"Keith" is a song by New Zealand singer-songwriter Kaylee Bell from her first extended play, The Red EP (2021). Written by Bell with Phil Barton and Lindsay Rimes and produced by the latter, Bell recorded the song in 2018 in Nashville, Tennessee. It was independently released on 15 February 2019. A country song, it makes reference to several songs by Australian singer Keith Urban, which led music critics to consider it as a tribute song to him.
| "Keith" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Kaylee Bell | ||||
| from the EP The Red EP | ||||
| Released | 15 February 2019 | |||
| Recorded | 2018 | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 2:51 | |||
| Label | Independent | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
| |||
| Producer(s) | Lindsay Rimes | |||
| Kaylee Bell singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Keith" on YouTube | ||||
"Keith" peaked at number 22 on the New Zealand Hot Singles Chart. In April 2022, Bell sang it on The Voice Australia which made all coaches turn, including Urban himself. Bell was applauded by all coaches for her performance. She also performed the song in 2019 at Jesse Mulligan and Mike Hosking's radio shows. It was further promoted by an accompanying live video and a music video. In the second visual, a woman is shown alongside her partner while Bell is seen singing.
Background and release
edit"Keith" was written by Bell with Phil Barton and Lindsay Rimes, with Rimes producing it. Bell recorded the song in 2018 in Nashville, Tennessee, when she brought the idea to Barton and Rimes while staying there.[1] In a July 2019 interview with CMT, Bell revealed that she came up with the idea to use song titles from Keith Urban to "tell the story of falling in love for the first time and how music and songs take you back".[2] She had already met Urban in 2013, and performed on his Light the Fuse Tour in Australia in 2014 and on his Ripcord World Tour in New Zealand in 2016.[2][3] "Keith" was independently released as a single on 15 February 2019 in various countries for digital download and streaming.[4] A pop remix of the song was also issued in March 2022 for the same formats.[5] On 22 August 2022, it was serviced to American country radio stations.[6]
Composition
editMusically, "Keith" is a country song which references 12 of Urban's tracks, such as "Somewhere in My Car", "Long Hot Summer" and "Raise 'Em Up".[7][8][9] Bell told TimeOut she came up with the song's concept in the middle of the night and was on her phone for a year before she decided to make it into the song.[8] According to The New Zealand Herald, it is a love song "based around some the biggest songs released by Urban".[8] The New Zealand Herald and Triple M deemed the track "an ode to [Urban]",[8][10] while Peter Tuskan of The Music Network and Stuff's Joanne Holden opined that Bell pays tribute to Urban due to the references to his song titles.[7][11] The New Zealand Music Commission called it "an ode to the significance of music as it ties into our past".[1] Triple M also asserted that Bell using Urban's song titles "inspire[s] a simple relatable story of young love".[10]
Reception and promotion
editTuskan called "Keith" a "clever country banger" and a "jam enviable of the country legend himself".[7] The staff of Triple M stated that Bell "issue[d] the ultimate tribute" with the song.[10] For the week dated 16 May 2022, "Keith" re-entered the New Zealand Hot Singles chart and peaked at number 22.[12] On 20 April 2022, Bell performed the song on The Voice Australia, being accompanied by a guitar.[13] All four coaches turned their chairs, with Urban being the first to do so. Bell was applauded by all coaches for her performance.[9][14] Urban affirmed that he already knew the song, calling it "touching" and saying that he "couldn't believe how catchy it was". Fellow coach Rita Ora further labeled it a "smash" and commended Bell for "[taking] a huge risk" by choosing to perform the song.[9]
Upon its release, the song was accompanied by a live performance video, which contains footage of Bell performing at music festival Top Paddock.[10] An official music video for the single was issued on Bell's YouTube channel on 27 June 2019. It depicts a woman spending her time with her partner. Bell is shown in interspersed shots either singing at a bar or in front of a screen.[15] According to CMT, Bell "looks back fondly on her time with a former love" in the visual.[16] On 25 February 2019, she performed "Keith" on Jesse Mulligan's radio program Afternoons with Jesse Mulligan.[17] Bell gave a rendition of the song during Mike Hosking's show at Newstalk ZB in March 2019.[18]
Track listing
editCharts
edit| Chart (2022) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| New Zealand Hot Singles (Recorded Music NZ)[12] | 22 |
Release history
edit| Region | Date | Format(s) | Version | Label | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Various | 15 February 2019 | Original | Kaylee Bell | [4] | |
| United States | 22 August 2022 | Country radio | N/A | [6] | |
| Various | 31 March 2022 |
|
Pop remix | Kaylee Bell | [5] |
References
edit- ^ a b "Kaylee Bell Shares Tribute To Country Music Superstar, 'Keith'". New Zealand Music Commission. 18 February 2019. Archived from the original on 19 September 2022. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
- ^ a b Bonaguro, Alison (16 July 2019). "Artist Discovery: Alana Springsteen, Kaylee Bell, Radio Romance and Savannah Keyes". CMT. Archived from the original on 22 September 2022. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
- ^ Black, Brooke (21 April 2022). "Kiwi country musician impresses on first appearance on The Voice Australia". Stuff. Archived from the original on 27 May 2022. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
- ^ a b c Citations regarding the release of "Keith" in various countries:
- "Keith – Single by Kaylee Bell on Apple Music". iTunes Store (NZ). 15 February 2019. Archived from the original on 19 September 2022. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
- "Keith – Single by Kaylee Bell on Apple Music". iTunes Store (US). 15 February 2019. Archived from the original on 19 September 2022. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
- "Keith – Single by Kaylee Bell on Apple Music". iTunes Store (GB). 15 February 2019. Archived from the original on 19 September 2022. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
- ^ a b c Citations regarding the release of "Keith (Pop Remix)" in various countries:
- "Keith (Pop Remix) – Single by Kaylee Bell on Apple Music". iTunes Store (NZ). 31 March 2022. Archived from the original on 19 September 2022. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
- "Keith (Pop Remix) – Single by Kaylee Bell on Apple Music". iTunes Store (US). 31 March 2022. Archived from the original on 19 September 2022. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
- "Keith (Pop Remix) – Single by Kaylee Bell on Apple Music". iTunes Store (GB). 31 March 2022. Archived from the original on 19 September 2022. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
- ^ a b Hollabaugh, Lorie (2 August 2022). "Mark Your Calendar — August 2022". MusicRow. Archived from the original on 12 August 2022. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
- ^ a b c Tuskan, Peter (19 February 2019). "SOTD: Kaylee Bell channels her inner Keith on clever country banger". The Music Network. Archived from the original on 19 February 2019. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
- ^ a b c d "Kiwi country singer Kaylee Bell's ode to Keith Urban". The New Zealand Herald. 13 February 2019. Archived from the original on 19 September 2022. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
- ^ a b c Lenehan Vaughn, Grace (20 April 2022). "The Voice Australia Contestant Floors Keith Urban With Audition". Taste of Country. Archived from the original on 25 June 2022. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
- ^ a b c d "Kaylee Bell Releases Her Ode to Keith Urban". Triple M. 15 February 2019. Archived from the original on 19 September 2022. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
- ^ Holden, Joanne (14 February 2019). "Waimate's Kaylee Bell pays tribute to fellow Kiwi-born country singer Keith Urban". Stuff. Archived from the original on 29 September 2021. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
- ^ a b "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 16 May 2022. Archived from the original on 14 May 2022. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
- ^ Christie, Erin (20 April 2022). "The Voice's Kaylee Bell blows the coaches away with a Keith Urban-inspired song". Who. Archived from the original on 19 September 2022. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
- ^ Rees, Amy (24 April 2022). "Kaylee Bell took a risk and it paid off for the country pop singer". Western Advocate. ProQuest 2653579964.
- ^ "Kaylee Bell – 'Keith' (Official Music Video)". 27 June 2019. Archived from the original on 18 August 2022. Retrieved 22 September 2022 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Kaylee Bell – Keith". CMT. 16 July 2019. Archived from the original on 19 September 2022. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
- ^ "First song: Kaylee Bell". Radio New Zealand. 25 February 2019. Archived from the original on 15 August 2022. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
- ^ "Country music star Kaylee Bell performs live in studio". Newstalk ZB. 27 March 2019. Archived from the original on 22 September 2022. Retrieved 20 September 2022.