Skirt (song)

Following the release of the orchestra compilation album The Abbey Road Sessions in October 2012, Kylie Minogue parted ways with her long-term manager Terry Blamey and the British label EMI after it was taken over by Universal Music.[3] In February 2013, Minogue announced she had signed a management deal with Roc Nation, an entertainment agency handled by American rapper and businessman Jay-Z, while Parlophone would continue to release her music.[4] She also confirmed working on her 12th studio album and a new single.[4]

In February 2012, DJ Bones and Chris Elliot (who used his stage name Nom de Strip) released a two-track EP under the independent label DirtyNitrus.[5] The EP features an instrumental composition titled "Shake & Bake" as the B-side track.[5] Elliot wrote "Shake & Bake" using Logic Pro when he was working in music shops.[6] In 2013, Elliot caught the attention of British producer Chris Lake, who then signed him an exclusive deal to Rising Music, a Los Angeles-based independent label established by Lake.[7] That year, Lake and Elliot were introduced to Minogue through her manager, Jay Brown, when they were having meetings in the same building.[8] The producers gave a selection of demo tapes to Minogue and Brown, who selected "Shake & Bake" to record later that night.[8] Elliot and his label-mate Marco Lys co-produced the track, using Elliot's stage name Nom de Strip.[9] Lake, Elliot, and Minogue co-wrote the track with American songwriter The-Dream.[10] Lake was pleased with the working experience with Minogue, saying: "She's honestly a very warm human being and a great artist. 'Skirt' rocks!"[11]

British producer Chris Lake (pictured in 2012) co-wrote and released "Skirt" as a remix EP under his independent label Rising Music

"Skirt" is an electronic dance, dubstep, and house-pop track that samples Nom de Strip's "Shake & Bake" original composition.[12][lower-alpha 2] It is written in the key of D major and has a moderately fast tempo of 128 beats per minute.[13] The track has a sparse production between the verses and centers around a bass-laden hook, which comes more than a minute into the track and only appears twice.[14] It opens with muffled electronic beats, and features instrumentation of keyboards, synthesizers, and a drum machine.[15] "Skirt" has no middle-eight section, and the beat drop builds up to Minogue singing the chorus.[16] Minogue's vocals are breathy, distorted and thoroughly synthesized; she can be heard moaning and sighing towards the end of the track.[17] She uses a speak-singing technique during the verses, before fully singing in the chorus.[18] At one point, Minogue chants "Down, down, down, down" over the heavy bass production.[19] The-Dream also contributed his background vocals, making breathy exclamations at the 2:03 mark.[20] Lyrically, "Skirt" delves into sexual seduction, with Minogue wanting to drop her skirt to attract attention.[21]

Music critics identified "Skirt" as a more experimental and dance-orientated work from Minogue.[22] Alexis L. Loinaz of E! Online felt that the track delivers "a harder, driving sound" than what the audience might expect from the singer.[23] The Tab's Harrison Brocklehurst and Relentless Beats' Logan Lowrey-Rasmussen noted that the track contains unique elements of dubstep and house that Minogue had not yet incorporated into her music.[24] Its lyrics and minimal production reminds Logo TV's Simon Curtis and Idolator's Robbie Daw of Minogue's "Slow" (2003), while Bradley Stern of MuuMuse called it a hybrid between "the edgy electro-grit" of X (2007) and the sexual empowerment of Body Language (2003).[25] Chris Lake found the bass-heavy production different from Minogue's previous work and challenging for casual listeners.[8] "I'm really glad that [Minogue] had the balls to go ahead and choose the record and put it out," says Lake.[8]

Elliot first played "Skirt" during his set at the Pacha Ibiza nightclub before the track's premiere on his SoundCloud account on 28 May 2013, Minogue's 45th birthday.[26] The release was made without any prior official announcement; Minogue announced the track with a post on Twitter: "Birthday surprise!!".[27] Lake released the track and its accompanying remixes under his label Rising Music.[28] The label distributed "Skirt" as a digital EP on 24 June 2013, exclusively through Beatport.[29] The EP included four remixes individually produced by Nom de Strip, electronic duo GTA, English DJ Switch, and American DJ Hot Mouth.[30] The Nom de Strip's remix expanded upon the dubstep production, while GTA and Hot Mouth have rave and electronic dance influences in their mixes.[31] The Switch remix is a disco and house track, filled with shimmering synthesizers.[32]

The EP was physically released in Europe and the US by Parlophone, while EMI and Gold Typhoon handled the Chinese release.[33] Rising Music distributed the physical EP in the UK, containing remixes conducted by American producers Matthew Dear and Mark Picchiotti.[34] Dear announced his work through his SoundCloud account in early July, while Picchiotti is uncredited for producing the mixes of the original Nom De Strip productions (dubbed as the Nom De Strip Extended, Mixshow, and Dub remixes).[35] A deep house remix by Australian duo Cut Snake was made available on Minogue's SoundCloud account as a free giveaway in July.[36]

It was speculated that "Skirt" would be the first track taken from Minogue's then-upcoming studio album.[37] In July 2013, she confirmed the track was only a teaser.[23] "I like to think of it as being the amuse-bouche of the meal. Your entire meal's not going to be like that; my album's not going to be like that," says Minogue.[23] The track was eventually not included on the tracklist of Kiss Me Once, released in 2014.[38]

A "Skirt" remix by English DJ Switch (pictured in 2009) was singled out for praise by critics

"Skirt" was met with mostly positive reviews from music critics, who appreciate Minogue's fresh take on dance music.[39] Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine wrote that despite the edgy production, the track is still "quintessential Kylie".[40] Daw found the track cheeky and praised the exquisite chorus.[41] Curtis commented that "Skirt" is a "fresh, forward-thinking slice of electronic brilliance", and it proves that Minogue is "on the verge of an artistic supernova 25 years in the making".[42] Brocklehurst stated the track is among Minogue's most adventurous and overlooked, praising its modern production and chorus.[43] Lowrey-Rasmussen commended the producers for combining the campy aspects of Minogue with a relevant American club sound.[44] Radio Creme Brulee and Fact magazine, on the other hand, panned the tuneless and non-substantial production.[45]

The Switch remix was highlighted by several critics.[46] Stern praised the lush production, comparing it to those of Minogue's Light Years (2000).[47] Billboard magazine commended Switch for offering a "soft, warm embrace to the original, turning the sexual into the sensual."[48] Graham Porter of Your Music Radar deemed it superior to the original and found the remix "a healthy addition to tracks that give us good vibes and good times".[49] Both Billboard and Porter picked it as the best track from the EP.[50]

In retrospect, several critics believed "Skirt" should have been included on Kiss Me Once.[51] Slant Magazine's Alexa Camp felt the absence of "Skirt" was among the biggest disappointments about the album, while Lowrey-Rasmussen suggested that "Skirt" could have been released as the lead single.[51] Brocklehurst commented that the album would be more interesting if its sonic direction leans more into tracks like "Skirt".[43] The track was named as one of the "Top 50 Game-Changing EDM Tracks of 2013" by Billboard, ranked at number 36.[52] The Tab and Classic Pop listed "Skirt" among their top Minogue's tracks.[53]

On the US Billboard Dance Club Songs chart, "Skirt" debuted at number 51 during the week end of 13 July 2013.[54] Two months later, during the week end of 14 September, the track reached atop of the charts and stayed there for a sole week.[55] "Skirt" became Minogue's tenth number-one, and her seventh consecutive number-one in that competent chart since August 2010 with "All the Lovers".[56] Overall, it was present on the chart for 13 weeks.[57] "Skirt" entered the Hot Dance/Electronic Songs at number 44 during the week end of 3 August 2013.[58] The track spent 10 weeks on the chart, reaching its peak at number 31 on 24 August.[59] By the end of 2013, "Skirt" was ranked at number 23 on Billboard's annual Dance Club Songs chart, and number 75 on the annual Dance/Electronic Songs chart.[60]

On 14 June 2013, an accompanying stop-motion lyric video was published on Nowness and YouTube.[61] Directed and photographed by Will Davidson, the video is a series of quick cuts of over 1,000 still photos of the singer seductively posing in a hotel room.[62] At one point, Minogue is seen writhing around on the floor with an arch back, and looking straight to the camera.[63] She wears an Alexander Wang tight-fitting black dress, Vanessa Bruno and Jimmy Choo stilettos.[64] The three-hour shoot took place in Los Angeles a week before its premiere.[65] Minogue was impressed by Davidson's natural approach, saying: "In 25 years I haven't done anything like this... They feel real, unprocessed and much like the viewer is there with me."[65] Curtis praised Davidson for making a "deceptively simple, yet beautiful" video, while HitFix's Melinda Newman felt that it would "either flip yours up or induce a seizure."[66] A picture from Davidson's photoshoot was used as the remix EP's artwork.[lower-alpha 1] A second visual was used as an interlude featurette for Minogue's Kiss Me Once Tour; a two-minute footage was included on the live DVD, titled Kiss Me Once Live at the SSE Hydro, as a bonus feature.[67]

Credits are adapted from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers.[10]

• Kylie Minogue – vocals, songwriting
• Chris Elliot – songwriting, production[lower-alpha 2]
• Marco Lys – production[lower-alpha 2]
• Chris Lake – songwriting
• Terius "The Dream" Nash – songwriting, background vocals[20]

• List of Billboard Dance Club Songs number ones of 2013

• "Skirt" lyrics on Kylie.com (archive from 2013)
• "Skirt" (From The Kiss Me Once Tour) on YouTube