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"XXXO" is a song by English recording artist M.I.A., released as the lead single from her third studio album, '' Maya'' (2010). The song was written by M.I.A., Charles "Blaqstarr" Smith and Cherry Byron-Withers, and produced by Blaqstarr and Rusko. "XXXO" was first released as a digital download following its world premiere on radio on 10 May 2010, and released in physical format in the United Kingdom on 28 June 2010. Two XXXO remix EPs were released alongside the single, featuring
Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American Rapping, rapper, businessman, and record executive. Rooted in East Coast hip-hop, he was named Billboard and Vibe's 50 Greatest Rappers of All Time, the ...
, SBTRKT, KickRaux amongst others on official remixes. The song's release followed the digital release of " Born Free", also from ''Maya''. An uptempo
synth-pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a music genre that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s b ...
song, "XXXO" exhibits a Tamil folk music-influenced melody with elements of techno and tribal music displayed. The song's instrumentation consists of marching band percussion, and backing vocals, drawing inspiration from pop music. "XXXO" is lyrically based on the theme of the creation of a sex symbol and romance in the digital age. Music critics praised the direction of the record, its playful lyrics and futuristic sound. An accompanying music video for the song was filmed by M.I.A. during the month of July 2010, who opted to direct herself having initially commissioned Hype Williams to direct. It features graphics interchange formats and animation of her album artwork, and depicts the singer singing seductively to the camera and scenes from her flip-cam, framed by stars, greeting card flower decorations and English words written in
Arabic alphabet The Arabic alphabet, or the Arabic abjad, is the Arabic script as specifically codified for writing the Arabic language. It is a unicase, unicameral script written from right-to-left in a cursive style, and includes 28 letters, of which most ...
or A, B, Cs. The video features leopard imagery alongside references to social networking platforms such as MySpace and YouTube, with the singer singing "you want me be somebody who I'm really not" as the song's chorus. The video was nominated for the "Best Video" award at the 2011 UK Asian Music Awards. The "XXXO Burka" she wore to the 2010 Scream Awards was named by ''
Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
'' as the second top fashion statement of 2010. Following the release of ''Maya'', the song charted at number 26 in the United Kingdom and number 30 in Scotland, debuting at number two on the
UK Indie Chart The UK Independent Singles Chart and UK Independent Albums Chart are charts of the best-selling independent singles and albums, respectively, in the United Kingdom. Originally published in January 1980, and widely known as the indie chart, the ...
and number 12 on the
UK R&B 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 ...
. "XXXO" is M.I.A.'s second single to reach the UK top 40 and second most successful single in the UK after " Paper Planes" reached number 19 in 2009. The single debuted at number 74 in Australia, charted at number 39 in Spain, reached number 60 on the ''Billboard'' Japan Hot 100, and the top ten on the Danish radio airplay chart and in Belgium. "XXXO" was danced to by contestants Robert Roldan and Courtney Galliano of '' So You Think You Can Dance'' in 2010 for their Jazz selection. M.I.A. performed the song live for the first time at the Toronto Sound Academy in 2010. Critically, "XXXO" was lauded as yet another departure for M.I.A.. The song was listed at number two on the ''
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 ...
s best tracks of 2010 and in October 2011, the publication placed it at number 70 on its list "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years".


Background

"XXXO" was written by M.I.A., Charles Smith and Cherry Byron-Withers, and produced by Rusko and Blaqstarr. The single was premiered on
BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...
as
Zane Lowe Alexander Zane Reed Lowe (born 1973) is a New Zealand radio DJ, live DJ, record producer, and television presenter. After an early career in music creation, production and DJing, he moved to the UK in 1997. He came to prominence through pr ...
's "Hottest Record in the World" on 11 May 2010.


Composition

"XXXO" is a
synth-pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a music genre that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s b ...
song that draws heavily from M.I.A.'s trademark percussion and clap beats in each bar and incorporates a folk style melody. "XXXO" is considered the most pop-influenced song on the album, with M.I.A. describing the song as showcasing her "cheesy pop side". "XXXO" is performed in a
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 musical composition, composition, and is often also an indication of the composition ...
of 120 beats per minute. Written in common time, the song is in verse-chorus form with a
bridge A bridge is a structure built to Span (engineering), span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or railway) without blocking the path underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, whi ...
before the fourth and final chorus repeating as the coda. The song's instrumentation is simple and minimal, consisting of electro keyboard synths, marching band percussion, beeps and bloops. Charles Aaron of '' Spin'' noted that the song was one of M.I.A.'s most plainspoken tracks, reminiscent of the "data-dazed R'n'B" of the song "Space" on the album. Ann Powers of 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 ...
'' compared the song's chorus vocals favourably to those of
Robyn Robin Miriam Carlsson (; born 12 June 1979), known professionally as Robyn (), is a Swedish singer, songwriter, record producer, and DJ. Her 1995 debut album ''Robyn Is Here'' produced two Billboard Hot 100, ''Billboard'' Hot 100 top 10 single ...
and that her vocal style resembled a girlish coo of early 1980s new wavers, about a seduction that was artistic and not sensual. "XXXO" is a portmanteau of " XXX", which most commonly represents pornography, and " XOXO", which implies kisses and hugs; a slant on teenage girls' charm, naivety, and their attempts to appeal to boys. "XXXO" is also meant to be a pun to "Excess Sex Oh", which expresses disapproval of the overly manifested sexuality of modern media. Lyrically, the song concerns the making of a sex symbol, and consists of M.I.A pulling a switcheroo on a pop template. The song's lyrics contain textspeak, and reference iPhones and Twitter. The bridge features the lyrics "Upload your photo / see below / you like what you see, you can download and store / we can find ways / just scan what you know / I can be that actress, you be Tarantino." A writer for '' Rap-Up'' describes the song as an angry love letter, noting how the singer laments over an overbearing boyfriend who is "tweeting erlike Tweety Bird on isiPhone" before giving him the cold shoulder in the chorus "You want me be somebody who I'm really not." According to Powers, the male in her picture is Tarantino, less likely a lover than a producer trying to turn her big ideas into something more containable. The bridge features the lyrics "I can be that actress" but as the reviewer notes "she really can't. She's all push and pull; like her fellow 'post-feminist' art star Karen O, she understands that something's gotta break – either the role designed for her, or herself."


Release and promotion

The song was premiered on
BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...
on 10 May 2010 in the UK. It was released as a digital download on 11 May 2010 with the physical release of the single the following day. On 18 July 2010 it reached number 26 on the UK Singles Chart. "XXXO" was danced to by contestants Robert Roldan and Courtney Galliano of '' So You Think You Can Dance'' in 2010. "XXXO"'s official remixes included contributions from Riton, SBTRKT and a dirty mix by Blaqstarr appearing on the UK 12-inch single released by XL Recordings. A red transparent 7-inch single was released featuring the main song and Blaqstarr dirty mix. An official main mix features rapper
Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American Rapping, rapper, businessman, and record executive. Rooted in East Coast hip-hop, he was named Billboard and Vibe's 50 Greatest Rappers of All Time, the ...
who previously appeared on a remix of the M.I.A. single " Boyz" from the '' How Many Votes Fix Mix EP''. This main mix leaked onto the Internet on 10 June 2010. The US CD single features various official remixes including the Jay-Z main mix, two remixes of this mix by Fulton Yard with Walt Boogie and Rieces Pieces and those remixes by Riton and SBTRKT. Two digital EPs of these remixes to the song were released separately by her labels in June 2010 in 12-inch single, CD and download formats. XL Recordings and Interscope Records released ''XXXO (The Remixes)'' on 15 June 2010 and ''XXXO The Remixes Part 2'' on 29 June 2010. DJ Qness and Mujava created their own remix which was circulated on the Internet, fusing South African Kwaito, house music and M.I.A.'s pop vocal alignment. On 15 June 2010, Zane Lowe made the Jay-Z remix his "Hottest Record in the World", a month following bestowing the single the same accolade. "XXXO" was released in the UK on 28 June 2010. Revealing her surprise that Jay-Z liked and decided to appear on the album version of "XXXO" and not Blaqstarr's dirty mix which was more "urban" sounding to the songwriter, M.I.A noted "It was interesting he liked the one with the crazy synths and stuff. It's more sort of nelectro vibe ... and his verse is so great. It was good to hear him say the word '
metrosexual Metrosexual (a portmanteau of '' metropolitan'' and '' heterosexual'') is a term for a man who is especially meticulous about his personal style, grooming and appearance. It is often used to refer to heterosexual men who are perceived to be 'ef ...
.' " M.I.A. performed "XXXO" at the Sound Academy in Toronto in late 2009. On the red carpet to the
Spike TV Paramount Network is an American basic cable television channel and the flagship property of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global, who operates it through the MTV Entertainment Group. The network's headquarters are locate ...
2010 Scream Awards she wore the "XXXO Burka", a black burka – a traditional Islamic garment – printed with lyrics, the graphic "XO I Love You" inside a heart and artwork to the song and album, and revealing teal eye shadow, studded stilettos and yellow nail polish. The singer went with a different ensemble for her onstage performance later in the night, sporting a blue-turquoise wig, yellow sequined blouse, pink pants and green shoes to sing " Teqkilla." ''
Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
'' magazine placed the "XXXO Burka" at number two on its list of the "Top Ten Fashion Statements of 2010", stating "there was a sharp intake of breath when singer M.I.A. turned up at an awards event this year in one of the most controversial garments of our era: a burqa. For many, it's a symbol of oppression, representing the systematic silencing of female voices. For others, it's a symbol of liberation, freeing the women who wear it from oversexualization or objectification of the female form. Either way, at least we know it's versatile" before concluding that it was difficult to be offended by the friendly piece.


Reception


Critical reaction

"XXXO" was acclaimed by music critics. Brad Wete 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, ...
'' had concerns about M.I.A.'s third album after listening to previous single "Born Free", but said with "XXXO" his worries had been eased. Wete wrote, "this techno-tinged dance record is what we hoped for from our Sri Lankan anti-pop star. It's an aggressive but friendly love cut dressed up with playful lyrics ..It's the fun, naughty stuff we like." ''
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 ...
s reviewer characterised the song as a "futuristic, tribal jam", revolving around "little more than reverb-dunked marching-band beat and M.I.A.'s tweaked-to-the-max vocals", before concluding "you have to admire her for always pushing her sound and art forward. When M.I.A. sings, "You want me be somebody who I'm really not", she does it with her middle finger raised high, pointing squarely at your face."
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, ...
described the song as being "catchy, relatively straightforward dance pop", shedding the "Technicolor excesses" and world-music hybridity that listeners had come to expect from the rapper.


Commercial performance

"XXXO" debuted on the UK Singles Chart on 18 July 2010 at number 26, following the release of ''Maya''. "XXXO" marks M.I.A.'s second top 40 single and second most successful single after "Paper Planes" reached number 19 in 2009. The single also debuted at number two on the
UK Indie Chart The UK Independent Singles Chart and UK Independent Albums Chart are charts of the best-selling independent singles and albums, respectively, in the United Kingdom. Originally published in January 1980, and widely known as the indie chart, the ...
behind
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's " Kickstarts", as well as number 12 on the
UK R&B 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 ...
.


Awards and accolades

The song was listed at number two on the ''
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 ...
s best tracks of 2010. The song placed number 101 on the Triple J Hottest 100, 2010, a list of the most popular songs of the year as chosen by listeners of Australian radio station
Triple J Triple J is an Australian government-funded national radio station founded in 1975 as a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). It aims to appeal to young listeners of alternative music, and plays far more Australian conten ...
. In October 2011, ''NME'' placed it at number 70 on its list "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years". The music video was nominated for the "Best Video" award at the 2011 UK Asian Music Awards.


Music video

The official music video was released on 11 August 2010 on her official
Vevo Vevo LLC ( , an abbreviation for "Video Evolution", stylized in all caps until 2013) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational video hosting service, best known for providing music videos to YouTube. The service is also available ...
account, following an announcement by M.I.A. on her Twitter feed that read "WORLD PREMIA XXXO XXXO XXXO VIDEO!!!YO!". The music video was to be directed by
Hype Williams Harold "Hype" Williams (born August 1, 1970) is an American music video and film director, film producer, and screenwriter. Early life Williams was born in Queens. He is of mixed African-American and Honduran descent. He attended Adelphi Univ ...
, but M.I.A. eventually directed the video. The quirky, playful visuals, evolved from animated web graphics based on M.I.A.'s own designs for the album cover and booklet. The video features shots filmed on M.I.A.'s flipcam. The video for "XXXO" references several online social networking sites and resembles online
GIF The Graphics Interchange Format (GIF; or , ) is a Raster graphics, bitmap Image file formats, image format that was developed by a team at the online services provider CompuServe led by American computer scientist Steve Wilhite and released ...
s and animations that are popular on
Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...
-language Internet forums, blogs, and social/dating websites. It features M.I.A. in a number of headshots amongst glittery floral graphics, resembling those made on Blingee. At one point in the clip, four white unicorns gallop across the screen. Golden Arabic-style
calligraphy Calligraphy () is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instruments. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "the art of giving form to signs in an e ...
spells out her name and, at another point, the phrase "click here to download", written in a similar font, scrolls diagonally across the screen. The YouTube screenshots featured on the cover of the Maya's album also appear in the video, in various
video feedback Video feedback is the process that starts and continues when a video camera is pointed at its own playback video monitor. The loop delay from camera to display back to camera is at least one video frame time, due to the input and output scannin ...
sequences. The video ends with the MySpace refrain "Thank you for adding me."


Track listings

*;Digital single #"XXXO" (Album Version) – 2:58 *;UK 12" single :A1. "XXXO" – 2:58 :A2. "XXXO" ( Riton ReRub) – 3:48 :B1. "XXXO" ( SBTRKT Remix) – 3:33 :B2. "XXXO" (Blaqstarr Dirty Mix) – 3:03 *;UK digital single #"XXXO" – 2:54 #"XXXO" (Riton ReRub) – 3:49 #"XXXO" (SBTRKT Remix) – 3:33 #"XXXO" (Blaqstarr Dirty Mix) – 3:04 #"XXXO" (Various Remix) – 3:02 *;US red transparent 7" single :A. "XXXO" (Album Version) – 2:58 :B. "XXXO" (Blaqstarr Dirty Mix) – 3:03 *;US CD single #"XXXO" (Fulton Yard/WaltBoogie Remix) featuring Jay-Z – 3:04 #"XXXO" (Fulton Yard/Rieces Pieces Remix) featuring Jay-Z – 2:56 #"XXXO" (Main Mix) featuring Jay-Z – 2:53 #"XXXO" (SBTRKT Remix) – 3:33 #"XXXO" (Various Remix) – 3:01 #"XXXO" (Riton ReRub) – 3:48 *;US digital EP – The Remixes #"XXXO" (Main Mix) featuring Jay-Z – 2:53 #"XXXO" (Fulton Yard/WaltBoogie Remix) featuring Jay-Z – 3:04 #"XXXO" (Fulton Yard/Rieces Pieces Remix) featuring Jay-Z – 2:56 *;US digital EP – The Remixes Part 2 #"XXXO" (SBTRKT Remix) – 3:33 #"XXXO" (Various Remix) – 3:01 #"XXXO" (Riton ReRub) – 3:48


Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of '' Maya''. * M.I.A. – vocals, songwriting * Ben H. Allen – mixing * Blaqstarr – production, songwriting * Cherry Byron-Withers – songwriting * Robert Gardiner – mix assistance * Rusko – production


Charts


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Xxxo 2010 singles 2010 songs Interscope Records singles M.I.A. (rapper) songs British synth-pop songs XL Recordings singles Songs written by Blaqstarr Songs written by M.I.A. (rapper)