"Cellophane" (stylised as cellophane) is a song by English singer FKA Twigs, released as the lead single from her second studio album Magdalene (2019). The song was released on 24 April 2019 through Young. It was her first single in three years. Its music video was also released on 24 April. "Cellophane" was met with widespread critical acclaim, with Twigs' vocal performance drawing significant praise.
Background and recording
After the release of her debut album LP1 in 2014, FKA Twigs (real name Tahliah Debrett Barnett) began dating and eventually became engaged to English actor Robert Pattinson. Their relationship faced significant internet and tabloid attention, and Twigs became subject to racist abuse and hostility from some fans of The Twilight Saga, in which Pattinson played one of the main characters (Edward Cullen), who hoped the actor would recommence his relationship with his Twilight co-star Kristen Stewart. It was reported by The Sun in October 2017 that the two had ended their engagement. Several publications consider or speculate that "Cellophane"'s subject matter was inspired by this relationship.
In an interview with Double J in June 2019, Twigs revealed that she had begun writing "Cellophane" a little over a year from then, although "the feeling for the song maybe started a year before that," during a period of isolation away from friends and family in Los Angeles. She developed an interest in medieval-inspired Gunne Sax dresses from the 1970s, purchasing a large number of them, and consequently would spend a significant amount of time "just wandering around in these medieval dresses." During this period, she began recording a number of songs for an album, including "Cellophane".
Composition and lyrics
"Cellophane" was written and produced by Twigs alongside Jeff Kleinman and Michael Uzowuru. It is set in common time with a tempo of 107 beats per minute and is composed in the key of D Major, with Twigs' vocals spanning a range of F#3 to F#5. The song has been characterised by critics as a piano ballad with additional strings, synths and a minimal beatboxed rhythm. However, at the 1:40 or 2:34 mark "the piano stops and this visceral, electric, metallic-y reverb throws the entire track into free fall before the drum swoops in to lock the tempo back down," as noted by Danielle Cohen of GQ. The A.V. Clubs Randall Colburn considered the song to be "all about texture, with round, rippling beats underscoring sharp, shadowy loops and Twigs' crystalline vocals."
The song's lyrics focus on a breakup, where Twigs sings of her unrequited love, desperately trying to salvage her relationship despite public disapproval and the lack of reciprocation from her lover. "Cellophane" has been noted for Twigs' breathy soprano and falsetto vocals, and the singer's technique ranges from "breathy devastation to high notes of carefully controlled keening." Sasha Geffen of Vulture wrote that the singer's voice "cracks and groans and breaks, as if it's dragging more weight than it can bear." Other publications have highlighted how the song's sparse background serves to bring her vocals to its forefront.
Promotion
Twigs mailed out physical copies of the artwork to various fans with a handwritten note that read: "You are one of my more loyal supporters, so I wanted to write to you directly to let you know — it's time. FKA twigs." Tower Records in Shinjuku, Japan tweeted that they would be distributing copies of the artwork that was mailed to fans from 26 April.
The music video was available as a countdown for several hours on 23 April before being taken down; the information in the description listed its director as Andrew Thomas Huang and production company as Object & Animal. Twigs later formally announced its release for 24 April.