"LMK" (

initialism An acronym is a word or name formed from the initial components of a longer name or phrase. Acronyms are usually formed from the initial letters of words, as in ''NATO'' (''North Atlantic Treaty Organization''), but sometimes use syllables, as ...

for "Let Me Know") is a song by American singer and songwriter

Kelela Kelela Mizanekristos ( am, ከለላ ሚዛነክርስቶስ; born June 3, 1983) is an American singer. She made her debut in the music industry with the release of her 2013 mixtape ''Cut 4 Me.'' In 2015, she released ''Hallucinogen'', an EP ...

. It was released on August 1, 2017 through

Warp Records Warp Records (or simply Warp) is a British independent record label founded in Sheffield in 1989 by record store employees Steve Beckett and Rob Mitchell and record producer Robert Gordon.Southern, Richard (2003) "Label of Love: WARP", X-RAY, A ...

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 her debut studio album, ''

Take Me Apart ''Take Me Apart'' is the debut studio album by American singer and songwriter Kelela. It was released on October 6, 2017, through Warp. Combining electronic music and R&B, the album was noted for its futuristic sound and its incorporation of vario ...

'' (2017).

Composition

"LMK" is an electro- R&B track which revolves around "a wobbly, three-note synth-bass" with Kelela singing about a "potential

one-night-stand A one-night stand or one-night sex is a single Human sexual activity, sexual encounter in which there is an expectation that there shall be no further relations between the sexual participants. It draws its name from the common practice of a one ...

." The bass-heavy and

industrial Industrial may refer to: Industry * Industrial archaeology, the study of the history of the industry * Industrial engineering, engineering dealing with the optimization of complex industrial processes or systems * Industrial city, a city dominate ...

production was handled by

Jam City Jack Latham is a British electronic music producer and DJ who performs under the alias Jam City. He has been active since 2010 and records on the label Night Slugs. He has released three full-length albums: 2012's '' Classical Curves'', 2015's ...

. Briana Younger of ''

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 ...

'' noted that Jam City's "pristine soundscape, while more minimal than what Kelela usually sings over, complements her well with its blend of space-age clubbiness and sultry R&B. It makes for what is probably her most pop-accessible song to date, an empowered and liberating song that asserts not just a woman's agency, but also Kelela's power as an artist."

Release and promotion

"LMK" premiered on

Zane Lowe Alexander Zane Reid Lowe (born 7 August 1973) is a New Zealand radio DJ, live DJ, record producer, and television presenter. After an early career in music creation, production and DJing, he moved to the UK in 1997. He came to prominence thro ...

Beats 1 Apple Music 1, previously branded as Beats 1, is a 24/7 music radio station owned and operated by Apple Inc. It is accessible through iTunes or the Apple Music app on a computer, smartphone or tablet, smart speaker (such as the Apple HomePod), ...

show on August 1, 2017, and subsequently released for digital download and streaming. Kelela told ''

The Fader ''The Fader'' (stylized as ''FADER'') is a magazine based in New York City that was launched in 1999 by Rob Stone and Jon Cohen. The magazine covers music, style and culture. It was the first print publication to be released on iTunes. It is o ...

'' that the song is "directed at a man who's being weird instead of being honest. Does casual have to be careless? Is wifey the only woman who deserves your respect, and why do you think I want more when I demand it? These are my questions..." On October 10, 2017, Kelela performed the song live for the first time on '' Later... with Jools Holland''.

Critical reception

"LMK" appeared on numerous year-end lists, topping ''

Dummy Mag Dummy may refer to: Dolls * Mannequin, a model of the human body * Dummy (ventriloquism) * Crash test dummy People * Dummy (nickname), any of several people with the nickname * Dummy, the Witch of Sible Hedingham (c. 1788–1863), one of the la ...

''s list and appearing in the top 10 of lists by ''

Vulture A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including Condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to North and ...

'', ''

The Quietus ''The Quietus'' is a British online music and pop culture magazine founded by John Doran and Luke Turner. The site is an editorially independent publication led by Doran with a group of freelance journalists and critics. Content ''The Quiet ...

'', ''

Stereogum ''Stereogum'' is a daily Internet publication that focuses on music news, reviews, interviews, and commentary. The site was created in January 2002 by Scott Lapatine. ''Stereogum'' was one of the first MP3 blogs and has received several award ...

'', ''

Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York ...

'', ''

Noisey ''Vice'' (stylized in all caps) is a Canadian-American magazine focused on lifestyle, arts, culture, and news/politics. Founded in 1994 in Montreal as an alternative punk magazine, the founders later launched the youth media company Vice Media, ...

'' and ''

Highsnobiety Highsnobiety is a global fashion and lifestyle media brand founded in 2005 by David Fischer. It was bought by German e-commerce giant Zalando in 2022. Highsnobiety is headquartered in Berlin and has offices in Amsterdam, London, Milan, New York ...

''.

Music video

The music video for "LMK" was uploaded to Kelela's

Vevo Vevo ( , an abbreviation for "Video Evolution", stylized as VEVO until 2013) is an American multinational video hosting service, best known for providing music videos to YouTube. The service is also available as an app on selected smart TVs, di ...

channel on August 9, 2017. Directed by longtime

Björk Björk Guðmundsdóttir ( , ; born 21 November 1965), known mononymously as Björk, is an Icelandic singer, songwriter, composer, record producer, and actress. Noted for her distinct three-octave vocal range and eccentric persona, she has de ...

collaborator

Andrew Thomas Huang Andrew Thomas Huang is a Chinese-American visual artist and film director known for his music videos for artists Björk, FKA twigs and Atoms for Peace. In 2019, Huang was nominated for a Grammy for his music video for FKA twigs - "Cellophane." ...

, the video is "a surreal visual that sees Kelela moving through hazy, club-like environments with authority and a take-no-prisoners attitude." Regarding the video, Huang said: "We wanted make a video that showcases the multiplicity of who Kelela is and who she has the potential to be. The video is essentially a grand unveiling featuring Kelela wearing different wigs and guises as she pushes through the club with her friends, ultimately revealing herself at the end of the video. The message of this video is empowerment: it's for the girls, for anyone whose heart has been trampled on and deserves to go out and feel good about themselves. It's a call to action, demanding to be taken and to be quick about it. This is the reason why we love Kelela - she's making herself vulnerable and kicking down doors in the process."

"LMK (What's Really Good)" remix

A remix titled "LMK (What's Really Good)" featuring

Princess Nokia Destiny Nicole Frasqueri (born June 14, 1992), known professionally as Princess Nokia, is an American rapper and songwriter. She released her debut studio album, ''Metallic Butterfly'', in 2014, followed by the 2015 mixtape ''Honeysuckle''. As P ...

Junglepussy Shayna McHayle (born October 31, 1991), known professionally by her stage name Junglepussy, is an American rapper and actress from New York City. Her first mixtape ''Satisfaction Guaranteed'' was released in 2014. She has received recognition fro ...

Cupcakke Elizabeth Eden Harris (born May 31, 1997), known professionally as Cupcakke (often stylized as CupcakKe; pronounced ), is an American rapper from Chicago, Illinois. She is known for her hypersexualised, brazen, and often comical persona and mus ...

and Ms. Boogie was released on September 12, 2018. It serves as the first single from the

remix album A remix album is an album consisting of remixes or rerecorded versions of an artist's earlier released material. The first act who employed the format was American singer-songwriter Harry Nilsson (''Aerial Pandemonium Ballet'', 1971). As of 2007 ...

Take Me a_Part, the Remixes ''Take Me a_Part, the Remixes'' (stylized in all caps) is a remix album by American singer and songwriter Kelela, released on October 5, 2018. The album consists of reworkings of songs from Kelela's debut studio album, ''Take Me Apart'' (2017), fro ...

'' (2018).

References

Notes

{{authority control 2017 singles 2017 songs Songs about casual sex Warp (record label) singles