"Female" is a song written by

Shane McAnally Shane McAnally (born October 12, 1974) is an American country music singer, songwriter, and record producer. Originally a solo artist for Curb Records in 1999, McAnally charted three singles on Hot Country Songs, including the No. 31 " Are Y ...

Nicolle Galyon Nicolle Anne Galyon (born July 22, 1984) is a singer, songwriter, producer, record label executive, & publishing executive from Sterling, Kansas. She has written songs for Lady A, Miranda Lambert, Keith Urban, Kenny Chesney, Dan + Shay, Flori ...

, and Ross Copperman and recorded by New Zealand-born Australian

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

artist

Keith Urban Keith Lionel Urban (born 26 October 1967) is an Australian-American musician, singer, guitarist and songwriter known for his work in country music. Recognized with four Grammy Awards, Urban also received fifteen Academy of Country Music Award ...

. It was released in November 2017 as the first single from Urban’s 2018 album ''

Graffiti U ''Graffiti U'' is the tenth studio album by New Zealand-born Australian country music singer Keith Urban. It was released on 27 April 2018, through Hit Red and Capitol Records Nashville. The album was heavily influenced by experiences from Urban' ...

''. Urban debuted the song live on the

51st Annual Country Music Association Awards The 51st Annual Country Music Association Awards, commonly known as the 51st CMA Awards, was held on November 8, 2017, at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee and was hosted for the tenth time by Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood. The ...

that same day.

Content

The song, which was written in early October 2017, has been described as "an empowerment anthem partially inspired by the

Harvey Weinstein scandal In October 2017, ''The New York Times'' and ''The New Yorker'' reported that dozens of women had accused film producer Harvey Weinstein of rape, sexual assault and sexual abuse over a period of at least 30 years. Over 80 women in the film in ...

." Urban said of the song that "as a husband and a father of two young girls, it affects me in a lot of ways. And as a son -- my mother is alive. It just speaks to all of the females in my life, particularly. For a guy who grew up with no sisters in a house of boys, it’s incredible how now I’m surrounded by girls. But not only in my house; I employ a huge amount of women in my team. The song just hit me for so many reasons." Urban's wife

Nicole Kidman Nicole Mary Kidman (born 20 June 1967) is an American and Australian actress and producer. Known for her work across various film and television productions from several genres, she has consistently ranked among the world's highest-paid act ...

and song co-writer

provided background vocals on the track.

Chart performance

"Female" was the best-selling country song on the week of its debut, with 21,000 copies sold based on only a couple of days sales after its release, and entered the Hot Country Songs chart at number 21. The following week, the single debuted at number 69 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, selling 32,000 copies. As of March 2018, the single has sold 163,000 copies in the US. On August 16, 2019, the single was certified

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by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for combined sales and streaming data of over 500,000 units in the United States. Reaching a peak of number 12 on the ''Billboard'' Country Airplay charts, "Female" became Urban's first single to miss the Top 10 since his mainstream debut, " It's a Love Thing," from 1999, ending a streak of 37 top ten hits. With a peak of #69 on the Hot 100, it was also his lowest charting appearance there at the time of its release.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{authority control 2017 singles 2017 songs Keith Urban songs Capitol Records Nashville singles Songs with feminist themes Songs written by Ross Copperman Songs written by Nicolle Galyon Songs written by Shane McAnally Song recordings produced by Dann Huff