"Flashlight" is a song recorded by English singer

Jessie J Jessica Ellen Cornish (born 27 March 1988), known professionally as Jessie J, is an English singer. Born and raised in London, she began her career on stage, aged 11, with a role in the West End musical '' Whistle Down the Wind''. She studied ...

for the soundtrack to the film '' Pitch Perfect 2'' (2015). The song was written by

Sia Sia Kate Isobelle Furler ( ; born 18 December 1975) is an Australian singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Adelaide, she started her career as a singer in the acid jazz band Crisp in the mid-1990s. In 1997, when Crisp disbanded, she rel ...

, Christian Guzman, Jason Moore and

Sam Smith Samuel Frederick Smith (born 19 May 1992) is an English singer and songwriter. After rising to prominence in October 2012 by featuring on Disclosure's breakthrough single "Latch", which peaked at number eleven on the UK Singles Chart, they ...

. The song was originally obtained when one pre-ordered the ''Pitch Perfect 2'' soundtrack in the United States, beginning on 23 April 2015; it later became available for download on its own. "Flashlight" was released in the United Kingdom on 11 May 2015 both on the soundtrack and as a stand-alone single. "Flashlight" was particularly successful in Australia, peaking at number two, and number seven in New Zealand.

Hailee Steinfeld Hailee Steinfeld (born December 11, 1996) is an American actress and singer. She is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Hailee Steinfeld, various accolades, including a Peabody Award, and nominations for an Academy Award ...

performs a version of "Flashlight" titled the "Sweet Life Mix" in the film ''Pitch Perfect 2''. Her version of the song is included on the special edition of the film's soundtrack as well as Japanese version of Steinfeld's debut EP, '' Haiz'' (2015).

Composition

According to the sheet music published at musicnotes.com, the song has a tempo of 74 beats per minute. Jessie J's version is in the key of

F major F major (or the key of F) is a major scale based on F, with the pitches F, G, A, B, C, D, and E. Its key signature has one flat. Its relative minor is D minor and its parallel minor is F minor F minor is a minor scale based on F, consis ...

. Hailee Steinfeld's version is in E-flat major.

Critical reception

"Flashlight" received generally mixed reviews. In a less favourable review, Steven J. Horowitz of ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' gave the song two stars out of five, saying: "prone to funny bone shout-singing on her more upbeat singles, Jessie J dials back her vocal force on the tepid "Flashlight", off the ''Pitch Perfect 2'' soundtrack. The more subtle delivery would be welcome if the track weren't so paint-by-numbers, it plays like a pantomime of a Sia ballad, but without the emotive edge."

Music video

The music video (directed by

Hannah Lux Davis Hannah Lux Davis (born May 17, 1986) is an American music video, commercial and film director. She's known for her work especially with female artists, such as Ariana Grande, Katy Perry, Demi Lovato, Nicki Minaj, Miley Cyrus, Avril Lavigne, Christ ...

) was released on 23 April 2015 on YouTube. In the video, Jessie J heads to Barden University (the campus of

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

) where she performs the ballad while watching the students go about their days while walking around the campus, while scenes from ''Pitch Perfect 2'' are shown.

Use in film

The song is first sung by Barden University freshman Emily (

) for her audition into the Barden Bellas, who have been suspended from competition. Emily explains that she writes songs to compensate for her anxieties, in this case, leaving home. Emily sings the song again later during the "Riff Off" which, due to it being an original song, causes the Bellas to be disqualified. Upon learning that Emily writes her own songs, Beca (

Anna Kendrick Anna Cooke Kendrick (born August 9, 1985) is an American actress. She has received various accolades, including a Satellite Award, five Teen Choice Awards, three MTV Movie Awards, and nominations for an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award a ...

) offers to work with her on it and record the song in a studio. At the climax of the film, the Bellas incorporate "Flashlight" into their World Championships setlist.

Chart performance

The song debuted on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart on 28 May 2015, at number 68. The song debuted 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 ...

on 24 May 2015, at number 62, eventually reaching number 13. The song debuted on the

ARIA Charts The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...

on 18 May 2015, at number 15 and reached number 2 as of 8 June 2015. It reached number one in Indonesia.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{authority control 2010s ballads 2015 singles 2015 songs Songs written for films Jessie J songs Hailee Steinfeld songs Republic Records singles Pop ballads Music videos directed by Hannah Lux Davis Songs written by Sam Smith (singer) Songs written by Sia (musician) Songs containing the I–V-vi-IV progression