"Kelly" is a song recorded by American singer
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 ...
. Rowland self-released the song on November 22, 2018. It is a
hip hop and
R&B song, and some critics referred to it as influenced by
trap music
Trap is a subgenre of hip hop music that originated in the Southern United States during the 1990s. The genre gets its name from the Atlanta slang word "trap", a house used exclusively to sell drugs. Trap music uses synthesized drums and is ch ...
and
club music. Rowland boasts about herself in the lyrics. The song received mixed reviews from critics.
Composition and lyrics
"Kelly" is a
hip hop and
R&B song,
which some critics described as inspired by
trap music
Trap is a subgenre of hip hop music that originated in the Southern United States during the 1990s. The genre gets its name from the Atlanta slang word "trap", a house used exclusively to sell drugs. Trap music uses synthesized drums and is ch ...
and
club music.
''HotNewHipHop''
's Karlton Jahmal connected the song with "the Atlanta trap sound".
''
Idolator
An idolator is a practitioner of idolatry.
Idolater or Idolator may also refer to: Books
*''Os Idólatras'', 1968 Portuguese novel by Maria Judite de Carvalho Music
* Idolator (website), an American music blog
* ''Idolator'' (album), third album ...
''s Mike Wass wrote that the composition had an
uptempo
A variety of musical terms are likely to be encountered in printed scores, music reviews, and program notes. Most of the terms are Italian, in accordance with the Italian origins of many European musical conventions. Sometimes, the special mus ...
"staccato beat",
and other commentators noted the single for its bass and
synthesizer.
Several media outlets compared
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 ...
's vocals to
rapping.
Wass referred to Rowland as being in "full
hip-hop mode".
Rowland praises herself throughout the song,
including boasts about her "class, ass, a man, whips, drip".
Release
Rowland self-released "Kelly" on November 22, 2018.
The song was later made available for
digital download on November 30.
It was Rowland's first solo release since 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 ...
'' in 2013.
According to ''
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.
...
''s Trent Clark, Rowland used "Kelly" as a gift to her fans.
Prior to the song's release, the singer teased lyrics on her Instagram.
Rowland used the single cover as her
Instagram account's
wallpaper
Wallpaper is a material used in interior decoration to decorate the interior walls of domestic and public buildings. It is usually sold in rolls and is applied onto a wall using wallpaper paste. Wallpapers can come plain as "lining paper" (so ...
.
She later shared other photos from the same shoot on the social media platform.
The single led to the
hashtag #GoKellyGo.
Critical reception
The critical response to "Kelly" was mixed.
''Essence'''s Sydney Scott and
Uproxx
''Uproxx'' (stylized in all caps) is an entertainment and popular culture news website. It was founded in 2008 by Jarret Myer and Brian Brater, and acquired by Woven Digital (later renamed Uproxx Media Group) in 2014. The site's target audience ...
's Cherise Johnson cited the song as a highlight during the week of its release,
and
Hollywood Life
Hollywood Life is an American digital media brand launched in 2009 by magazine editor Bonnie Fuller. The site covers celebrity, fashion, beauty, women issues, and entertainment news. It also airs award shows and other pop culture events.
History ...
's Courteney Larocca summed it up as "FIRE".
Wass praised the single as catchy, but wrote that it "takes a couple of listens to fully process".
's
Clover Hope criticized "Kelly" as "not a super earworm hit", but felt it was "something sufficient to bop to".
Format
;Digital download
#"Kelly" – 3:01
Charts
Release history
References
{{authority control
2018 songs
Kelly Rowland songs
American hip hop songs