One Of The Girls

"One of the Girls" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter the Weeknd, South Korean singer and rapper Jennie, and French-American actress and singer Lily-Rose Depp. It was released on December 8, 2023, through XO and Republic Records, as the first single from '' The Idol Episode 4 (Music from the HBO Original Series)'' (2023), an EP of music from the fourth episode of the HBO television series '' The Idol'', which stars the three singers. The song was also included on the 2024 deluxe version of the Weeknd's greatest hits album ''The Highlights'' (2021). A synth-led R&B song, it was written by the Weeknd, Lily-Rose Depp, Ramsey, Sam Levinson, and producer Mike Dean. The song relates to the storyline of ''The Idol'' and addresses themes of control, fame, desire, and Stockholm syndrome.

Commercially, "One of the Girls" saw a surge in popularity after going viral on video sharing platform TikTok. It peaked at number ten on the ''Billboard'' Global 200, becoming the Weeknd's 11th, Jennie's second, and Depp's first top-ten hit respectively. It reached number one in Malaysia and the top ten in Greece, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Lithuania, MENA, Philippines, Singapore, UAE, and Vietnam. The song further became the highest-charting song by a female K-pop soloist on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, peaking at number 51. The song received a mixed reception from critics, who praised the vocals, seductive feel, and production, but criticized the explicit lyrics.

Background

In 2023, Abel Tesfaye, known as the Weeknd, starred in and co-created a drama series for HBO entitled '' The Idol'', which also starred actress Lily-Rose Depp and singer Jennie of South Korean girl group Blackpink. Tesfaye initially announced a soundtrack album would accompany the show entitled ''The Idol, Vol. 1'', which was later repurposed into individual EPs of music from each episode. A collaboration between the Weeknd and Jennie for the soundtrack was first teased on May 10 at a launch party for Jennie's Calvin Klein capsule collection. At the event, Jennie and DJ duo Simi and Haze Khadra played a snippet of the unreleased track, dubbing it a "special song". Jennie also reposted an Instagram story by '' Dazed Korea'' recording her playing the snippet and added tags for ''The Idol'' and the Weeknd. Similarly, the Khadra sisters reshared clips of the song on their Instagram, tagging Jennie, the Weeknd and ''The Idol.''

The collaboration was confirmed by Tesfaye on June 20 in a post responding to a troll on Twitter, in which he stated, "dropping that Jennie song this weekend for you! Get the bucket ready". On June 21, he officially announced the fourth EP of music from the show, '' The Idol Episode 4 (Music from the HBO Original Series)'', would be released the following night. In the announcement, he revealed the EP's cover art and track listing, which confirmed the song's title as "One of the Girls" and its performers as the Weeknd, Jennie, and Lily-Rose Depp. The track marks Jennie's first solo music release since " Solo" (2018) and Depp's second song for ''The Idol'' after "World Class Sinner / I'm a Freak". It was released on June 23, 2023, for digital download and streaming, alongside the rest of the EP. The producer of the track, Mike Dean, posted a video of him mixing the radio version for the track on November 7. It was officially released as a single on December 8 alongside sped up, slowed, instrumental, and a capella versions of the song. The song was sent to US rhythmic contemporary radio on December 12, and will be released as a 7-inch vinyl on June 14, 2024. It was also included on the deluxe edition of the Weeknd's greatest hits album ''The Highlights'', which was released on February 9, 2024.

Lyrics and composition

"One of the Girls" was written by its producer Mike Dean alongside Abel Tesfaye, Lily-Rose Depp, Ramsey, and Sam Levinson. It is described as a "down-tempo" and "synth-led" R&B number. The song deals with "emotionally harrowing" themes of "control, fame, desire and Stockholm syndrome." It ties into the plot of ''The Idol'', which depicts the intimate relationship between the pop star Jocelyn (portrayed by Depp) and the cult leader Tedros (portrayed by Tesfaye). Jennie lends her voice to the song’s introduction and bridge, including the lyrics "Lock me up and throw away the key / He knows how to get the best out of me." Tesfaye and Depp trade verses for the remainder of the song about BDSM and choking. Depp says, "Hands on my neck while you push it up," while Tesfaye sings, "Force me and choke me ‘til I pass out." In the chorus, Depp explains that she wants to be "one of your girls tonight."

Critical reception

The song was met with mixed reviews from music critics. ''Filmfare'' praised the production and vocals of "One of the Girls", stating that the song has a "seductive feel with subtle synths, powerful bass, and an impressive trap style that complements the lyrics." Additionally, they opined that the Weeknd's signature voice "compliments Jennie's breathy vocals and Lily-Rose Depp's rich and lovely voice." Steffanee Wang of '' Nylon'' described the beat as "decadently plush" and noted that the explicit lyrics work better in the context of music rather than in the show. On the vocals, she found that "the different tones of their voices weave harmoniously like a braid" and in particular praised Jennie for highlighting her voice in a different context with her first foray into R&B, saying the song is "the most sensual, desperate, and emotive she’s ever sounded." However, Zoe Guy of '' Vulture'' criticized the song's "eyebrow-scratching lyrics", arguing that it "manages to commit the carnal sin of making sex boring." Writing for '' Pitchfork'', Julianne Escobedo Shepherd felt that for a first-time singer Lily-Rose Depp's "light rasp is believable" and agreed that the song "can’t be saved even by Blackpink's Jennie."

Commercial performance

"One of the Girls" gradually emerged as one of the best-performing tracks from ''The Idol's'' soundtrack. In the United States, the song debuted at number 14 on the Hot R&B Songs chart dated July 8, 2023, with 2.5 million streams and 1,000 downloads sold in its opening week. It also debuted at number 11 on R&B Digital Song Sales and number 19 on R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Song Sales. With this, Lily-Rose Depp scored her first appearance on any ''Billboard'' chart. The song later doubled in streams over a period of six weeks, growing from 1.9 million streams for the week ending November 2 to 4.1 million for the week ending December 7. On December 16, it debuted at number 17 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100, rising to top the chart the following week. ''Billboard'' attributed the song's growth to its virality on video sharing platform TikTok, mainly from Blinks' support for Jennie's parts of the song, with fans praising her "enchanting vocals". On the chart dated December 30, "One of the Girls" debuted at number 100 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 with 6 million streams and 1.5 million radio audience impressions, marking Depp's first entry on the chart and Jennie's first entry as a solo artist. The same week, it ranked at number seven on Hot R&B Songs, after reaching a peak at number six the prior week. On January 13, 2024, "One of the Girls" ascended to number 69 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, breaking the record previously held by her bandmate Rosé's "On the Ground" (2021) for the highest-charting song by a female K-pop solo artist. On February 17, it rose to number 57, up from number 58 the previous week. With this, Jennie extended her record as the highest-charting female K-pop soloist and also became the first female K-pop solo artist in history to chart a song for seven consecutive weeks on the Hot 100. It peaked at number 51 in March 2024.

On the ''Billboard'' Global 200 chart dated January 20, 2024, "One of the Girls" rose from number 15 to 10, entering the top ten for the first time with 40.6 million streams worldwide (up 11%). With this, the Weeknd achieved his 11th top-ten hit, Jennie her second, and Depp her first on the chart. On the ''Billboard'' Global Excl. US, the song rose from number 12 to 7 the same week with 33.6 million streams outside the US (up 10%). This marked the Weeknd's ninth, Jennie's second, and Depp's first top-ten hit on the chart respectively. After three further weeks in the top ten, the song rose from number seven to a new peak at number five on the Global Excl. US chart dated February 10, with 38.6 million streams outside the US (up 2%). On February 17, the song remained charting at number six on the Global Excl. US for an 18th consecutive week, as well as number 11 on the Global 200. "One of the Girls" continued reaching new heights on streaming platforms months after release and spent over 100 days in the top 50 of Spotify's global top songs chart, surpassing Jungkook's singles " 3D" with Jack Harlow and " Standing Next to You" as the fifth longest-charting song by a K-pop solo artist on the chart. The song also broke Jungkook's record for the most streamed original soundtrack song by a K-pop act on Spotify. Additionally, in the United Kingdom, the song peaked at number 21 on the UK Singles Chart.

Music video

The official music video for "One of the Girls" was released on July 6, 2023. It is composed of a montage of scenes from ''The Idol'' featuring the Weeknd, Jennie, and Lily-Rose Depp. In the video, Jocelyn (portrayed by Depp) and Dyanne (portrayed by Jennie) party with one another, before Jocelyn performs the song with a microphone in her home. Meanwhile, Tedros (portrayed by the Weeknd) is depicted lurking in the backdrop, watching Jocelyn and Dyanne dance together. The video concludes with a shot of Tedros and Jocelyn sharing an embrace.

Track listing

* Digital and streaming single
# "One of the Girls" – 4:04
# "One of the Girls" (sped up) – 3:35
# "One of the Girls" (slowed) – 5:05
# "One of the Girls" (instrumental) – 4:04
# "One of the Girls" (a cappella) – 4:09

* 7-inch vinyl
# "One of the Girls" – 4:04
# " Popular" – 3:35

Credits and personnel

* The Weeknd – vocals, additional producer, composing, songwriting
* Jennie – vocals
* Lily-Rose Deppvocals, composing, songwriting
* Mike Dean – producer, composing, songwriting, mixing engineer, mastering engineer
* Sam Levinsoncomposing, songwriting
* Ramsey – composing, songwriting
* Sage Skolfield – additional producer, assisting mixing engineer
* Tommy Rush – recording engineer

Charts

Certifications

Release history

See also

* List of ''Billboard'' Global 200 top-ten singles in 2024
* List of number-one songs of 2023 (Malaysia)
* List of number-one songs of 2024 (Malaysia)

References

External links

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{{Jennie (singer)

2023 singles
2023 songs
The Weeknd songs
Jennie (singer) songs
Lily-Rose Depp songs
Songs written by the Weeknd
Songs written by Mike Dean (record producer)
Song recordings produced by the Weeknd
Song recordings produced by Mike Dean (record producer)
Songs about BDSM
Number-one singles in Malaysia