"Young, Fresh n' New" is a song by American singer

Kelis Kelis Rogers (; born August 21, 1979) is an American singer-songwriter and chef. She attended Manhattan, New York's Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, where she played saxophone and was selected for the Girls Ch ...

from her second studio album, ''

Wanderland ''Wanderland'' is the second studio album by American singer Kelis, released on October 17, 2001, by Virgin Records. The album's only single, " Young, Fresh n' New", peaked at number 32 on the UK Singles Chart. As of October 2004, ''Wanderland ...

'' (2001). Kelis co-wrote the song with its producers,

The Neptunes The Neptunes were an American record production duo composed of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, formed in Virginia Beach, Virginia, in 1992. Williams often provided backing vocals and music video appearances on the duo's productions, while H ...

(consisting of

Pharrell Williams Pharrell Lanscilo Williams (; born April 5, 1973), also known mononymously as Pharrell, is an American musician, singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer, and fashion designer. He first became known as one half of the music production duo ...

and

Chad Hugo Charles Edward Hugo (born February 24, 1974) is an American musician and record producer. Alongside childhood friend Pharrell Williams, he formed the production duo the Neptunes in 1992, with whom he has produced numerous hit records for variou ...

). It was released on September 25, 2001, as the only single from the album. The single peaked at number 32 on the UK Singles Chart. In the United States, however, it became her third consecutive single to miss the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Nevertheless, German producer

Timo Maas Timo Maas (born July 27, 1969) is a German DJ/ producer and remixer. His remix of Azzido Da Bass's single " Dooms Night" helped launch his career in 2000. In its wake, he also released ''Music for the Maases Volume 1'', a mix album consisting ...

' remix of the song managed to chart on ''

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 ...

''s

Hot Dance Club Play The Dance Club Songs (also known as National Disco Action, Hot Dance/Disco Club Play, and Hot Dance Club Play) was a chart published weekly between 1976 and 2020 by ''Billboard'' magazine. It used club disc jockeys set lists to determine the mos ...

at number 15 in January 2002. The accompanying music video was directed by

Diane Martel Diane Martel (also known as Bucky Chrome and Diamond Martel) is an American music video director and choreographer. As a music video director, she has worked with Beyonce, Mariah Carey, Christina Aguilera, Sting and Jennifer Lopez. One of her ...

and filmed in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

over the weekend of June 9–10, 2001.

Critical reception

"Young, Fresh n' New" received positive reviews from music critics. Rupert Howe from ''

Blender A blender (sometimes called a mixer (from Latin ''mixus, the PPP of miscere eng. to Mix)'' or liquidiser in British English) is a kitchen and laboratory appliance used to mix, crush, purée or emulsify food and other substances. A stationary ...

'' referred to the song as "a delirious four and a half minutes of rasping, intergalactic

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 ...

which sounds as if it was recorded in the engine room of the '' U.S.S. Enterprise''", while noting that "there's a tripped-out, space-vixen vitality to Kelis's vocals, as if she's no longer overawed by the mad skills of her production

Svengali Svengali () is a character in the novel ''Trilby'' which was first published in 1894 by George du Maurier. Svengali is a Jewish man who seduces, dominates and exploits Trilby, a young half-Irish girl, and makes her into a famous singer. Defini ...

s." Sal Cinquemani of ''

Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New Yor ...

'' described it as "a track ripe with the production duo's signature electronic synth spirals and industrial-strength basslines." Andy Kellman of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

wrote that the song is "particularly stunning, a buzzing grind with a chaotic loop that could've been lifted from a pinball machine. As a song, it doesn't have much grounding, yet the Neptunes cast their disorienting eccentricities all over it and come up with a production that could've only been suited for Kelis." ''

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 ...

'' reviewer Victoria Segal called the song "startling" and stated that " ere's sudden splashes of synthetic soul sighing, perfectly timed shouts of 'hey!', an unsettling underage vibe in the lyrics and a vocal that doesn't so much drip attitude as oil-spill it."

Track listings

*UK CD single and European CD maxi single #"Young, Fresh n' New" (UK radio edit) – 3:30 #"Young, Fresh n' New" (

remix – full vocal) – 7:03 #"Young, Fresh n' New" ( So Solid remix – full vocal) – 5:42 #"Young, Fresh n' New" (video) – 3:30 *European CD single #"Young, Fresh n' New" (UK radio edit) – 3:30 #"Young, Fresh n' New" (Timo Maas Remix – full vocal) – 7:03 *UK 12" single :A1. "Young, Fresh n' New" – 4:37 :A2. "Young, Fresh n' New" (So Solid remix – vocal mix) – 5:42 :B1. "Young, Fresh n' New" (Timo Maas remix – full vocal) – 7:03 *US 12" single :A1. "Young, Fresh n' New" (radio edit) – 3:38 :A2. "Young, Fresh n' New" (album instrumental) – 4:37 :A3. "Daddy" (featuring Malice of

Clipse Clipse, also known as the Clipse, is an American hip-hop, hip hop duo from Virginia Beach, Virginia. Formed in 1994, it consists of brothers No Malice, Gene "Malice" and Pusha T, Terrence "Pusha T" Thornton. Pusha T was known as Terrar during t ...

) – 3:50 :B1. "The Spot" – 3:58 :B2. "The Spot" (instrumental) – 3:58 :B3. "Daddy" (instrumental) – 3:50

Charts

References

{{Authority control 2001 singles 2001 songs American funk songs Kelis songs Music videos directed by Diane Martel Song recordings produced by the Neptunes Songs written by Chad Hugo Songs written by Kelis Songs written by Pharrell Williams Virgin Records singles