"Twice" | |
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Promotional single by Christina Aguilera | |
from the album Liberation | |
Released | May 11, 2018 |
Studio | The Sanctuary (Los Angeles, CA) [1] |
Length | 4:02 |
Label | RCA |
Songwriter(s) | Kirby Dockery |
Producer(s) |
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"Twice" is a song by American singer Christina Aguilera from her eighth studio album, Liberation (2018). [2] It was released for digital download and streaming on May 11, 2018 by RCA Records as the album's first promotional single. [3] Kirby Lauryen wrote the track and co-produced it with Sandy Chila. Upon its release of, music critics were positive towards the track, praising Aguilera's voice and the lyrics. Commercially, "Twice" reached top-forty positions on the digital charts of Australia and Spain. The song was later included in the setlist for The Liberation Tour, [4] Christina Aguilera: The Xperience, [5] and The X Tour. [6]
"Twice" was solely written by Kirby Lauryen, while co-producing along with Sandy Chila. [7] [8] On May 10, 2018, Aguilera posted a video on her Twitter account in which she teased the release of a song from her then-upcoming eight studio album, Liberation (2018), stating that she loves the song's "raw vocal quality" and the "spiritual emotion and tone" it conveys. [9] [10] [11] The track was released for digital download and streaming as the first promotional single from Liberation on May 11, 2018 by RCA Records. [2] Musically, "Twice" has been described as a soulful ballad [12] [13] [14] with a length of four minutes and two seconds. [7] According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Sony/ATV Music Publishing, the song is performed in the key of F♯ Minor with a moderately slow tempo of 75 beats per minute. Aguilera's vocals span from E3 to F5. [15]
Jon Pareles from New York Times said that "Twice" "mournfully ponders sin, forgiveness and redemption". [16] Nicholas Hautman of Us Weekly stated that "Twice" is Aguilera's best song since "Hurt", noting its "contemplative and stripped-down nature". [17] Neil McCormick from The Daily Telegraph considered that Aguilera sounded "like a one-woman Fleetwood Mac" and praised "her rich low notes fluttering effortlessly up to falsetto with no loss of control". [18] During a review for Liberation for PopCrush, Bobby Olivier called "Twice" "a sparse and pensive track" and described the intro of the song as "harmonic". [19] Althea Legapsi from Rolling Stone opined that the lyrics contemplate "the duality that can be found with love", [20] and Mike Nied from Idolator deemed the singer's voice, calling it "as strong as ever before". [21] Zach Johnson of E! Online labelled "Twice" as a "brooding ballad". [11]
Although the song was never promoted with an official music video, a conceptual visual video—created by Aguilera and her team—was released on May 11, 2018. [22] [23] [24] It was meant to express the singer's thankfulness for her fans' support, and contains a spiritual, naturalist theme: Aguilera is seen submerged in water, and those scenes are followed by close-ups of flowers. [22] Aguilera called the visuals "personal" and believed they "set a tone behind the feel of the music as a kind of backdrop". [22] [23] She said the video was shot because she "felt inspired by the themes of duality and inner struggle in 'Twice'". [22] [23]
On June 9, 2018 Aguilera performed the track for the first time at the Genentech Gives Back benefit concert in San Francisco. [25] [26] Other songs presented on stage included Liberation singles "Accelerate" and "Fall in Line". [25] Aguilera promoted "Fall in Line" during 2018's New York Fashion Week on September 9. Before she sang the song, celebrity drag queen Sasha Velour acted out the lyrics of "Twice". [27]
The song was included in the setlist for Aguilera's 2018 Liberation Tour. [4] The singer's rendition at the Radio City Music Hall on October 4, 2018 was called "killer" by The Star-Ledger's Bobby Olivier. [4] In 2019, "Twice" was also performed during a concert residency Christina Aguilera: The Xperience, [5] and The X Tour in Europe and Mexico. [6] [28] The X Tour's arrangement was met with critical acclaim, praised by Metro , [29] Berliner Morgenpost , [30] and FrontView Magazine. [31] In July 2021, Aguilera performed "Twice" during her two night show at the Hollywood Bowl with Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. [32] [33] [34]
Year | Ceremony | Category | Result | Ref. |
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2018 | AMFT Awards | Best Pop Solo Performance | Won | [35] |
Chart (2018) | Peak position |
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Australia Digital Tracks (ARIA) [36] | 35 |
France (SNEP) [37] | 169 |
French Digital Singles (SNEP) [38] | 164 |
Indonesian Digital Songs (LIMA) [39] | 1 |
Spain Physical/Digital (PROMUSICAE) [40] | 31 |
US Digital Song Sales ( Billboard ) [41] | 42 |
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