"Burn" is a song by Australian recording artist

Jessica Mauboy Jessica Hilda Mauboy (born 4 August 1989) is an Australian singer, songwriter and actress. Born and raised in Darwin, Northern Territory, she rose to fame in 2006 on the fourth season of ''Australian Idol'', where she was runner-up and subseq ...

. It was written by Taj Jackson,

Jonas Jeberg Jonas Jeberg (born January 28, 1975), is a Danish songwriter and music producer residing in Los Angeles. He has written and produced hit songs including Panic! at the Disco's " High Hopes", Selena Gomez's " Fetish" featuring Gucci Mane, Fifth Har ...

, and Mich Hansen and was produced by Jeberg and Cutfather. "Burn" was released digitally on 17 November 2008 as the second single from Mauboy's debut studio album, ''

Been Waiting ''Been Waiting'' is the debut studio album by Australian recording artist Jessica Mauboy, released on 22 November 2008 by Sony Music Australia. While Mauboy was still a member of the girl group Young Divas, she began to work on what became ''B ...

'' (2008). Musically, "Burn" is an R&B-

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 ...

track that incorporates electronica influences. The song became Mauboy's first number-one on the ARIA Singles Chart and was certified platinum by the

Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) is a trade association representing the Australian recording industry which was established in the 1970s by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing th ...

for selling over 70,000 copies. "Burn" also became Mauboy's first charting single internationally, reaching number 92 on the

Japan Hot 100 The ''Billboard Japan'' Hot 100 is a record chart in Japan for songs. It has been compiled by ''Billboard Japan'' and '' Hanshin Contents Link'' since February 2008. The chart is updated every Wednesday at Billboard-japan.com ( JST) and every Thur ...

. In 2009, "Burn" received an ARIA No. 1 Chart Award and won 'Single of the Year' at

The Deadly Awards The Deadly Awards, commonly known simply as The Deadlys, was an annual celebration of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander achievement in music, sport, entertainment and community. The event was held from 1995 to 2013. Description T ...

. It was also nominated for 'Highest Selling Single' at the ARIA Music Awards. A corresponding

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 "Burn" was directed by Keir McFarlane and filmed at the

Sydney Botanical Gardens The Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney is a heritage-listed major botanical garden, event venue and public recreation area located at Farm Cove on the eastern fringe of the Sydney central business district, in the City of Sydney local government ar ...

. The video has garnered over one million views on

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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 ...

. In February 2012, "Burn" was featured in episode 17 of the fourth season of ''

Packed to the Rafters ''Packed to the Rafters'' was an Australian family-oriented comedy drama television program which premiered on the Seven Network on Tuesday 26 August 2008 at 8:30 pm. The show continued on Tuesdays in this timeslot for its entire run. The d ...

.'' In 2014, a live version of "Burn" was featured on Mauboy's '' iTunes Session'' EP.

Background and composition

"Burn" was written by Taj Jackson,

, and Mich Hansen and was produced by Jeberg and Cutfather. It was made available for digital purchase on 17 November 2008. A digital

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

with an additional track and two remixes of "Burn", was released on 24 November. "Burn" is an R&B-

track, that incorporates electronica influences. The song is 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 ...

. Lyrically, it features Mauboy singing to a cheating lover, "Look what you did to me / I need a doctor, cos this is starting to burn!". A writer for muumuse.com wrote about the composition and production of the release, "'Burn' is quite modern in terms of production, and equally addictive upon replay. It's a bit more

up-tempo A variety of musical terms are likely to be encountered in printed scores, music reviews, and program notes. Most of the terms are Italian, in accordance with the Italian origins of many European musical conventions. Sometimes, the special mu ...

, a bit more stomptastic, and the chorus is quite ear-friendly. Still loving her voice. Very Alesha-esque, minus the more grating cat-like yelps that often plague a typical Dixon track. Oh, and she's only 19 years old, which makes her sort of like the superior, Australian version of

Jordin Sparks Jordin Sparks-Thomas (born December 22, 1989) is an American singer and actress. She rose to fame in 2007 after winning the sixth season of ''American Idol'' at age 17, becoming the youngest winner in the series' history. Her self-titled debu ...

, no?"

Reception

Critical response

Jessica Mauboy performing at the 2009 ARIA Awards

Nick Bond of

MTV Australia MTV is a 24-hour general entertainment channel specialising in music and youth culture programming which serves Australia and New Zealand. It is operated by parent company Paramount Networks UK & Australia headquartered in London with a local of ...

wrote that the song is "worthy of

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 ...

". Davey Boy of

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compared "Burn" to Mauboy's previous single "

Running Back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offen ...

", writing it "is almost as good with its restrained use of electronica combining with a contagious chorus to result in a song which will be just as at home on radio as it is in the clubs." Dung Le of Mediasearch found "Burn" more "catchier" than "Running Back" and noted that its R&B grooves and catchy chorus will set "Jessica up well for a big assault in 2009 and a possible overseas release." "Burn" was awarded an ARIA No. 1 Chart Award for reaching number one on the ARIA Singles Chart. At the 2009

Deadly Awards The Deadly Awards, commonly known simply as The Deadlys, was an annual celebration of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander achievement in music, sport, entertainment and community. The event was held from 1995 to 2013. Description T ...

, "Burn" won 'Single of the Year'. It was nominated for 'Highest Selling Single' at the 2009 ARIA Music Awards, but her previous single "Running Back" took that title. "Burn" became the fourth most-played song on Australian radio stations by February 2009. In February 2009, "Burn" was removed from most Melbourne

contemporary hit radio Contemporary hit radio (also known as CHR, contemporary hits, hit list, current hits, hit music, top 40, or pop radio) is a radio format that is common in many countries that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by ...

s playlists because of its title and the Victorian bushfires that occurred during the time. Mauboy's manager David Champion said that Mauboy understood and supported the decision, saying: "Jessica is very mindful of the terribly traumatic situation that is occurring in Victoria. She does not want in any way to add to people's distress." Program director of 91.5 FM added that: "We have removed several songs from our line-up out of respect for the victims caught up in the tragedy. Even though these songs had nothing to do with the bushfires, they were a reflection of it."

Chart performance

"Burn" debuted at number 30 on the ARIA Singles Chart on 1 December 2008. After climbing the chart for seven consecutive weeks, "Burn" peaked at number one on 19 January 2009 and became Mauboy's first number-one single in Australia. It was certified platinum by the

(ARIA), for selling 70,000 copies. It also became Mauboy's first charting single internationally when it reached number 92 on the

on 25 April 2009.

Music video

The music video for "Burn" was directed by Keir McFarlane and filmed at the

on 21 November 2008. It was uploaded to

on 2 October 2009. The video begins with Mauboy sitting in the driver's seat of a red

ferrari Ferrari S.p.A. (; ) is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988) in 1939 from the Alfa Romeo racing division as ''Auto Avio Costruzioni'', the company built its first car in ...

and then moves on to sing and dance in front of a bush. While singing the chorus of the song, Mauboy is seen outdoors with her backup dancers in front of a background of flames. The video then crosses over to club scenes where Mauboy is dancing alongside a bunch of people.

Live performances

Mauboy performed "Burn" on the '' Australian Idol'' grand finale show on 23 November 2008. She also performed the song at the 2008

Sydney New Year's Eve Sydney New Year's Eve is an annual New Year's Eve fireworks event in Sydney, Australia. The event currently consists of two fireworks shows, with an evening display known as the "Family Fireworks" held at 9:00 p.m. AEST, and the main "Midnight ...

event. On 11 January 2009, Mauboy performed "Burn" during a

Twenty20 Twenty20 (T20) is a shortened game format of cricket. At the professional level, it was introduced by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in 2003 for the inter-county competition. In a Twenty20 game, the two teams have a single innin ...

cricket match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. On 19 January 2009, she performed "Burn" on ''

Sunrise Sunrise (or sunup) is the moment when the upper rim of the Sun appears on the horizon in the morning. The term can also refer to the entire process of the solar disk crossing the horizon and its accompanying atmospheric effects. Terminology A ...

'', which was broadcast live from the

Rod Laver Arena Rod Laver Arena is a multipurpose arena located within Melbourne Park, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The arena is the main venue for the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam tennis tournament of the calendar year. History Replacing ...

, Melbourne. Mauboy performed the song at the

Australia Day Live Concert Australia Day Live is a concert which is hosted each year on Australia Day, on 26 January at the forecourt of the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour. The concert features music from Australian artists and musicians. History The ''"Australia ...

held at the

Parliament House, Canberra Parliament House, also referred to as Capital Hill or simply Parliament, is the meeting place of the Parliament of Australia, and the seat of the legislative branch of the Australian Government. Located in Canberra, the Parliament building is ...

on 25 January 2009, dressed in a one piece black short jumpsuit. On 9 July 2009, Mauboy performed "Burn" at her first 'Live at the Chapel' concert, held at the Paddington Uniting Church in Sydney. At the 2009 ARIA Music Awards on 26 November, Mauboy performed a remixed version of "Burn", dressed in a black leather dress. Mauboy performed "Burn" on her Galaxy Tour across Australia with

Stan Walker Stan Walker (born 23 October 1990) is an Australian-born New Zealand singer, actor, and television personality. In 2009, Walker was the winner of the seventh and last season of ''Australian Idol''. He subsequently signed a recording contract ...

from January through February 2012. Mauboy performed "Burn" again when she embarked on her first solo-headlining tour, the To the End of the Earth Tour, from 7 November 2013 to 24 January 2014 to help promote the release of her third studio album ''

Beautiful Beautiful, an adjective used to describe things as possessing beauty, may refer to: Film and theater * ''Beautiful'' (2000 film), an American film directed by Sally Field * ''Beautiful'' (2008 film), a South Korean film directed by Juhn Jai-h ...

'' (2013). Mauboy also performed the song at the Mbantua Festival, a celebration of

Aboriginal Australian Aboriginal Australians are the various Indigenous peoples of the Australian mainland and many of its islands, such as Tasmania, Fraser Island, Hinchinbrook Island, the Tiwi Islands, and Groote Eylandt, but excluding the Torres Strait Islands ...

culture held in

Alice Springs, Northern Territory Alice Springs ( aer, Mparntwe) is the third-largest town in the Northern Territory of Australia. Known as Stuart until 31 August 1933, the name Alice Springs was given by surveyor William Whitfield Mills after Alice, Lady Todd (''née'' Ali ...

. A live version of "Burn" was included on Mauboy's extended play '' iTunes Session'' (2014).

Track listing

* Digital download # "Burn" – 2:53 * Digital EP # "Burn" – 2:52 # "Runnin'" – 3:38 # "Burn" (Nufirm Remix) – 4:40 # "Burn" (Pop Embassy Remix) – 4:13

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes for ''Been Waiting''. * Don Bartley – mastering * Tom Coyne – mastering * Mich "Cutfather" Hansen – production *

– production, programming *

– vocals * Audius Mtawarira – vocal production * Matz Nilsson – mixing

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certification

Release history

References

{{Authority control 2008 singles 2008 songs Jessica Mauboy songs Music videos directed by Keir McFarlane Number-one singles in Australia Songs written by Cutfather Songs written by Jonas Jeberg Sony Music Australia singles