Pressure (Ari Lennox song)

"Pressure"
Single by Ari Lennox
from the album Age/Sex/Location
Released	September 10, 2021 (2021-09-10)
Genre	R&B
Length	3:13
Label	Dreamville Interscope
Songwriter(s)	Courtney Salter Jermaine Mauldin Bryan-Michael Cox Anthony Parrino Johntá Austin Jai'Len Josey Bettye Crutcher
Producer(s)	Jermaine Dupri Bryan-Michael Cox Elite
Ari Lennox singles chronology
"Set Him Up" (2021) "Pressure" (2021) "My Favorite Things" (2021)
Music video
"Pressure" on YouTube

"Pressure" is a song by American singer Ari Lennox, released as a single on September 10, 2021, through Dreamville and Interscope Records. It is the lead single from Lennox's second studio album Age/Sex/Location , and samples the bass line from Shirley Brown's 1977 song "Blessed Is the Woman (With a Man Like Mine)". Produced by Jermaine Dupri, Bryan-Michael Cox, and Elite, "Pressure" is Lennox's highest-charting solo single, reaching number 66 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Critical reception

Latesha Harris of NPR described the track as "a half-Motown, half-808s fantasia about being the center of attention during foreplay" and wrote that it "elevates [Lennox's] status as a neo-soul touchstone, referencing the soul divas before her and leading the way for those to come with fearless, intoxicating charm". ^[1]

Music video

The music video was released on September 11, 2021, and written and directed by Chandler Lass. It is partly an homage to singers Diana Ross and Donna Summer. ^[2]

Charts

Weekly charts

Weekly chart performance for "Pressure"

Chart (2021–2022)	Peak position
New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ) [3]	29
US Billboard Hot 100 [4]	66
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs ( Billboard ) [5]	20
US R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay ( Billboard ) [6]	2

Year-end charts

2022 year-end chart performance for "Pressure"

Chart (2022)	Position
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard) [7]	44

Certifications

Certifications for "Pressure"

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA) [8]	Gold	500,000‡
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

1. Harris, Latesha (September 14, 2021). "Ari Lennox, 'Pressure' : #NowPlaying". NPR . Retrieved December 14, 2021.
2. Mowatt, Robyn (10 September 2021). "Ari Lennox Channels Diana Ross & Donna Summer in Sultry 'Pressure' Video". Okayplayer . Retrieved December 14, 2021.
3. "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. October 18, 2021. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
4. "Ari Lennox Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
5. "Ari Lennox Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
6. "Ari Lennox Chart History (R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
7. "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 2022". Billboard. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
8. "American single certifications – Ari Lennox – Pressure". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved May 17, 2022.