Fake Friends

"Fake Friends" is a song recorded by Reshan singer Gersten for her debut studio album, Mind of the Beast. It was released on 16 December 2016, by Juniperia Sounds as the lead single from the record. Gersten cowrote the song along with Matvej Klug, while Klug produced the song as well. "Fake Friends" is a synthpop song, while its lyrics speak of being betrayed by friends.
The song topped the charts in Gersten's home Resha for five weeks. It has sold 6.4 million copies in the country, being certified diamond. It reached the summit of the charts in eight other countries, and reached the top in seven additional ones. It was certified multi-platinum in seventeen countries.
The song's accompanying music video was released on 30 December 2016. Filmed in stop motion, the video follows the breakdown of a friendship with one of the friends being portrayed by Gersten.
==Background and composition==
Gersten first wrote an early demo version of "Fake Friends" after moving to Hederhelm in November 2015. The song was played entirely on acoustic guitar, and ran for a length of 5:54. A cleaned-up version of the acoustic demo was later included in the song's digital download. Lyrically, the song was inspired by a bad experience she had with a group of girls while she was in high school. Speaking of the incident, she stated, "I was friends with this group of four other girls and I had a crush on this guy who went to school with us. They encouraged me to ask him out and so eventually I did, but in reality he had a secret relationship with one of the girls who told me to talk to him. It was so embarrassing, and they were just setting me up to be embarrassed. They thought it was hilarious, but I was humiliated. It was the last time I talked to them".
After meeting producer Matvej Klug, they rewrote some of the lyrics together and Klug produced a backing track for the song, turning it into a synthpop song. Gersten was initially reluctant to so drastically change the song, but stated that she "trusted Matvej". "Fake Friends" has a length of 3:21. It is a synthpop song and Gersten was praised for her "R&B vocals" and the song's "melodic sound".
==Reception==
===Critical===
Upon its release, critics called it "an earworm" and "instantly catchy". On SuperCritic, the song has an overall approval rating of 83%, citing "largely positive reviews" from 389 music critics. It has been hailed as a "teenage anthem for the 21st century".
===Chart performance===
"Fake Friends" debuted at number-65 in Resha. In its third week on the chart, it jumped to number-seven due to increasing digital downloads, streams, and radio airplay. In its fourth week it jumped to number-four, and reached the summit of the chart in its fifth week. It remained at the number-one position for five more weeks.
The song performed well internationally as well, charting in 23 countries. Besides Resha, the song reached the number-one position in eight countries and reached the top ten in a further seven nations.
==Music video==
The song's music video was released on 30 December 2016 through Gersten's VEVO channel, and was filmed from 18–19 December in Hederhelm. It was filmed in stop motion and has been noted for its use of bright colors and 1960s aesthetics. The video follows two friends (one played by Gersten) and the deterioration of their friendship. It also features clips of Gersten performing the song.
==Track listing==
==Charts==
Chart(2016–17) 	Peakposition
Albernia 	6
Asharsia 	4
Berats 	1
Dresperland 	4
East Resha 	1
Fransert 	13
Gregaria 	7
Gregus 	26
Hemlot 	1
Ilenia 	2
Jahastia 	2
Jesper 	1
Jurgenkrosh 	12
Kypa 	1
Leveria 	17
Maru 	13
Nazarestia 	11
Orland 	4
Resha 	1
Sameria 	13
Titovania 	1
Velkanian Isles	1
Zornia 	1
==Certifications==
Region 	Certification	Certified units
Albernia 	Platinum 	50,000
Asharsia 	Platinum 	50,000
Berats 	2x platinum 	50,000
Dresperland 	Platinum 	20,000
East Resha 	3x platinum 	50,000
Gregaria 	Platinum 	1,000,000
Hemlot 	Platinum 	10,000
Ilenia 	Platinum 	15,000
Jahastia 	Platinum 	50,000
Jesper 	Platinum 	10,000
Kypa 	2x platinum 	20,000
Nazarestia 	Platinum 	100,000
Orland 	2x platinum 	50,000
Resha 	Diamond 	6,400,000
Titovania 	2x platinum 	400,000
Velkanian Isles	3x platinum 	30,000
Zornia 	3x platinum 	2,250,000
Pravia 	 	10,555,000
==Release history==
Region	Date 	Format
Pravia	16 December 2016	Digital download ∙ streaming
Pravia	23 December 2016	Top 40 radio
Category:2016 songs
Category:2016 singles
Category:GERSTEN songs
Category:Number-one debut singles
Category:Songs written by Gersten Veffermann
Category:Songs written by Matvej Klug
Category:Songs produced by Matvej Klug
Category:Number-one singles in Resha
Category:Number-one singles in Berats
Category:Number-one singles in East Resha
Category:Number-one singles in Kypa
Category:Number-one singles in Titovania
Category:Number-one singles in the Velkanian Isles
Category:Number-one singles in Zornia
Category:English-language Reshan songs
Category:Songs certified diamond in Resha
Category:Songs certified platinum in Albernia
Category:Songs certified platinum in Asharsia
Category:Songs certified platinum in Berats
Category:Songs certified platinum in Dresperland
Category:Songs certified platinum in East Resha
Category:Songs certified platinum in Gregaria
Category:Songs certified platinum in Hemlot
Category:Songs certified platinum in Ilenia
Category:Songs certified platinum in Jahastia
Category:Songs certified platinum in Jesper
Category:Songs certified platinum in Kypa
Category:Songs certified platinum in Nazarestia
Category:Songs certified platinum in Orland
Category:Songs certified platinum in Titovania
Category:Songs certified platinum in the Velkanian Isles
Category:Songs certified platinum in Zornia