She's like a Star

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It's about my girlfriend but it's also about how you would feel if you had a child and how strongly you would feel if you had a daughter and how overwhelming the love would be and they would kind of be like a star, you know like she’s my everything, she’s an angel. [2]

"She's like a Star" is an R&B ballad, [3] and according to the digital sheet music published by Hal Leonard Publishing, was composed in the key of C major at a tempo of 100 beats per minute. [4] It contains synthesizers and uses a sample of a child's voice in the vocal "Like a star", which is repeated several times throughout the song. [5] According to Jon O'Brien of AllMusic, the song is reminiscent of American rapper Kanye West's older material. [6] British soul singer Corinne Bailey Rae claimed that Cruz sampled her voice with her song "Like a Star". [7] Cruz denied the accusation and stated that a musicologist was able to prove that he did not sample Rae's voice. [7]

Release and reception

"She's like a Star" is the fifth single from Departure, [8] and was released in the United Kingdom on 18 August 2008. [5] There are several remixes of the song, including one by Cahill which is more uptempo than the original version. [9] A remix that features vocals from English girl group Sugababes and American rapper Busta Rhymes was also released. [10] According to the Daily Mirror , the collaboration came about when they ran into each other at the Hot 97 studios in New York City. [11] A version of the remix without Busta Rhymes appears as a bonus track on the Sugababes' sixth studio album Catfights and Spotlights (2008). [12]

Critical response

Alex Fletcher of Digital Spy rated the song three out of five stars and stated that it is "undoubtedly" one of the album's low points. [3] Additionally, he criticised the song's lack of "bravado and pizazz" in comparison to Cruz's previous singles "I Can Be" and "Come On Girl". [3] Andy Welch of the Halesowen News described it as "a fine example of a Brit doing R&B as well as the Americans", but was unimpressed with the child's voice sample. [13] Hazel Robinson from the BBC Chart Blog gave the song a full five-star rating, and wrote that its composition and musical arrangement produced a song that sounds natural and "pretty extraordinary". [5] The reviewer admitted that while "She's like a Star" was not the best track from Departure, it sounds "infinitely cooler" than the album's previous single "I Can Be". [5] Daily Record's Rick Fulton praised "She's like a Star" as "one of the best R&B sounds to come out of the UK". [14] "She's like a Star" earned Cruz a MOBO Award nomination for Best UK Male. [15]

Chart performance

The song debuted at number 44 on the UK Singles Chart in the issue dated 16 August 2008. [16] It peaked at number 20 three weeks later, and spent a total of 15 weeks on the chart. [16] "She's like a Star" became Cruz's fifth consecutive top-thirty hit in the United Kingdom, and outpeaked the album's first two singles "I Just Wanna Know" and "Moving On". [16]

Promotion

Taio Cruz performed "She's like a Star" with the Sugababes at the 2008 MOBO Awards ceremony. Sugababes performing at the Manchester Apollo.jpg
Taio Cruz performed "She's like a Star" with the Sugababes at the 2008 MOBO Awards ceremony.

Music video

The music video for "She's like a Star" was filmed in Spain. [17] It features an appearance from the actress Roxanne McKee, known for her role as Louise in the British television soap opera Hollyoaks , in which she plays Cruz's love interest. [2] [17] Cruz, who is friends with McKee, explained how the collaboration came about, saying:

Why Roxanne? She's fit and I wanted her in my video! I'm only joking. I've known Roxanne for some time, although I don't watch Hollyoaks so I don't know about the character she plays. We needed an actress who wouldn't feel awkward doing the mock love scenes so I just rang her and she agreed to do it. It was a case of canoodling for a few hours in sunny Spain. [17]

Most scenes of the video take place in a large house. [18] Throughout the video, the pair are touching and kissing with each other, and McKee is shown in the bathtub. [18] In the concluding scenes, she leaves the house and is depicted as a bright star that travels towards the sky, while Cruz stands in front of the house by the pool. [18]

Live performances

The singer performed "She's like a Star" at the O2 Academy Sheffield, England in August 2008 along with many other tracks from Departure. [19] The Sugababes, along with Cruz, performed the song as part of a medley with their single "Girls" at the 2008 MOBO Awards ceremony. [20] Cruz performed it on MTV Live Sessions along with many of his previous and follow-up singles. [21] He performed "She's like a Star" on 15 May 2011 at Radio 1's Big Weekend, as the fourth song on the set list, which included his hits "Break Your Heart", "Higher" and "Dynamite". [22]

Track listings and formats

"She's like a Star"
She'sLikeAStar.jpg
Single by Taio Cruz
from the album Departure
Released18 August 2008
Recorded2007
Studio Gangsta Records
Genre R&B
Length
  • 3:17 (Radio Edit)
  • 3:38 (Album Version)
Label Island Records
Songwriter(s) Taio Cruz
Producer(s) Taio Cruz
Taio Cruz singles chronology
"I Can Be"
(2008)		"She's like a Star"
(2008)		"I Just Wanna Know '08"
(2008)
Sugababes singles chronology
"Denial"
(2008)		"She's like a Star"
(2008)		"Girls"
(2008)

Charts

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI) [32] Silver200,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

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References

  1. ↑ "It will be sunny – I've had words..." Birmingham Mail . Trinity Mirror. 15 August 2008. Archived from the original on 19 April 2013. Retrieved 19 April 2013.
  2. 1 2 "Exclusive interview: Taio Cruz". Sugar . Hearst Magazines. 31 July 2008. Archived from the original on 31 August 2011. Retrieved 19 April 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 Fletcher, Alex (9 August 2008). "Taio Cruz: 'She's Like a Star'". Digital Spy . Hearst Magazines. Archived from the original on 19 April 2013. Retrieved 19 April 2013.
  4. ↑ Cruz, Taio (2008). "Digital Sheet Music – Taio Cruz – She's Like a Star". Musicnotes.com. Hal Leonard Publishing. SC0095042.
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  6. ↑ O'Brien, Jon. "Departure – Taio Cruz". AllMusic . Rovi Corporation. Archived from the original on 28 March 2013. Retrieved 24 April 2013.
  7. 1 2 "Corinne Bailey Rae scraps with Taio Cruz". Daily Star . Northern and Shell Media. 8 February 2008. Retrieved 19 April 2013.
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  11. ↑ Moodie, Clemmie; Lawler, Danielle (20 August 2008). "Is this the weirdest pop collaboration?". Daily Mirror . Trinity Mirror. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 19 April 2013.(subscription required)
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  13. ↑ Welch, Andy (23 August 2008). "On the record". Halesowen News . Newsquest. Archived from the original on 19 April 2013. Retrieved 19 April 2013.
  14. ↑ Fulton, Rick (15 August 2008). "Singles and albums". Daily Record . Trinity Mirror. Retrieved 19 April 2013.[ permanent dead link ](subscription required)
  15. ↑ Jones, Steve (12 March 2010). "Taio Cruz's 'Break Your Heart' zooms to No. 1 on Hot 100". USA Today . Gannett Company. Archived from the original on 19 April 2013. Retrieved 19 April 2013.
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  17. 1 2 3 "It's nice work if you can get it!". Birmingham Mail. Trinity Mirror. 1 August 2008. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 19 April 2013.
  18. 1 2 3 "She's Like a Star Video". MTV UK . MTV Networks. Archived from the original on 13 August 2009. Retrieved 19 April 2013.
  19. ↑ Mugan, Chris (14 August 2008). "Taio Cruz, Academy 2, Sheffield". The Independent . Independent News & Media. Archived from the original on 19 April 2013. Retrieved 19 April 2013.
  20. ↑ "In pictures: Mobo Awards 2008". CBBC . BBC. 16 October 2008. Archived from the original on 19 October 2008. Retrieved 19 April 2013.
  21. ↑ "Live Sessions – Taio Cruz – 'She's Like a Star'". MTV Australia . MTV Networks. Archived from the original on 19 April 2013. Retrieved 19 April 2013.
  22. ↑ "Radio 1's Big Weekend 2011 – Taio Cruz". BBC Radio 1 . BBC. Archived from the original on 19 April 2013. Retrieved 19 April 2013.
  23. ↑ "She's Like a Star (Single)". Amazon (UK). Archived from the original on 19 April 2013. Retrieved 19 April 2013.
  24. ↑ "She's Like a Star – Single". iTunes Store . Apple . Retrieved 19 April 2013.
  25. ↑ "She's Like a Star (Remix) [feat. Sugababes & Busta Rhymes] – Single". iTunes Store. Apple. Retrieved 19 April 2013.
  26. ↑ "She's Like a Star (feat. K.R.) - Single". iTunes .
  27. ↑ "She's Like A Star (Remixes) – EP". iTunes Store. Apple. Retrieved 19 April 2013.
  28. ↑ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
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  30. ↑ "Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  31. ↑ "Official Singles Chart 2008" (PDF). UKChartsPlus . Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  32. ↑ "British single certifications – Taio Cruz – She's Like a Star". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved 7 May 2021.
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