| "Perfume" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
&sq=&lang=&file=File:Perfume_cover.png) | ||||
| Single by Britney Spears | ||||
| from the album Britney Jean | ||||
| Released | November 3, 2013 | |||
| Recorded | July 2013 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:59 | |||
| Label | RCA | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
| |||
| Producer(s) |
| |||
| Britney Spears singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Perfume" on YouTube | ||||
"Perfume" is a song by American singer Britney Spears, taken from her eighth studio album, Britney Jean (2013). It was written by Spears, Sia and Christopher Braide, while the song was produced by will.i.am and co-produced by Keith Harris and Braide. The song was released as the second single from the album on November 3, 2013 by RCA Records. "Perfume" is a synth-pop, power ballad, which is influenced by music of the 1980s. Lyrically, the song is built around themes of jealousy and suspicion in a relationship. Spears revealed that the song was about her split with her ex-fiancé, Jason Trawick, in early 2013.
A musical departure from its EDM-influenced predecessor, "Work Bitch", music critics noted her "surprisingly strong" vocals, and compared them to those of Gwen Stefani. Worldwide, the song performed weakly in official charts, peaking at number 76 in the United States and within the top 70 in Australia, Canada and Ireland. The music video for "Perfume" was directed by Joseph Kahn and released in December 2013. Spears' love interest in the video leaves her for another woman, while Spears is left devastated. Kahn mentioned that there is an unreleased director's cut version of the video, where Spears' role in the video is actually an assassin hired to kill her boyfriend. Spears included the song on her residency concert Britney: Piece of Me (2013–2016).