"Rockstar" is the second single from former

N-Dubz N-Dubz are an English hip hop trio from Camden Town, London, consisting of cousins Dappy and Tulisa, and Fazer. After winning a MOBO Award for Best Newcomer in 2007, N-Dubz briefly signed to Polydor Records before joining All Around the Wor ...

lead rapper

Dappy Costadinos Contostavlos (Greek: Κωνσταντίνος Κοντόσταυλος; born 11 June 1987), better known by his stage name Dappy, is a British rapper and singer. He is the lead singer of the Camden-based hip hop and grime trio N- ...

's debut studio album, '' Bad Intentions'' staying with the commercial pop template of his previous single, " No Regrets". It was released on 23 February 2012. The song also features

Queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

guitarist

Brian May Brian Harold May (born 19 July 1947) is an English guitarist, singer, songwriter, and astrophysicist, who achieved worldwide fame as the lead guitarist of the rock band Queen. May was a co-founder of Queen with lead singer Freddie Mercury and ...

Music video

A music video to accompany the release of "Rockstar" was first released onto YouTube on 18 January 2012 at a total length of three minutes and forty-eight seconds. It was directed by

Colin Tilley Colin Tilley (born June 27, 1988) is an American filmmaker, music video director, and television commercial director. Tilley is the CEO and owner of Boy in the Castle Productions. He has directed more than 300 music videos. Tilley directed, pro ...

. The video has received 14 million views on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and 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 Google, and is the second mo ...

Critical reception

Lewis Corner of '' Digital Spy'' gave the song a very positive review stating:

Fortunately, Dappy hasn't wandered too far away from what made his first cut so successful. Head-bopping beats and lyrical word play detail the star's turbulent relationship with the press ("If the Guardian's my angel, why's The Sun burning holes in me?"). But what sets this apart from his previous effort is May's rumbling guitar riffs which culminate in an electrifying solo at the end. Given it's something few can resist, we're confident this will be another bona fide smash. .Dappy ft. Brian May: 'Rockstar' - Single review
Digital Spy

Chart performance

"Rockstar" made its first chart appearance in the week ending 8 March 2012, where it debuted at number fifteen on the Irish Singles Chart - lower than predecessor " No Regrets" (#8, September 2011). The track then debuted at number two on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

with first week sales of 57,415 copies for the week ending 10 March 2012. "Rockstar" also debuted at number-one on the

R&B chart The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 p ...

, dethroning Flo Rida and

Sia Sia Kate Isobelle Furler ( ; born 18 December 1975) is an Australian singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Adelaide, she started her career as a singer in the acid jazz band Crisp in the mid-1990s. In 1997, when Crisp disbanded, she rel ...

's " Wild Ones" and number three on the

Scottish Singles Chart The Scottish Albums Chart is a chart compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC) which is based on how physical and digital sales towards the UK Albums Chart fare in Scotland. The official singles chart for Scotland, the Scottish Singles Chart, ...

Track listing

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{Authority control 2012 singles Dappy songs Songs written by Dappy Takeover Entertainment singles Music videos directed by Colin Tilley 2012 songs All Around the World Productions singles Song recordings produced by TMS (production team) Songs written by Peter Kelleher (songwriter) Songs written by Tom Barnes (songwriter) Songs written by Ben Kohn Songs written by Ayak Thiik Rap rock songs