Free (Natalia Kills song)
Encyclopedia
"Free" is a song by English recording artist Natalia Kills
from her debut studio album, Perfectionist
. Written by Kills, Jeff Bhasker, Kid Cudi and No I.D.
, produced by Bhasker. The song was released digitally in selected areas of Europe as the album's third single
on 22 June 2011, with staggered releases set for United Kingdom and United States. For the single version, will.i.am
provided an opening verse and bridge. The single version will be the official version on the US release of the album, the UK track listing to be announced. "Free" will be released as Kills' second single in the United Kingdom on 11th September 2011, as an iTunes EP featuring both versions with and without will.i.am
including 2 remixes, and a new magazine-style artwork. Polydor records, who represent Kills in the UK, decided against releasing Wonderland as a single and have instead chosen to promote the album Perfectionist by releasing Free a week before the albums release.
The song's chorus is very closely reminiscent of that of Wuthering Heights
, by Kate Bush
.
for the song was made available on YouTube
on 6 July 2011. As of 7 October, 2011 it has 4,557,039 views.
, while a camera is filming her. The words and phrases "You Can Buy Happiness", "Free", "Perfectionist", "Money Is Everything", "Buy Your Freedom", "You Are What You Wear", "You Are Free", appear throughout the video. A woman appears smoking, a man putting lipstick (AJ English- Model), a naked person removing ripping their clothes with a heel, Kills above motocycles and her in a box filled with dollars
. Some montages show Kills with a male body, a woman with long neck, and with her hair on fire. Kills is also seen surrounded by a woman wearing a suit, with her breasts exposed, the lipstick man, and a couple other people. Another man with long hair, wearing a hat and veil, strips off his clothes. In the last scene of the video, the box is completely filled with dollars, and just after the last word of the song, i.e. "I'm" is sung, we only see Kills' hand with the word "free" written on it.
On September 12, 2011, the alternate video premiered on Vevo
and was made available to buy on iTunes
.
This version does not feature will.i.am.
It was also announced that a 3D version this video will be played in stores worldwide which display the Panasonic VIERA 3D TVs. Kills premiered the 3D video at the IFA Premiership
2011 in Berlin
at a Panasonic booth on September 2.
Natalia Kills
Natalia Keery-Fisher is an English singer-songwriter, actress, and short-film director who performs under the stage name Natalia Kills. She released her first single "Don't Play Nice" under the name Verbalicious in February 2005...
from her debut studio album, Perfectionist
Perfectionist (Natalia Kills album)
Perfectionist is the debut studio album by English recording artist Natalia Kills, first released digitally on 15 March 2011 and physically on 1 April 2011. The album has spawned three singles so far: "Mirrors", "Wonderland" and "Free".-Background:...
. Written by Kills, Jeff Bhasker, Kid Cudi and No I.D.
No I.D.
No I.D., officially known as Immenslope and also known as Ernest Wilson , is a hip hop and R&B record producer, also the vice-president of Def Jam Recordings, best known for his early work with Chicago rapper Common and is known as "The Godfather of Chicago hip hop".. The nickname No I.D...
, produced by Bhasker. The song was released digitally in selected areas of Europe as the album's third single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
on 22 June 2011, with staggered releases set for United Kingdom and United States. For the single version, will.i.am
Will.i.am
William James Adams, Jr. , better known by his stage name will.i.am and occasionally by his other stage name Zuper Blahq, is an American rapper, musician, songwriter, singer, actor and producer...
provided an opening verse and bridge. The single version will be the official version on the US release of the album, the UK track listing to be announced. "Free" will be released as Kills' second single in the United Kingdom on 11th September 2011, as an iTunes EP featuring both versions with and without will.i.am
Will.i.am
William James Adams, Jr. , better known by his stage name will.i.am and occasionally by his other stage name Zuper Blahq, is an American rapper, musician, songwriter, singer, actor and producer...
including 2 remixes, and a new magazine-style artwork. Polydor records, who represent Kills in the UK, decided against releasing Wonderland as a single and have instead chosen to promote the album Perfectionist by releasing Free a week before the albums release.
The song's chorus is very closely reminiscent of that of Wuthering Heights
Wuthering Heights (song)
"Wuthering Heights" is a song by Kate Bush released as her debut single in January 1978. It became a No.1 hit in the UK singles chart and remains her biggest-selling single. The song appears on her 1978 debut album, The Kick Inside. The B-side of the single was another song by Bush named "Kite" -...
, by Kate Bush
Kate Bush
Kate Bush is an English singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. Her eclectic musical style and idiosyncratic vocal style have made her one of the United Kingdom's most successful solo female performers of the past 30 years.In 1978, at the age of 19, Bush topped the UK Singles Chart...
.
Music video
The music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for the song was made available on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
on 6 July 2011. As of 7 October, 2011 it has 4,557,039 views.
Synopsis
The music video starts with a date, August 15, 2011 (Natalia's birthday) and the word "REC", after it, the song title, "Free". Natalia appears above a television, that transmits an image of will.i.amWill.i.am
William James Adams, Jr. , better known by his stage name will.i.am and occasionally by his other stage name Zuper Blahq, is an American rapper, musician, songwriter, singer, actor and producer...
, while a camera is filming her. The words and phrases "You Can Buy Happiness", "Free", "Perfectionist", "Money Is Everything", "Buy Your Freedom", "You Are What You Wear", "You Are Free", appear throughout the video. A woman appears smoking, a man putting lipstick (AJ English- Model), a naked person removing ripping their clothes with a heel, Kills above motocycles and her in a box filled with dollars
Dollar
The dollar is the name of the official currency of many countries, including Australia, Belize, Canada, Ecuador, El Salvador, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Singapore, Taiwan, and the United States.-Etymology:...
. Some montages show Kills with a male body, a woman with long neck, and with her hair on fire. Kills is also seen surrounded by a woman wearing a suit, with her breasts exposed, the lipstick man, and a couple other people. Another man with long hair, wearing a hat and veil, strips off his clothes. In the last scene of the video, the box is completely filled with dollars, and just after the last word of the song, i.e. "I'm" is sung, we only see Kills' hand with the word "free" written on it.
Alternate Music Video
On September 6, 2011, Kills reported that a new "Free" video was coming soon. The news was also posted alongside a photo, which was presumed to be a still from the new video.On September 12, 2011, the alternate video premiered on Vevo
Vevo
Vevo is a music video website. It is a joint venture among Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group, and Abu Dhabi Media with EMI licensing its content to the group without taking an ownership stake. The service was launched officially on December 8, 2009...
and was made available to buy on iTunes
ITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
.
This version does not feature will.i.am.
It was also announced that a 3D version this video will be played in stores worldwide which display the Panasonic VIERA 3D TVs. Kills premiered the 3D video at the IFA Premiership
IFA Premiership
The IFA Premiership – formerly the Irish Premier League, and before that the Irish Football League–and still known in popular parlance simply as the Irish League, is the national football league in Northern Ireland, and was historically the league for the whole of Ireland. Clubs in the league are...
2011 in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
at a Panasonic booth on September 2.
Synopsis
The video opens with Kills getting out of a car. A ripped effect changes the scene to a bedroom. She is later seen surrounded by people putting on her make-up in a rush. The scene then cuts to Kills surrounded by paparazzi. There is also a scene where she is in an ally with falling confetti. The final scene is of Kills in another room with a man applying make-up to her face, another man spraying her hair with hairspray, two body builders in the background and other various people all in a frozen position. After 2 minutes and 40 seconds, the video is cut after the line, "If the bank man calls, just tell him I'm-". Most of the video is in black and white.Track listing
- Digital download
- "Free" featuring will.i.am – 4:29
- UK Digital EP
- "Free" featuring will.i.am - 4.29
- "Free" - 3.57
- "Free" featuring will.i.am (Moto BlancoMoto BlancoMoto Blanco is an English DJ and electronic music duo consisting of Danny Harrison and Arthur Smith.They are also regularly joined by british record producer Jon Cohen.-History:...
Club Mix) - "Free" featuring will.i.am (The Bimbo JonesBimbo JonesBimbo Jones is a UK dance music group comprising producers Lee Dagger and Marc JB and vocalist Katherine Ellis. Known for their remix work and white label releases, they produced a remix of Meck's 2006 UK number-one single "Thunder in My Heart Again"...
Radio Edit)- 2-Track CD Single
- "Free" feat. will.i.am (Radio Edit) - 4.15
- "Free" feat. will.i.am (The Bimbo Jones Radio Edit) - 3.52
Charts
| Chart (2011) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
118 |
Release History
| Country | Release Date | Format |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... |
24 June, 2011 | Digital download Music download A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment... |
| France France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... |
||
| Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... |
26 June, 2011 | |
| United States United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
28 June, 2011 | |
| United Kingdom | 11 September, 2011 | Digital EP Digital EP Digital EP was a promotional EP by Be Your Own Pet for their studio album Get Awkward, which was being released about a week after this EP was released... |