"Redrum" (

palindrome A palindrome is a word, number, phrase, or other sequence of symbols that reads the same backwards as forwards, such as the words ''madam'' or ''racecar'', the date and time ''11/11/11 11:11,'' and the sentence: "A man, a plan, a canal – Panam ...

for "Murder") is a song by Kosovo-Albanian singer and songwriter

Era Istrefi Era Istrefi (; ; born 4 July 1994) is a Kosovo-Albanian singer. Born and raised in Pristina, Istrefi rose to significant international recognition with the breakthrough single "BonBon", which experienced commercial success worldwide and receive ...

featuring Australian producer Felix Snow. The song was written by Istrefi, David Singer and William Vanderhayden, and produced by Felix Snow and Mark Ralph. It was released for digital download and

streaming Streaming media is multimedia that is delivered and consumed in a continuous manner from a source, with little or no intermediate storage in network elements. ''Streaming'' refers to the delivery method of content, rather than the content it ...

on 24 February 2017 by B1 and

Ultra adopted by British military intelligence in June 1941 for wartime signals intelligence obtained by breaking high-level encrypted enemy radio and teleprinter communications at the Government Code and Cypher School (GC&CS) at Bletchley Park. '' ...

. It is a

dance Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

, pop and R&B song, focusing on the concept of

materialism Materialism is a form of philosophical monism which holds matter to be the fundamental substance in nature, and all things, including mental states and consciousness, are results of material interactions. According to philosophical materiali ...

, with Istrefi telling her love interest to remain true to himself. "Redrum" garnered positive reviews from

music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...

, who praised its appeal and lyrics as well as Istrefi's vocal delivery. A

femme fatale A ''femme fatale'' ( or ; ), sometimes called a maneater or vamp, is a stock character of a mysterious, beautiful, and seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers, often leading them into compromising, deadly traps. She is an archetype of ...

-influenced

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

was uploaded to Ultra's

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

channel simultaneously with the single's release, portraying Istrefi within a murderous aesthetic. Commercially, the song peaked atop in Albania and reached the top 30 in the

Commonwealth of Independent States The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) is a regional intergovernmental organization in Eurasia. It was formed following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. It covers an area of and has an estimated population of 239,796,010. ...

(CIS) as well as the top 50 on ''

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 ...

'' US

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chart.

Background and composition

Era Istrefi began pursuing a professional music career in 2013 and rose to international attention, following her breakthrough single, "" (2016), in early 2016. Released as her follow-up single to the latter under B1 and

, "Redrum" was released for digital download and

on 24 February 2017. Istrefi wrote it with David Singer and William Vanderhayden, while Felix Snow and Mark Ralph produced it. ''Note: Click on the three dots on the right of the track to display the credits.'' The song's title is a

for "Murder" that emerged from a scene in the

psychological horror Psychological horror is a genre, subgenre of horror fiction, horror and psychological fiction with a particular focus on mental, emotional, and Mental state, psychological states to frighten, disturb, or unsettle its audience. The subgenre frequent ...

film '' The Shining'' (1980). "Redrum" is a

, pop and R&B song, going "heavy" on the hooks and "delicately" on its production. Written from the perspective of a woman who is not impressed by

, the lyrics find Istrefi telling her love interest that she needs him to remain true to himself and even though she knows the relationship is deficient, she is willing to see it through. Lyrics include: "My love is bittersweet, but I can show you heaven but first get on your knees, close your eyes and count to seven/ I don't care if you're a peasant or a king, If you're with me then you're everything."

Reception

Upon release, "Redrum" received positive reviews from

. Truman Ports of '' V'' acknowledged the song's lyrics to preserve "something mysterious and threatening" and lauded Istrefi's "sensual" and "commanding" vocals as well as her expressions during her visual performance. According to Beautiful Buzzz's Mike Doose, the song possesses "the sex appeal of

Dua Lipa Dua Lipa ( , ; born ) is an English and Albanian singer and songwriter. Possessing a mezzo-soprano vocal range, she is known for her signature disco- pop sound. Lipa has received numerous accolades, including six Brit Awards, three Gramm ...

and

Rihanna Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, actress, and businesswoman. Born in Saint Michael and raised in Bridgetown, Barbados, Rihanna auditioned for American record producer Evan Rogers who invited her to the ...

" along with the "mystique and allure of

AlunaGeorge AlunaGeorge are an English electronic music duo from London, consisting of singer-songwriter Aluna Francis and producer George Reid. Career 2009: Formation The duo first met in June 2009, when Reid remixed Francis' band My Toys Like Me's trac ...

and

Kiiara Kiara Saulters (born May 24, 1995), known professionally as Kiiara, is an American singer and songwriter from Wilmington, Illinois. She is currently signed to Atlantic Records. Her 2015 single "Gold" peaked at number 13 on the ''Billboard'' Ho ...

", also noting its potential to be a "global hit across continents and cultures".

BigFM Big FM is a German radio network that consists of three regional radio stations: ''bigFM Der Neue Beat'' in Baden-Württemberg, ''bigFM Hot Music Radio'' in Rhineland-Palatinate and ''bigFM Saarland'' in Saarland. The format is Rhythmic CHR, and ...

's staff commended Istrefi's fashion within a "killer aesthetic" and described the song to be a "bit calmer and with less

Balkan The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

flair" than her breakthrough single, "". Jonathan Currinn from Critic Jonni similarly expressed a similar opinion regarding the song, writing that it's "a definite step in the right direction, showing her off perfectly as an artist". Commercially, "Redrum" topped the charts in Albania for the week ending on 12 March 2017. The song also reached number 26 in the

(CIS) and number 45 on the US ''

chart.

Music video

for "Redrum" was uploaded to Ultra's

channel simultaneously with the single's release on 24 February 2017. ''Note: Open description for credits.'' Production team SixTwentySix was hired for the shooting of the video, while Millicent Hailes directed it. A red-themed video, the visual opens with Istrefi walking with red knee-high boots and a red sheer cape flowing behind her. Scenes interspersed through the main plot portray the singer performing in a red-color setting surrounded by smoke. Other notable scenes include a shot of Istrefi's nails with blood dripping down her finger as well as a shot of her in front of a mirror. The video was received positively by reviewers. Ports pointed out

influences in the video, and praised Istrefi's red-colored fashion further saying that it fits the video's "murderous aesthetic". Currinn described the video as being a "great visual" and wrote that there is "something interesting to watch and keep the audience entertained, but at the same time, it doesn't give anything new to the viewers".

Track listing

*Digital download and streaming #"Redrum"2:49

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from

Spotify Spotify (; ) is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 456 million monthly active us ...

and

. ;Technical credits *Era Istrefilead artist, songwriting *Felix Snowfeatured artist, producing *David Singersongwriting *Mark Ralphproducing *William Vanderhaydensongwriting ;Music video credits *Austin Barberaproducing *Christ Varonosproducing manager *Jake Kraskproducing *Jen Kennedyediting *Luis Panch Perezdirecting of photography *Millicent Hailesdirecting *Skye Jonesproducing designer

Charts

Weekly charts

Monthly charts

Release history

References

{{Authority control 2017 singles 2017 songs Era Istrefi songs English-language Albanian songs Ultra Records singles