page_title: Problem (song)
section_title: Critical reception
hierarchical_section_title: Problem (song) / Critical reception
caption_attribution_description: English: Iggy Azalea at the 2014 ACL Music Festival
context_page_description: "Problem" is a song by the American pop singer Ariana Grande, featuring the Australian rapper Iggy Azalea. It was written by both alongside Savan Kotecha, Ilya and Max Martin, being produced by the latter two with Shellback, with Peter Carlsson serving as a vocal producer. The song was released by Republic Records on April 28, 2014, as the lead single from Grande's second studio album My Everything. "Problem" is an uptempo dance-pop song with influences of R&B music, which comprises a melody based on drums, saxophone loops, and trumpets. The chorus features uncredited background vocals from American hip hop artist Big Sean. Lyrically, Grande has stated that the song is about "the feeling of being absolutely terrified to re-approach a relationship that's gone sour – but you want to more than anything."
  The song debuted at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 selling 438,000 copies in its first week on sale, earning Grande her biggest digital song sales week ever. The song later peaked at number two, surpassing "The Way" as her highest-charting single in the United States at the time. It also became Azalea's second-highest charting single in the US, after her own single "Fancy".
context_section_description: Mike Wass of Idolator described the song as "an odd blend of '90s pop and current urban trends but there's no denying that it's catchy." Entertainment Weekly called the song a "dramatic reinvention," and also notes, "The idea that Grande was collaborating with bad girl du jour Iggy Azalea prompted all kinds of speculation, and the result is more or less what everybody expected: Grande's enviable pipes are still the centerpiece, but she also invites a sax-drunk loop, sexy whisper tracks, and Azalea's Jay Z-referencing high-speed verse to the party as well." Music Times commented that "the saxophone-filled track continues the pattern set by Grande's 2013 debut album Yours Truly by being heavily influenced by the '90s R&B scene. This time, 'Problem' pulls from the funky, funky streets with a jazz-influenced riff. An overwhelming (but welcome) dose of saxophone leads the song before the more modern drum-filled beat drops." In addition, 4Music said "Ariana's sweet-sounding vocals contrast brilliantly with Problem's sexy sax and Iggy's gritty rap."
  Pitchfork named it "Best New Track", saying that it "bears all the hallmarks of a future smash, as if the future wasn't actually right now." Writing for MTV, Emilee Lindner praised the song's throwback sound, which Grande admits to striving for, while still keeping it fresh and modern, stating: "The song is so excitingly new but also decidedly so retro... The cranky sax, the whispered chorus, the airy harmonies and Iggy's snarky feature all tied in with a juicy modern beat." Lindner continued by calling it "the freshest pop song of the moment", commending the song's production for its "more than a few unexpected throwbacks", comparing the saxophone loops to Jennifer Lopez's 2004 single "Get Right" saying "It's the same notes over and over, but its attitude doesn't let you zone out", while the whispers in the chorus echoes to the Ying Yang Twins' 2005 single "Wait." In July 2014, Billboard listed the song as one of the "10 Best Songs of 2014 (so far)" saying that "the snappy R&B of Ariana Grande's breakout hit 'The Way' feels minimalist compared to the multi-faceted bubblegum of 'Problem'". Meanwhile, Pitchfork named it the 33rd best song of 2014.
caption: Iggy Azalea contributed a verse to "Problem"
exif: {"Image Make": "Canon", "Image Model": "Canon EOS 5D Mark III", "Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image XResolution": "300", "Image YResolution": "300", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image Software": "Adobe Photoshop Elements 11.0 Windows", "Image DateTime": "2014:12:02 21:41:09", "Image Artist": "Ralph Arvesen", "Image ExifOffset": "250", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail XResolution": "72", "Thumbnail YResolution": "72", "Thumbnail ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "944", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "10327", "EXIF ExposureTime": "1/1250", "EXIF FNumber": "14/5", "EXIF ExposureProgram": "Aperture Priority", "EXIF ISOSpeedRatings": "1600", "EXIF SensitivityType": "Recommended Exposure Index", "EXIF RecommendedExposureIndex": "1600", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0230", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2014:10:11 17:30:15", "EXIF DateTimeDigitized": "2014:10:11 17:30:15", "EXIF ShutterSpeedValue": "321491/31250", "EXIF ApertureValue": "1485427/500000", "EXIF ExposureBiasValue": "1/3", "EXIF MaxApertureValue": "3", "EXIF MeteringMode": "Pattern", "EXIF Flash": "Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode", "EXIF FocalLength": "70", "EXIF SubSecTime": "59", "EXIF SubSecTimeOriginal": "59", "EXIF SubSecTimeDigitized": "59", "EXIF ColorSpace": "sRGB", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "1348", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "2048", "EXIF FocalPlaneXResolution": "160", "EXIF FocalPlaneYResolution": "160", "EXIF FocalPlaneResolutionUnit": "4", "EXIF CustomRendered": "Normal", "EXIF ExposureMode": "Auto Exposure", "EXIF WhiteBalance": "Auto", "EXIF SceneCaptureType": "Standard", "EXIF BodySerialNumber": "172028009359", "EXIF LensSpecification": "[70, 200, 0/0, 0/0]", "EXIF LensModel": "EF70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM", "EXIF LensSerialNumber": "0000c2e4f3"}