"Ugly" is the debut single by American singer-songwriter

Jaira Burns Jaira Burns (born January 14, 1997) is an American singer. She began her music career by uploading covers on YouTube. Burns made her debut in 2017 with the single " Ugly", which was featured in a commercial for Beats Electronics and Balmain hea ...

. It was released on June 16, 2017 by

Interscope Records Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M imprint. Founded in late 1990 by Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field as a $20 million joint venture with Atlantic Records of Warner Mus ...

as a single. "Ugly" was featured in a commercial for

Beats Electronics Beats Electronics LLC (also known as Beats by Dr. Dre, or simply Beats by Dre) is an American consumer audio products manufacturer headquartered in Culver City, California. The company was founded by music producer Dr. Dre and record company exe ...

and Balmain headphone collaboration starring

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 ...

. It was written by Henry Walter, Alexandra Hughes,

Brett McLaughlin Brett Leland McLaughlin, known professionally as Leland, is an American singer and songwriter. Based in Los Angeles, California, he has worked closely with a range of popular artists, including Selena Gomez, Troye Sivan, Daya, Andy Grammer, Kels ...

, Mathieu Jomphe-Lepine and produced by

Cirkut Henry Russell Walter (born April 23, 1986), known professionally as Cirkut, is a Canadian record producer and songwriter. He has co-produced and co-written for Dr. Luke, Katy Perry, Becky G, Ava Max, Nicki Minaj, R. City, The Weeknd, Kesha, Ciar ...

and Billboard. Lyrically, the song talks about a hookup gone wrong. To promote the song, an accompanying

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 ...

for the track was released on June 28, 2017. It peaked at number 13 on the Spotify U.S. Viral 50 chart.

Composition

"Ugly" was written by Henry Walter, Alexandra Hughes,

, Mathieu Jomphe-Lepine and produced by

and Billboard. Written 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 ...

F minor F minor is a minor scale based on F, consisting of the pitches F, G, A, B, C, D, and E. Its key signature consists of four flats. Its relative major is A-flat major and its parallel major is F major. Its enharmonic equivalent, E-sharp mi ...

, "Ugly" has 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 136

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 ( ...

. Lyrically, "Ugly" talks about a hookup gone wrong. Mike Wass from

Idolator An idolator is a practitioner of idolatry. Idolater or Idolator may also refer to: Books *''Os Idólatras'', 1968 Portuguese novel by Maria Judite de Carvalho Music * Idolator (website), an American music blog * ''Idolator'' (album), third album ...

described the song as a "serious pop pedigree". During the

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song) or refrain, line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in which all verse ...

, she sings "As long as you love me, this could get ugly/ Yeah, baby, trust me, this could get ugly/ But it's fuckin' good, real fuckin' good/ It's fuckin' good, lovin' me like he should". On February 13, 2018

Genius Genius is a characteristic of original and exceptional insight in the performance of some art or endeavor that surpasses expectations, sets new standards for future works, establishes better methods of operation, or remains outside the capabiliti ...

released a video with the singer explaining the lyrics of the song, saying "When you're in a friends with benefits relationship, everything seems great. You only look at the things that you like, and it's a very sexual driven relationship. If you notice, it's not really talking about conversation and talking about heart-to-heart things. I'm talking about the physical attraction. That's really where it stems from."

Music video

The video for "Ugly" was directed by Wiissa. It was released on June 28, 2017, via Burns'

VEVO Vevo ( , an abbreviation for "Video Evolution", stylized as VEVO until 2013) is an American multinational video hosting service, best known for providing music videos to YouTube. The service is also available as an app on selected smart TVs, di ...

channel. It was shot in

Palm Springs, California Palm Springs (Cahuilla: ''Séc-he'') is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States, within the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley. The city covers approximately , making it the largest city in Riverside County by land a ...

. Burns said, "It was fun but also grueling to shoot in the desert sun in heels for hours." The

starts with Burns dyeing her hair blue while a snippet of the song "Burn Slow" is playing. In the next scene, Burns is seen in a

coin laundry A self-service laundry, coin laundry, laundromat, or coin wash is a facility where clothes are washed and dried without much personalized professional help. They are known in the United Kingdom as launderettes or laundrettes, and in the Unit ...

stealing an elderly woman's pink furry coat and a

Cadillac The Cadillac Motor Car Division () is a division of the American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM) that designs and builds luxury vehicles. Its major markets are the United States, Canada, and China. Cadillac models are distributed i ...

and escaping with the car in a desert street. She later arrives at a diner, but leaves without paying for her food. The video ends with Burns lighting a cannabis joint in the car.

References

External links

* {{YouTube, Mdu6mLl1jHU, Jaira Burns - Ugly 2017 songs 2017 debut singles Interscope Records singles Songs written by Cirkut Song recordings produced by Cirkut Songs written by Leland (musician) Songs written by Billboard (record producer) Songs about casual sex Jaira Burns songs Songs written by Allie X