"Dirty Laundry" is a song recorded by American recording artist
Kelly Rowland
Kelendria Trene Rowland (born February 11, 1981) is an American singer, actress, and television personality. She rose to fame in the late 1990s as a member of Destiny's Child, one of the world's best-selling girl groups of all time. During the gr ...
, for her fourth studio album, ''
Talk a Good Game
''Talk a Good Game'' is the fourth studio album by American singer Kelly Rowland. Formerly titled ''Year of the Woman'', the album was released on June 14, 2013 through Universal Republic and its affiliated record labels. Incorporating a base co ...
'' (2013). Co-written and produced by
The-Dream
Terius Youngdell Nash (born September 20, 1977), better known by his stage name The-Dream, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. His co-writing credits include songs with "Me Against the Music" (2003) for Britney Spears, " Rid ...
, the
R&B ballad was serviced to radio as the album's second single on May 15, 2013, and was released for
digital download on May 21, 2013, through
Republic Records. The record candidly documents the time in Rowland's life after the release of her debut album ''
Simply Deep
''Simply Deep'' is the debut solo studio album by American singer Kelly Rowland. It was first released through Columbia Records and Music World Entertainment on October 22, 2002, in North America, and on February 3, 2003, in other areas. Recorded ...
'' (2002); Rowland speaks of her envy of former groupmate
Beyoncé's solo success and the
domestic abuse
Domestic violence (also known as domestic abuse or family violence) is violence or other abuse that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. ''Domestic violence'' is often used as a synonym for '' intimate partne ...
she suffered during a previous relationship. Critics praised the sparse
piano
The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...
-led melody, as well as Rowland's openness about her jealousy of Knowles and the inspiring message about leaving an abusive relationship. The official remix features a new introduction from Rowland and new verses from
R. Kelly
Robert Sylvester Kelly (born January 8, 1967) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and sex offender convicted of racketeering and multiple sex offenses.
During his recording career, Kelly sold over 75 million records worldwi ...
.
Background and release
Following the chart success of her
Lil Wayne
Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September 27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. His career began in 1995, at the age of 12, when he was signed by rapper Birdman, joining ...
-backed single "
Motivation" (2011), Rowland started to work on her upcoming fourth studio album soon after.
She said, "I'm in the studio. Man, it's been so much fun. I do wish that some of my fans could be in there for that ...
oI have taped a lot of moments for my fans."
She went on to add that the follow-up to her third album, ''
Here I Am'', will have a theme: "I made sure that I locked in on a concept and everyone that's come in to work on this album, we've all built around it. It's just building up so beautifully. I'm so proud! So I can't wait till all of my fans hear it."
In the summer of 2012, Rowland reprised her collaboration with Wayne on another song called "
Ice
Ice is water frozen into a solid state, typically forming at or below temperatures of 0 degrees Celsius or Depending on the presence of impurities such as particles of soil or bubbles of air, it can appear transparent or a more or less opaqu ...
". It peaked at number 24 on the US
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 ...
chart and number 88 on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100.
Rowland officially began the campaign for ''Talk a Good Game'' with the release of its
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 ...
, the
Mike Will Made It-produced "
Kisses Down Low
"Kisses Down Low" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Kelly Rowland and is the first single from her fourth studio album ''Talk a Good Game''. The song was written by Rowland, Marquel Middlebrooks, Timothy and Theron Thomas and Mich ...
" in February 2013. "Kisses Down Low" peaked at number 25 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and number 72 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100.
On May 9, 2013, Rowland released a teaser for "Dirty Laundry", the minute-long clip features a scene from a laundromat set to an instrumental of the song. "Dirty Laundry" was written in collaboration with American singer-producer
The Dream, who said he wanted to push Rowland outside of her comfort zone, "I want
dto write
era record so that people will know exactly who
he is
He or HE may refer to:
Language
* He (pronoun), an English pronoun
* He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ
* He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets
* He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...
underneath it all." He told ''Billboard'', "When you have a stage like Kelly has, you should talk about that part of your life. I think Kelly’s way deeper than that."
Dream also explained how the duo came up with the song concept of the song; Rowland spoke about various experiences she had and shared her personal stories with Dream, who subsequently "put together the lyrics for the song".
It premiered via Rowland's official
SoundCloud
SoundCloud is an online audio distribution platform and music sharing website that enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is one of the largest music streaming s ...
page on May 15, 2013. "Dirty Laundry" was made available for
digital purchase on May 21, 2013,
and was serviced to US
rhythmic radio
Rhythmic contemporary, also known as Rhythmic Top 40, Rhythmic CHR or rhythmic crossover, is a primarily American music-radio format that includes a mix of EDM, upbeat rhythmic pop, hip hop and upbeat R&B hits. Rhythmic contemporary never uses h ...
stations on July 30, 2013.
This was the fourth push back for Rhythmic, the previous three impact dates were: June 4, 2013, June 25, 2013, and July 16, 2013.
Composition and lyrics
"Dirty Laundry" is a
R&B "confessional"
ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...
, built around "R&B jam spools" and a
piano
The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...
-led melody.
It details a "frank and often poignant commentary" on Rowland's life, particularly focusing on her time following the release of her debut album, ''
Simply Deep
''Simply Deep'' is the debut solo studio album by American singer Kelly Rowland. It was first released through Columbia Records and Music World Entertainment on October 22, 2002, in North America, and on February 3, 2003, in other areas. Recorded ...
'', in 2002. "Dirty Laundry" is constructed in chapters, each detailing a different part of Rowland's life.
During an interview with ''
Billboard'' magazine, Rowland described how emotional it was for her to record the song. According to the ''Billboard'' it took Rowland "nearly a dozen takes to lay down her vocals without crying" and that during the recent album listening sessions for
Republic Records, she "had to leave the room before the song was played".
According to ''
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 ...
''s Renato Pagnani, "Rowland's voice drips with a hard-earned wisdom, the kind that only crystallizes after processing dark things and coming out the other side bearing the scars of experience".
During the interview, Rowland said "It took me days to record. I had to get past being so upset and actually sing the song, not sob through it.
I always hope that my music can inspire someone, the same way other artists inspire me."
The
chorus is built around the lines "When you’re soaked in tears it never airs out/ When you make pain look this good it never wears out."
In the first verse, Rowland talks about her envy of former groupmate
Beyoncé's solo success during the hiatus of
Destiny's Child. The lyrics include lines such as "When my sister on stage, killing it like a motherfucker, I was in a rage, feeling it like a motherfucker. Went our separate ways but I was happy she was killin' it. Bittersweet she was up, I was down. No lie, I feel good for her but what do I do now? Post-''
Survivor'', she on fire. Who wanna hear my bullshit".
Later in the song, Rowland speaks about the abuse she suffered in a past abusive relationship. On "Dirty Laundry", Rowland sings "I was battered, he hitting the window like it was me, until it shattered. He pulled me out and said, 'Don't nobody love you but me, not your mama, not your daddy, and especially not B'".
Rowland's ex fiancé
Roy Williams took to
social networking website
Twitter
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
to clarify rumors that he was responsible for the abuse Rowland suffered.
Critical reception
"Dirty Laundry" was met with acclaim from contemporary music critics. Rowland's peer, fellow R&B artist
Tiffany Foxx
Tiffany Parham, known professionally as Tiffany Foxx, is an American recording artist. Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Foxx first gained recognition in 2005 after appearing on Snoop Dogg's compilation album '' Welcome to tha Chuuch: Da Album''. In ...
, said "It takes a lot for a woman to go deep inside and talk about things like that... We all kinda wondered with that situation if they are really good friends or is it just business or do they just have history with each other." Gerrick Kennedy from the ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...
'' also praised Rowland's openness, calling "Dirty Laundry" a "stunningly candid single". In his review, Kennedy also said "on 'Dirty Laundry', Rowland
hows that she ischannelling the confidence she found with her last album, 2011's ''
Here I Am''... As she’s shown on recent singles, Rowland is continuing her quest to step out of the shadows."
An editor for the ''
Huffington Post'' called the single "powerful". Meanwhile, ''
Essence
Essence ( la, essentia) is a polysemic term, used in philosophy and theology as a designation for the property or set of properties that make an entity or substance what it fundamentally is, and which it has by necessity, and without which it ...
''s Charli Penn also commented that other women should take courage from "Dirty Laundry". In her review, Penn said "We applaud Rowland’s courage, and hope the message in her music resonates with any woman who has ever experienced or been touched by a domestic violence situation."
Renato Pagnani from ''
Pitchfork Media
''Pitchfork'' (formerly ''Pitchfork Media'') is an American online music publication (currently owned by Condé Nast) that was launched in 1995 by writer Ryan Schreiber as an independent music blog.
Schreiber started Pitchfork while working ...
'' was also complimentary of the song saying that "it achieves the tricky balance of pulling the curtain back to let the public see you at your most vulnerable and still sounding fierce and defiant."
Jenna Hally Rubenstein from
MTV had similar sentiments, "you know what? As hard as it must have been for Kelly to air her 'Dirty Laundry', we imagine it was equally therapeutic. We commend her courage!"
Promotion and music video
Rowland performed in support of ''Talk a Good Game'' at the RiverFest 2013, on May 25, 2013, in
Little Rock, Arkansas
( The "Little Rock")
, government_type = Council-manager
, leader_title = Mayor
, leader_name = Frank Scott Jr.
, leader_party = D
, leader_title2 = Council
, leader_name2 ...
. Here, Rowland performed "Dirty Laundry" live for the first time. Rowland reprised the performance by including "Dirty Laundry" on the set list for her Lights Out tour, a co-headline tour with
The Dream. The opening date on May 26, 2013, received coverage for Rowland's emotional breakdown during the performance.
A
music video
A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...
for "Dirty Laundry" was filmed in May 2013 with director Sarah McColgan. On June 21, 2013, a month after "Dirty Laundry" was released for digital download, Rowland premiered a 30-second snippet of its music video; in the video, Rowland dines with her abusive boyfriend before singing in a chair and sitting in a pool of water while confessing the lyrics of the song. Halfway in the video, the boyfriend leaves the table and spills a glass of wine on Rowland's dress with the guests feeling shocked. The full video premiered on Rowland's official YouTube channel on July 22, 2013.
R. Kelly remix
On June 15, 2013, Power 105 FM unveiled the radio remix of "Dirty Laundry", which features American singer-songwriter and producer,
R. Kelly
Robert Sylvester Kelly (born January 8, 1967) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and sex offender convicted of racketeering and multiple sex offenses.
During his recording career, Kelly sold over 75 million records worldwi ...
.
Rowland begins the remix with a new verse, containing the lyrics "Haven’t eaten for days, haven’t slept in weeks",
then Kelly assumes his verse as the "beau" mentioned in the song with the lyric "Let’s just get it all out, you got something to say? / Say it to my face, so silence your mouth."
Using
Auto-Tune
Auto-Tune (or autotune) is an audio processor introduced in 1996 by American company Antares Audio Technologies. Auto-Tune uses a proprietary device to measure and alter pitch in vocal and instrumental music recording and performances.
Auto-Tu ...
, Kelly also speaks about the purpose of the remix, singing "This is off the record/ This ain't for no radio/ This ain't for no sales, no / I'm just trying to let a motherfucker know."
Kelly, who previously remixed Rowland's "
Motivation", then takes the song's direction on to speak of those in industry who have copied his style, "See the truth of the matter is everybody can’t do this/ And that’s why I got these shit talkin’ R&B singers on my hit list".
Idolator's Christina Lee wrote, "R. Kelly’s vocals actually lighten up the mood, if only because he shifts his focus to fellow artists-turned-imitators".
Track listing
;Digital download
#"Dirty Laundry" – 5:29
;Clean radio edit
#"Dirty Laundry" – 3:58
Credits and personnel
;Recording
[Kelly Rowland — ''Talk a Good Game''. lbum Booklet Republic Records (]Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch– American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...
). Catalog Number: 602537415168.
*Recorded at Setai Recording Studios in
Miami Beach, Florida.
*Mixed at Larrabee Sound Studios in
North Hollywood, California
North Hollywood is a neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, located in the San Fernando Valley. The neighborhood contains the NoHo Arts District, the El Portal Theatre, several art galleries, and the Academy of TV Arts and Sciences. The North ...
.
*Mastered at Sterling Sound,
New York City, New York
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
.
;Personnel
*Lee Blake – additional keyboards
*Tom Coyne – mastering engineer
*Trey Harris – assistant mixing engineer
*Jaysen Joshua – mixing engineer
*
Carlos McKinney
Carlos McKinney (born January 10, 1973), known professionally as Los Da Mystro, is an American record producer and jazz pianist.
Biography
McKinney was born into a prominent Detroit jazz family; he is a nephew to pianist Harold McKinney, ba ...
–
songwriter
A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music ...
*Aya Merrill – mastering engineer
*
Terius "The-Dream" Nash – songwriter,
producer
*Scott Naughton – recording engineer
*Jesus Rodriguez – assistant recording engineer
*
Kelly Rowland
Kelendria Trene Rowland (born February 11, 1981) is an American singer, actress, and television personality. She rose to fame in the late 1990s as a member of Destiny's Child, one of the world's best-selling girl groups of all time. During the gr ...
–
lead vocals, songwriter
*Bart Schoudel – recording engineer
Chart performance
"Dirty Laundry" debuted on the US ''
Billboard''
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 ...
chart at number 50, meanwhile in Canada, the song premiered on the Urban Airplay chart at number 31 in the first week of being serviced to radio.
Release history
References
{{authority control
2010s ballads
2013 songs
Kelly Rowland songs
Contemporary R&B ballads
Song recordings produced by The-Dream
Songs written by The-Dream
Republic Records singles
Songs written by Carlos McKinney
Songs written by Kelly Rowland
Songs about domestic violence
2013 singles
Songs with feminist themes