Yummy (Justin Bieber song)

"Yummy" is a song by Canadian singer Justin Bieber. It was released on January 3, 2020, along with a lyric video through Def Jam Recordings as the lead single from his upcoming fifth studio album. The song is Bieber's first solo single to be released in three years. Upon its release, the song has received mostly mixed reception from critics: many praised its R&B production but most dismissed its lyrics. Its official music video was directed by Bardia Zeinali, which premiered on January 4, 2020.
Background and promotion
On December 23, 2019, Bieber teased the release by posting a picture of himself in front of a piano accompanied by two posts with the caption "tomorrow". On the following day, he announced the single through a trailer he uploaded to YouTube that shows him walking through an abandoned gas station. The trailer also serves as an announcement for his upcoming North American tour starting May 14, 2020, as well as a documentary covering "all different stories". About the upcoming music, Bieber stated that he feels like "this is different than the previous albums just because of where I'm at in my life".
Composition
"Yummy" is a "straightforward R&B number" that moves along on pop-trap beats. The song contains a "crisp bass line and plinking keyboards". Bieber sings the pre-chorus, while he hits his "signature falsetto" in the bridge. Bryan Rolli of Forbes magazine called the chorus "seductive", albeit "meaningless". The song is considered an ode to Bieber's wife Hailey Bieber.
Critical reception
"Yummy" received polarizing reviews from music critics, who complimented the "catchy" R&B production. They also criticized the "asinine" lyrical content.
Rania Aniftos of Billboard said "Yummy" brings back "the flirtatious Bieber we've missed and been waiting for", describing the chorus as "catchy". Bryan Rolli, a writer for Forbes, said that Bieber "sings his heart out" on the song and noted although "the lyrics may not invite scholarly analysis ... Bieber sure does sound good singing them". Rolli concluded calling the song a "win, an inevitable chart smash" and opined that it is "sure to sound even better when 50,000 fans scream it every night on his upcoming tour". Mikael Wood from the Los Angeles Times described the song as "a lithe little R&B number that faintly recalls Ginuwine's mid-'90s classic "Pony" and basically three-and-a-half minutes of PG-13 sex talk seemingly directed at Hailey Baldwin". He stated that "though it's very cute, 'Yummy' feels awfully lightweight for a single that has as much hanging on it as this one does" and added that the song "loses much of its flavor after only a few spins".
NMEs Sam Moore complimented the song's R&B production, who dismissed the lyrics. He termed as "failed expectations". He opined that the song's producers opted for "minimalism with their choice of instrumentation, melding airy keys with pop-trap beats with an evident view of creating something as universal as the likes of 'Hotline Bling' and Childish Gambino's 'Feels Like Summer'". Moore further wrote that Bieber's layered vocals and harmonies are "able to glide along rather effortlessly--it's just a shame he doesn't have more to say with them" and that Bieber's embrace of R&B "isn't a complete turn-off". Pitchforks Eric Torres criticized the song for being "shamelessly engineered for the truncated attention span of TikTok" and "a bloodless shell of an R&B song crippled by asinine lyrics and a tired, syncopated backdrop". He further wrote that the song "plateaus as soon as it starts, never inching past the toddler-like repetition of 'yummy-yum' in its chorus". Brad Callas from Complex listed "Yummy" among the best new music of the week and said Bieber's "pivot back to R&B is refreshing for those who were fans of his slept-on 2013 project, Journals". Callas further remarked that the "silky vocals" is at times reminiscent of Bieber's 2016 collaboration with Post Malone, "Deja Vu".
Music video
The music video for "Yummy" was directed by Bardia Zeinali, which premiered on January 4, 2020. In the video, it portrays Bieber with pink hair at a dinner party in a fancy restaurant, eating various colorful food items with the guests.
Credits and personnel
Credits adapted from Tidal.