SugarCrash!

2020 single by ElyOtto

"SugarCrash!"
Single by ElyOtto
ReleasedAugust 25, 2020
GenreHyperpop
Length
  • 1:20
  • 2:32 (remix)
Songwriter(s)Elliott Platt, Kim Petras
Producer(s)Elliott Platt
ElyOtto singles chronology
"Lost"
(2017) 		"SugarCrash!"
(2020) 		"Let Go :("
(2020)
Music video
"SugarCrash!" on YouTube

"SugarCrash!" is a song written, produced, and performed by Canadian musician ElyOtto. It was released on August 25, 2020. A remix featuring Kim Petras and Curtis Waters was released on April 23, 2021.

Background and composition

At one minute and 20 seconds long, the song is in the key of F major with a tempo of 98 beats per minute.[1][2] It went viral on the video-sharing app TikTok in February 2021. The song is associated with two meme formats on the app, with the more popular format, a parody of fancams, featuring a CapCut video effect that highlights the climax of the video.[3]

On August 26, 2020, ElyOtto uploaded "Sugarcrash!," a hyperpop song inspired by 100 gecs, to his SoundCloud.[4]

On August 27, 2020, ElyOtto uploaded a TikTok video promoting the song that received over 760,000 views and 204,000 likes in seven months.[5]

"SugarCrash!" incorporates hyperpop with many sound effects, distorted bass, and high-pitched vocals, consisting of two choruses, a verse, and a bridge. Platt claimed in a Genius interview that the song, made with GarageBand, was a soundfont test for Pokémon Black and White. Platt also stated that the song covered many of his issues; how tired he was of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, his future, and his gender dysphoria.[6]

I've heard a lot of trans people say that they feel like they're born in the wrong body, wishing they could be someone else. I don't feel like that at all, I'm who I meant to be. I want to get rid of that self-hatred I have for myself, and sort of become accepting. It's such a personal thing to me, but taken out of context, it's something that pretty much anyone could relate to, which I think is really beautiful.[6]

Reception

Vulture's Justin Curto wrote: "As a song, 'SugarCrash!' tries to solve the very problem it's about. It's nothing new in hyperpop, which often uses buoyant productions to address darker themes. But on another, equally self-aware level, the song works so well because it's also about exactly what it sounds like. It's a hyperactive song about being full of pent-up energy; a brain-splitting song that, at one point, contemplates splitting one's own brain".[7] The song also received praise from Billboard author Joe Lynch, who described it as "a diaristic, candy-coated slice of teenage dissatisfaction."[8]

Following the song's success, at least seven record labels reached out to ElyOtto before he signed to RCA Records.[9][10]

Chart performance

The song debuted at number 30 on the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart, having spent 19 weeks-and-counting on the chart in total, peaking at number 10.[11] It later debuted at number 23 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 for the week of March 20, 2021,[12] and peaked at number 59 on the UK Singles Chart,[13] as well as number 126 on Billboard's Global 200.[14] The song also earned ElyOtto a spot on Rolling Stone's Breakthrough 25 chart for the months of February and March 2021 at numbers 15 and 17, respectively,[15] as well as a spot on Billboard's Emerging Artists chart for four weeks, peaking at number 36.[16]

Music video

On April 23, 2021, a visualizer was released along with the remix. A music video for the original song was released on May 4, 2021.[17] Both videos sit at a combined 23.5 million views as of September 2022.

Charts

Weekly charts

Weekly chart performance for "SugarCrash!"
Chart (2021) Peak
position
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[18] 81
Global 200 (Billboard)[14] 126
UK Singles (OCC)[19] 59
UK Indie (OCC)[20] 11
US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (Billboard)[12] 23
US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)[11] 10

Year-end charts

Year-end chart performance for "SugarCrash!"
Chart (2021) Position
US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)[21] 48

Certifications

Certifications for "SugarCrash!"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[22] Gold 40,000‡
Poland (ZPAV)[23] Gold 25,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ "ELYOTTO - Sugarcrash! Chords and Tabs for Guitar and Piano - ChordZone.org". www.chordzone.org. June 7, 2023. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
  2. ^ Musescore. "Sugar Crash [ElyOtto]". Musescore.com. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
  3. ^ "ElyOtto's "SugarCrash!"". Know Your Meme. March 9, 2021. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
  4. ^ SugarCrash! on SoundCloud, retrieved May 30, 2023
  5. ^ "ElyOtto on TikTok". TikTok. August 27, 2020. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
  6. ^ a b "ElyOtto "SugarCrash!" Official Lyrics & Meaning | Verified". Genius.
  7. ^ Curto, Justin (April 23, 2021). "Admit It, 'SugarCrash!' Was Already Great". Vulture.
  8. ^ Lynch, Joe (June 3, 2021). "ElyOtto on What Hyperpop Means to the LGBTQ+ Community". Billboard.
  9. ^ Bell, Mike (May 12, 2021). "Calgary artist ElyOtto turns viral fame into record deal with massive TikTok hit SugarCrash". TheYYScene.
  10. ^ Raza-Sheikh, Zoya (April 29, 2021). "ElyOtto is the trans TikTok star taking on the music industry". Gay Times.
  11. ^ a b "Hot Rock & Alternative Songs - July 3, 2021". Billboard.
  12. ^ a b "SugarCrash!" - Bubbling Under Hot 100 Chart". Billboard. Retrieved June 30, 2021.
  13. ^ "ELYOTTO | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved June 30, 2021.
  14. ^ a b "SugarCrash!" Billboard Global 200 Chart". Billboard. Retrieved June 30, 2021.
  15. ^ Blake, Emily (June 15, 2021). "Future of Music: The Sounds of Tomorrow". Rolling Stone.
  16. ^ "Emerging Artists Chart". Billboard. Retrieved June 30, 2021.
  17. ^ "ElyOtto - SugarCrash! (Official Video)" – via YouTube.
  18. ^ "Billboard Canadian Hot 100: Week of March 13, 2021". Billboard. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  19. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  20. ^ "Official Independent Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
  21. ^ "Hot Rock & Alternative Songs – Year-End 2021". Billboard. Retrieved December 4, 2021.
  22. ^ "Canadian single certifications – ElyOtto – SugarCrash!". Music Canada. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
  23. ^ "OLiS - oficjalna lista wyróżnień" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved April 19, 2023. Click "TYTUŁ" and enter SugarCrash! in the search box.
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