Freak (Estelle song)

Reception

The song received a positive review from ''Billboard'''s Melanie Bertoldi. She described the song as "wilder and freakier, and ultimately appealing," she went on to comment on Offishall's verse, stating "Kardinal Offishall jumps in for a silly verse that adds to the free-form fun." She finished the review positively, stating "the song's bridge ("I wanna hear you say," she coos) serve as the cherry atop this club-worthy treat." Dirrtyinc.com gave a positive review of the song, calling it "A fun song to sing along, Estelle definitely doesn’t disappointment ." Nick Levine from Digital Spy rated it 4 stars and said, positively, that: "Fortunately, the track itself is almost as ear-snagging as the lyrics. Produced by David Guetta - has he had a day off in the last 12 months? - this 'Freak' is a rubbery, club-ready electro-hop tune that lifts the chorus from Soul II Soul's "Back to Life (However Do You Want Me)" and turns it into a sexual invitation. So, however do we want it? Well, however Estelle wants to give it to us, to be honest".

Music video

The music video was released on Estelle's website on 26 February 2010.

Controversy

On 2 March 2010 it was reported on British entertainment website Digital Spy that Estelle's latest video had been criticised online for apparently 'blacking up'. She was accused of 'blacking up' because of her decision to wear black make-up in the "Freak" video. When asked about the decision to wear black make-up she responded in saying "I think [people] need to wait to see the clip. I could defend myself, but it's just silly. I'm black, so how do I do blackface?" She went on to compare her video to Missy Elliott's video for her 1999 single "She's a Bitch" by saying that "Missy [Elliott] did the same thing [with her video] 'She's a Bitch'."

Track listings

US digital single

1. "Freak" (album version) – 3:41

US & UK "Remixes" digital EP

1. "Freak" (Riva Starr Extended Vocal Mix) – 6:16
2. "Freak" (Riva Starr Dub) – 6:17
3. "Freak" (Riva Starr Extended Instrumental) – 6:16
4. "Freak" (Michael Woods Remix) – 7:01
5. "Freak" (Plastik Funk Remix) – 5:54
6. "Freak" (Plastik Funk's Listen & Repeat Mix) – 6:24
7. "Freak" (extended version) – 4:52

Charts

Release history

References

References

1. (4 May 2010). "Music - Singles Review - Estelle ft. Kardinal Offishall: 'Freak' - Digital Spy".
2. "Radio1 Rodos Greece ::: UK Forthcoming Singles ::: Charts, DJ Promos, Dance, Lyrics, Free Mp3 Samples Downloads".
3. "Estelle".
4. "Play.com - Buy Estelle - All Of Me online". [[Play.com]].
5. (26 March 2010). "Estelle featuring Kardinal Offishall, "Freak"".
6. "Archived copy".
7. Levine, Nick (May 10, 2010). [http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/music/singlesreviews/a218078/estelle-ft-kardinal-offishall-freak.html Music - Singles Review - Estelle ft. Kardinal Offishall: 'Freak' - Digital Spy'] Copyright © 1999-2011 Digital Spy Limited. All Rights Reserved. "Digital Spy" is the Registered Trade Mark of Digital Spy Limited. Retrieved 2011-03-05
8. (2 March 2010). "Estelle stands by 'blacked up' video".
9. [https://web.archive.org/web/20241201220801/https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003BNG2K0]
10. "Archived copy".
11. (2 January 2013). "Billboard Canadian Hot 100 Chart".
12. ":: mtv.de {{!}} charts".
13. "Chart Log".
14. (2010-04-26). "Chart Highlights: Pop, Country, Latin Songs & More".