Naked (Ava Max song)

"Naked" is a song by American singer Ava Max, released through Atlantic Records as the eighth single from her debut studio album Heaven & Hell (2020). It was released on September 18, 2020, alongside the album's release. The song was written by Max, Bonnie McKee, Eden xo, Parrish Warrington, Diederik van Elsas, and Cirkut, the latter also produced it with Trackside. A music video was released on September 18, 2020, and was directed by American music video director Hannah Lux Davis. It was compared to the science fiction film The Fifth Element (1997).

"Naked"
Single by Ava Max
from the album Heaven & Hell
ReleasedSeptember 18, 2020 (2020-09-18)
Genre
Length3:42
LabelAtlantic
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Ava Max singles chronology
"OMG What's Happening"
(2020)		 "Naked"
(2020)		 "Christmas Without You"
(2020)
Music video
"Naked" on YouTube

Background and composition

"Naked" was written by Max, Bonnie McKee, Eden xo, Parrish Warrington, Diederik van Elsas, and producer Cirkut. Trackside was also involved in the song's production.[1] It is a pop,[2] dance-pop[3] and synth-pop song.[4] The song was described to be "bass-driven",[5] while also including a hint of being a power ballad.[3] Retro 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" was about "the real emotions we go through",[6] and that her greatest vulnerabilities are kept to herself.[7]

Critical reception

Bailey Slater of Wonderland wrote that "Naked" is "pop at its most shimmery and divine, not too serious, but equally quite deep and effortlessly catchy", favorably comparing the song to a strong B-side by Carly Rae Jepsen.[2] Jason Lipshutz of Billboard stated that the song had one of the best chorus introductions in 2020,[8] 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 channeled Ariana Grande's "controlled yearning".[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".[10] However, Nicholas Hautman of Us Weekly criticized "Naked" for containing cliché lyrics about "stripping away clothes".[11]

Music video

The music video was directed by American music video director Hannah Lux Davis, and released on September 18, 2020.[6][12] 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.[13][14]

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal.[1]

Charts
Chart (2020) Peak
position
New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)[15] 38

References
  1. "Heaven & Hell – Credits". Retrieved September 24, 2020 – via Tidal.
  2. Slater, Bailey (September 18, 2020). "Lady Gaga, Flohio and Ava Max go HARD in this week's Wonderlist". Wonderland. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  3. "The best new music, from Beabadoobee to William the Conqueror". The Times. September 22, 2020. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  4. Murphy, Lauren (September 18, 2020). "New Music Friday: 3 great new release songs to stream today". Entertainment.ie. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  5. Yeung, Neil Z. "Heaven & Hell - Ava Max". AllMusic. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  6. 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.
  7. 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.
  8. 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.
  9. 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.
  10. Curto, Justin (September 21, 2020). "Can Ava Max Ever Follow Up 'Sweet But Psycho'?". Vulture.com. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  11. Hautman, Nicholas (September 17, 2020). "Ava Max Shows Promise on Anthem-Filled Debut Album 'Heaven & Hell': Review". Us Weekly. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  12. "Ava Max lança seu álbum de estreia 'Heaven & Hell'" [Ava Max releases her debut album 'Heaven & Hell'] (in Portuguese). Terra. September 19, 2020. Archived from the original on September 21, 2020. Retrieved September 20, 2020.
  13. 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.
  14. 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 Portuguese). Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  15. "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. September 28, 2020. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
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