"Beautiful People" is a song by English singer-songwriter

Ed Sheeran Edward Christopher Sheeran (; born 17 February 1991) is an English singer-songwriter. Born in Halifax, West Yorkshire and raised in Framlingham, Suffolk, he began writing songs around the age of eleven. In early 2011, Sheeran independently r ...

featuring American singer

Khalid Khalid (variants include Khaled and Kalid; Arabic: خالد) is a popular Arabic male given name meaning "eternal, everlasting, immortal", and it also appears as a surname.

. It was released on 28 June 2019 through

Asylum Records Asylum Records is an American record label, founded in 1971 by David Geffen and partner Elliot Roberts. It was taken over by Warner Communications (now the Warner Music Group) in 1972, and later merged with Elektra Records to become Elektra/As ...

as the third single from the former's compilation album, ''

No.6 Collaborations Project ''No.6 Collaborations Project'' is the fourth studio album and first collaboration album by English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran. It was released through Asylum Records and Atlantic Records on 12 July 2019. The album features guest appearances f ...

'' (2019). It reached number one on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

in July 2019, becoming the second single from the album to reach the summit of the chart. Sheeran released an acoustic solo version of the song on 15 July without Khalid. The song has reached 1 billion streams on Spotify and 315 million views on YouTube.

Background and promotion

"Beautiful People" was announced as part of the tracklist for ''

'' (2019).

revealed the song's artwork and release date on 23 June 2019. Footage of it being recorded in a studio was released in the following days leading up to its release.

Composition

"Beautiful People" is composed in time and the

key Key or The Key may refer to: Common meanings * Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm * Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock * Key (map ...

E-flat major E-flat major (or the key of E-flat) is a major scale based on E, consisting of the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. Its key signature has three flats. Its relative minor is C minor, and its parallel minor is E minor, (or enharmonically ...

, with a moderate 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 * ...

and a

tempo In musical terminology, tempo (Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (often ...

of 96 beats per minute. It has a

chord progression In a musical composition, a chord progression or harmonic progression (informally chord changes, used as a plural) is a succession of chords. Chord progressions are the foundation of harmony in Western musical tradition from the common practice ...

of Cm–E–A–Gm₇. Sheeran and Khalid's

vocal range Vocal range is the range of pitches that a human voice can phonate. A common application is within the context of singing, where it is used as a defining characteristic for classifying singing voices into voice types. It is also a topic of stud ...

spans two

octave In music, an octave ( la, octavus: eighth) or perfect octave (sometimes called the diapason) is the interval between one musical pitch and another with double its frequency. The octave relationship is a natural phenomenon that has been refer ...

s from B₃ to B₅.

Critical reception

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

''s Nick Levine wrote that Sheeran's "skills as a pop craftsman are on full display" and the song "gives his usual everybro persona a welcome edge." Chris Willman of ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' said Sheeran and Khalid make "a good match". Bernadette Giacomazzo of ''

HipHopDX ''HipHopDX'' is an online magazine of hip hop music criticism and news. The website's current president and publisher is Sharath Cherian and the Head Of Content is Jerry L. Barrow. ''HipHopDX'' is the flagship publication of Cheri Media Group. ...

'' viewed it as "one of the few tracks that actually works on the album", writing, "though they recycle old tropes, they stick to what they know best, which is just fine." Malvika Padin of '' Clash'' found the track "strong and likeable, but nothing surprising." ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...

''s Rawiya Kameir was less impressed, calling it "heavy-handed" and "a catchy calculation appropriate for the sad-pop dominating the charts." ''

Evening Standard The ''Evening Standard'', formerly ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), also known as the ''London Evening Standard'', is a local free daily newspaper in London, England, published Monday to Friday in tabloid format. In October 2009, after be ...

'' reviewer Phoebe Luckhurst described the track as "

Chainsmokers The Chainsmokers are an American electronic DJ and production duo consisting of Alexander "Alex" Pall and Andrew "Drew" Taggart. They started out by releasing remixes of songs by indie artists. The EDM-pop duo achieved a breakthrough with thei ...

-esque". Lucy Shanker of ''

Consequence Consequence may refer to: * Logical consequence, also known as a ''consequence relation'', or ''entailment'' * In operant conditioning, a result of some behavior * Consequentialism, a theory in philosophy in which the morality of an act is determi ...

'' regarded the song as "disingenuous".

Music video

The music video for "Beautiful People" was teased a day before its 28 June release. It was directed by Andy McLeod, and filmed in

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern 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 ci ...

and at the Lleida-Alguaire Airport in

Catalonia, Spain Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy. Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the north ...

. The video opens with a simple looking couple waiting in line with their luggage at a small airport. After being approached by a pair of airport personnel, they are directed to a long white limousine waiting outside. The couple hesitantly enters the limousine, where they eat snacks they packed and notice other fancy cars driving past them, apparently heading to the same destination. As the video continues, the couple find themselves at a series of fancy, expensive places filled with beautiful people: a pool party beside a mansion, a yacht filled with models, a fashion show (which includes cameos of Ed Sheeran and Khalid), and a house party. Surrounded by wealth, indulgence, and beauty, the couple reacts to everything with cautious interest, but spend most of their time focused on each other, following the song's theme of being true to oneself. At the end of the video, the couple flies home on a private plane, and upon landing at the airport, they are offered a ride in a nice car. The couple decline, take hands, and head for the airport bus instead.

Track listing

*Digital download and streaming #"Beautiful People" (featuring

Khalid Khalid (variants include Khaled and Kalid; Arabic: خالد) is a popular Arabic male given name meaning "eternal, everlasting, immortal", and it also appears as a surname.

) – 3:17 *Digital download and streaming –

Danny L Harle Daniel Jack Eisner Harle is a British music producer and composer who records under the alias Danny L Harle. He was formerly signed to the London-based PC Music label and is a member of Dux Content with A. G. Cook. He has produced, composed, and ...

Harlecore Remix #"Beautiful People" (featuring Khalid) anny L Harle Harlecore Remixnbsp;– 3:45 *Digital download and streaming –

NOTD NOTD (pronounced "noted") is a Swedish musical production duo composed of Tobias Danielsson and Samuel Brandt. They are best known for their songs " I Wanna Know" featuring Bea Miller and " So Close" with Felix Jaehn featuring Captain Cuts and G ...

Remix #"Beautiful People" (featuring Khalid) OTD Remixnbsp;– 2:42 *Digital download and streaming – Acoustic #"Beautiful People" (Acoustic) – 3:06 *Digital download and streaming – Jack Wins Remix #"Beautiful People" (featuring Khalid) ack Wins Remixnbsp;– 2:43

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the

liner notes Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for cassettes. Origin Liner notes are desce ...

of ''No.6 Collaborations Project'' Locations *Recorded at

MXM Studios Maratone is a music production company, and started by two music producers and songwriters, Max Martin and Tom Talomaa. Based in Stockholm, Sweden, it was started in January 2001 after the closing of Cheiron Studios. Maratone moved in at Cosmos Stu ...

(

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

, Sweden),

Mandarin Oriental Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group International Limited (MOHG) is a Hong Kong hotel investment and management group focusing on luxury hotels, resorts, and residences, with a total of 33 properties worldwide, 20 of which are fully or partially ow ...

(Hong Kong) and Promised Land Music Studios (London) *Mixed at MixStar Studios (

Virginia Beach, Virginia Virginia Beach is an independent city located on the southeastern coast of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. The population was 459,470 at the 2020 census. Although mostly suburban in character, it is the most populous city ...

) *Mastered at Metropolis Mastering (London) Personnel *

– vocals, songwriter, producer *

Khalid Khalid (variants include Khaled and Kalid; Arabic: خالد) is a popular Arabic male given name meaning "eternal, everlasting, immortal", and it also appears as a surname.

– additional vocals, songwriter *

Max Martin Karl Martin Sandberg (; born 26 February 1971),Max Martin
allmusic.com known profess ...

– songwriter, producer * Shellback – songwriter, producer, guitar, programming *

Fred Fred may refer to: People * Fred (name), including a list of people and characters with the name Mononym * Fred (cartoonist) (1931–2013), pen name of Fred Othon Aristidès, French * Fred (footballer, born 1949) (1949–2022), Frederico Ro ...

– background vocals, songwriter, producer, programming, bass, drums, guitar, keys, engineer *Alex Gibson – additional production *

Serban Ghenea Șerban Ghenea (born October 13, 1969) is a Grammy award-winning Romanian-Canadian audio engineer and mixer. Early life and education Ghenea was born in Bucharest, Romania in 1969. In 1976 he moved to Montreal with his family. He later attended ...

– mixing *Denis Kosiak – recording Khalid's vocals *Joe Rubel – engineer *John Hanes – engineer *Michael Ilbert – engineer *Stuart Hawkes – masterering

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

External links

* {{Authority control 2019 singles 2019 songs Ed Sheeran songs Asylum Records singles Khalid (singer) songs Song recordings produced by Ed Sheeran Song recordings produced by Fred Again Song recordings produced by Max Martin Song recordings produced by Shellback (record producer) Songs written by Ed Sheeran Songs written by Fred Again Songs written by Khalid (singer) Songs written by Max Martin Songs written by Shellback (record producer) UK Singles Chart number-one singles Male vocal duets Warner Music Group singles