Woman (Kesha song)

"Woman" is a song recorded by American singer Kesha and featuring the Dap-Kings Horns for her third studio album Rainbow (2017). It was released as the first promotional single from the album on July 13, 2017. The song was then released as the second single from the album on January 22, 2018. It has been described as a feminist anthem.^[1] "Woman" was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for selling one million equivalent units in the United States.

"Woman"
Single by Kesha featuring the Dap-Kings Horns
from the album Rainbow
Released	January 22, 2018 (2018-01-22)
Recorded	2017
Genre	Funk-pop
Length	3:16
Label	RCA Kemosabe
Songwriter(s)	Andrew Pearson Kesha Sebert Stephen Wrabel
Producer(s)	Brody Brown Pearson
Kesha singles chronology
"This Is Me" (2017) "Woman" (2018) "Body Talks" (2018)
Music video
"Woman" on YouTube

Background and composition

In an essay for Rolling Stone, Kesha wrote:

[…] I realized that for most of my life I was intimidated to even try and run in the leagues of the people I look up to. With "Woman," I hope my fans will hear that wild spirit still strong inside me but this time it was created more raw, spontaneously and with all live instrumentation, which I found was a huge reason I loved the records I did love. There were one or two or 12 different people playing real instruments together, and all that real human energy is exciting and very fun to listen to. I wanted this song to capture that organic, raw, soulful sound and keep the imperfect moments in the recordings because I find the magic in the imperfections.

— Kesha, Rolling Stone^[2]

Later, Kesha revealed the real purpose of releasing the song - to protest Donald Trump in offense to his "pussy grabbing comment," according to her interview with Metro.co.uk. In another interview with Rolling Stone, she stated, "I just really love being a woman and I wanted an anthem for anyone else who wants to yell about being self-sufficient and strong."^[3] Along with releasing the music video, she also released an essay detailing her intentions of writing the song and releasing it early from her album.

The song is performed in the key of F minor with a tempo of 115 beats per minute.^[4]

Critical reception

Critics and fans alike praised the song. Rolling Stone called the song "funk-laden",^[2] while Business Insider identified the song as "funk-filled pop."^[5] USA Today hailed the song as "the feminist song of the summer".

Accolades

Select year-end rankings of "Woman"

Publication	List	Rank	Ref.
The Ringer	The Best Songs of 2017	10	[6]
Stereogum	The Top 40 Pop Songs of 2017	15	[7]

Commercial performance

"Woman" debuted at number 96 on the US Billboard Hot 100 for the week ending August 5, 2017, selling 19,000 copies in the United States according to Nielsen Soundscan.^[8] Thanks to an array of dance remixes, "Woman" topped the Dance Club Songs chart on the issue dated December 23, 2017, becoming Kesha's third number one on that chart, and her first since "Timber" in 2014.^[9] In 2024, "Woman" received a platinum certification in the United States by the nation's RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) for accomplishing sales of 1,000,000 equivalent units in the country.^[10]

Music video

The music video for the song was released on July 13, 2017.^[11]

Live performances

The song was part of the setlist of Kesha's Rainbow Tour. She performed the song on Good Morning America, where she also performed "Praying". Kesha also performed the song at numerous iHeart Radio festivals. On January 22, 2018, Kesha released the official live version, which was recorded during her Rainbow Tour.

Usage in media

This song was included at the end of the 2017 Christmas Comedy film A Bad Moms Christmas. This song was also featured in the 2020 DC Extended Universe film Birds of Prey with Kesha praising the usage of her song.^[12][13]

Track listing

Digital download and streaming^[14]

1. "Woman" – 3:16

Digital download and streaming (Remixes)^[15]

1. "Woman" (Dave Audé Remix) – 3:25
2. "Woman" (Rare Candy Remix) – 2:59
3. "Woman" (Tobtok Remix) – 3:08

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2017–18) Peak position Australia (ARIA)[16] 78 Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[17] 80 Canada Hot AC (Billboard)[18] 49 New Zealand Heatseekers (RMNZ)[19] 3 Scotland (OCC)[20] 66 US Billboard Hot 100[21] 96 US Adult Pop Airplay (Billboard)[22] 26 US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)[23] 1 US Pop Airplay (Billboard)[24] 33

Year-end charts Chart (2018) Position US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)[25] 44

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[10]	Platinum	1,000,000‡
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Release dates and formats for "Woman"

Region	Date	Format(s)	Version	Label(s)	Ref.
Various	July 13, 2017	Digital download streaming	Original	Kemosabe	[14]
	September 29, 2017		Remixes		[15]
United States	January 22, 2018	Adult contemporary radio hot adult contemporary radio modern adult contemporary radio	Original	RCA Kemosabe	[26]
	January 23, 2018	Contemporary hit radio			[12]

References

1. Sager, Jessica (March 8, 2021). "40 Songs That Scream Female Empowerment From Taylor Swift, Lizzo, Dolly Parton & More". Parade. Retrieved April 11, 2022.
2. "Read Kesha's Poignant Essay About Celebratory New Song 'Woman'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
3. "Kesha Drops A Donald Trump Inspired Song - V Magazine". vmagazine.com. Archived from the original on November 10, 2021. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
4. "Spot On Track – The Spotify Tracker". www.spotontrack.com. Retrieved March 4, 2018.
5. "Kesha explained how her new expletive-filled song 'Woman' is all about female empowerment". Business Insider. Retrieved March 4, 2018.
6. Zoladz, Lindsay (December 4, 2017). "The Best Songs of 2017". The Ringer. Retrieved December 3, 2024.
7. DeVille, Chris (December 14, 2017). "The Top 40 Pop Songs of 2017". Stereogum. Retrieved December 3, 2024.
8. Trust, Gary (July 28, 2017). "Hot 100 Chart Moves: Kesha's 'Praying' Keeps in Top 40 & 'Woman' Debuts". Billboard. Retrieved September 7, 2017.
9. "Kesha & Camila Cabello Notch New No. 1s on Dance/Electronic Charts". Billboard. Retrieved November 21, 2018.
10. "American single certifications – Kesha – Woman". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved September 17, 2024.
11. (J. Aswad) Kesha Drops Another New Song, the F-Bomb-Filled ‘Woman’ (Watch) Published July 13, 2017. Retrieved March 31, 2020
12. "Top 40/M Future Releases - Mainstream Hit Songs Being Released and Their Release Dates". AllAccess Music Group. January 23, 2018. Archived from the original on January 11, 2018. Retrieved January 11, 2018.
13. Jirak, Jamie (March 27, 2020). "Kesha Loved Her Song Being in Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey". Retrieved March 31, 2020.
14. Kesha (July 13, 2017). "Spotify – Woman". open.spotify.com.
15. "Kesha - Woman (The Remixes)". Spotify. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
16. "ARIA Chart Watch #430". auspOp. July 22, 2017. Archived from the original on July 29, 2017. Retrieved July 22, 2017.
17. "Kesha Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved July 25, 2017.
18. "Kesha Chart History (Canada Hot AC)". Billboard. Retrieved February 26, 2018.
19. "NZ Heatseekers Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. July 24, 2017. Retrieved July 21, 2017.
20. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 22, 2017.
21. "Kesha Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved July 25, 2017.
22. "Kesha Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
23. "Kesha Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
24. "Kesha Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved February 27, 2018.
25. "Dance Club Songs - Year-end 2018". Billboard. Retrieved December 20, 2018.
26. "Hot/Modern/AC Future Releases | Hot Adult Contemporary Rock Songs and Release Dates | ..." Archived from the original on January 12, 2018. Retrieved June 21, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)