Hello Kitty is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne, released as a single on May 23, 2014, from her self-titled fifth studio album Avril Lavigne. It was written by Lavigne, Chad Kroeger, David Hodges and Martin Johnson, while the song was produced by Kroeger and Hodges, with additional production by Brandon Paddock and Kyle Moorman. Musically, "Hello Kitty" is a technopop song, featuring a dubstep-influenced drop. The song was influenced by her obsession with all things related to the Japanese brand Hello Kitty, also having slight sexual content.
The song received negative reviews from music critics, who criticized its sound and called it immature, while a few named it playful. Lavigne shot a music video for the track in Japan and was released on 21 April 2014. It was met with negative reviews by critics, with Billboard labeling it "abhorrent" and "lazy". The video's depiction of Japanese culture was accused of being racist, however, Lavigne denied these allegations. Due to the video's popularity, the song charted at number 75 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, becoming the second highest charting song from the album.
Background and composition
Three months after the release of Goodbye Lullaby (2011), Lavigne announced that work on her fifth studio album had already begun, having eight songs written. Lavigne stated that the album would musically be the opposite of Goodbye Lullaby, with a release date rumored for sometime in 2012. Lavigne explained, "Goodbye Lullaby was more mellow, [but] the next one will be pop and more fun again. I already have a song that I know is going to be a single, I just need to re-record it!." In an interview, Lavigne said about her collaboration with Kroeger: "I have a song called [Hello Kitty], which I wrote about [Hello Kitty] because I'm obsessed, and it's a really fun thing that I've never done before. It kind of has a kind of glitchy, electronic feel to it and it's... the only one on the record that sounds like that. It's really different and a lot of my friends I've played it for really like it. I'm having a lot of fun with that one."
"Hello Kitty" was written by Lavigne, Chad Kroeger, David Hodges and Martin Johnson, while the song was produced by Kroeger, Hodges and additional production by Brandon Paddock and Kyle Moorman. The song was engineered by John Hanes, musical mixed by Serban Ghenea and additional programming was held by Paddick and Moorman. Lavigne described the lyrics while talking to Digital Spy, "'Hello Kitty' was such an interesting topic and subject [...] It was really exciting for me. I didn't want it to sound like anything I'd done before. I wanted it to sound over the top so I ended up hiring a new producer to help me with it." The opening line of the song "Min'na saikō arigatō, K-k-k-kawaii, k-k-k-kawaii" is a reference to the Japanese Kawaii culture. She was later asked about the double meaning about the song, to which she responded: "Obviously it's flirtatious and somewhat sexual, but it's genuinely about my love for Hello Kitty as well." Additionally, she said at MuchMusic Awards, "It's really fun [and] it's about a slumber party and loving the kitty".
Release
In promotion for the parent album, Lavigne hosted a hashtag on twitter called "#3daysuntilavrillavigne", to which a fan asked which song would she like to release as the album's fourth single, Lavigne replied: "Hello Kitty" or "Give You What You Like". In February 2014, Avril Lavigne said that she planned to release "Hello Kitty" as a single in Asia only, while a different song would be chosen as a single for the rest of the world (later revealed to be "Give You What You Like").
Critical reception
The song received mostly negative reviews from music critics. While labeling it "weird", Nick Catucci from Entertainment Weekly called it "a dubstep track that seems to acknowledge its own tokenism by adopting a 'J-Pop American Funtime Now!' sheen." Despite praising her "techno-pop" influence, Jason Lipshutz of Billboard felt that "it's a bold stab at a genre outside of Lavigne's oeuvre, but it never comes together. By the 20th time 'Hello Kitty, you're so pretty' is declared, the listener's attention is already on the next track." Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic wrote that the song "bypasses bubblegum so it can settle into the embarrassing". While reviewing and stating that most of the album was "soggy", Chuck Eddy from Rolling Stone felt that "Hello Kitty" was the most playful song on the album and called it "J-pop-via-Kesha". Robert Corpsey from Digital Spy was favorable, writing that "the juddering electro-pop beats of 'Hello Kitty' serve as an ode to her you-know-what as well as her sizeable Japanese fanbase. As a curveball, it works brilliantly; but as an attempt to make her sound current in today's EDM-pop dominated charts, it falls considerably short."
Craig Manning of AbsolutePunk called it "the biggest leap of faith," describing it as "a trippy patchwork of EDM and pop that pays loving tribute to Lavigne’s sizable Japanese following." Bradley Stern of MuuMuse named it "an off-the-walls EDM-infused stomper, where Lavigne conjures Gwen Stefani's bouncy, Japanese-minded Love. Angel. Music. Baby." Laurence Green from MusicOMH called it a "trashy EDM moment; laced with snatches of Japanese lingo," pointing out that it "feels like a weird misstep more suited to a Britney Spears album than the predominately rock-centric sounds present on the rest of the record." A reviewer from Sputnikmusic remarked that "Hello Kitty" is "laughably bad" and "insipid", and criticized Lavigne's attempt at trying to draw in a younger crowd. The Michigan Daily gave the song a negative review, referring to it as an "obligatory 2013-dubstep mess created for the sole purpose of attempting to follow a trend."
Chart performance
"Hello Kitty" debuted at number 84 on the Gaon Singles Chart and at number 70 on Download International Chart with 4,038 copies sold in its first week. It also debuted at number 75 on the Billboard Hot 100, due to the popularity of the video, where 73 of the 92 percent of its chart points were attributed to Vevo on YouTube views, according to Nielsen BDS. It became her second-highest charted song from her self-titled album; "Here's to Never Growing Up", peaked at number 20 in June. It also became her highest debut on Streaming Songs to date, as the track debuted at number 14 (besting "Here's to Never Growing Up", which opened at number 26 in May following its official video debut). The song also surges to 5,000 downloads sold in the tracking week ending Sunday, 27 April, up from a negligible amount the week before, according to Nielsen SoundScan. On the Japanese Hot Top Airplay chart, "Hello Kitty" debuted at number 82 for the week ending on 12 May 2014.
Music video
The music video for "Hello Kitty" was filmed in Tokyo, Japan and premiered on Lavigne's official website on 21 April 2014. It was removed from her YouTube channel, amid criticism that it was culturally insensitive and lacked energy. Although an official spokesperson stated that the song's video was never officially released and was slated to go live that Wednesday, it was reuploaded to her official Vevo and Youtube channels on 23 April.
Synopsis
The majority of the "Hello Kitty" music video finds Avril Lavigne parading around with four identical Japanese women behind her, performing dance moves, in locales like a bedroom, a candy store and a street. The video also shows Lavigne playing guitar, wearing glasses, eating sushi, waving at admirers and fans and taking a single photograph, wearing gloves that are paired with pastel hair extensions and a pink tutu covered in three-dimensional cupcakes.
Reception and criticism
The video was heavily derided by critics. Jason Lipshutz of Billboard panned it as "even more abhorrent than the song." While acknowledging that the album's previous videos were "excellent", he pointed out that the "Hello Kitty" video "tries to do nothing. Its laziness is demonstrated in the first 21 seconds, during which Lavigne holds a plush stack of cupcakes, shakes her hips, stares at the cupcakes, bounces her shoulders, and then, when she sings the line "Someone chuck a cupcake at me"… tosses the fake cupcakes at the camera, her lip movement not matching up to the backing track whatsoever." Alexa Camp of Slant Magazine called it "truly eyebrow-raising, taking cultural misappropriation to cringe-inducing levels." The Independent suggested that 'Hello Kitty' "will make your eyes and ears bleed", while Jezebel wrote: "It looks like what would happen if someone scraped off the diseased underbelly of American pop culture from 2004-2010 and sprinkled it generously over a festering pile of garbage."
Its depiction of Japanese culture was met with widespread criticism, which has included suggestions of racism, with Lavigne stating: "I love Japanese culture and I spend half of my time in Japan. I flew to Tokyo to shoot this video...specifically for my Japanese fans, WITH my Japanese label, Japanese choreographers AND a Japanese director IN Japan." Hiro Ugaya, a Tokyo-based journalist and media commentator, commented about the video: "I assume that images of cultures outside of one's own in mass media are always different from the reality," he says, acknowledging that pop culture will reduce anything to a digestible pap. "When you're trying to reach the majority of consumers, images tend to be the lowest common dominator." Nobuyuki Hayashi, a well-known Tokyo-based tech, and social media expert concurs. "Searches in the Japanese Twittersphere and blogosphere show that most of the reactions were favorable," he says, adding, "The people who are blaming the artist for racism are non-Japanese … but most Japanese people are not taking it that seriously."
Live performance
Lavigne included "Hello Kitty" on her ongoing The Avril Lavigne Tour (2013-14) as the opening track.
Personnel
- Written by Avril Lavigne, Chad Kroeger, David Hodges, Martin Johnson
- Electric guitar by Martin Johnson
- Engineered by John Hanes
- Mixed by Serban Ghenea
- Produced by Martin Johnson
- Additional production and programming by Brandon Paddock, Kyle Moorman
- Additional vocal production by Chad Kroeger, David Hodges
- Recorded by Brandon Paddock, Kyle Moorman, Martin Johnson
Adapted from the liner notes of Avril Lavigne.
Charts
- Japan Hot Top Airplay - 82
- South Korea (Gaon International Downloads Chart) - 84
- US Billboard Hot 100 - 75
Lyrics
Mina sako arigato, k-k-k-kawaii
K-k-k-kawaii.
Mom's not home tonight
So we can roll around, have a pillow fight
Like a major rager OMFG
Let's all slumber party
Like a fat kid on a pack of Smarties
Someone chuck a cupcake at me
It's time for spin the bottle
Not gonna talk about it tomorrow
Keep it just between you and me
Let's play truth or dare now
We can roll around in our underwear how
Every silly kitty should be
Come come Kitty Kitty
You're so pretty pretty
Don't go Kitty Kitty
Stay with me
Come come Kitty Kitty
You're so silly silly
Don't go Kitty Kitty
Play with me
Kawaii
Hello Kitty, hello Kitty
Hello Kitty, you're so pretty
Hello Kitty, hello Kitty
Hello Kitty, you're so silly
Wake up, got a secret
Pinky swear that you're gonna keep it
I've got something you need to see
Let's be friends forever
I wanna do everything with you together
Come and play with Kitty and me
Come come Kitty Kitty
You're so pretty pretty
Don't go Kitty Kitty
Stay with me
Come come Kitty Kitty
You're so silly silly
Don't go Kitty Kitty
Play with me
Kawaii
Hello Kitty, hello Kitty
Hello Kitty, you're so pretty
Hello Kitty, hello Kitty
Hello Kitty, you're so silly
Mina sako arigato! Kawaii!
Mina sako arigato! Kawaii!
Kawaii!
Kawaii!
Kawaii!
Kawaii!
Meow.
Hello Kitty, hello Kitty
Hello Kitty, you're so pretty
Hello Kitty, hello Kitty
Hello Kitty, you're so silly
Come come Kitty Kitty
You're so pretty pretty
Don't go Kitty Kitty
Stay with me
Come come Kitty Kitty
You're so silly silly
Don't go Kitty Kitty
Play with me
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