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Debut single by Canadian artist Kiesza, a UK number one.
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"Hideaway" is the debut single by Canadian recording musician Kiesza, released on April 11, 2014, through Island Records and Lokal Legend. It served as the lead single from her debut EP of the same name and her debut studio album, Sound of a Woman. The song topped the UK Singles Chart, selling over 136,000 copies in its first week and becoming the third-fastest-selling single of 2014 in the United Kingdom.
Background
Kiesza co-wrote "Hideaway" with Rami Samir Afuni, who also produced the track. Originally a composer of traditional singer-songwriter music, Kiesza moved to New York City and met Afuni, which led her toward uptempo music. She began collaborating with Afuni after enrolling at the Berklee College of Music. In the summer of 2013, as Kiesza prepared to board a flight from New York to Los Angeles, Afuni developed the beat for the song.
She described dropping her bags and returning to the studio, where she produced a rough demo, finished the lyrics in ten minutes, and cut vocals. Kiesza freestyled the lyrics to buy time in case she missed her flight. The song was written in an hour and mixed and mastered half an hour later, allowing her to still catch her flight. Afuni later called her in Los Angeles and asked her to return to New York, leading Kiesza to realize she had found a sound that worked for her.
She was inspired by 1990s dance music her mother listened to, including artists such as CeCe Peniston and Robin S. Kiesza had been a songwriter for two years and listened to Icona Pop, Kylie Minogue, and Rihanna while pursuing a solo career. She felt she had not found something genuine until "Hideaway," which she saw as defining herself as a singer. The pair composed the song as a hybrid of pop and underground elements, aiming for a genuine and different sound, reflecting their passion for 1990s dance music.
Composition
"Hideaway" is an uptempo pop, dance, and deep house song with a duration of four minutes and 11 seconds, written in the key of G minor. It incorporates elements of electropop and old school music over a sparse, 1990s trance-indebted backing track. The production combines a thick vintage Chicago house bassline, a cracking drum machine, and an EDM synthesizer. The song's synths have been described as shiny, bleeping, and booping.
Vocally, it is sung with a sense of urgency using high pitch, with Kiesza's higher pitch appearing in the verses, pre-chorus, and middle eight, while the chorus features a series of guttural yelps. The track builds and builds but never droops or resolves.
It melds Kiesza's love for UK garage, house, and pop music pristinely and with utmost drama. The song has been deemed classics-inspired and compared to the work of Disclosure and Michael Jackson. Kiesza has stated that "Hideaway" is a deep house song regarded as mainstream.
Critical reception
"Hideaway" received universal acclaim from critics. Larry Fitzmaurice of Pitchfork praised its distinctly shiny electropop feel and 1990s dance rhythm, noting its body-moving propulsion. Digital Spy's Robert Copsey awarded the song four out of five stars, calling it a thrilling debut that leaves the listener wondering what else Kiesza has in store. Copsey noted that the song is club classics-inspired house but kept interesting by a pop twist.
John Gentile of Rolling Stone complimented the bass and drum machine, while Kate Wills of The Independent dubbed it a 90s dance epic. Popjustice awarded it eight out of ten stars, calling it a great new tune that blends pop and dance music, hinting that Kiesza would be a name to watch in 2014. Jim Carroll of The Irish Times noted that the song alerted many to Kiesza's talents, calling it an old-school dancefloor belter. Michael Cragg of The Guardian hailed it as a sophisticated banger and a pre-summer anthem.
James Masterson of About.com called it barnstorming and an intriguing production, with an infectious bassline. Jonathan Higbee of Instinct wrote that North America might finally have a contemporary pop/deep-house vocalist to compete with UK acts like Jessie Ware and Katy B. Idolator's Robbie Daw predicted Kiesza would break out in a big way, calling the track one of the great new pop discoveries of 2014. MuchMusic felt it was infectious and would become one of the most successful songs of 2014.
Chart performance
"Hideaway" debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart for the week of April 26, 2014, replacing Sigma's "Nobody to Love." It sold 136,000 copies in its first week, making it the third fastest-selling single of 2014 in the United Kingdom, behind Clean Bandit's "Rather Be" (163,000) and Pitbull's "Timber" (139,000). Kiesza expressed surprise and gratitude for the number one position. The single dropped to number two in its second week, selling 59,704 copies, for a total of 195,990 copies sold in the UK as of April 28, 2014.
In Ireland, it entered at number 21 on the Irish Singles Chart for the week ending April 17, 2014, holding that position for two consecutive weeks. It debuted at number 58 on the Swiss Singles Chart on April 20, 2014, then dropped to number 68. In the Flanders region of Belgium, it entered the Ultratip chart at number 72 on April 19, 2014, later peaking at number 14. In Wallonia, it debuted at number 43 on the Ultratip chart for April 26, 2014.
The song also appeared on component dance charts, peaking at number one in the UK and number 37 in Flanders. It impacted US contemporary hit radio on July 1, 2014, peaking at number 17 on the Mainstream Top 40 chart and number 51 on the Billboard Hot 100.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Hideaway (Kiesza song) (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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