| "Checkmate" | ||||
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| Single by Conan Gray | ||||
| from the album Kid Krow | ||||
| Released | June 26, 2019 | |||
| Genre | Indie pop | |||
| Length | 2:28 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriter(s) |
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| Producer(s) | ||||
| Conan Gray singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Checkmate" on YouTube | ||||
"Checkmate" is a song by American singer Conan Gray, released as a single on June 26, 2019, through Republic Records. It was written by Gray and produced by Dan Nigro.
After breaking out with his debut extended play (EP) in November 2018, and releasing the single "The King" in March 2019, Gray would usher in a new period of his music career with the release of "Checkmate". [1] [2] He recalled having "ugly cried out" the song in under five minutes while alone in his bedroom. [3] Gray mentioned this songwriting process in a tweet and stating "Dedicated to the asshole who was always playing games with my lil heart >:( [ sic ]". [4]
On June 23, only a few days before releasing the track, Gray teased "Checkmate" through a tweet that featured the song's title and a short snippet of the chorus. [5] "Checkmate" was officially released on June 26, as the lead single to his debut studio album Kid Krow , which was released the following March. [2] [6]
Produced by Dan Nigro, the track features "percussive flares". [3] The song beings slightly muffled and accompanied by guitar, as well as a crescendoing percussion. This muffled sound abruptly stops ahead of a transition to the first verse. [2]
Written by Gray, the song was inspired by a person he was romantically interested in but was having his emotions played around with by. As such, Gray called "Checkmate" a signal of him being done with the "games" they were playing. [3] He stated he wrote the song in the stage of grief highlighted by rage and in a moment of him feeling "pure seething anger". [7] The song's chorus leans into the metaphor of romantically "playing games", alluding to a checkmate: "Cause I've gotten tired of the games that you play/ When you tell me you love me then you throw me away/ So cry me a river 'til you drown in a lake/ 'Cause you may think you're winning but checkmate". [3]
Kirsten Spruch of Billboard called the song's chorus "explosive" and its melody twists and "surprising". [3] In analyzing Gray's long-term viability as a pop singer, Billboard's Jason Lipshutz stated "Checkmate" has the "type of harmonic flourishes and emotional vulnerability that can be traced back to those two pop savants", referencing Taylor Swift and Lorde. [8] Maxamillion Polo of Ones to Watch wrote that the track is "nothing short of euphoric, surging forward with an undeniable frenzied energy", as well as "a moment of pop-punk-tinged ecstasy". [1]
A hand-drawn lyric video accompanied the single's release on June 26. [4] Later, on July 25, a music video for "Checkmate" was released on YouTube. [3] It has accumulated over 10 million views, as of December 2023. [9] The music video's setting evokes imagery relating to late 1990s and early 2000s nostalgia. [10] It follows Gray continuing with vengeful themes, with him stating that he "tried to get as much of [his] cathartic revenge out" in the music video. [11]
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Conan Lee Gray is an American singer-songwriter and former YouTuber. Born in Lemon Grove, California, and raised in Georgetown, Texas, he began uploading vlogs, covers, and original songs to YouTube as a teenager. In 2018, Gray signed a record deal with Republic Records, which released his debut EP, Sunset Season (2018).
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Kid Krow is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Conan Gray. It was released on March 20, 2020, through Republic Records. The album is a "coming of age" record inspired by elements such as his rough childhood experiences of poverty, abuse, and discrimination. The album was supported by the singles "Checkmate", "Comfort Crowd", "Maniac", "The Story", "Wish You Were Sober", and "Heather".
"Wish You Were Sober" is a song by American singer-songwriter Conan Gray. It was released on March 18, 2020 by Republic Records as the fifth single from his debut studio album Kid Krow. The song was written by Conan Gray and Dan Nigro.
"Heather" is a song by American singer-songwriter Conan Gray released through Republic Records. Originally released as a track on Gray's debut studio album Kid Krow in March 2020, it was released as the sixth single in September 2020 after becoming a sleeper hit. "Heather" was written by Gray and produced by Dan Nigro with additional production by Jam City.
"The Story" is a song by American singer-songwriter Conan Gray. It was released on January 10, 2020 by Republic Records as the fourth single from his debut studio album Kid Krow. The song was written by Conan Gray and produced by Dan Nigro.
Superache is the second studio album by American singer and songwriter Conan Gray, released on June 24, 2022, through Republic Records. It is a follow-up to Gray's debut album Kid Krow (2020). Described by Gray as an expansion of his yearning heartbreak, the album touches on themes such as childhood trauma, abuse, friendship, and love, as of his experiences growing up.
"All-American Bitch" is a song by American singer-songwriter Olivia Rodrigo. It is the opening track on her second studio album, Guts (2023), which was released on September 8, 2023, by Geffen Records. Rodrigo wrote it with her producer Dan Nigro. A folk song that transforms into a pop-punk song midway, "All-American Bitch" was inspired by an essay written by Joan Didion that used the titular words. Its lyrics are about the societal expectations placed on women.
"People Watching" is a song by American singer-songwriter Conan Gray. It was released by Republic Records on July 15, 2021 as a single from Gray's second studio album Superache. The single was written by Gray, Julia Michaels, and Dan Nigro, who also produced the song. Inspired by Gray's personal experiences during college, "People Watching" is an indie pop song that is about the similarly named activity of people-watching. The song received positive reviews from critics and was certified gold in Australia as well as placing on charts in New Zealand and Singapore. A music video featuring Gray working in a café was released on the day after the single.