"Freak" | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Single by Estelle featuring Kardinal Offishall | ||||||||||||||||||||
from the album Step Up 3D, One More Love and All of Me | ||||||||||||||||||||
Released | 26 February 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||
Format | Digital download | |||||||||||||||||||
Recorded | Gum Studios, Paris Circle House Studios, Miami CMS Studios, Toronto |
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Genre | Electrohop,Baltimore club | |||||||||||||||||||
Length | 3:41 (radio edit/album version) 4:52 (extended version) |
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Label | Atlantic, Homeschool | |||||||||||||||||||
Writer(s) | Estelle Swaray, Jason Harrow, David Guetta, Nick Van De Wall, Ruben Fernhout, Beresford Romeo | |||||||||||||||||||
Producer(s) | David Guetta, Nick Van De Wall | |||||||||||||||||||
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"Freak" is a single by English musician Estelle. The song, which features Canadian rapper Kardinal Offishall, was produced by French DJ David Guetta. It contains an interpolation of "Back to Life" by music group Soul II Soul in the chorus. "Freak" was featured on the soundtrack to Step Up 3D and the reissue of David Guetta's album One Love, entitled One More Love.
The single was released in North America on 26 February 2010, and in the UK on 3 May 2010 as a buzz single after the song failed to chart in the Top 100. The song was released as her third international single, after "American Boy" and "Come Over" and received positive reaction from most music critics. The song was used as one of the songs of the São Paulo Fashion Week 2010, during the parade of Colcci and in the movie Step Up 3D in 2010. "Freak" was due to be released as the first single from her third studio album All of Me but was instead included as a US bonus track.
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 [sic]." 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".