"W.I.T.C.H." (pronounced "witch") is a 2022 song by Canadian alt-pop singer Devon Cole.[1][2] It was released on July 7, 2022, via Arista Records. The song was written by Cole and songwriters John Mark Nelson and Alexandra Soumalias.
| "W.I.T.C.H." | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Devon Cole | ||||
| from the EP 1-800-Got-Stress | ||||
| Released | July 7, 2022 | |||
| Label | Arista | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
| |||
| Producer(s) | John Mark Nelson | |||
| Devon Cole singles chronology | ||||
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Background
editCole initially performed a demo of the opening verse[3] of the song on TikTok,[4] where it received over 40 million views.[1] She was singing original lyrics over a piece of instrumental backing music Nelson had shared on the platform.
A full version of the song was then released as her first single through Arista Records (who are owned by Sony Music Entertainment) on 7 July 2022.[5] With nearly 300,000 pre-saves, it was Sony's biggest pre-save campaign for a female artist to that point.[2] A music video followed.[6]
"W.I.T.C.H." is an acronym for "Woman In Total Control (of) Herself".[6] Cole described the song as reclaiming "the witch as a symbol of women's resistance. It celebrates women's strength, autonomy, and rebellion".[1] The song was written by Nelson, Cole and Alexandra Soumalias, and produced by Nelson.[5] The music was performed by Nelson on keyboards, guitar, bass and drum machine.[7]
Cole received a Juno Award nomination for Breakthrough Artist of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2023.[8]
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[9] | Gold | 40,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ^ a b Cafe, The Sound (July 12, 2022). "Toronto-Based Devon Cole Signs With Arista and Releases Earworm 'W.I.T.C.H.'". The Sound Cafe.
- ^ "New Music Friday: DNCE, blackbear, Marshmello, The Weeknd and Devon Cole". KS95 94.5. July 8, 2022.
- ^ Gordon, Holly (8 June 2022). "Devon Cole is making earworm pop with a feminist edge".
- ^ a b "Devon Cole Releases New Song "W.I.T.C.H."". pm studio world wide news.
- ^ a b Lipshutz, Jason (July 7, 2022). "Devon Cole Signs With Arista Records, Releases New Single 'W.I.T.C.H.': Exclusive". Billboard.
- ^ “Building W.I.T.C.H. by Devon Cole” by John Mark Nelson, YouTube, August 2022
- ^ "Here are all the 2023 Juno nominees". CBC Music, January 31, 2023.
- ^ "Canadian single certifications – Devon Cole – W.I.T.C.H". Music Canada. Retrieved May 16, 2023.