Needy (song)


"Needy" is a song by American singer Ariana Grande from her fifth studio album, Thank U, Next through Republic Records. It was written by Grande, Victoria Monét, Tayla Parx, and its producer Tommy Brown.
Commercially, the song reached the top 10 in Ireland, Malaysia, Singapore and the United Kingdom, as well as top 20 in Greece, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Portugal and the United States.

Background

On October 4, 2018, Grande posted a 45-second snippet on her Instagram with the caption "tell me how good it feels to be needed". On November 5, 2018, Grande posted a second snippet alongside a video of Piggy Smallz on her Instagram Story. On November 15, Grande shared a video of her singing a part of "Needy" with a piano.
The song was also teased on the music video released on November 7, 2018, for Grande's single "Breathin" from her fourth studio album, Sweetener and also on the music video of the lead single from the album "Thank U, Next".

Recording and production

Needy was written by Ariana Grande, Victoria Monét, Tayla Parx and Tommy Brown, who also handled the production. Grande's vocals were recorded at the Record Plant in Holywood and Jungle City in New York City. Serban Ghenea mixed the track, and Brendan Morawski as the engineer assisted by Sean Kline.

Critical reception

The song received general acclaim from music critics. Ross Horton from The Line of Best Fit called the song "sexy, lights-off RNB, rich and juicy in equal measure, like some of Rihanna's more sensual moments". Michael Cragg of The Guardian stated that the song "unravels like a series of confessional, self-aware text messages, the sort that aren't necessarily asking for a reply". Sal Cinquemani from Slant Magazine said that in this song that Grande is not afraid to admit that she is "needy".

Commercial performance

The song debuted on the February 23, 2019 chart at number 14 in the United States, being Grande's 17th top twenty hit and her highest-charting non-single on the Billboard Hot 100 to date, alongside "NASA", making Thank U, Next the first female album since Taylor Swift's Reputation a year before to have five top 20 songs in the US.
In the United Kingdom, "Needy" debuted on the February 21, 2019 chart issue at number eight, being Grande's 13th top ten hit and the fifth top ten entry from the album. In Ireland, it debuted at number five, being Grande's 12th top ten hit in that country and the fifth from the album. It also reached number nine in Malaysia and number ten in Singapore.

Live performances

Grande performed the song for the first time at the 2019 iHeartRadio Music Awards. It is also included on the setlist of her Sweetener World Tour as well as crying during some shows on the tour.

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal.

Certifications