Bang | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
EP by | ||||
Released | 12 February 2021 | |||
Recorded | 2020 – 2021 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 11:24 | |||
Label | ||||
Producer |
| |||
Rita Ora chronology | ||||
| ||||
Imanbek chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from Bang | ||||
|
Bang is a collaborative extended play (EP) by English singer Rita Ora and Kazakh producer Imanbek. The record was released for digital download and streaming in various countries by Atlantic, Warner and What a DJ on 12 February 2021. Created amidst the pandemic of COVID-19, it discovers various genres of club, dance, house and pop with 1980s and 1990s influences. The record was promoted with the release of a single, " Big", and a film shot in Bulgaria as a tribute to Ora's Albanian and Imanbek's Kazakh heritages. Following its release, it was met with a warm reception from music critics for the collaboration between the artists, its mainstream appeal and production. Commercially, the record reached number 16 on the US Billboard Top Dance/Electronic Albums chart.
On 4 February 2021, Ora and Imanbek announced the forthcoming release of their collaborative extended play entitled Bang. [1] [2] The artists confirmed its release date and track listing through an image uploaded on their social media that showcased the involved collaborators. [3] [4] The record was created remotely using the American software Zoom amidst the pandemic of COVID-19, with the aim of establishing creative connections with artists from around the world. [5] [6] [7] Despite jointly writing all four songs, it took Ora and Imanbek eight months to complete the creation process of the record. [1] [8] [9] Ora stated that "it's amazing how much technology allowed our connection to shine through [...] and this EP is proof that creative process has the power to transcend any obstacle that separates us". [1] Imanbek further elaborated on the process that "[It] brought us together not only creatively but personally and that was a great experience". [1] Atlantic, Warner and What a DJ ultimately released the record for digital download and streaming in various countries on the scheduled date of 12 February 2021. [10] Additionally, an acoustic version of it was simultaneously introduced on the same date. [11]
With a running time of 11 minutes and 24 seconds, [10] Bang discovers various genres of club, dance, house and pop with the incorporation of sounds from the 1980s and 1990s. [12] [13] [14] For the record, Ora and Imanbek collaborated with several composers, including Alexander Eskeerdo Izquierdo, Gia Koka, Mike Hawkins, Sam Martin, Toby Green and William Spencer Bastian. [15] It opens with " Big" featuring American rapper Gunna, which was created by Ora and Imanbek in partnership with British singer Ed Sheeran and French disc jockey David Guetta. [10] [16] [17] Classified as a dance, electronic dance music (EDM), electropop, hip hop and house song, [18] [19] it commemorates the moment of having a good time. [20] [21] [22] The record progresses with the second song " Bang Bang", which samples German producer Harold Faltermeyer's single " Axel F" (1985). [10] [23] [24] Designated as an EDM song with a club energy and house notes, [13] the song explores a dangerous and seductive love, that brings trouble. [17] [25] [26] A song featuring English and Spanish lyrics, "Mood" is the third song on the record and features Argentine rapper Khea. [10] [27] The song combines elements of dance and hip hop with a rhythmic and upbeat funky instrumental. [17] [25] [28] The record ends with the fourth song "The One", which comprises house, pop and trap music accompanied with dance basslines and dark influences. [12] [14] [28]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Mix1 | [12] |
Following its release, Bang was met with a warm reception from music critics. Designating it as a "star-studded EP", Farrell Sweeney from Dancing Astronaut acknowledged that each song on the record boasts its "own unique capacity for mainstream appeal" and distinguished "Big" as its "radio favorite". [25] Similarly, Ryan Ford for We Rave You described the record as a "club-ready EP" possessing "four deliciously unique singles". [17] He further emphasised "The One" as a positive conclusion to what he labeled as a "superb EP", also highlighting Ora's "vocal talents" and the duo's "impressive" mainstream appeal. [17] Selene Moral of Los 40 commented that "we find pop sounds [in the EP] that take us to the club culture of the [80s and 90s] and a flavor of house music". [19] According to a review by the editorial staff of Mix1, the record is a "remarkable compilation of songs" that incorporates several musical genres. [12] Furthermore, the latter staff awarded the song a favorable rating of 7 out of 8 stars. [12] Commercially, Bang reached number 16 on the US Billboard Top Dance/Electronic Albums ranking. [29]
To accompany the release, a four-minute and 50-second lasting film for Bang premiered to Ora's official YouTube channel on 12 February 2021, incorporating a snippet from each song as an introduction to the record. [30] [31] [32] On the same occasion, "Big" and its accompanying music video were released as the record's lead single. [21] [33] Directed by Jasmine Loignon, [34] the scenes were filmed at the mount of Buzludzha and the cities of Pernik and Sofia in Bulgaria. [35] [36] [37] The visuals pay tribute to Ora's Albanian and Imanbek's Kazakh heritages. [7] [9] In it, the singer wears a traditional Albanian attire created by Kosovo-Albanian designer Valdrin Sahiti, which was aimed to display the Albanian ethnographic style, as intended by her. [38] [39] For further promotion, Ora performed "Bang Bang" for the first time in the eighth season of the American talk show The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on 3 March 2021. [40] [41] [42] A day later, the singer went on to perform the song on Australian breakfast show Sunrise. [43]
Credits and tracklist adapted from Spotify. [15] [44]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | " Big" (featuring Gunna) |
|
| 2:36 |
2. | "Bang Bang" |
|
| 2:59 |
3. | "Mood" (featuring Khea) |
|
| 3:24 |
4. | "The One" |
| Imanbek | 2:25 |
Total length: | 11:24 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Bang Bang" |
|
| 3:05 |
2. | "Mood" (featuring Khea) |
|
| 3:23 |
3. | "The One" |
|
| 3:04 |
4. | "Big" |
|
| 2:39 |
Total length: | 12:13 |
Chart (2021) | Peak position |
---|---|
US Top Dance/Electronic Albums ( Billboard) [29] | 16 |
Region | Date | Format(s) | Version | Label(s) | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Various | 12 February 2021 |
|
Standard |
|
|
Acoustic |
Bang | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
EP by | ||||
Released | 12 February 2021 | |||
Recorded | 2020 – 2021 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 11:24 | |||
Label | ||||
Producer |
| |||
Rita Ora chronology | ||||
| ||||
Imanbek chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from Bang | ||||
|
Bang is a collaborative extended play (EP) by English singer Rita Ora and Kazakh producer Imanbek. The record was released for digital download and streaming in various countries by Atlantic, Warner and What a DJ on 12 February 2021. Created amidst the pandemic of COVID-19, it discovers various genres of club, dance, house and pop with 1980s and 1990s influences. The record was promoted with the release of a single, " Big", and a film shot in Bulgaria as a tribute to Ora's Albanian and Imanbek's Kazakh heritages. Following its release, it was met with a warm reception from music critics for the collaboration between the artists, its mainstream appeal and production. Commercially, the record reached number 16 on the US Billboard Top Dance/Electronic Albums chart.
On 4 February 2021, Ora and Imanbek announced the forthcoming release of their collaborative extended play entitled Bang. [1] [2] The artists confirmed its release date and track listing through an image uploaded on their social media that showcased the involved collaborators. [3] [4] The record was created remotely using the American software Zoom amidst the pandemic of COVID-19, with the aim of establishing creative connections with artists from around the world. [5] [6] [7] Despite jointly writing all four songs, it took Ora and Imanbek eight months to complete the creation process of the record. [1] [8] [9] Ora stated that "it's amazing how much technology allowed our connection to shine through [...] and this EP is proof that creative process has the power to transcend any obstacle that separates us". [1] Imanbek further elaborated on the process that "[It] brought us together not only creatively but personally and that was a great experience". [1] Atlantic, Warner and What a DJ ultimately released the record for digital download and streaming in various countries on the scheduled date of 12 February 2021. [10] Additionally, an acoustic version of it was simultaneously introduced on the same date. [11]
With a running time of 11 minutes and 24 seconds, [10] Bang discovers various genres of club, dance, house and pop with the incorporation of sounds from the 1980s and 1990s. [12] [13] [14] For the record, Ora and Imanbek collaborated with several composers, including Alexander Eskeerdo Izquierdo, Gia Koka, Mike Hawkins, Sam Martin, Toby Green and William Spencer Bastian. [15] It opens with " Big" featuring American rapper Gunna, which was created by Ora and Imanbek in partnership with British singer Ed Sheeran and French disc jockey David Guetta. [10] [16] [17] Classified as a dance, electronic dance music (EDM), electropop, hip hop and house song, [18] [19] it commemorates the moment of having a good time. [20] [21] [22] The record progresses with the second song " Bang Bang", which samples German producer Harold Faltermeyer's single " Axel F" (1985). [10] [23] [24] Designated as an EDM song with a club energy and house notes, [13] the song explores a dangerous and seductive love, that brings trouble. [17] [25] [26] A song featuring English and Spanish lyrics, "Mood" is the third song on the record and features Argentine rapper Khea. [10] [27] The song combines elements of dance and hip hop with a rhythmic and upbeat funky instrumental. [17] [25] [28] The record ends with the fourth song "The One", which comprises house, pop and trap music accompanied with dance basslines and dark influences. [12] [14] [28]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Mix1 | [12] |
Following its release, Bang was met with a warm reception from music critics. Designating it as a "star-studded EP", Farrell Sweeney from Dancing Astronaut acknowledged that each song on the record boasts its "own unique capacity for mainstream appeal" and distinguished "Big" as its "radio favorite". [25] Similarly, Ryan Ford for We Rave You described the record as a "club-ready EP" possessing "four deliciously unique singles". [17] He further emphasised "The One" as a positive conclusion to what he labeled as a "superb EP", also highlighting Ora's "vocal talents" and the duo's "impressive" mainstream appeal. [17] Selene Moral of Los 40 commented that "we find pop sounds [in the EP] that take us to the club culture of the [80s and 90s] and a flavor of house music". [19] According to a review by the editorial staff of Mix1, the record is a "remarkable compilation of songs" that incorporates several musical genres. [12] Furthermore, the latter staff awarded the song a favorable rating of 7 out of 8 stars. [12] Commercially, Bang reached number 16 on the US Billboard Top Dance/Electronic Albums ranking. [29]
To accompany the release, a four-minute and 50-second lasting film for Bang premiered to Ora's official YouTube channel on 12 February 2021, incorporating a snippet from each song as an introduction to the record. [30] [31] [32] On the same occasion, "Big" and its accompanying music video were released as the record's lead single. [21] [33] Directed by Jasmine Loignon, [34] the scenes were filmed at the mount of Buzludzha and the cities of Pernik and Sofia in Bulgaria. [35] [36] [37] The visuals pay tribute to Ora's Albanian and Imanbek's Kazakh heritages. [7] [9] In it, the singer wears a traditional Albanian attire created by Kosovo-Albanian designer Valdrin Sahiti, which was aimed to display the Albanian ethnographic style, as intended by her. [38] [39] For further promotion, Ora performed "Bang Bang" for the first time in the eighth season of the American talk show The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on 3 March 2021. [40] [41] [42] A day later, the singer went on to perform the song on Australian breakfast show Sunrise. [43]
Credits and tracklist adapted from Spotify. [15] [44]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | " Big" (featuring Gunna) |
|
| 2:36 |
2. | "Bang Bang" |
|
| 2:59 |
3. | "Mood" (featuring Khea) |
|
| 3:24 |
4. | "The One" |
| Imanbek | 2:25 |
Total length: | 11:24 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Bang Bang" |
|
| 3:05 |
2. | "Mood" (featuring Khea) |
|
| 3:23 |
3. | "The One" |
|
| 3:04 |
4. | "Big" |
|
| 2:39 |
Total length: | 12:13 |
Chart (2021) | Peak position |
---|---|
US Top Dance/Electronic Albums ( Billboard) [29] | 16 |
Region | Date | Format(s) | Version | Label(s) | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Various | 12 February 2021 |
|
Standard |
|
|
Acoustic |