"Naked"
Promotional single by Ava Max
from the album Heaven & Hell
ReleasedSeptember 18, 2020 (2020-09-18)
Genre
Length3:42
LabelAtlantic
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Music video
"Naked" on YouTube

"Naked" is a song by American singer Ava Max, released through Atlantic Records on September 18, 2020, as the only promotional single from her debut studio album Heaven & Hell (2020). The song was written by Max, Bonnie McKee, Eden xo, Parrish Warrington, Diederik van Elsas and Cirkut, while produced by Cirkut and Trackside. It is a pop, dance-pop, electropop, and synth-pop song containing synthesizers and bass guitar. The lyrics depict the perception of Max's internalized emotions being emphasized past her physical appearance.

"Naked" received generally positive reviews from music critics; some praised the production, while other reviewers criticized the lyrics. The song peaked at number 38 on the New Zealand Hot Singles chart. An accompanying music video was directed by Hannah Lux Davis and was released on September 18, 2020. It depicts Max as an orange-haired alien, who was compared to Milla Jovovich's character from the science fiction film The Fifth Element (1997).

Background and composition

"Naked" was released on September 18, 2020, which coincided with the release of Max's debut studio album Heaven & Hell.[1][2] The song was written by Max, Bonnie McKee, Eden xo, Parrish Warrington, Diederik van Elsas, and Cirkut, while produced by Cirkut and Trackside.[3] It was initially written as a ballad, but changed by Cirkut when Max was dissatisfied with its original concept.[4] The song peaked at number 38 on the New Zealand Hot Singles chart.[5]

Musically, "Naked" is a pop,[6] dance-pop,[7] electropop,[1] and synth-pop[8] song considered as "bass-driven",[9] and resembles a power ballad.[7] Synthesizers are used in the anthemic chorus as Max belts the lyric, "You can take off all my clothes and never see me naked". She stated that "Naked" is about "the real emotions [people] go through" and that they are "more than [their] physical bodies".[2] Max additionally explained that her greatest vulnerabilities are kept to herself.[10]

Critical reception

Bailey Slater of Wonderland described "Naked" as a "deep and effortlessly catchy" pop song and favorably compared it to a strong B-side by Carly Rae Jepsen.[6] Writing for Billboard, Jason Lipshutz stated that the song had one of the best chorus introductions in 2020,[11] while Michael Cragg of The Guardian commented that it shared the "wistful, baked-in nostalgia" used in Katy Perry's 2010 song "Teenage Dream" as Max evoked Ariana Grande's "controlled yearning".[12] Idolator writer Mike Wass opined that the "dreamy mid-tempo" song is a "highlight" of Heaven & Hell,[2] while Neil Z. Yeung of AllMusic considered it to be "sleek".[9]

Justin Curto of Vulture noted that while the lyrics resembled "vague Instagram captions", he praised the melody and production. He singled out the final bridge and chorus as Max's best attempt at channeling Mariah Carey, and was her "best vocal performance".[13] Writing for Billboard Japan, Issei Honke opined that the song is "a little mundane", but acknowledged that it was "comfortable to listen to" and sounded recognizable to Japanese listeners.[1] However, Us Weekly writer Nicholas Hautman criticized "Naked" for containing cliché lyrics about "stripping away clothes".[14]

Music video and live performance

An accompanying music video was directed by American music video director Hannah Lux Davis,[4] and released alongside Heaven & Hell on September 18, 2020.[2] It was filmed in the same weekend as Max's 2020 song "OMG What's Happening", which was also directed by Davis.[4] The futuristic video depicts Max as an alien with "scant clothes and orange hair", who was compared to Milla Jovovich's character from the 1997 science fiction film The Fifth Element.[1][15][16] Wass considered the visual to be "striking" and described Max's appearance as "peeling back the layers".[2]

Max performed an acoustic version of "Naked" during her set of Maroon 5's 2020 Tour in 2021. She stated that it was the only acoustic song in her dance-heavy performances, which "kind of slows the show down".[17]

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal.[3]

Charts

Chart performance for "Naked"
Chart (2020) Peak
position
New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)[5] 38

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Honke, Issei (September 29, 2020). "'ヘヴン＆ヘル' エイバ・マックス（Album Review)" ['Heaven & Hell' Ava Max (Album Review)]. Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved June 12, 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Wass, Mike (September 18, 2020). "Ava Max Drops Debut LP, Unveils "Naked" Video". Idolator. Archived from the original on September 21, 2020. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
  3. 1 2 "Heaven & Hell – Credits". Retrieved September 24, 2020 – via Tidal.
  4. 1 2 3 Kamaraj, Chandana (September 18, 2020). "Glass meets musician on-the-rise Ava Max". The Glass Magazine. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
  5. 1 2 "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. September 28, 2020. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
  6. 1 2 Slater, Bailey (September 18, 2020). "Lady Gaga, Flohio and Ava Max go HARD in this week's Wonderlist". Wonderland. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  7. 1 2 "The best new music, from Beabadoobee to William the Conqueror". The Times. September 22, 2020. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  8. ↑ Murphy, Lauren (September 18, 2020). "New Music Friday: 3 great new release songs to stream today". Entertainment.ie. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  9. 1 2 Yeung, Neil Z. "Heaven & Hell - Ava Max | AllMusic Review by Neil Z. Yeung". AllMusic. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  10. ↑ Levy, Piet (September 15, 2020). "Following 'Sweet but Psycho' success, Ava Max ready to conquer the pop world with debut album 'Heaven & Hell'". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  11. ↑ Lipshutz, Jason (September 18, 2020). "First Stream: New Music From Justin Bieber & Chance The Rapper, Sam Smith, Anitta & Cardi B". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 21, 2020. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  12. ↑ Cragg, Michael (September 18, 2020). "Ava Max: Heaven & Hell review – turbo-charged 2010s pop joy". The Guardian. Archived from the original on September 18, 2020. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  13. ↑ Curto, Justin (September 21, 2020). "Can Ava Max Ever Follow Up 'Sweet But Psycho'?". Vulture.com. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  14. ↑ Hautman, Nicholas (September 17, 2020). "Ava Max Shows Promise on Anthem-Filled Debut Album 'Heaven & Hell': Review". Us Weekly. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  15. ↑ Moral, Selene (September 18, 2020). "Ava Max Se Desnuda Para 'Naked': Mira El Vídeo y la Letra" [Ava Max Strips Naked For 'Naked': Watch The Video And Lyrics] (in Spanish). Los 40. Archived from the original on September 21, 2020. Retrieved September 20, 2020.
  16. ↑ Francisco, Vitor (September 18, 2020). "Ava Max embarca em dualidade no álbum 'Heaven & Hell', que já chega com clipe para 'Naked'" [Ava Max embarks on duality on the album 'Heaven & Hell', which arrives with a clip for 'Naked']. PapelPop (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  17. ↑ Vulpo, Mike (September 10, 2021). "How Ava Max Is Bringing the 'Party' to Maroon 5's Stadium Tour". E! Online. Retrieved September 12, 2021.
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