“Swalla,” the dancehall-infused track by American singer Jason Derulo featuring Queen Of Rap Nicki Minaj and Ty Dolla $ign, has surpassed 1 billion streams on Spotify. The song released on February 24, 2017, by Warner Bros. Records, has 1,060,578,969 streams as of September 19, 2023 and is Derulo’s second song to reach the milestone on the platform.
“Swalla” was penned by Derulo himself, alongside Minaj, Ty, Eric Frederic, Gamal Lewis, Jacob Kasher Hindlin, Russell Jones, and Robert Diggs and produced by Ricky Reed.
While Jason didn’t mention dancehall as the inspiration for the record, he told Billboard at the time, “You know we’re from the islands. So, we really took it there and it’s definitely a must-see. As soon as the video comes out, make sure you’re clicking,” he added.
Originally, “Swalla” was the lead single from Jason Derulo’s fifth studio album, titled ‘2Sides’. The song’s intriguing mix of dancehall vibes and catchy lyrics hinted at the exciting musical direction Derulo was poised to explore on the cusp of the success from Justin Bieber’s Sorry and Drake’s One Dance in 2016.
Jason Derulo, speaking about the collaboration stated, “I never believe in forcing a collaboration. You know, I’m a fan of both of theirs and I thought that they fit the track perfectly. It’s one of those ones that’ll get you up and doing your thing. I feel like it’s gonna stick out on the radio. There’s nothing that sounds like it.” This sentiment echoes the sentiment of many listeners who found “Swalla” to be a fresh and distinctive addition to the airwaves.
Interestingly, “Swalla” features parts of the chorus that are an interpolation of ODB’s song “Shimmy Shimmy Ya,” adding a nostalgic twist to the contemporary dancehall beat.
After Dark Remix
The trio of Derulo, Minaj, and Ty Dolla $ign wasn’t finished with “Swalla” after its initial release and on May 12, 2017, they dropped the “Swalla (After Dark Remix),” a slower, acoustic rendition of the original. Jason Derulo explained the inspiration behind this remix where he again left out the ‘dancehall’ verbiage but, stating, “It was so nice we had to do it twice! The original version is the ultimate club track, so the idea was to give people the flip side of the song. The subject matter and melody are so sexy, but you might miss the ‘sexy’ in all the fun of ‘Swalla.’ So, ‘After Dark’ is on the opposite side of the spectrum and is SURE to set the mood.”
“Swalla” received its fair share of critical acclaim upon its release. Nicki Minaj’s verse was hailed as a standout moment in the song, with Justin Ivey from XXL noting that she “comes through to close out the track with bars that steal the show.” Complex’s Joshua Espinoza praised Minaj as ‘the star of the song’ and highlighted the track’s potential. Rap-Up also lauded Minaj’s verse, suggesting it might contain ‘thinly-veiled jabs at Remy Ma.’
Hilary Hughes from MTV News aptly described “Swalla” as a “steamy number that has all three chiming in over a wobbly beat that would feel right at home on the floor of a beach club in the Caribbean.”
The Alex Lockett, directed music video released on March 17, 2017, has since amassed over 1.7 billion views on YouTube.
Derulo and Ty Dolla $ign performed the track on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on April 6, 2017. The Billboard Music Awards on May 21, 2017, featured a performance by Derulo and Minaj, and Derulo took “Swalla” to the Opening Ceremony of the Pakistan Super League in 2018.
The song became a part of K-Pop group Blackpink’s In Your Area World Tour as a solo dance number for member Lisa in Asia, North America, and Europe.
In terms of sales ‘Swalla’ is certified in:
- United States: 2× Platinum (2,000,000 units/sales)
- United Kingdom: 2× Platinum (1,200,000 units/sales)
- Spain: 3× Platinum (120,000 units/sales)
- Portugal: 2× Platinum (20,000 units/sales)
- Poland: Platinum (50,000 units/sales)
- New Zealand: Platinum (30,000 units/sales)
- Netherlands: 3× Platinum (120,000 units/sales)
- Italy: 3× Platinum (150,000 units/sales)
- Germany: 2× Platinum (800,000 units/sales)
- France: Diamond (233,333 units/sales)
- Denmark: Platinum (90,000 units/sales)
- Canada: 4× Platinum (320,000 units/sales)
- Brazil: Diamond (250,000 units/sales)
- Belgium: Platinum (20,000 units/sales)
- Austria: Platinum (30,000 units/sales)
- Australia: 3× Platinum (210,000 units/sales)
