"Candy" is the debut single by Brazilian-born British-based rapper
Aggro Santos
Yuri "Aggro" Santos (born 12 October 1989) is a Brazilian rapper who lives in Balham, London. . The song was produced by
Quiz & Larossi
Andreas Romdhane (a.k.a. Quiz) and Josef Larossi are a Swedish production duo. They have a studio based in the centre of Stockholm, Sweden. They have worked together since 1999 when they wrote songs for Lutricia McNeal.
During their partnership ...
and co-written by Aggro Santos, Josef Larossi, Andreas Romdhane, Viktoria Hansen, while also featuring American singer
Kimberly Wyatt
Kimberly Kaye Wyatt (born February 4, 1982) is an American singer, dancer, choreographer, actress, and television personality. She is a former member of the pop/ R&B girl group and dance ensemble The Pussycat Dolls. She is also a member of the ...
. It was released on 2 May 2010 as the
lead single
A lead single (also known as a debut 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.
Release s ...
from Santos' debut studio album ''
AggroSantos.com''.
The song has been critically appreciated, with reviewers complimenting its chorus and
synth-pop
Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s ...
beats associated with it. "Candy" peaked at number five 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 ...
. Outside the United Kingdom, "Candy" peaked within the top ten of the charts in Poland and the top 20 of the charts in Latvia and the Republic of Ireland. The music video of the song portrayed Santos and Wyatt having a
UV water fight in a club.
Background and composition
In an interview Wyatt was asked how she collaborated with Aggro Santos. She explained: "I was working in a studio here in London with
roducersRed Rhythm, and they told me about Aggro and his underground following, so I did some research on him and his music and really dug his vibe, and just thought, 'Why not?' I met with Aggro for a writing session and we got along really well. Then a few days later he played me 'Candy' and I thought it sounded like a smash, so when he asked if I'd lay down some vocals for it, of course I said yes."
"Candy" is written by
Aggro Santos, Josef Larossi,
Andreas Romdhane,
Viktoria Hansen
Viktoria Hansen, born in Aarhus, Denmark, is an English singer-songwriter, recording artist, and vocal coach. Her professional career started in musical theatre at age 13 in her home town Aarhus, Denmark.
Hansen is responsible for songwriting m ...
. It has elements of David Guetta-esque beats with synth noises.
The song's chorus refers to online branding.
When Santos was asked what "Candy" means he said, "It means (sings) come and get you some, come and get you some! 'Candy is metaphoric for something that I will not say in this interview!"
Amy Dawson from
''Metro'' noted that Santos and Wyatt exchange a "romantic repartee".
Reception
Critical reception
Robert Copsey from ''
Digital Spy
Digital Spy (DS) is a British-based entertainment, television and film website and brand and is the largest digital property at Hearst UK. Since its launch in 1999, Digital Spy has focused on entertainment news related to television programmes, ...
'' gave the song 4 out of five stars stating: "Santos provides many a dodgy lyric ("Girl you look familiar / Where do I know you from? / Have you been to visit me at Aggro Santos dot com?"), but all is forgiven when the track reaches its Kimbo-crooned hook, which provides a satisfying blast of electro fuzz over the throbbing,
David Guetta
Pierre David Guetta ( , ; born 7 November 1967) is a French DJ and music producer. He has over 10 million album and 65 million single sales globally, with more than 10 billion streams. In 2011, 2020 and 2021, Guetta was voted the number one D ...
-esque beats."
Fraser McAlpine from
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
the funny wobbly synth noises and the grunting in the chorus - is the online branding. 'Aggro Santos dot com' gets a namecheck, as does
does in her videos. It's also something we should all get behind if we want the cash-strapped music biz to continue into the century without disappearing in a puff of binary dust.
on 9 May 2010 – for the week ending dated 15 May 2010 – and remained at its peak position for two consecutive weeks. "Candy" was certified silver by the
(BPI) for shipment of 200,000 copies of the single. "Candy" made Wyatt the first member of The Pussycat Dolls to chart in Britain as a solo artist.
on the date of 7 May 2010 – for the week ending dated 13 May 2010 – peaking at number 14 during its sixth week on the chart.
where only PlayStation 3 users could watch in certain territories. The full video release was on the next day when Aggro Santos posted the video on his official YouTube account. The music video was shot on under the
where the main plot of the video centered around a UV water fight.
# "Candy" (Radio Edit) - 3:00
# "Candy" (Crazy Cousin Remix) - 4:05
# "Candy" (Tweakz Remix) - 3:50
Candy (Ladies Re-Rub)