W.I.T.C.H. (song)

Last updated
"W.I.T.C.H."
Single by Devon Cole
from the EP 1-800-Got-Stress
ReleasedJuly 7, 2022
Label Arista
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) John Mark Nelson
Devon Cole singles chronology
"Uncall It"
(2022)		"W.I.T.C.H."
(2022)		"Hey Cowboy"
(2022)

"W.I.T.C.H." (pronounced "witch") is a 2022 song by Canadian alt-pop singer Devon Cole. [1] [2] It was released on July 7, 2022, via Arista Records. The song was written by Cole and songwriters John Mark Nelson and Alexandra Soumalias.

Contents

Background

Cole initially performed a demo of the opening verse [3] of the song on TikTok, [4] where it received over 40 million views. [1] She was singing original lyrics over a piece of instrumental backing music Nelson had shared on the platform.

A full version of the song was then released as her first single through Arista Records (who are owned by Sony Music Entertainment) on 7 July 2022. [5] With nearly 300,000 pre-saves, it was Sony's biggest pre-save campaign for a female artist to that point. [2] A music video followed. [6]

"W.I.T.C.H." is an acronym for "Woman In Total Control (of) Herself". [6] Cole described the song as reclaiming "the witch as a symbol of women's resistance. It celebrates women's strength, autonomy, and rebellion". [1] The song was written by Nelson, Cole and Alexandra Soumalias, and produced by Nelson. [5] The music was performed by Nelson on keyboards, guitar, bass and drum machine. [7]

Cole received a Juno Award nomination for Breakthrough Artist of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2023. [8]

Certifications

Certifications for "W.I.T.C.H."
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada) [9] Platinum80,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Devon Cole Ridicules Misogynists in Empowering "W.I.T.C.H"". July 8, 2022.
  2. 1 2 Cafe, The Sound (July 12, 2022). "Toronto-Based Devon Cole Signs With Arista and Releases Earworm 'W.I.T.C.H.'". The Sound Cafe.
  3. ↑ "New Music Friday: DNCE, blackbear, Marshmello, The Weeknd and Devon Cole". KS95 94.5. July 8, 2022.
  4. ↑ Gordon, Holly (8 June 2022). "Devon Cole is making earworm pop with a feminist edge".
  5. 1 2 "Devon Cole Releases New Song "W.I.T.C.H."". pm studio world wide news.
  6. 1 2 Lipshutz, Jason (July 7, 2022). "Devon Cole Signs With Arista Records, Releases New Single 'W.I.T.C.H.': Exclusive". Billboard .
  7. ↑ “Building W.I.T.C.H. by Devon Cole” by John Mark Nelson, YouTube, August 2022
  8. ↑ "Here are all the 2023 Juno nominees". CBC Music, January 31, 2023.
  9. ↑ "Canadian single certifications – Devon Cole – W.I.T.C.H". Music Canada . Retrieved June 14, 2025.
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