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Houdini (KSI song)
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Wikipedia article
{{Infobox song
| name = Houdini
| cover = KSI - Houdini.jpeg
| alt = Tion Wayne('left'), Swarmz ('centre') and KSI ('right') standing with two female models around a sports car, in a blue-lighted room. The title "Houdini" appears in large blue font at the bottom, with KSI's name in small blue font above and the featured artists' names in small blue font below.
| border = yes
| type = single
| artist = KSI featuring Swarmz and Tion Wayne
| album = Dissimulation
| released = 24 April 2020
| genre =
* UK rap
* afroswing
| length = 2:49
| label =
* RBC
* BMG
| writer =
* Olajide Olatunji
* Brandon Scott
* Dennis Odunwo
* Ehijie Ohiomoba
* Jacob Manson
* Emmanuel Isong
| producer =
* AJ Productions
* Jacob Manson
| chronology = KSI
| prev_title = Poppin
| prev_year = 2020
| next_title = Killa Killa
| next_year = 2020
| misc =
}}
"'Houdini'" is a song by British YouTuber and rapper KSI from his debut studio album, 'Dissimulation' (2020). The song features guest appearances from British artists Swarmz and Tion Wayne. It was produced by AJ Productions and Jacob Manson. The song was released for digital download and streaming by RBC Records and BMG on 24 April 2020 as the fourth single from the album. "Houdini" is a UK rap and afroswing track.
"Houdini" received positive reviews from music critics, who commonly praised Swarmz's catchy chorus. The song charted at number six in the United Kingdom, where it has been certified silver by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), and further charted in Australia, Estonia and Ireland. An accompanying music video was released on 24 April 2020. The video places the three artists in a studio with overhead blue neon lighting, an expensive car and models.
Writing and production
"Houdini" was co-produced by British record producers AJ Productions and Jacob Manson. Swarmz recorded both a chorus and a verse to the instrumental. He sent the track to KSI, who listened to it but "wasn't too sure about it". After playing it to his girlfriend, who "thought otherwise" and said "it would be a banger", KSI decided to go ahead and work on the track, recording a verse for "Houdini". KSI "wasn't too keen on Swarmz's verse", so he decided to replace it with a verse from another featured artist, resulting in the addition of a verse by Tion Wayne. KSI recalled that when deciding which other artist to feature on the song, the decision was between Tion Wayne or Jay1.
Release and promotion
KSI revealed the song's title, featured artists, cover art and release date on 17 April 2020 via social media, saying, "we about to drop the biggest U.K. banger of 2020". The song was made available for pre-order on the same day. "Houdini" was released for digital download and streaming one week later on 24 April 2020 through American independent record label RBC Records, under BMG Rights Management. The song was premiered exclusively on BBC Radio 1 the night before its release. A lyric video, created by BWGRX, was released to KSI's YouTube channel on 8 May 2020.
A remix of the song by DJ group Pink Panda was released on 23 June 2020. An audio video for the remix was uploaded to KSI's YouTube channel on the same day.
Critical reception
Courtney Wynter of GRM Daily said, ""Houdini" is a polished-sounding single dominated by a fun-filled vibe. Swarmz jumps in first with an infectious hook which is followed by confident lyrics and energetic flows from both KSI and Tion Wayne". Thomas Gillespie of 'Earmilk' said, ""Houdini" is a change of pace from the more American style singles that have come before from KSI. The track is an afro-centric hip-hop club banger that will bar sitting on the charts for weeks to come. UK titans Tion Wayne and Swarmz join KSI on this one and the chemistry is abundant. From the bouncy production and infectious drum pockets to the catchy flows produced by both KSI and Tion Wayne respectively are fantastic. Not to mention, the chorus is by far one of the catchiest and stickiest I have heard in a long time".
Year-end lists
Music video
The song's music video was uploaded to KSI's YouTube channel on 24 April 2020. It has received 29 million views. The video was filmed in London in March 2020. The video is directed by Kaylum. The video stars all three artists in a studio with "overhead blue neon lights, an expensive car and models".
Commercial performance
In the United Kingdom, "Houdini" earned the highest new entry on the UK Singles Chart in its first week of release. It debuted at number six, becoming KSI's second song to reach the top 10, and spent a total of 10 weeks on the chart. The song also debuted at number five on the UK Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart. On 9 July 2020, 'Music Week' reported that "Houdini" was the UK's 49th highest-selling song of the first half of 2020. On 31 July 2020, "Houdini" was certified silver by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for track-equivalent sales of 200,000 units in the UK. On 14 September 2020, 'Music Week' reported that "Houdini" has sold 228,569 track-equivalent units in the UK. In Ireland, "Houdini" debuted at number 11 on the Irish Singles Chart and spent a total of nine weeks on the chart. The song debuted at number 10 on the Euro Digital Song Sales chart. KSI reacted to the commercial success of "Houdini" at the time, tweeting, "Thank you everyone for your support. We're consistently breaking boundaries. They're slowly understanding the power of a YouTuber. Too gassed right now!!"
Credits and personnel
Credits adapted from Tidal.
* KSIsongwriting, vocals
* Swarmzsongwriting, vocals
* Tion Waynesongwriting, vocals
* AJ Productionsproduction, songwriting
* Jacob Mansonproduction, songwriting
* Eight9FLYsongwriting
* Michalis Michaelmixing
* Henkka Niemistmastering
Charts
Certifications
Release history
See also
* List of UK top-ten singles in 2020
* List of UK Independent Singles Chart number ones of 2020
References
Category:2020 songs
Category:2020 singles
Category:KSI songs
Category:BMG Rights Management singles
Category:RBC Records singles
Category:Swarmz songs
Category:Songs written by KSI
Category:Songs written by Jacob Manson
Category:Songs written by Swarmz
Category:Songs written by Tion Wayne
Category:Tion Wayne songs
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