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"Unholy" is a song by British singer Sam Smith and German singer Kim Petras, released on 22 September 2022 as the second single from Smith's fourth studio album Gloria (2023).
"Unholy" entered at the top of the UK Singles Chart. Outside the United Kingdom, "Unholy" topped the charts in Australia, Austria, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand and the United States, becoming both Smith's and Petras' first chart topper in the latter, and peaked within the top ten of the charts in Petras' native Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, France, Indonesia and the top 20 in Italy.
The song received a nomination for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards, marking Smith's first nomination since 2015 and Petras's first nomination overall. It was also nominated for the Brit Award for Song of the Year at the 2023 Brit Awards, Smith's fourth nomination in the category and Petras' first Brit nomination in any category.
Background and composition
The track's melody comes from its use of the double harmonic scale. The track was first teased on 18 August 2022 through a clip on TikTok, in which Smith lip-syncs the chorus while Petras dances in a recording studio. The track went viral on the platform, spurring dance trends for over a month before its release. Disclosure also teased the song, playing their remix of it in live sets. On 25 August, Smith announced the track's title and a pre-save link. Petras name-drops Barbadian singer Rihanna in her verse.
The song has been described as a "glitchy synthpop cut" featuring a choir and hyperpop sounds. Smith explained the creative process and the meaning of the song:
"Unholy" was made in Jamaica and was one of the most glorious creative moments I've ever had as an artist. It was so cathartic and freeing to experiment like this and throw out the rule book. It has also been an honour to work with Kim and get to witness her brilliance. This song is about liberating oneself from the clutches of others' secrets.
Critical reception
Writing for the British edition of GQ, Jeremy Atherton Lin said that the "duet between non-binary and trans vocalists flips the script" and is "infused with femme power".
Alli Patton of American Songwriter praised the "pulsating, dance-heavy beats" driving the track as the "lusty, sing-a-long lyrics" added a level of "intrigue", concluding by calling the song "deliciously debaucherous".
Commercial performance
"Unholy" entered atop the UK Singles Chart on 30 September 2022, becoming Smith's eighth UK number-one to date (putting them on par with Oasis and the Rolling Stones) and Petras's first, having racked up 5.9 million streams in the UK in its first week. The song also debuted at number one on the ARIA Singles Chart, making it Smith's second number-one single in Australia and Petras's first.
In the US, the song debuted at number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the chart issue dated 8 October 2022. It earned Petras her first career entry on the chart and became Smith's seventh top ten on the chart, as well as the eighth song to debut in the top three of the Hot 100 in 2022. It ascended to number 2 in its second week on the chart, blocked from the top by Steve Lacy's "Bad Habit". In its fourth week, it reached number 1, becoming the first song from either artist to reach the top of the charts and Smith's highest charting single, surpassing 2014's "Stay with Me" which peaked at number 2. The song reaching the top of the Hot 100 made history as Petras became the first openly transgender woman to reach number 1 on the chart, and Smith became the first openly non-binary person to do so. The collaboration tallied 25.3 million streams, 21.5 million radio airplay audience impressions and 19,000 downloads sold.
Music video
The song's music video, directed by Floria Sigismondi, was released on 30 September 2022. The visual features a woman attending a sexually-charged cabaret show at "The Body Shop" after following clues about her husband's cheating at the club. Smith appears as the MC of the club surrounded by androgynous burlesque dancers, joined by RuPaul's Drag Race alums Violet Chachki and Gottmik. Petras then arrives onstage in a heart-shaped lyra before dancing atop a prop car dressed in an outfit reminiscent of Madonna. The erotic video, inspired by A Clockwork Orange and Bob Fosse, also features a cameo from gay porn star Paddy O'Brian as a customer.
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"Unholy" is a song by British singer Sam Smith and German singer Kim Petras, released on 22 September 2022 as the second single from Smith's fourth studio album Gloria (2023).
"Unholy" entered at the top of the UK Singles Chart. Outside the United Kingdom, "Unholy" topped the charts in Australia, Austria, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand and the United States, becoming both Smith's and Petras' first chart topper in the latter, and peaked within the top ten of the charts in Petras' native Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, France, Indonesia and the top 20 in Italy.
The song received a nomination for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards, marking Smith's first nomination since 2015 and Petras's first nomination overall. It was also nominated for the Brit Award for Song of the Year at the 2023 Brit Awards, Smith's fourth nomination in the category and Petras' first Brit nomination in any category.
Background and composition
The track's melody comes from its use of the double harmonic scale. The track was first teased on 18 August 2022 through a clip on TikTok, in which Smith lip-syncs the chorus while Petras dances in a recording studio. The track went viral on the platform, spurring dance trends for over a month before its release. Disclosure also teased the song, playing their remix of it in live sets. On 25 August, Smith announced the track's title and a pre-save link. Petras name-drops Barbadian singer Rihanna in her verse.
The song has been described as a "glitchy synthpop cut" featuring a choir and hyperpop sounds. Smith explained the creative process and the meaning of the song:
"Unholy" was made in Jamaica and was one of the most glorious creative moments I've ever had as an artist. It was so cathartic and freeing to experiment like this and throw out the rule book. It has also been an honour to work with Kim and get to witness her brilliance. This song is about liberating oneself from the clutches of others' secrets.
Critical reception
Writing for the British edition of GQ, Jeremy Atherton Lin said that the "duet between non-binary and trans vocalists flips the script" and is "infused with femme power".
Alli Patton of American Songwriter praised the "pulsating, dance-heavy beats" driving the track as the "lusty, sing-a-long lyrics" added a level of "intrigue", concluding by calling the song "deliciously debaucherous".
Commercial performance
"Unholy" entered atop the UK Singles Chart on 30 September 2022, becoming Smith's eighth UK number-one to date (putting them on par with Oasis and the Rolling Stones) and Petras's first, having racked up 5.9 million streams in the UK in its first week. The song also debuted at number one on the ARIA Singles Chart, making it Smith's second number-one single in Australia and Petras's first.
In the US, the song debuted at number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the chart issue dated 8 October 2022. It earned Petras her first career entry on the chart and became Smith's seventh top ten on the chart, as well as the eighth song to debut in the top three of the Hot 100 in 2022. It ascended to number 2 in its second week on the chart, blocked from the top by Steve Lacy's "Bad Habit". In its fourth week, it reached number 1, becoming the first song from either artist to reach the top of the charts and Smith's highest charting single, surpassing 2014's "Stay with Me" which peaked at number 2. The song reaching the top of the Hot 100 made history as Petras became the first openly transgender woman to reach number 1 on the chart, and Smith became the first openly non-binary person to do so. The collaboration tallied 25.3 million streams, 21.5 million radio airplay audience impressions and 19,000 downloads sold.
Music video
The song's music video, directed by Floria Sigismondi, was released on 30 September 2022. The visual features a woman attending a sexually-charged cabaret show at "The Body Shop" after following clues about her husband's cheating at the club. Smith appears as the MC of the club surrounded by androgynous burlesque dancers, joined by RuPaul's Drag Race alums Violet Chachki and Gottmik. Petras then arrives onstage in a heart-shaped lyra before dancing atop a prop car dressed in an outfit reminiscent of Madonna. The erotic video, inspired by A Clockwork Orange and Bob Fosse, also features a cameo from gay porn star Paddy O'Brian as a customer.
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