Brockhampton delivered their first live performance of "Sugar" with Beatty on August 23, 2019, as the second song during their Friday Therapy concert at
The Fonda Theatre The Fonda Theatre (formerly Music Box Theatre, Guild Theatre, Fox Theatre, and Pix Theatre) is a concert venue located on Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles, California. Designed in the Spanish Colonial Revival style, the theater has hosted liv ...
in Los Angeles, to celebrate the release of ''Ginger''. During their ''
The Ellen Show ''The Ellen Show'' is an American television sitcom created by and starring Ellen DeGeneres that was broadcast during the 2001–02 season on CBS, airing from September 24, 2001, to January 11, 2002. It also starred Cloris Leachman, Martin M ...
'' debut on September 6, the band performed the song with Beatty. The performance used moving cloud graphic in the background alongside pastel flashing lights, while the band sat down on a raised platform and got up one by one to perform their respective parts. The song was included on the setlist of their
Heaven Belongs to You Tour The Heaven Belongs to You Tour was the fifth and final headlining concert tour by American boy band/rap collective Brockhampton. The tour began on October 26, 2019, in Vancouver, and concluded on December 13, 2019, in Los Angeles. Background an ...
from October to December 2019. On October 24, Beatty joined Brockhampton to perform the song on ''
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon ''The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by actor and comedian Jimmy Fallon that airs on NBC. The show premiered on February 17, 2014, and is produced by Broadway Video and Universal Television. It i ...
''. They wore orange jumpsuits and performed it similarly to their performance on ''The Ellen Show'', with each member one by one going up to perform their respective parts.


Track listings

*Digital download and streaming # "Sugar" – 3:24 *Digital download and streaming – remix # "Sugar" (remix) [featuring
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 ...
] – 3:42


Personnel

* Brockhampton vocals * Jabari Manwa production, recording * Romil Hemnani production, recording * Chuks Chiejine additional production, guitar *
Ryan Beatty Ryan Kevin Beatty (born September 25, 1995) is an American singer-songwriter. He was born in Clovis, California, and now resides in Los Angeles. His debut EP, ''Because of You'', was released in 2012. After a hiatus, Beatty began to re-emerge i ...
vocals *
Tom Elmhirst Tom Elmhirst (born 8 June 1971) is a British mix engineer. He has worked with artists including Adele, Beck, David Bowie, Cage the Elephant, Lady Gaga, Residente, and Amy Winehouse, among many others. Elmhirst has received numerous accolades ...
mixing * Brandon Bost engineering, mix engineering * Matthew Scatchell assistant production, mix assisting *
Vlado Meller Vlado Meller (born in 1947 in Humenné as ''Vladimír Meller'') is a Slovak audio mastering engineer, currently with Vlado Meller Mastering in Charleston, South Carolina. Meller works across many genres of music, with credits on rock, hip-hop, p ...
mastering * Louis Lion engineering * Playdough miscellaneous production *
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 ...
vocals *
Jon B Jonathan David Buck (born November 11, 1974) is an American Contemporary R&B, R&B singer, songwriter and record producer. His debut album ''Bonafide (Jon B. album), Bonafide'' (1995) spawned the hit singles "Pretty Girl (Jon B. song), Pretty G ...
recording, vocals * Lorna Blackwood recording * Sean Matsukawa recording Credits adapted from Brockhampton's website and
Tidal Tidal is the adjectival form of tide. Tidal may also refer to: * ''Tidal'' (album), a 1996 album by Fiona Apple * Tidal (king), a king involved in the Battle of the Vale of Siddim * TidalCycles, a live coding environment for music * Tidal (servic ...
.


Charts


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


Certifications


Release history


See also

* New Zealand top 50 singles of 2020


Footnotes


References


External links

* *
Lyrics of this song
at ''
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 ...
''
Lyrics of the remix
at
Musixmatch Musixmatch is an Italian music data company and platform for users to search and share song lyrics with translations. Musixmatch has 80 million users (50M active users), 12 million songs with their respective lyrics, and 115+ employees. In 202 ...
{{Dua Lipa 2019 songs 2019 singles Brockhampton (band) songs Dua Lipa songs Songs written by Dua Lipa Songs written by Jermaine Dupri Songs written by Jon B. Songs written by Manuel Seal Songs written by Usher (musician) RCA Records singles