"Bon Appétit" is a song by American singer Katy Perry featuring American hip hop group Migos from Perry's fifth studio album ''

Witness In law, a witness is someone who has knowledge about a matter, whether they have sensed it or are testifying on another witnesses' behalf. In law a witness is someone who, either voluntarily or under compulsion, provides testimonial evidence, e ...

'' (2017). It was released as the album's second single on April 28, 2017, by Capitol Records. It is a dance-pop,

trap A trap is a mechanical device used to capture or restrain an animal for purposes such as hunting, pest control, or ecological research. Trap or TRAP may also refer to: Art and entertainment Films and television * ''Trap'' (2015 film), Fil ...

- pop,

electronic Electronic may refer to: *Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor * ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal *Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device *Electronic co ...

and

Euro disco Eurodisco (also spelled as Euro disco) is the variety of European forms of electronic dance music that evolved from disco in the late 1970s, incorporating elements of pop and rock into a disco-like continuous dance atmosphere. Many Eurodisco ...

song, with lyrics that feature

oral sex Oral sex, sometimes referred to as oral intercourse, is sexual activity involving the stimulation of the genitalia of a person by another person using the mouth (including the lips, tongue, or teeth) and the throat. Cunnilingus is oral sex p ...

double entendre A double entendre (plural double entendres) is a figure of speech or a particular way of wording that is devised to have a double meaning, of which one is typically obvious, whereas the other often conveys a message that would be too socially ...

s involving food. An accompanying music video followed on May 12, 2017, and features Perry being prepared and served by chefs as a meal. Commercially, the song charted within the top ten in Bulgaria and Israel, the top twenty in Canada, Panama and

Wallonia Wallonia (; french: Wallonie ), or ; nl, Wallonië ; wa, Waloneye or officially the Walloon Region (french: link=no, Région wallonne),; nl, link=no, Waals gewest; wa, link=no, Redjon walone is one of the three regions of Belgium—alo ...

, and the top thirty in Scotland, the Philippines, Slovakia, and the Netherlands.

Composition

Katy Perry described her fifth album ''

'' as a "360-degree liberation" record, with "Bon Appétit" representing a "sexual liberation". She also called it a "pretty sexual" song that was part of "some of that good 'ol Katy Perry, fluffy stuff that you love so much". "Bon Appétit" is a disco-infused dance-pop,

- pop,

and

song with a duration of 3 minutes and 47 seconds. According to Hugh McIntyre from ''

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'', the track's rhythm features "breezy, summery, 90's-invoking vibes" and a beat that gradually builds, eventually becoming "undeniable". MTV writer Sasha Geffen calls the track "a smorgasbord" of double entrendres with food saying that "...'eating' can only mean two things", with Anna Gaca of '' Spin'' explicitly noting its connotations of oral sex. In the song, Perry sings "'Cause I'm all that you want, boy/All that you can have, boy/Got me spread like a buffet/Bon a, Bon appétit, baby". Christopher R. Weingarten of ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' found the song similar to the music of AC/DC. The song is written in the key of B Phrygian 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 (ofte ...

of 106 beats per minute in

common time The time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, or measure signature) is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats (pulses) are contained in each measure (bar), and which note val ...

. Perry's vocals span from G₃ to E₅.

Release and promotion

On April 24, Perry sent out a recipe for the "World's Best Cherry Pie", teasing the song's release. Fans sent photos of their completed pies to Perry on

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where she said they "may get a surprise" and rated their pies. Perry subsequently announced the track's release two days later. Capitol Records released it for download on April 28, 2017, as the second single from her upcoming fifth studio album. To promote the song on the day of its release, Perry went to

Times Square Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and neighborhood in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway, Seventh Avenue, and 42nd Street. Together with adjacent ...

in a food truck to hand out cherry pies to fans. Three days later, she and Migos performed it at the 2017

Met Gala The Met Gala, or Met Ball, formally called the Costume Institute Gala or the Costume Institute Benefit, is an annual fundraising gala held for the benefit of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute in New York City. It is popularly ...

after Perry also sang her songs "

Chained to the Rhythm "Chained to the Rhythm" is a song by American singer-songwriter Katy Perry that served as the lead single from her fifth studio album, ''Witness''. It features vocals from Jamaican singer Skip Marley. The artists co-wrote the track with its pro ...

", " Dark Horse", and "

Firework Fireworks are a class of low explosive pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. They are most commonly used in fireworks displays (also called a fireworks show or pyrotechnics), combining a large number of devices in ...

". According to ''

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'', "Bon Appétit" was the highlight of the show, writing the performance was where "things really got going", concluding "that's how you wrap up a Met Gala."

Critical reception

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'' reviewer Nolan Feeney gave "Bon Appétit" a B+ rating writing, "she is back to garish, stupid-fun party jams that don't even try to be subtle about cramming in as many sex metaphors as possible in three-and-a-half minutes. In other words, the kind of songs she's best at." ''Forbes'' writer Hugh McIntyre felt the song was "great pop music" with potential for success. Jon Caramanica of ''

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'' states, "Ms. Perry is in her least convincing mode—dance-floor diva—but the production is direct and effective." ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' writer Jamie Milton calls "Bon Appétit" a "recipe for greatness", and "supremely confident, addictive, steamed-up sound of summer 2017". Milton praised Migos' presence on the song saying they "could grace any track and make it even better". Chris Willman of ''

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'' said "Bon Appétit" is, "a gleefully ridiculous exercise in chewing the comedic scenery by presenting female sexuality as a four-course-plus meal", noting Perry is moving "further into a pure

EDM EDM or E-DM may refer to: Music * Electronic dance music * Early Day Miners, American band Science and technology * Electric dipole moment * Electrical discharge machining * Electronic distance measurement *Entry, Descent, and landing demonstrat ...

-pop realm here". ''

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 ...

''s Mike Wass ranked it as the eighth best pop song of 2017, and described the song as "catchy" as well as a "tasty treat", though felt its chorus had too many double entendres. In a negative review, ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgi ...

'' contributor Jayme Deerwester criticized the track's production as "unsubstantial and ultimately unsatisfying". ''Spin'' writer Anna Gaca was equally critical of the song. Gaca called the song "Katy Perry's drooling one-trick pony of a new single, also featuring Migos. It's about food and none-too-coded references to Katy Perry's vagina, and it will make you a little uncomfortable." Isha Aran of ''

Fusion Fusion, or synthesis, is the process of combining two or more distinct entities into a new whole. Fusion may also refer to: Science and technology Physics *Nuclear fusion, multiple atomic nuclei combining to form one or more different atomic nucl ...

'' was critical of the lyrics and production, while considering the song an improvement to its predecessor commenting "I can't say the song is great (Katy Perry songs always feel incomplete to me, like they're giving 70%), but it's something of a relief—much less awkward than 'conscious' Katy." Perry's collaboration with Migos was criticized by media commentators and fans due to the group's

homophobic Homophobia encompasses a range of negative attitudes and feelings toward homosexuality or people who are identified or perceived as being lesbian, gay or bisexual. It has been defined as contempt, prejudice, aversion, hatred or antipathy, m ...

comments on American rapper

iLoveMakonnen Makonnen Kamali Sheran (born April 12, 1989), better known by his stage name iLoveMakonnen (often stylized as ILOVEMAKONNEN), is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. Makonnen is best known for his 2014 hit "Tuesday" which featured Ca ...

Chart performance

In Australia, the track debuted at number 35 on the

ARIA Charts The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offic ...

with sales of 4,358 copies. In the United Kingdom, it entered at number 40 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 ...

. It later ascended to number 37 in the nation. In the United States, the song opened at number 76 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 dated May 20, 2017, with first week digital downloads of 18,000 copies and an airplay audience of 3.8 million. Following the music video's release, it re-entered at number 59 and debuted 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 at number 36 with 11.7 million streams. It also peaked at number 28 on the Hot Dance Club Songs chart, thus breaking her streak of 18 consecutive number-one singles on the chart. In Canada, "Bon Appétit" entered at number 41 before rising to number 14. In France, the song debuted at number 37 on May 5, 2017. Following Perry's performance on '' The Voice: la plus belle voix'' on June 4, 2017, the song peaked at number 9 on the Download chart.

Music video

Dent De Cuir directed the song's music video, which was released on May 12, 2017, and features chef

Roy Choi Roy Choi (born February 24, 1970) is a Korean-American chef who gained prominence as the creator of the gourmet Korean-Mexican taco truck Kogi. Choi is a chef who is celebrated for "food that isn't fancy" and is known as one of the founders of ...

. It first shows Perry wrapped in plastic before chefs cut the wrapping open and "start kneading her like dough" before she is boiled in a pot with carrots and prepared like a food while singing her lyrics and Choi serves her as a meal to various cannibalizing patrons. Migos watch and rap their verses as Perry rings the bell, signaling them to turn a switch allowing her to turn the tables on the patrons. In a scene heavily inspired by the 1988 film ''

Beetlejuice ''Beetlejuice'' is a 1988 American fantasy horror comedy film directed by Tim Burton, written by Michael McDowell, Larry Wilson, and Warren Skaaren, produced by The Geffen Company, distributed by Warner Bros., and starring Alec Baldwin, ...

'', the patrons are then bound, gagged and then dismembered by the chefs as Perry then dances on a pole. Perry then is served a pie containing dismembered body parts of the patrons. Brian Josephs of ''Spin'' criticized the video as "uncomfortable to watch", and wrote that it is "Weird as Hell". Writing for ''Entertainment Weekly'', Nolan Feeney called it both "eye-catching" and "as creepy as it is bonkers". The video accrued over 16 million views within 24 hours 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 ...

, the most since

Adele Adele Laurie Blue Adkins (, ; born 5 May 1988), professionally known by the mononym Adele, is an English singer and songwriter. After graduating in arts from the BRIT School in 2006, Adele signed a rec ...

's "

Hello ''Hello'' is a salutation or greeting in the English language. It is first attested in writing from 1826. Early uses ''Hello'', with that spelling, was used in publications in the U.S. as early as the 18 October 1826 edition of the '' Norwich ...

" music video. At the

2017 MTV Video Music Awards The 2017 MTV Video Music Awards were held on August 27, 2017 at The Forum in Inglewood, California, honoring music videos released between June 25, 2016 and June 23, 2017. It was hosted by Katy Perry. The 34th annual award show aired live from ...

, it was nominated for Best Art Direction. As of December 2022, the music video has 1.2 billion views on YouTube.

Awards and nominations

Track listing

Credits and personnel

Recording

* Recorded at MXM Studios (

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), Wolf Cousins Studios ( Stockholm, Sweden) and Unsub Studios (Los Angeles, California) * Mixed at MixStar Studios (

Virginia Beach, Virginia Virginia Beach is an independent city located on the southeastern coast of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. The population was 459,470 at the 2020 census. Although mostly suburban in character, it is the most populous city ...

) * Mastered at Sterling Sound (

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, New York)

Management

* When I'm Rich You'll Be My Bitch ( ASCAP) – administered by WB Music Corp., – MXM – administered by Kobalt (ASCAP), WB Music Corp. on behalf of Warner/Chappell Music Scandinavia AB and Wolf Cousins (ASCAP), WB Music Corp. (ASCAP), Crown and Scepter (ASCAP), Unsub Pub LLC (ASCAP) – administered by WB Music Corp. –, Huncho YRN Music/Quality Control QC Pro/Universal Music Corp. (ASCAP), YRN Piped Up Entertainment/Quality Control QC Pro/Reservoir Media Music (ASCAP) and Silent Assassin YRN/Quality Control QC Pro/Reservoir Media Music (ASCAP) * Migos appears courtesy of Quality Control Music

Personnel

* Katy Perry – lead vocals, songwriter * Migos – featured vocals, songwriters *

Max Martin Karl Martin Sandberg (; born 26 February 1971),Max Martin
allmusic.com known profess ...

– songwriter, producer for MXM Productions * Shellback – songwriter, producer for MXM Productions, keyboards, programming, background vocals * Oscar Holter – songwriter, producer for Wolf Cousins Productions, keyboards, programming * Ferras Alqasi – songwriter * Sam Holland –

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad range of more speciali ...

* Cory Bice – engineering assistant * Jeremy Lertola – engineering assistant * Peter Karlsson – vocal editing * Daryl "DJ Durel" McPherson – vocals

recording A record, recording or records may refer to: An item or collection of data Computing * Record (computer science), a data structure ** Record, or row (database), a set of fields in a database related to one entity ** Boot sector or boot record, r ...

(Migos) * Serban Ghenea – mixing * John Hanes – mixing engineering * Randy Merrill – mastering Credits adapted from the

liner notes Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for cassettes. Origin Liner notes are desc ...

of ''Witness''.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

{, class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" , - ! scope="col", Chart (2017) ! scope="col", Position , - ! scope="row", Belgium (Ultratop Wallonia) , 83 , - ! scope="row", El Salvador (Monitor Latino) , 97 , - ! scope="row", France ( SNEP) , 198 , - ! scope="row", Israel (Media Forest) , 44 , - ! scope="row", Panama (Monitor Latino) , 86 , - !scope="row", Ukraine Airplay (TopHit) , style="text-align:center;", 184 , -

Certifications

Release history

{, class="wikitable plainrowheaders" , + List of release dates, showing region, release format, and label ! Region ! Date ! Format ! Version ! Label ! , - ! scope="row", Various , April 28, 2017 , , rowspan="2", Original ,

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, , - ! scope="row", Italy , May 12, 2017 ,

Radio airplay Airplay is how frequently a song is being played through broadcasting on radio stations. A song which is being played several times every day (spins) would have a significant amount of airplay. Music which became very popular on jukeboxes, in n ...

, Universal , , - ! scope="row" rowspan="5", Various , rowspan="3", May 19, 2017 , rowspan="5", , 3LAU remix , rowspan="5", Capitol , , - , Martin Jensen remix , , - , Muna remix , , - , July 21, 2017 , Amir Afargan remix , , - , August 4, 2017 , Aslove remix ,

References

{{Authority control 2017 singles 2017 songs Capitol Records singles Katy Perry songs Migos songs Song recordings produced by Max Martin Song recordings produced by Shellback (record producer) Songs written by Katy Perry Songs written by Max Martin Songs written by Shellback (record producer) Songs written by Ferras Songs written by Oscar Holter Songs written by Quavo Songs written by Offset (rapper) Songs written by Takeoff (rapper)