| "Nice to Meet Ya" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single byMeghan Trainor featuringNicki Minaj | ||||
| from the albumTreat Myself | ||||
| Released | January 31, 2020 (2020-01-31) | |||
| Recorded | 2019 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:17 | |||
| Label | Epic | |||
| Songwriters |
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| Producer | Ojivolta | |||
| Meghan Trainor singles chronology | ||||
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| Nicki Minaj singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Nice to Meet Ya" onYouTube | ||||
"Nice to Meet Ya" is a song by the American singer-songwriterMeghan Trainor from her third major-label studio album,Treat Myself (2020), featuring rapperNicki Minaj. Trainor and Minaj wrote it with the songwriterScott Harris and Raul Cubina and Mark Williams from its production duo,Ojivolta.Epic Records released it as the album's third single on January 31, 2020. Backed by an instrumentation of tingling drums and ahip hop beat, thepop andR&B song has feel-good and characteristically confident lyrics.
Music critics were mixed in their reception of the song. Commercially, "Nice to Meet Ya" charted at number 89 on the USBillboard Hot 100, becoming Trainor's 10th career entry. It also charted in Scotland, Ireland and the United Kingdom.Mathew Cullen directed themusic video for "Nice to Meet Ya", which was inspired byWorking Girl (1988), and featured Trainor performing dance routines with her female co-workers, and a pink-haired Minaj. Trainor has performed the song onThe Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
Trainor began recording songs for her third major-label studio album,Treat Myself (2020), while still recovering from her second vocal cord surgery in 2017.[1] She released multiple singles from the album the following year, which commercially underperformed. It was delayed several times, while Trainor wrote more songs. After completing four albums worth of material in an attempt to adapt to changing trends in the music industry, she conceived the final version ofTreat Myself as a "pop record that feel[s] relevant in an era when hip-hop reigns".[2]
Trainor wrote "Nice to Meet Ya" with Raul Cubina, Mark Williams,Scott Harris, andNicki Minaj.[3] She played a rough demo of the song for her label, and according to her, "all ofEpic Records was like, 'Oh my God,this one.'"[4] Trainor immediately viewed it as a potential single, and she described it as "the flame that [she] need[ed]" and a "relative" to "No" (2016).[4] Regarding Minaj featuring on "Nice to Meet Ya", Trainor recalled being a fan of hers since middle school and stated that it was "the coolest thing of all times". According to her, Minaj took the song to an"'I'm a boss' level", and it felt "really awesome to be supported like that by awesome legends".[4]
On January 22, 2020, Trainor revealedTreat Myself's full tracklist, except for the second track. Six days later, she confirmed the song title as "Nice to Meet Ya". The song was released alongside the album as its third single on January 31, being promoted to mainstream radio stations in Australia.[5][6] On February 3, 2020, it was serviced tohot adult contemporary radio stations in the United States andcontemporary hit radio and hot adult contemporary radio stations in Canada.[7] "Nice to Meet Ya" was sent to contemporary hit radio stations in the former country the following day and forairplay in Italy on March 20, 2020.[8][9] Anextended play featuring remixes of the song by Zookëper andApe Drums was released on May 22, 2020.[10]
"Nice to Meet Ya" is three minutes and seventeen seconds long.[11]Ojivolta produced and programmed the song, and they engineered it with Trainor's brother Justin and Aubry "Big Juice" Delaine. Trainor, Minaj, Williams, and Justin provided background vocals alongsideDaryl Sabara and Trainor's brother Ryan. Jon Castelli and Ingmar Carlson mixed the song, and Dale Beckermastered it.[3]
"Nice to Meet Ya" begins with an intro which is whispered by Trainor over bouncy beats and Minaj's grunts,[12] the hip-hop infused song grows into a chorus where the beats pick up.[13] It is a "feel-good" pop and R&B song with a "catchy chorus".[14][15][16] Its production consists of tingling drums and a hip hop beat.[17][12] Minaj delivers a rap verse which was described as "characteristically confident" byMTV News' Madeline Roth.[18] The verse includes "quotable" lyrics such as "I pop off 'cause I am the reigning champ" and "One minute I'm nice, the next, a monster".[18]
"Nice to Meet Ya" received mixed reviews from critics.Idolator's Mike Nied referred to the song as the type of "self-assured banger" that Trainor and Minaj do "so well".[13] He added that with a predictably fierce verse from the latter, it could become the first chart-dominating hit from the era.[13] Calling it an R&B "bop" vaguely reminiscent of "No", Hannah Mylrea ofNME stated that it injects a moment of energy on its parent album.[16] Writing forThe Arts Desk, Russ Coffey stated that "Nice to Meet Ya" pulls off outrageous hip-hop beats through its sheer chutzpah.[19]Pitchfork's Dani Blum named the song as the "most tolerable track" onTreat Myself, stating that it is engineered to be a banger but its "whisper of a chorus" is "harsh and irritating" and Minaj's verse is "mediocre".[17] Jessica Brant ofPopMatters wrote that it does not deviate sonically as much as it does lyrically, and questioned its feminist message as inauthentic.[20]
"Nice to Meet Ya" charted at number 89 on the USBillboard Hot 100 on the chart dated February 15, 2020, marking Trainor's 10th career entrance.[21] At that time, it also gave Minaj her 107th charting song on the Hot 100, tying her withKanye West as the artist with the fifth-most entries.[22] The song reached number 88 on theUK Singles Chart.[23] It peaked at number 88 on theIrish Singles Chart, and at number 45 in Scotland.[24][25] "Nice to Meet Ya" reached number 29 on theAustralia Digital Tracks chart, and number 13 on the New Zealand Hot Singles chart, an extension to theNew Zealand Top 40 Singles chart.[26][27]
Mathew Cullen directed themusic video for "Nice to Meet Ya", which was released on January 31, 2020.[28][29] Trainor described the experience of the music video shoot, which was inspired by the American filmWorking Girl (1988),[29] as "[her] moment", stating that it made her more nervous than being at theGrammys.[30] She added that Minaj was "funny, really chill and hilarious" at the set.[30] Trainor recalled that she had donned a big jacket because she was insecure about her arms, which the rapper asked her to take off. Minaj assured her that she looked good without it, which empowered the singer to "love [herself] in that moment".[31] After completion of the shoot, Trainor cried and hugged crew members in disbelief about having worked with Minaj.[32]
The music video depicts Trainor and her female co-workers performing dance routines at a male-dominated office. They sport bright pastel-colored pantsuits and '80s hairstyles, while performing a routine that involvestwerking.[18] Minaj is introduced when one of the men reads a business card that says "Boss Bitch Nicki Minaj", and depicts the name of the workplace as "Trainor Industries".[32] The pink-haired rapper delivers her verse in a golden elevator, and is later joined by Trainor at her desk in a pink-colored office. In the final sequence, they are clad inChanel attire for a business meeting.[15]
The music video received positive reviews from critics. Idolator's Mike Nied wrote that the video is brimming with bold costumes, a bit of choreography and so much personality, adding that it makes the song "even better".[14] Writing forBillboard, Heran Mamo stated that "Trainor Industries", the fictitious workplace in the music video, stayed booked and busy for the successful shoot.[32] Michael Saponara of the same magazine called it an "energetic clip", stating that the outfits in the video make for a pleasing aesthetic.[15] Madeline Roth of MTV News thought that Minaj's pink hairdo ups the "boss bitch" factor of the visuals.[18]
On February 6, 2020, Trainor performed the song for the first time onThe Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.[33] The performance featured a choreographed office space routine, where a group of backup dancers joined the singer to mirror the music video for "Nice to Meet Ya".[34]
Credits are adapted from theliner notes ofTreat Myself.[3]
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| Chart (2020) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia Digital Tracks (ARIA)[26] | 29 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[24] | 88 |
| New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)[27] | 13 |
| Scotland Singles (OCC)[25] | 45 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[23] | 88 |
| USBillboard Hot 100[21] | 89 |
| USAdult Pop Airplay (Billboard)[36] | 26 |
| USPop Airplay (Billboard)[37] | 30 |
| USRolling Stone Top 100[38] | 93 |
| Region | Date | Format(s) | Version | Label | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Various | January 31, 2020 | Original | Epic | [5] | |
| Australia | Mainstream radio | [6] | |||
| United States | February 3, 2020 | Hot adult contemporary | [7] | ||
| Canada |
| Sony | |||
| United States | February 4, 2020 | Contemporary hit radio | Epic | [8] | |
| Italy | March 20, 2020 | Radio airplay | Sony | [9] | |
| Various | May 22, 2020 |
| Remixes | Epic | [10] |
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)| Studio albums | |
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| Extended plays | |
| Singles |
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| Featured singles | |
| Promotional singles | |
| Other songs | |
| Concert tours | |
