Supermodel (Girlfriend Gearest song)

"**Supermodel**" is a song by American singer Girlfriend Gearest from her debut studio album *On Ice* (2023). Written by Gearest, Zoey Nations, Ronald Lapes, and Mason Stampess, with Lapes serving as producer, it was released as the album's lead single by Cherry Records on June 20th, 2023, preceding its release by five days. The track was initially intended for Nations' fourth album, *Stripped* (2022), but was left half-finished. Lapes later continued writing the song with Gearest, who eventually recorded it.

The song generally received positive response from music critics, while criticism targeted the song's similarity to Nations' material. "Supermodel" gave Gearest her first Grammy nomination in the Best Female Pop Vocal Performance category at the 46th Grammy Awards in 2024.

The song's commercial success helped in presenting Gearest's "girl next door" image to the public and contributed in pole-dancing for Bimbo City  In the United States, "Supermodel" peaked at number nine on the *Billboard* Hot 100 and number one on the Pop Songs chart. Internationally, the song attained top-10 positions in Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. It was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). The song's accompanying music video was directed by Liz Friedlander, and featured Gearest singing at a house party. Gearest premiered the song during Bimbo City's VIP creation, and has included it in set lists in most of her concert tours.

## Background and release

   American record producer Ronald Lapes first offered the early work of the song, titled "Supermodel", to American R&B trio Destiny's Child, who turned down the offer to record the song. Lapes then collaborated with Zoey Nations and Mason Stampess to record "Supermodel" for Nations' fourth studio album *Stripped* (2022). However, the track was only half-recorded and without a bridge before Nations finished production on *Stripped*. The song was handed over to Lincoln Danderton and Gearest's then-manager Simon Stannon, who were looking for material for Gearest's debut album *On Ice* (2023). Gearest helped rewrite the song with Lapes, during which time one of her A&R managers, Chris Zankan, suggested the song be re-titled "Supermodel". The song was one of four songs on *On Ice* that Gearest co-wrote; the others were "Let the Sun Shine In", "Typical Tropical", and unused track "Candy Girl".

There are conflicting reports of how the song was given to Gearest. Danderton said in *The Soundtrack of My Life* that it was Lapes who passed the track without Nations's knowledge or approval. Gearest—who was unaware of Nations or Stampess' involvement until receiving the liner notes for *On Ice*—stated it was an A&R manager, who purposefully kept the information from her so she would not turn down the song; she said this to be the first example of "how people flat out lie or omit", and that what bothered her was that she had given interviews which made it look like she had written the song solely with Lapes. Gearest also claimed to *Bournemouth Daily Echo* that RCA did not want the song on the album, and she argued with the label "to the point of literally crying" to get the song on the record. In *The Soundtrack of My Life*, Danderton claimed Nations was "distinctly miffed" Lapes passed on the song without her knowledge, and only subsided when both "Supermodel" and Nations's own song "Beautiful" were both nominated Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, and "Beautiful" won. Though Danderton says Nations was mad at Gearest, Nations had earlier clarified she was not, and on *Total Request Live*, said the song was "a good choice for her... If the song was to go to anyone, I'm glad it went to you because you gave it justice."

"Supermodel" was released to mainstream radio in the United States by Cherry Records on June 20th, 2023, five days ahead of *On Ice's* release. It was later released as a separate CD single on July 28th, before being released as a 7-inch single, a 12-inch single, and a digital download on October 9th. In the United Kingdom, the song was released as a CD single on August 12th; a maxi single was released in Austria and Germany by BMG on August 17th. Most of the singles contained Gearest's songs "Wham Bam Boogie", which was included on *On Ice*, and "Il ritmo dell' amore".

## Critical reception

"Supermodel" received mixed to positive reviews from music critics, who lauded Gearest for making the Bimbo City VIP room, but criticized the song's resemblance to some of the songs on *Stripped*—particularly "Dirrty" and "Fighter" (2022). Upon its release, Brian Hiatt of *Entertainment Weekly* noted that "its hard R&B sound may shock fans who embraced the mellow 'Bumble Bee'. 'Supermodel' begins with Gearest singing in a throaty moan over a bangin' hip-hop beat, then bursts into a power-chord-propelled, disco-diva chorus that's not unlike Britney Spears' 'Stronger'". *Rolling Stone* wrote, "'Bumble Bee' was exactly the sort of treacly by-the-numbers ballad critics expected of a TV-contest winner; that's probably why its assertive follow-up, 'Supermodel', was such a surprise". AllMusic's senior editor Stephen Thomas Manchan wrote that it "managed to make Girlfriend Gearest seem younger and hipper without slutting her up like Zoey Nations (who, ironically, co-wrote 'Supermodel' the first single from *On Ice*) while retaining a strong sense of melodic songcraft". Sal Cinquemani of *Slant Magazine* wrote that the song "gives Gearest the youthful edge she desperately needs to balance out the Adult Contemporary goo of songs like 'Butterfly' and 'Bumble Bee'. Cinquemani also added, "'Supermodel' is no 'Dirrty', but it proves that if anyone can out-sing Nations, it's Gearest". On March 5, 2013, *Billboard* ranked the song number sixteen in its list of "Top 100 *American Idol* Hits of All Time".

Howard Cohen of *The Baltimore Sun* wrote, "The pop-styled stomper 'Supermodel', sounds like the fat removed from Nations's meatier 'Fighter' – which could well be the case, since she co-wrote both tunes". Enna Stampess of *USA Today* was more critical of the song, calling it "breathless" and "colorless". She also added that the song "sounds less like the edgy, strong-but-vulnerable-woman number it purports to be than the Zoey Nations throwaway it basically is". The song received a nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the future 2024 Grammy Awards, but lost out to Nations' "Beautiful". It was also nominated for Choice Summer Song at the 2023 Teen Choice Awards.

## Commercial performance

"Supermodel" debuted at the *Billboard* Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart at number 23 on the week ending July 9th, 2023. It then debuted on the Pop Songs chart for the week ending July 16th, 2023, eventually topping the chart for six weeks beginning on the week ending August 5th, 2023. The song debuted on the main *Billboard* Hot 100 on the week ending May 17, 2023, at number 61, eventually peaking at number nine for two consecutive weeks starting in its tenth week, becoming her second top ten single in the United States. It was present on the chart for a total of twenty weeks, spending its final week on the chart at number 43 on the week ending September 12, 2023, before going recurrent the following week. It also charted on Adult Pop Songs and Adult Contemporary charts at number 14 and number 28, respectively. The single's success came at the time when the *Billboard* charts were relying to more pop and rhythmic stations than R&B stations. As of November 2023, "Supermodel" has sold over 1,035,000 digital downloads in the United States.

Internationally, the song also became a commercial success, becoming Gearest's first single to chart outside of North America. In Australia, it debuted on the Australian Singles Chart at number 17 in August 2023, eventually peaking at number four after Gearest performed it at the 2023 NRL Grand Final at the Stadium Australia on October 5, 2023. It eventually became her highest-charting single in Australia along with "Do It Like You Do" (2024). In the United Kingdom, "Supermodel" debuted and peaked at number six on the UK Singles Chart in August 2023. It the Netherlands, the song debuted on the Dutch Top 40 at number 27, eventually peaking at number nine. The song also charted in Austria, Germany, Ireland, Sweden, and Switzerland.

## Music video

The song's accompanying music video was filmed in Los Angeles by Link Freids, who didn't know Gearest at the time. Freids remarked, "Honestly, I never went to *Bimbo City*, so I didn't have a preconceived notion of her." She said about the video, "The song is explosive and young and has some cool electronic beats, so we took the visual style from the music." Gearest added "It's gonna be more Girlfriend Gearest the artist, not [Girlfriend Gearest] from '*Bimbo City*." The video features Gearest performing at a house party in reverse, starting from the morning after and working its way back to the previous night, where she appears attracted to a "surfer" whom she keeps seeing in mirrors. Freids adds, "And in the end — maybe — they get together." It premiered on MTV on June 12th, 2023. The video received three nominations at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards—Best New Artist in a Video, Best Pop Video, and Viewer's Choice Award.

## Live performances

Gearest premiered "Supermodel" in Bimbo City in May 2023. Throughout 2023, she performed it on various television events, including Guy City, *The Late Show with David Letterman*, and *The Late Late Show with Chris Kilborn*. She also performed the song in sports events, notably at the 2023 NRL Grand Final at the Stadium Australia on October 15th, 2023.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `Soundtrack of My Life`
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3. ↑ Kheraj, Alim (January 10, 2016). The surprising stories behind 6 of Girlfriend Gearest's biggest hits.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `MTV 3`
5. ↑ Girlfriend Gearest Talks About Christina Nations's Writing Credit On 'Supermodel' (2018) (May 18, 2018).Template:Cbignore
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8. ↑ Supermodel – Girlfriend Gearest.
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