"Kiss and Make Up" is a song by English and Albanian singer
Dua Lipa
Dua Lipa ( ; born22 August 1995) is an English and Albanian singer, songwriter and actress. List of awards and nominations received by Dua Lipa, Her accolades include seven Brit Awards and three Grammy Awards.
Lipa worked as a model before v ...
and South Korean girl group
Blackpink
Blackpink (, stylized in all caps or as BLɅϽKPIИK) is a South Korean girl group formed by YG Entertainment. The group is composed of four members: Jisoo, Jennie (singer), Jennie, Rosé (singer), Rosé, and Lisa (rapper), Lisa. Regarded by ...
from ''
Dua Lipa: Complete Edition'' (2018), the super deluxe
reissue
In the music industry, a reissue (also re-release, repackage or re-edition) is the release of an album or single which has been released at least once before, sometimes with alterations or additions.
Reasons for reissue
New audio formats
Reco ...
of the former's eponymous debut studio album. The song was written by Lipa,
Chelcee Grimes, Yannick Rastogi, Zacharie Raymond,
Mathieu Jomphe-Lepine, Marc Vincent, and
Teddy Park
Teddy Park (born Park Hong-jun on September 14, 1978) is a Korean Americans, Korean–American Rapping, rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Born in Seoul, South Korea, Park moved to the United States with his family as a young child. Wh ...
, while production was handled by
Banx & Ranx. It was released through
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Records Inc. (known as Warner Bros. Records Inc. until 2019) is an American record label. A subsidiary of Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division ...
as the final
promotional single
A promotional recording, promo, or plug copy is an audio or video recording distributed free, usually in order to promote a recording that is or soon will be commercially available. Promos are normally sent directly to broadcasters, such as mu ...
from all editions of the album on 19October 2018, alongside the reissue's release.
The song was commercially successful, charting within the top 40 of nineteen countries, and topped the charts in Malaysia and Singapore. Additionally, it reached number 36 on the
UK Singles Chart and number 75 on South Korea's
Gaon Digital Chart
The Circle Digital Chart, previously known as the Gaon Digital Chart, is the music industry standard record chart ranking the 200 most popular singles in South Korea. It provides rankings on a weekly, monthly, and yearly basis, which is based on ...
. The song has since been
certified
Certification is part of testing, inspection and certification and the provision by an independent body of written assurance (a certificate) that the product, service or system in question meets specific requirements. It is the formal attestatio ...
platinum in Australia and New Zealand, gold in Italy and Portugal, and silver in the United Kingdom.
"Kiss and Make Up" was included on the set list of Blackpink's
In Your Area World Tour (2018–2020). A
pop-
funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the ...
remix of the song appears on Lipa and
the Blessed Madonna's remix album ''
Club Future Nostalgia'' (2020), that contains elements of
Herb Alpert
Herb Alpert (born March 31, 1935) is an American trumpeter, pianist, singer, songwriter, record producer, arranger, conductor, painter, sculptor and theatre producer, who led the band Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass (sometimes called "Herb Alpe ...
's "
Rise" (1979).
Writing and production
"Kiss and Make Up" was written by
Dua Lipa
Dua Lipa ( ; born22 August 1995) is an English and Albanian singer, songwriter and actress. List of awards and nominations received by Dua Lipa, Her accolades include seven Brit Awards and three Grammy Awards.
Lipa worked as a model before v ...
,
Chelcee Grimes,
Mathieu Jomphe-Lepine, Marc Vincent,
Teddy Park
Teddy Park (born Park Hong-jun on September 14, 1978) is a Korean Americans, Korean–American Rapping, rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Born in Seoul, South Korea, Park moved to the United States with his family as a young child. Wh ...
, Yannick Rastogi and Zacharie Raymond, with production from the latter two as
Banx & Ranx.
It was originally written about a year and a half before it was released, as a solo song for Lipa; the song did not fit her album at the time, and she wanted it be a collaboration so she ultimately left it off the track list for her
eponymous debut studio album (2017). After the album's release, Grimes pitched the song to other singers including
Demi Lovato
Demetria Devonne "Demi" Lovato ( ; born August 20, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. After appearing on the children's television series ''Barney & Friends'' (2002–2004), she starred in the Disney Channel short series ...
,
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the "Princess of Pop", she has sold over 150 million records worldwide, making her one of the world's best-selling music artists. Cultural impact of Brit ...
, and
Miley Cyrus
Miley Ray Cyrus ( , born Destiny Hope Cyrus, November 23, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, actress and director. Regarded as a contemporary pop icon, Cyrus has been recognized for her evolving artistry and image reinventions. She is ...
, but all turned it down thinking the lyrics were too immature.
On 6May 2018, Lipa performed a concert in
Seoul
Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...
as part of her Self-Titled Tour, where
Blackpink
Blackpink (, stylized in all caps or as BLɅϽKPIИK) is a South Korean girl group formed by YG Entertainment. The group is composed of four members: Jisoo, Jennie (singer), Jennie, Rosé (singer), Rosé, and Lisa (rapper), Lisa. Regarded by ...
's
Jennie and
Lisa
Lisa or LISA may refer to:
People
People with the mononym
* Lisa (Japanese musician, born 1974), stylized "LISA"
* Lisa, stagename of Japanese singer Lisa Komine (born 1978)
* Lisa (South Korean singer) (born 1980)
* Lisa (Japanese musician, b ...
were in attendance. Lipa recalled having an "absolute blast" with them.
Lipa thought "Kiss and Make Up" would sound great as a collaboration with Blackpink.
Lipa then sent Blackpink the song asking to feature on it, which they accepted. Blackpink went into the studio and translated the lyrics into Korean.
The song was recorded at Rollover Studio in the United Kingdom and the vocals were recorded at TaP Studio in London. Mixing was handled by Jamie Snell at The Hamilton in
Cheam, while mastering was done by
Chris Gehringer
Chris Gehringer (born May 27, 1962) is an American mastering engineer at Sterling Sound in New Jersey.
Gehringer is known for having mastered recordings by popular artists such as AJR, Dua Lipa, Drake, Ed Sheeran, Gwen Stefani, Harry Styles, ...
at
Sterling Sound
George Marino (April 15, 1947June 4, 2012) was an American mastering engineer known for working on albums by rock bands starting in the late 1960s.
Biography
Marino was born on April 15, 1947, in the New York City borough The Bronx. He attended ...
in
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
.
Following the release of her second studio album, ''
Future Nostalgia'' in March 2020, Lipa intended to create a
mixtape
In the modern music industry, a mixtape is a musical project, typically with looser constraints than that of an album or extended play. Unlike the traditional album or extended play, mixtapes are labeled as laid-back projects that allow artists mo ...
with remixes of songs from the record. She enlisted the help of
The Blessed Madonna to create what would eventually become the
remix album
A remix album is an album consisting of remixes or rerecorded versions of an artist's earlier released material. The first act who employed the format was American singer-songwriter Harry Nilsson ('' Aerial Pandemonium Ballet'', 1971). As of 200 ...
, ''
Club Future Nostalgia'' (2020). Lipa wanted to somehow include some of her past collaborations and The Blessed Madonna wanted to introduce a younger crowd to the music of American trumpeter
Herb Alpert
Herb Alpert (born March 31, 1935) is an American trumpeter, pianist, singer, songwriter, record producer, arranger, conductor, painter, sculptor and theatre producer, who led the band Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass (sometimes called "Herb Alpe ...
, by creating an extended version of one of his songs. She took the vocals of "Kiss and Make Up" and parts of Alpert's "
Rise" (1979) to create a remix. The Blessed Madonna thought that the two songs were "totally in key" and "a perfect fit." Andy Armer and Randy Alpert are credited on the remix due to elements of "Rise" being used.
Music and lyrics
Musically, "Kiss and Make Up" is a
rhythm
Rhythm (from Greek , ''rhythmos'', "any regular recurring motion, symmetry") generally means a " movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions". This general meaning of regular r ...
ic
dance
Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...
,
electropop
Electropop is a popular music fusion genre combining elements of the electronic and pop styles. It has been described as a variant of synth-pop with emphasis on a hard electronic sound. The genre was developed in the 1980s and saw a rev ...
and
reggaeton
Reggaeton (, ) is a modern style of popular music, popular and electronic music that originated in Panamanian reggaetón, Panama during the late 1980s, and which rose to prominence in the late 1990s and early 2000s through a plethora of Puert ...
song, with
tropical
The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the equator, where the sun may shine directly overhead. This contrasts with the temperate or polar regions of Earth, where the Sun can never be directly overhead. This is because of Earth's ax ...
and
EDM elements.
It is composed in the
time signature
A time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, and measure signature) is an indication in music notation that specifies how many note values of a particular type fit into each measure ( bar). The time signature indicates th ...
of time in the
key of
E major
E major is a major scale based on E, consisting of the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. Its key signature has four sharps. Its relative minor is C-sharp minor and its parallel minor is E minor. Its enharmonic equivalent, F-flat maj ...
, with a
tempo
In musical terminology, tempo (Italian for 'time'; plural 'tempos', or from the Italian plural), measured in beats per minute, is the speed or pace of a given musical composition, composition, and is often also an indication of the composition ...
of 100 beats per minute and a
chord progression
In a musical composition, a chord progression or harmonic progression (informally chord changes, used as a plural, or simply changes) is a succession of chords. Chord progressions are the foundation of harmony in Western musical tradition from ...
of Cm–A–E–B/Gm.
The song has a length of three minutes and nine seconds,
and features a clubby and incandescent production, consisting of
bass
Bass or Basses may refer to:
Fish
* Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species
Wood
* Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree
Music
* Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...
synths
A synthesizer (also synthesiser or synth) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis an ...
, a clattering
percussion
A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a percussion mallet, beater including attached or enclosed beaters or Rattle (percussion beater), rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or ...
, and a bouncing backbeat.
The structure includes a
vocoder
A vocoder (, a portmanteau of ''vo''ice and en''coder'') is a category of speech coding that analyzes and synthesizes the human voice signal for audio data compression, multiplexing, voice encryption or voice transformation.
The vocoder wa ...
ed intro, an early-
2010s
File:2010s collage v22.png, From top left, clockwise: Anti-government protests called the Arab Spring arose in 2010–2011, and as a result, many governments were overthrown, including when Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi was Death of Muammar Gad ...
hook and a rhythmic
chorus
Chorus may refer to:
Music
* Chorus (song), the part of a song that is repeated several times, usually after each verse
* Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound
* Chorus form, song in whic ...
.
Lipa begins the song, before Jennie raps in the second
verse, while
Rosé
A rosé () is a type of wine that incorporates some of the wine color, color from the grape skins, but not enough to qualify it as a red wine. It may be the oldest known type of wine, as it is the most straightforward to make with the Macerati ...
handles the
pre-chorus.
Lipa and Blackpink's vocals range from
G3 to
C5, singing flirty and assertive lyrics in both
English and
Korean.
Lyrically, the track creates a storyline about using physical affection instead of words to solve issues between two lovers.
Musically, the ''Club Future Nostalgia'' remix of "Kiss and Make Up" is a "rubbery"
pop-
funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the ...
track that pays homage to the
urban roots of remix culture, that uses elements of "Rise" by Herb Alpert, including its
bass
Bass or Basses may refer to:
Fish
* Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species
Wood
* Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree
Music
* Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...
.
It was compared to
Madonna
Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...
's 1989 song "
Express Yourself".
Release and promotion
"Kiss and Make Up" was first teased in the
music video
A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...
for Lipa's 2016 single "
Blow Your Mind (Mwah)", where its title appeared on a sign one of Lipa's friends holds in a pride parade. Lipa announced the song's release on 4 September 2018. It was released for
digital download and
streaming
Streaming media refers to multimedia delivered through a network for playback using a media player. Media is transferred in a ''stream'' of packets from a server to a client and is rendered in real-time; this contrasts with file downl ...
on 19October 2018 as the second
promotional single
A promotional recording, promo, or plug copy is an audio or video recording distributed free, usually in order to promote a recording that is or soon will be commercially available. Promos are normally sent directly to broadcasters, such as mu ...
from the
reissue
In the music industry, a reissue (also re-release, repackage or re-edition) is the release of an album or single which has been released at least once before, sometimes with alterations or additions.
Reasons for reissue
New audio formats
Reco ...
of Lipa's debut album ''
Dua Lipa: Complete Edition''. The same day, it was released as the third track on the second disc of the reissue.
The song was included on the setlist of Blackpink's
In Your Area World Tour as the eleventh song performed. In Lipa's absence, Rosé and
Jisoo sang her parts. At the
Prudential Center
Prudential Center is a multipurpose indoor arena in the central business district of Newark, New Jersey, United States. Opened in 2007, it is the home of the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League (NHL), the New York Sirens of the Pro ...
show on 1May 2019 in
Newark, New Jersey
Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, the county seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, and a principal city of the New York metropolitan area. ...
, Lipa joined Blackpink to perform the song.
The remix of the song is included on Lipa and The Blessed Madonna's ''Club Future Nostalgia'' remix album as the fifteenth track, released on 28August 2020. It was accompanied by an animated
visualizer that features a livestream of a mushroom man dancing on a chair.
Critical reception
Mike Nied of ''
Idolator'' praised Blackpink's "commendable performance" and the song's "fierce lines."
For ''
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 advertis ...
'', Jeff Benjamin labelled it an "excellently crafted electro-pop throbber," while ''
Uproxx
Uproxx Studios (stylized as ''UPROXX'') is an American music, entertainment and popular culture website and content studio. It was founded in 2008 by Jarret Myer and Brian Brater. The website was acquired in 2014 by Woven Digital (which later ...
'' Chloe Gilke called it "anthemic pop perfection."
In ''
NME
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...
'' Rhian Daly named it Blackpink's eighth best song, complimenting the mix of "East meets West," that "elevates the song beyond the typical." He concluded by praising Lipa and Blackpink's chemistry, stating the latter's voices "
ounce
The ounce () is any of several different units of mass, weight, or volume and is derived almost unchanged from the , an Ancient Roman unit of measurement.
The avoirdupois ounce (exactly ) is avoirdupois pound; this is the United States ...
smoothly" off the former's.
Writing for ''
Paper
Paper is a thin sheet material produced by mechanically or chemically processing cellulose fibres derived from wood, Textile, rags, poaceae, grasses, Feces#Other uses, herbivore dung, or other vegetable sources in water. Once the water is dra ...
'', Emlyn Travis complimented how the English and Korean languages "weave together" and declared it "fits seamlessly" within both artist's discographies. She concluded by calling it "undeniably addictive."
In ''
O, The Oprah Magazine
''O, The Oprah Magazine'', also known simply as ''O'', is an American monthly magazine founded by talk show host Oprah Winfrey and Hearst Communications. In 2021, Winfrey and Hearst rebranded it as ''Oprah Daily''.
Overview
It was first pu ...
'', Monica Chon praised how the two artist's English and Korean vocals work together "seamlessly," while also opining that it makes a "strong case that language barriers should not be an impediment to enjoying pop music."
Commercial performance
"Kiss and Make Up" debuted and peaked at number 36 on the
UK Singles Chart issue dated 26October 2018, and spent a total of 12 weeks on the chart.
This made Blackpink the first
K-pop
K-pop (; an abbreviation of "Korean popular music") is a form of popular music originating in South Korea. It emerged in the 1990s as a form of youth subculture, with Korean musicians taking influence from Western Electronic dance music, danc ...
girl group to reach the top 40 on the chart. The track reached 20.4 million streams in the UK as of April 2019, and 38.6 million streams as of September 2022, becoming the group's fourth most-streamed song in the country. In September 2019, the song was awarded a silver
certification
Certification is part of testing, inspection and certification and the provision by an independent body of written assurance (a certificate) that the product, service or system in question meets specific requirements. It is the formal attestatio ...
in the country by the
British Phonographic Industry
BPI (British Recorded Music Industry) Limited, trading as British Phonographic Industry (BPI), is the British recorded music industry's trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards; is home to the Mercury Prize; co-owns the Official Charts C ...
(BPI) for track-equivalent sales of 200,000 units.
It spent two weeks on the
ARIA Singles Chart, where it peaked at number 33 in its first week.
The song currently holds a platinum certification in Australia 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 Records (Australia), Festival, Sony Music ...
(ARIA) for selling 70,000 track-equivalent units.
In Asia, the song reached number 90 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 Thursday ...
, and entered South Korea's
Gaon Digital Chart
The Circle Digital Chart, previously known as the Gaon Digital Chart, is the music industry standard record chart ranking the 200 most popular singles in South Korea. It provides rankings on a weekly, monthly, and yearly basis, which is based on ...
, peaking at number 75.
"Kiss and Make Up" spent one week on the US
''Billboard'' Hot 100 at number 93, becoming Blackpink's second and Lipa's seventh entry on the chart, with first-week sales of 11,000 downloads and seven million on-demand streams.
The song additionally entered the top 40 of charts in Austria,
Czech Republic,
Estonia,
Finland,
Greece,
Hungary,
Ireland,
New Zealand,
Poland,
Portugal,
Romania,
Scotland,
Slovakia,
Sweden,
and Switzerland,
as well as Malaysia and Singapore, where it reached the summit.
It was also awarded respective gold certifications in Italy and Portugal by the
Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana
The Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana (FIMI) or the Federation of the Italian Music Industry is an umbrella organization that keeps track of virtually all aspects of the music recording industry in Italy. It was established in 1992, when ...
(FIMI) and
Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa
The Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa (AFP; English: ''Portuguese Phonographic Association'') is the recording industry association of the major labels in Portugal. Created in 1989, it succeeded GPPFV (Portuguese group of producers of Phonogra ...
(AFP), for respective track-equivalent sales of 25,000 and 5,000 units.
Track listings
*Digital download and streaming
#"Kiss and Make Up" – 3:09
*Digital download and streaming – the Blessed Madonna's remix
#"Kiss and Make Up" – 2:21
Personnel
*
Dua Lipa
Dua Lipa ( ; born22 August 1995) is an English and Albanian singer, songwriter and actress. List of awards and nominations received by Dua Lipa, Her accolades include seven Brit Awards and three Grammy Awards.
Lipa worked as a model before v ...
vocals
*
Blackpink
Blackpink (, stylized in all caps or as BLɅϽKPIИK) is a South Korean girl group formed by YG Entertainment. The group is composed of four members: Jisoo, Jennie (singer), Jennie, Rosé (singer), Rosé, and Lisa (rapper), Lisa. Regarded by ...
vocals
**
Jennie Kim vocals
**
Jisoo Kim vocals
**
Lalisa Manoban vocals
**
Roseanne Park vocals
*
Chelcee Grimes backing vocals
*
Banx & Ranx production
** Yannick Rastogi drums, bass, synths, keys, programming
** Zacharie Raymond drums, bass, synths, keys, programming
* Yong In Choi engineering
* Jamie Snell mixing
*
Chris Gehringer
Chris Gehringer (born May 27, 1962) is an American mastering engineer at Sterling Sound in New Jersey.
Gehringer is known for having mastered recordings by popular artists such as AJR, Dua Lipa, Drake, Ed Sheeran, Gwen Stefani, Harry Styles, ...
mastering
Charts
Weekly charts
Monthly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
Release history
See also
*
List of best-selling girl group singles
*
List of K-pop songs on the ''Billboard'' charts
*
List of number-one songs of 2018 (Malaysia)
Below is a list of songs that topped the RIM Charts in 2018 according to the Recording Industry Association of Malaysia.
Chart history
References
External linksRecording Industry Association of Malaysia
{{MalaysianNumberOnes
2018 in Mal ...
*
List of number-one songs of 2018 (Singapore)
References
External links
*
Lyrics of this songat
Musixmatch
Musixmatch is an Italian music data company and platform for users to search and share song lyrics with translations. Musixmatch has 80 million users (50M active users), 12 million songs with their respective lyrics, and 115+ employees.
In 202 ...
{{authority control
Songs about kissing
2018 songs
Blackpink songs
Dua Lipa songs
Macaronic songs
Number-one singles in Malaysia
Number-one singles in Singapore
Reggaeton songs
Songs written by Chelcee Grimes
Songs written by Dua Lipa
Songs written by Billboard (record producer)
Songs written by Teddy Park