"Stuck with U" is a song by American singer

Ariana Grande Ariana Grande-Butera ( ; born June 26, 1993) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Her four-octave vocal range has received critical acclaim, and her personal life has been the subject of widespread media attention. She has received ...

and Canadian singer

Justin Bieber Justin Drew Bieber ( ; born March 1, 1994) is a Canadian singer. Bieber is recognized for his genre-melding musicianship and has played an influential role in modern-day popular music. He was discovered by American record executive Scooter ...

. It was released through

Republic Records Republic Records is a New York City–based American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). It was founded by Avery Lipman and Monte Lipman as an independent label in 1995, and was acquired by UMG in 2000. Republic was initially an ...

Def Jam Recordings Def Jam Recordings (also simply known as Def Jam) is an American multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It is based in Manhattan, New York City, specializing predominantly in hip hop, contemporary R&B, soul and pop. The ...

, and Silent Records Ventures as a single on May 8, 2020. Both artists wrote the song alongside producers Freddy Wexler and

Gian Stone Gian Stone is an American songwriter and record producer from New York City. He topped the Billboard Hot 100 Producer Chart in May 2020. His work includes co-writing and production of Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande's "Stuck with U", Maroon 5's " ...

alongside Whitney Phillips, their manager,

Scooter Braun Scott Samuel "Scooter" Braun (born June 18, 1981) is an American entrepreneur, investor, and entertainment executive. Known as the manager for artists such as Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber, J Balvin, Demi Lovato, The Kid Laroi and other artists ...

, and

Skyler Stonestreet Skyler Stonestreet is an American musician and singer-songwriter based in Los Angeles, California. She is a writer on hit tracks such as Ariana Grande & Justin Bieber's "Stuck With U", The Chainsmokers' "Kanye", Dua Lipa's “IDGAF”, Tate M ...

. The song marks the second collaboration between Grande and Bieber, following their duet on the remix of the latter's chart-topping single, "

What Do You Mean? "What Do You Mean?" is a song recorded by Canadian singer Justin Bieber for his fourth studio album ''Purpose'' (2015). The song was released on August 28, 2015, as the album's lead single by Def Jam. The song was produced by MdL and co-produced ...

"; the original song and remix both appear on his fourth studio album, '' Purpose'' (2015). Commercially, the song debuted atop the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, chart issue dated May 23, 2020, becoming Grande's third and Bieber's sixth U.S. number-one single. In addition, both artists debut at number one on the chart for a third time each. The song also debuted at number one on the ''Rolling Stone'' Top 100, chart issue dated May 21, 2020, becoming Grande's second and Bieber's first number-one single. It is certified

double platinum Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...

by the

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

. Internationally, The song also topped the charts in Canada, Lebanon, Malaysia, New Zealand, Israel, and Singapore; and reached the top-ten in 17 other countries. "Stuck with U" also won the award for Best Music Video From Home at the

2020 MTV Video Music Awards The 2020 MTV Video Music Awards were held on August 30, 2020. Keke Palmer hosted the 37th annual ceremony, which was presented primarily from the channel headquarter in New York City, but with a virtual segments held in another cities,due the C ...

and the award for Favorite Music Collaboration at the 2021 Kids' Choice Awards. As of August 2021, the song has raised over $3.5 million for the First Responders Children's Foundation, going directly to thousands of first responders' families around the U.S.

Background and cause

On April 30, 2020, Bieber tweeted "Special announcement tomorrow at 10 am pst...", following which Grande also tweeted in anticipation of it. The next day, the artists took to their social media to announce the release of their song on May 8, 2020. It first premiered at 21:00 PDT on May 7, 2020. All net proceeds from the track will be donated to the "First Responders Children's Foundation". The money will fund scholarships of children of frontline workers whose lives have been affected by the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. During an

ASCAP The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadca ...

interview the song's co-writers

& Whitney Philips revealed that the song was originally meant to be a solo performance and that it was Grande's idea to turn it into a duet with Bieber.

Composition

Musically, "Stuck with U" is a '50s-influenced retro pop

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 ...

that contains elements of R&B and

doo-wop Doo-wop (also spelled doowop and doo wop) is a genre of rhythm and blues music that originated in African-American communities during the 1940s, mainly in the large cities of the United States, including New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Chica ...

music. Lyrically, it is a "romantic" song about being grateful to spend time with a loved one. "Stuck with U" was written in time in the

key Key or The Key may refer to: Common meanings * Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm * Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock * Key (map ...

A major A major (or the key of A) is a major scale based on A, with the pitches A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Its key signature has three sharps. Its relative minor is F-sharp minor and its parallel minor is A minor. The key of A major is the only k ...

, with a

tempo In musical terminology, tempo (Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (often ...

of 60

beats per minute Beat, beats or beating may refer to: Common uses * Patrol, or beat, a group of personnel assigned to monitor a specific area ** Beat (police), the territory that a police officer patrols ** Gay beat, an area frequented by gay men * Battery ( ...

. Grande's vocal range spans two octaves, from E₃ to E₅.

Critical reception

Anna Gaca of ''Pitchfork'' stated "Stuck with U" is "merely serviceable as a pop song" but "a big upgrade from that other product of rich-people lockdown culture: the celebrities singing '

Imagine Imagine may refer to: * Imagination Music Albums * ''Imagine'' (Armin van Buuren album), 2008 * ''Imagine'' (Eva Cassidy album), 2002 * ''Imagine'' (Janice Vidal album), 2012 * ''Imagine'' (John Lennon album), 1971 ** ''Imagine: John Lennon' ...

'. Instead of a bad take on a hoary classic, Grande and Bieber offer a new song with a pleasantly retro doo-wop vibe. Instead of Pollyannaish optimism, they sound a note of resignation."

Commercial performance

"Stuck with U" debuted at number one on the ''

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 ...

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

, becoming Bieber's sixth and Grande's third number one single. The song is also both Bieber's and Grande's third song to debut at number one, tying both artists with

Mariah Carey Mariah Carey (; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. Referred to as the " Songbird Supreme", she is noted for her five-octave vocal range, melismatic singing style and signature use of the whi ...

and

Drake Drake may refer to: Animals * A male duck People and fictional characters * Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family name * Drake (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * ...

for the most songs that debuted at number one. Grande later broke this tie with " Rain on Me" debuting at number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Grande also became the first artist to have their first three number-ones debut at the top spot. The song sales was aided by a variety of physical/digital combination offerings during the tracking week, including copies autographed by Grande and Bieber. Consumers could also purchase cassette, CD and vinyl singles, each with a digital download. "Stuck With U" is also the third female-male duet in over a year since "

Señorita Señorita (the Spanish honorific equivalent of Miss) may refer to: Film * ''Senorita'' (film), a 1927 American silent film *''Señorita'', a 2011 film directed by Isabel Sandoval Music * "Señorita" (Don Williams song), 1987 *'' Señorita EP'' ...

" by

Shawn Mendes Shawn Peter Raul Mendes (; born August 8, 1998) is a Canadian pop singer. He gained a following in 2013, when he posted song covers on the video sharing platform Vine. The following year, he caught the attention of artist manager Andrew Gert ...

and

Camila Cabello Karla Camila Cabello Estrabao (; ; born March 3, 1997) is a Cuban-born American singer and songwriter. She rose to prominence as a member of the girl group Fifth Harmony, which became one of the best-selling girl groups of all time. While in ...

and " Shallow" by

Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta ( ; born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenag ...

and

Bradley Cooper Bradley Charles Cooper (born January 5, 1975) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is the recipient of various accolades, including a British Academy Film Award and two Grammy Awards, in addition to nominations for nine Academy Awards, si ...

to top the Hot 100. The song also debuted at number one on the

Digital Songs The Digital Songs or Digital Song Sales chart (previously named Hot Digital Songs) ranks the best-selling digital songs in the United States, as compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published by '' Billboard'' magazine. Although it originally sta ...

chart with 108,000 downloads, becoming the first song to crack over 100,000 downloads in the first week since "

Me! "Me!" (stylized in all caps) is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift featuring American singer Brendon Urie of Panic! at the Disco. It was released on April 26, 2019, through Republic Records, as Swift's first single after ...

" by

Taylor Swift Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Her discography spans multiple genres, and her vivid songwriting—often inspired by her personal life—has received critical praise and wide media coverage. Bor ...

featuring

Brendon Urie Brendon Boyd Urie (born April 12, 1987) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician who is best known as the lead vocalist, primary songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist of Panic! at the Disco, of which he is the only remaining member. In ...

(193,000 downloads). The song is Grande's sixth chart-topper on the said chart, also Bieber's twelfth, surpassing Drake as the male artist with the most, and overall the third artist, behind Swift 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 ...

. In its second week on the Hot 100, "Stuck with U" dropped to number 13. "Stuck with U" debuted at number two on the

Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is the Republic of Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA) and compiled on their behalf by the Official Charts Company. Chart rankings are bas ...

, becoming Bieber's 20th and Grande's 15th top ten hit; Bieber also becomes the artist with most top fifty hits in history of the said chart surpassing

Eminem Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem (; often stylized as EMINƎM), is an American rapper and record producer. He is credited with popularizing hip hop in middle America and is critically acclai ...

and

who have scored 52 each. "Stuck with U" debuted at number one on The ''Rolling Stone'' Top 100, becoming Bieber's first and Grande's second number one single. The song is also Grande's second song to debut at number one making her the first female artist to earn two number one debuts on the Rolling Stone 100 singles chart.

''Billboard'' Hot 100 controversy

On the same day as the release of "Stuck with U", rapper

6ix9ine Daniel Hernandez (born May 8, 1996), known professionally as 6ix9ine (stylized 6IX9INE and pronounced "six nine") and also as Tekashi69, is an American rapper. His music has been marked by an aggressive style of rapping, while his controversia ...

, who had been incarcerated but had earlier in the month been released to home confinement due to the

, released his comeback single "

Gooba "Gooba" (stylized in all caps as GOOBA) is a song by American rapper 6ix9ine. It was released on May 8, 2020, 6ix9ine's birthday, as the first single after his prison release on April 2, 2020. It is the lead single from his second studio album, ...

", which debuted at number one on the ''

Streaming Songs The Streaming Songs chart is released weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and lists each week's top streamed radio songs, on-demand songs and videos on leading online music services in the United States. The chart represents one of the three component ...

chart, and ended up debuting at number 3 on the Hot 100 on the week ending May 23, 2020. The rapper took to social media afterwards to accuse ''Billboard'' of "chart manipulation" and accuse both Grande and Bieber of "buying" their way to number one on the chart. In an

Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...

post, 6ix9ine alleged that the artists used six credit cards to buy 30,000 copies of "Stuck With U" without providing evidence. Grande and Bieber both denied the allegations with Grande stating in an Instagram post, "OUR fans bought this song (never more than four copies each, AS THE RULES STATE). they are ride or die motherfuckers and i thank god every day that i have them in my life. ..sales count for more than streams. u can not discredit this as hard as u try". Grande and Bieber's manager

would address 6ix9ine's claims that his streams didn't count, stating that "he ix9ineis counting his global streams and this is a domestic chart so only domestic streams count". Braun also added that the last-minute disclosure of 60,000 units was the result of their team strategy to keep the numbers quiet until the end of the week, and pointed out that "using six credits card to buy 30K" is impossible by stating "the rules are clear one credit card can buy max 4 copies". Bieber defended Grande by reposting Braun's Statement on

Instagram stories Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...

adding that "this is my song with Ariana Grande and I'm honored to work with her to help raise money for a great cause. If you gonna say her name make sure you say mine because it's our song". 6ix9ine made a subsequent video addressing Grande, in which he said he wasn't coming after her on a personal level but ''Billboard'', despite his previous statements speculating against Grande and Bieber.

''Billboard''s response

''Billboard'' released a statement on May 18, 2020, the same day 6ix9ine made the accusations, to explain the results. ''Billboard'' stated that 6ix9ine's "six credit cards" claim was inaccurate, as bulk purchases are recognized and removed from the final sales total. They also stated that the Hot 100 forecast he had referenced in an earlier Instagram post prior to the release of that week's chart reveal was not created by them and that they do not distribute any of their rankings to labels, management, or artist. About the discrepancy between YouTube's visible play count for "Gooba", over 180 million at that moment, and the number of streams ''Billboard'' counted for the song, 55.3 million, they explain "counts for a video on its YouTube page are for global plays, and absent any other auditing filters ..''Billboard'' counts only U.S. based plays for its charts."

Music videos

The accompanying music video was released on May 8, 2020, alongside the song's official release. It consists of clips sent in by young fans who would have attended prom in 2020 but are unable to do so due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as people who are stuck inside spending time with loved ones. The video was directed

Rory Kramer Rory Kramer is an American photographer and filmmaker best known for directing music videos and his MTV show ''Dare to Live''. Early life Kramer was raised in Tell City, Indiana. His family owns a home in Clear Lake, Indiana. Career When he w ...

, Alfredo Flores, Grande, Bieber, and Braun. It also features shots of celebrities like Kendall and

Kylie Jenner Kylie Kristen Jenner (born August 10, 1997) is an American media personality, socialite, and businesswoman. She starred in the E! reality television series ''Keeping Up with the Kardashians'' from 2007 to 2021 and is the founder and owner of ...

Demi Lovato Demetria Devonne Lovato ( ; born August 20, 1992), known as Demi Lovato, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. After appearing on the children's television series ''Barney & Friends'' (2002–2004), Lovato rose to prominence for pl ...

2 Chainz Tauheed K. Epps (born September 12, 1977), known professionally as 2 Chainz (or Tity Boi), is an American rapper. Born and raised in College Park, Georgia, he initially gained recognition as one-half of the Southern hip hop duo Playaz Circle, al ...

Paula Abdul Paula Julie Abdul (born June 19, 1962) is an American singer, dancer, choreographer, actress, and television personality. She began her career as a cheerleader for the Los Angeles Lakers at the age of 18 and later became the head choreograph ...

Stephen Stephen or Steven is a common English first name. It is particularly significant to Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; ...

and

Ayesha Curry Ayesha Disa Curry (née Alexander; born March 23, 1989) is a Canadian-American actress, cookbook author, and cooking television personality and the wife of basketball player Stephen Curry. After guest roles in several television shows and movies, ...

Elizabeth Gillies Elizabeth Egan Gillies (born July 26, 1993) is an American actress and singer. She gained prominence for her starring roles as Jade West in the Nickelodeon series ''Victorious'' (2010–2013), and as Fallon Carrington on The CW revival of ''D ...

Gwyneth Paltrow Gwyneth Kate Paltrow (; born ) is an American actress and businesswoman. She is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award. Paltrow gained notice for her early work in films ...

Eric Stonestreet Eric Allen Stonestreet (born September 9, 1971) is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for portraying Cameron Tucker in the ABC mockumentary sitcom ''Modern Family'', for which he received two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting ...

Chance the Rapper Chancelor Johnathan Bennett (born April 16, 1993), known professionally as Chance the Rapper, is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, and record producer. Born and raised in Chicago, Bennett released his debut mixtape '' 10 Day'' in 2012. He ...

Kate Hudson Kate Garry Hudson (born April 19, 1979) is an American actress and businesswoman. She has received numerous awards and nominations, including a Golden Globe Award, a Critics' Choice Movie Award and a Satellite Award, as well as nominations f ...

Lil Dicky David Andrew Burd (born March 15, 1988), better known by his stage name Lil Dicky, is an American rapper, comedian, and actor. He came to prominence with the release of the music video for his song "Ex-Boyfriend" in 2013, which became popular w ...

, Sheel Mohnot,

Michael Bublé Michael Steven Bublé ( ; born September 9, 1975) is a Canadian singer. A four-time Grammy Award winner, he is often credited for helping to renew public interest and appreciation for traditional pop standards and the Great American Songboo ...

Jaden Smith Jaden Christopher Syre Smith (born July 8, 1998), also known mononymously as Jaden, is an American rapper, singer, and actor. He has received various accolades, including a Teen Choice Award, an MTV Movie Award, a BET Award and a Young Artist ...

Ashton Kutcher Christopher Ashton Kutcher (; born February 7, 1978) is an American actor, producer, entrepreneur, and former model. He is the recipient of various accolades, including a People's Choice Award, and nominations for two Young Artist Awards, a S ...

and

Mila Kunis Milena Markovna "Mila" Kunis (born August 14, 1983) is an American actress. Born in Chernivtsi and raised in Los Angeles, she began playing Jackie Burkhart on the Fox television series ''That '70s Show'' (1998–2006) at the age of 14. Since ...

, as well as Bieber with his wife

Hailey Bieber Hailey Rhode Bieber (; born November 22, 1996) is an American model, media personality, and socialite. She has been featured in major ads for Guess, Ralph Lauren, and Tommy Hilfiger. Early life and family Hailey Rhode Baldwin was born in Tu ...

. Grande used the video to reveal her new relationship. She was spotted embracing a man towards the end of the video, and a couple of seconds later the man was revealed to be Dalton Gomez, a real estate agent who eventually became Grande's husband. Bieber also posted a lyric video with an animation of the house drawn in the cover. The video was created by Katia Temkin and the artwork of the house was made by Liana Finck. A fan-made Prom Scenes video that shows prom scenes from movies was released on Bieber'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 on May 9. On May 11, he released a Mother's Day Edition of the music video. The music video earned two VMA nominations at the

, for Best Collaboration and Best Music Video from Home, winning the latter.

Accolades

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from

Tidal Tidal is the adjectival form of tide. Tidal may also refer to: * ''Tidal'' (album), a 1996 album by Fiona Apple * Tidal (king), a king involved in the Battle of the Vale of Siddim * TidalCycles, a live coding environment for music * Tidal (servic ...

. *

– vocals, songwriting, production, vocal production, engineering *

– vocals, songwriting *

– production, songwriting, programming, engineering, guitar, keyboards, percussion * Freddy Wexler – additional production, songwriting, engineering, percussion, programming * Whitney Phillips – songwriting * Nick Kobe – songwriting * Skyler Stonestreet – songwriting *

– songwriting *

Bianca Atterberry Bianca Deiandra "Blush" Atterberry is an American songwriter and producer. Atterberry has co-written for Demi Lovato, Blackpink, K. Michelle, Mary J. Blige, Macy Gray, and Meghan Trainor, among others. In 2021, Atterberry co-wrote Demi Lovato si ...

– backing vocals * Kurt Thum – organ * Josh Gudwin – engineering, mixing, vocal production * Elijah Marrett-Hitch – assistant mixing * Billy Hickey – engineering * Devin Nakao – engineering *

Jason Evigan Jason Gregory Evigan (born June 10, 1983) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. His songwriting credits include co-writing and production of Maroon 5's "Girls Like You" and " What Lovers Do", Madonna's " Ghosttown", ...

– engineering * Lionel Crasta – engineering * Rafael Fadul – engineering * Randy Merrill – mastering

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{Authority control 2020s ballads 2020 singles 2020 songs Ariana Grande songs Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Canadian Hot 100 number-one singles Charity singles Def Jam Recordings singles Justin Bieber songs Male–female vocal duets Music controversies Number-one singles in Israel Number-one singles in Malaysia Number-one singles in New Zealand Number-one singles in Singapore Pop ballads Republic Records singles Songs written by Ariana Grande Songs written by Freddy Wexler Songs written by Justin Bieber Songs written by Skyler Stonestreet Songs written by Whitney Phillips Songs about the COVID-19 pandemic