| "Big Feelings" | ||||
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| Single byWillow | ||||
| from the albumEmpathogen | ||||
| Released | April 11, 2024 (2024-04-11) | |||
| Length | 4:24 | |||
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| Willow singles chronology | ||||
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| Visualizer | ||||
| "Big Feelings" onYouTube | ||||
"Big Feelings" (stylized as "b i g f e e l i n g s") is a song by American singerWillow from her sixth studio album,Empathogen (2024). Music companies Three Six Zero andGamma released the song on April 11, 2024, as the second single from the album. It was written and produced by Willow and Chris Greatti, with additional songwriting fromZach Tenorio.
In 2022,Willow signed to music companies Three Six Zero andGamma after leavingRoc Nation, the label she was under since 2010.[1] "Big Feelings" was released as the second single fromEmpathogen (2024), following "Symptom of Life", on April 11, 2024.[2] Its release was accompanied by the announce of the album and an official visualizer, in which Willow stands in front of black backdrop with a yellow and green circle.[3] It was shot at the same place of the music video to the singer's 2021 single "Transparent Soul".[4] Willow performed "Big Feelings" for the first time as part of herTiny Desk Concert hosted byNPR Music, which was published on May 1, 2024.[5][6]
"Big Feelings" was written by Willow, Chris Greatti, andZach Tenorio, with production from the first two.[4] Willow named "Big Feelings" her favorite song of hers and "one of the best compositions that [she has] ever sang on".[4][1] She stated that she made the song with a perfect ending and closure to the album in mind.[1] In an interview withThe Hollywood Reporter, Willow explained that she choose "Big Feelings" as the last song on the album because she "wanted to end on a really complicated, grandiose note", and to honor "the complexity and grandiosity of [the] song".[7] It is apiano-based track, described by Willow as "dense and dissonant but also darkly beautiful".[8] In a statement, she also said: "Musically, it has a darkness and complexity that reflects what we all experience in our own minds. The song is about accepting those intense feelings that you have no idea what to do with".[9][10]
Music critics ofThe New York Times named "Big Feelings" as one of the most notable new tracks from its release week.[11]Essence also included it on a list of the Best New Music of the Week.[12] The magazineOut described "Big Feelings" as an "experimental masterpiece for the ears", in which Willow "mash[es] genres and tempos".[13]Dork's Ali Shutler described it as a "beautiful, empathetic song about overwhelming emotions and hard-fought acceptance".[14] Dylan Green fromPitchfork said that the chorus of the song that begins, "I have such big feelings", sounds "ripped from a rejectedHigh School Musical: The Musical: The Series script".[15]
In June 2024, "Big Feelings" was added byRolling Stone andThe New York Times to their mid-year lists of the best songs, with a critic from the former describing it as a "soaring and chaotic" showstopper.[16][17] The staff ofBillboard included it on its year-end list, with Kyle Denis naming it as a career highlight.[18]
| Organization | Year | Category | Recipient | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grammy Awards | 2025 | Best Arrangement, Instrumental and Vocals | Willow | Nominated | [19] |