"Ra" (stylized in all caps) is a song recorded by Romanian singer

Inna Elena Alexandra Apostoleanu (born 16 October 1986), known professionally as Inna (stylized in all caps), is a Romanian singer. Born in Mangalia and raised in Neptun, she studied political science at Ovidius University before meeting the Roma ...

, digitally released on 27 September 2018 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 sixth studio album, '' Yo'' (2019), by

Global Records Global Records is a Romanian independent record label founded in 2008 by Ștefan Lucian. History Global Records's first signed artist was Inna in 2008, whose career has been spanning over 10 years. She has released a series of international ...

. It was entirely written in Spanish by Cristina Maria Chiluiza and Inna, while Sebastian Barac, Marcel Botezan and David Ciente handled the production. A

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

, the song lyrically features a

female empowerment Women's empowerment (or female empowerment) may be defined in several ways, including accepting women's viewpoints, making an effort to seek them and raising the status of women through education, awareness, literacy, and training.Kabeer, Naila ...

message about leaving a toxic relationship and gaining confidence. Its sound differs significantly and acts as a departure from Inna's previous,

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-oriented releases. "Ra" was met with generally positive reviews from

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upon its release, with a number of them pointing out its catchiness. For promotion, an accompanying,

minimalistic Minimalism is a movement in visual arts, music, and other media that began in post–World War II Western art. Minimalism may also refer to: *Minimalism (computing), a philosophy of programming and configuring computers *Minimalism (philosophy), ...

music video was uploaded onto the singer's

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channel simultaneously with the digital release of the song. Filmed by Bogdan Păun, it portrays Inna and five other women posing together or individually in front of a planter wall. Inna further supported the song with live performances at the 2018

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and on television program ''

Hoy Hoy ( sco, Hoy; from Norse , meaning "high island") is an island in Orkney, Scotland, measuring – the second largest in the archipelago, after Mainland. A natural causeway, ''the Ayre'', links the island to the smaller South Walls; the two ...

'' in Mexico in November 2018. It peaked at number 71 on Romania's

Airplay 100 Multiple record charts have been inaugurated in Romania since the 1990s. The Romanian Top 100 was the country's national chart until 2012. Founded in 1995, it was a ranking based on the compilation of charts submitted by local Romanian radio stat ...

ranking.

Background and composition

On 16 October 2018, Inna released a video on her

channel in which she teased her upcoming sixth studio album '' Yo'' by briefly elaborating on its creation; in the description of the clip, Inna announced that the first single from the record would be released on 2 November 2018. She eventually confirmed the aforementioned during a

social media Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social medi ...

post and revealed the single's name to be "Ra".

Leaked A leak is a way (usually an opening) for fluid to escape a container or fluid-containing system, such as a tank or a ship's hull, through which the contents of the container can escape or outside matter can enter the container. Leaks are usuall ...

beforehand, "Ra" was digitally made available on the announced date by

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internationally, with the title stylized in caps for the international release, but released on 27 September 2018 by

in Romania. Two remixes were also released for purchase. Written entirely in Spanish by Cristina Maria Chiluiza and Inna, "Ra" lyrically features a

message about leaving a toxic relationship and gaining confidence. This is a topic that Inna rarely addressed in her previous work. The track's title alludes to the ancient Egyptian deity of the sun Ra, symbolizing "the light and the truth". The song was produced and engineered by Sebastian Barac, Marcel Botezan and David Ciente, while Max Kissaru mixed and

mastered Mastering, a form of audio post production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device (the master), the source from which all copies will be produced (via meth ...

it. Musically, "Ra" is a

, and a departure from Inna's

sound, a "whole new era" according to Jonathan Currinn from website CelebMix. Mike Wass, writing for

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, noted that it "represents an important step in the '

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' hitmaker's journey from

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club queen to a more mature, well-rounded artist". In the song's

refrain A refrain (from Vulgar Latin ''refringere'', "to repeat", and later from Old French ''refraindre'') is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in poetry — the "chorus" of a song. Poetic fixed forms that feature refrains include the vi ...

, Inna repeats the phrase "Yo mejor me voy" (I better go).

Reception

Upon its release, "Ra" received mostly positive reviews from

. Currinn of CelebMix opined that it "feels more like an album track rather than an actual single", and suggested it to have been released as a

promotional single A promotional recording, or promo, or plug copy, is an audio or video recording distributed free, usually in order to promote a recording that is or soon will be commercially available. Promos are normally sent directly to broadcasters, such as ...

from ''Yo''. He further acknowledged that "Ra" is "a grower of a song and one that will get stuck in one's head, over time", and also praised the track's touching message, the songwriting and Inna's vocal delivery. Idolator's Wass noted the catchiness of "Ra", naming it an "anthem" and a "hypnotic bop". ''

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 ...

'' included "Ra" in their Best Music Picks Of the Week list for the week ending 4 November 2018. Commercially, the song peaked at number 71 on Romania's

for the week ending 2 December 2018.

Promotion and other usage

Inna teased the accompanying music video for "Ra" with two previews posted to her YouTube channel on 31 October and 1 November 2018, respectively. The visual was ultimately premiered simultaneously with the single's release on YouTube; ''Note: Open description for credits.'' it features Inna—wearing a black bra and top by Luisa Via Roma—and five fellow women—sporting orange bras—variating from posing together to individually posing in front of a planter wall. NGM Creative's Bogdan Păun directed the clip, while Alexandru Mureșan was hired as the

director of photography The cinematographer or director of photography (sometimes shortened to DP or DOP) is the person responsible for the photographing or recording of a film, television production, music video or other live action piece. The cinematographer is the ch ...

and Loops Production as the producers. Andra Manea was credited as the

make-up artist A make-up artist, also called a makeup artist, and often shortened to MUA, is an artist whose medium is the human body, applying makeup and prosthetics on others for theatre, television, film, fashion, magazines and other similar productions inc ...

, Sorin Stratulat as the hair stylist, and RD Styling as the clothes procurers. A video showing the making of "Ra" was released online on 27 November 2018. ''Billboard'' noticed the connection between the song's lyrics and the video, as Inna "stands strong in the visual. It reaffirms the importance of having a voice, especially as a woman". Currinn of CelebMix likened the music video's message to that of Inna's track " No Help" (2018), while Idolator saw it as "striking" and "

minimalist In visual arts, music and other media, minimalism is an art movement that began in post–World War II in Western art, most strongly with American visual arts in the 1960s and early 1970s. Prominent artists associated with minimalism include Don ...

". For further promotion of "Ra", Inna delivered a live performance of the song at the 2018

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...

on 7 November, and performed it on Mexican television daily morning program ''

'' on 8 November 2018, among other endeavours in Mexico. On 2 December 2018, Romanian band Noaptea Târziu released a

parody A parody, also known as a spoof, a satire, a send-up, a take-off, a lampoon, a play on (something), or a caricature, is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satiric or ironic imitation. Often its subj ...

of "Ra" titled "Am ghinion" ("I have bad luck").

Track listing

*Digital download #"Ra" – 2:55

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from

. *Inna – lead vocals, songwriter * Sebastian Barac – producer, engineer * Marcel Botezan – producer, engineer *Cristina Maria Chiluiza – songwriter * David Ciente – producer, engineer *Max Kissaru – mixing and mastering

Charts

Release history

References

{{Inna 2010s ballads 2018 songs 2018 singles Inna songs Roc Nation singles Songs with feminist themes Songs written by Inna Spanish-language songs Egyptian mythology in music