''Bubblegum'' is the debut

mixtape In the modern music industry, a mixtape is a musical project, typically with looser constraints than that of an album or extended play. Unlike the traditional album or extended play, mixtapes are labeled as laid-back projects that allow artists mo ...

by Irish artist

Biig Piig Jessica Smyth, known by the stage name Biig Piig, is an Irish singer and rapper, who lived in Spain before settling in West London. She performs in English and Spanish and was signed to RCA before moving to parent company Sony Music. Starting ...

, released on 20 January 2023 through

RCA RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded in 1919 as the Radio Corporation of America. It was initially a patent pool, patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Westinghou ...

Background and release

On 6 September 2022,

released "Kerosene". The song debuted as

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...

's Hottest Record, with her describing it as a "hot girl summer anthem". She noted that it was part of a "wider project", but had not yet announced anything. On 20 October, she released a second single, "This Is What They Meant", and announced ''Bubblegum'' and its scheduled release date of 20 January 2023. "This Is What They Meant" received a

music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...

on 17 November. The third and final single, "Picking Up", is a collaboration with

Deb Never Deb Never (born ) is an American singer-songwriter. Early life Never grew up in Seattle and Spokane, Washington, and also lived in China, Malaysia, and South Korea as a child. Her mother is a nurse, while her father is a traveling pastor. She i ...

and was released on 8 December. It also received a music video, which was published on 12 January 2023.

Critical reception

''Bubblegum'' was released to positive reception. Tara Joshi for ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' rated it 4/5 and called the production "immaculate". Hannah Mylrea for ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

'' and Ben Tipple for ''

DIY Magazine ''DIY'' is a United Kingdom-based music publication, in print and online. Its free print edition is released monthly with a physical circulation of 40,000 in UK venues, clubs and shops. DIY Magazine ''DIY'' was launched in 2002 by then-editor ...

'' also awarded 4/5 ratings. James Mellen for '' Clash'' thought it was the most "creative, well-thought-out and simply fun" release from the United Kingdom's

alternative pop Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...

scene recently and awarded it a 7/10. Jem Aswad for ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' praised the mixtape, and claimed Biig Piig's "biggest moment is yet to come".

Track listing

References

{{reflist 2023 mixtape albums Debut mixtape albums Biig Piig albums