"Tell Ur Girlfriend" is a song recorded by American rapper and singer Lay Bankz. It was released through Artist Partner Group on February 7, 2024 as the lead single from her debut studio album, After 7. Atia Boggs and Johnny Goldstein co-wrote the hip hop and dance song, in which Bankz sings and raps over a Philly club-inspired beat about asking a lover with a girlfriend to tell her about their affair. The song topped the TikTok Billboard Top 50 chart for three weeks starting in April 2024.

"Tell Ur Girlfriend"
Single by Lay Bankz
from the album After 7
ReleasedFebruary 7, 2024 (2024-02-07)
Recorded2023
Genre
Length2:04
LabelAPG
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Johnny Goldstein
Lay Bankz singles chronology
"Girls Just Wanna"
(2023)
"Tell Ur Girlfriend"
(2024)
Music video
"Tell Ur Girlfriend" on YouTube

A dance trend on TikTok using the song brought it success on streaming platforms; its high streaming numbers led to its appearance on the Billboard Hot 100, where it peaked at number 58. Elsewhere, it peaked at number 33 in Canada and at number 15 in the United Kingdom. She performed the song at Rolling Loud California 2024 on March 15, 2024.[1] The official video premiered on Bankz' Youtube channel on April 23, 2024 and features Bankz dancing in a hair salon to the song.

Background and release

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Before releasing "Tell Ur Girlfriend", rapper Lay Bankz released her first single through Artist Partner Group, "Left Cheek (Doo Doo Blick)", in 2022; her debut extended play (EP), Now You See Me, in August 2023; and her single "Ick", which was used in over 200 thousand videos on TikTok by 2024. "Tell Ur Girlfriend" was co-written by Bankz with songwriters Atia Boggs and Johnny Goldstein and released as the lead single from Lay Bankz's debut studio album After 7, on February 7, 2024.[2][3] The song first found popularity on TikTok in March 2024 due to a dance trend created by user @who.is.ga6y and popularized by user @laurieluna13, leading to an uptick in streams for the song.[4] By April 2024, the song had been used in over millions of videos on the platform.[2] A music video for "Tell Ur Girlfriend" was filmed in Bankz's hometown of Philadelphia.[5] Another TikTok trend associated with the song focused on her appearance in the video.[6] The official video premiered on Bankz' Youtube channel on April 23, 2024 and features Bankz dancing in a hair salon to the song. As of June 17, 2024 it has over 10 million views.[7]

Composition and lyrics

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"Tell Ur Girlfriend" is a melodic rap and dance song with a Philly club-inspired beat, "stuttering" synths, vocal samples, and influences from 1990s R&B and synth-pop.[5][4] Bankz raps during the verses while singing in its double-time chorus. Rosie Long Decter of Billboard Canada called it "Timbaland-inspired" and compared the vocal samples on the song to those on the Ginuwine song "Pony" and the Justin Timberlake song "My Love". Lyrically, it describes Bankz's relationship with a man who is cheating on his girlfriend as she implores him to tell her about their affair before she does.[8][9]

Reception

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Commercial

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"Tell Ur Girlfriend" became Bankz's debut on any Billboard chart after appearing on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart at number 45 for the week dated April 21, 2024. It peaked at number 24 the following week. It also debuted and peaked at number 58 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the week dated April 27, 2024, owing mostly to its high streaming numbers.[2][10] In Canada, it debuted at number 64 on the Canadian Hot 100 in April 2024 and rose to number 33 the following week.[8][11] It also peaked at number 15 on the United Kingdom's Official Singles Chart in May 2024 after having debuted on the chart at number 92 the previous month.[12][13]The song topped the TikTok Billboard Top 50 chart for three weeks starting on April 27, 2024.[14]

Critical

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Uproxx called it "a single that is wildly infectious and begs for a few listens before moving on to something else."[15] The Garnette Report said it added "layers of serrated synths and space-age squelches of turn-of-the-millennium R&B atop the sliding 808s of drill and insistent five-beat pattern of East Coast Club to create a futuristic, dancefloor-filling anthem."[16]

Track listings

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  • Streaming/digital download[17]
  1. "Tell Ur Girlfriend" – 2:04
  • Streaming/digital download – sped up[18]
  1. "Tell Ur Girlfriend" (sped up) – 1:52
  • Streaming/digital download - slowed[19]
  1. "Tell Ur Girlfriend" (slowed) – 2:14
  • Streaming/digital download – instrumental[20]
  1. "Tell Ur Girlfriend" (instrumental) – 2:04

Charts

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Chart performance for "Tell Ur Girlfriend"
Chart (2024) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[21] 26
Australia Hip Hop/R&B (ARIA)[22] 2
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[23] 44
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[24] 33
Czech Republic (Singles Digitál Top 100)[25] 78
Denmark (Tracklisten)[26] 36
Global 200 (Billboard)[27] 40
Greece International (IFPI)[28] 31
Iceland (Plötutíðindi)[29] 8
Ireland (IRMA)[30] 16
Lithuania (AGATA)[31] 21
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[32] 22
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[33] 19
Norway (VG-lista)[34] 32
Poland (Polish Streaming Top 100)[35] 63
Portugal (AFP)[36] 146
Romania (Romanian Radio Airplay)[37] 10
Romania (Romania TV Airplay)[38] 12
Slovakia (Singles Digitál Top 100)[39] 47
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[40] 65
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[41] 40
UK Singles (OCC)[42] 15
UK Indie (OCC)[43] 3
US Billboard Hot 100[44] 58
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[45] 17
US Rhythmic (Billboard)[46] 23

References

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  1. ^ "Here Are The Rising Stars To Know At Rolling Loud California 2024". Girls United. May 1, 2024. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c Zellner, Xander (April 23, 2024). "Hot 100 First-Timers: Philadelphia Rapper, Singer Lay Bankz Debuts With 'Tell Ur Girlfriend'". Billboard. Retrieved April 23, 2024.
  3. ^ "TikTok - Make Your Day". www.tiktok.com. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
  4. ^ a b Denis, Kyle; Lipshutz, Jason; Unterberger, Andrew (April 10, 2024). "Eclipse & Earthquake Songs From Soundgarden, Bonnie Tyler, Carole King & More Way Up in Streams After Wild Week". Billboard. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
  5. ^ a b Chen, Amber X. (April 6, 2024). "Meet the 19-year-old Philly native behind the viral #Ick TikTok trend". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
  6. ^ Rutherford, Kevin (May 2, 2024). "Lay Bankz's 'Tell Ur Girlfriend' Spends Second Week Atop Billboard TikTok Top 50". Billboard. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
  7. ^ Lay Bankz - Tell Ur Girlfriend (Official Lyric Video). Retrieved May 6, 2024 – via www.youtube.com.
  8. ^ a b Long Decter, Rosie (April 16, 2024). "Viral Rapper Lay Bankz Debuts on Billboard Canadian Hot 100 With 'Tell Ur Girlfriend'". Billboard Canada. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
  9. ^ "Lay Bankz Demands Honesty On "Tell Ur Girlfriend"". The Garnette Report. February 7, 2024. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
  10. ^ Rutherford, Kevin (May 9, 2024). "Lay Bankz's 'Tell Ur Girlfriend' Is No. 1 for a Third Week on TikTok Billboard Top 50". Billboard. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
  11. ^ Long Decter, Rosie (April 23, 2024). "Sidhu Moose Wala and Sunny Malton's Brampton-Boosting Single "410" Debuts on Billboard Canadian Hot 100". Billboard Canada. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
  12. ^ Griffiths, George (May 2, 2024). "Sabrina Carpenter gets major caffeine hit! Espresso is her first UK Number 1 single". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
  13. ^ Griffiths, George (April 19, 2024). "Hozier not Too Sweet for second week at Number 1, Sabrina Carpenter, Dua Lipa & Perrie earn Top 10 debuts". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
  14. ^ Rutherford, Kevin (May 9, 2024). "Lay Bankz's 'Tell Ur Girlfriend' Is No. 1 for a Third Week on TikTok Billboard Top 50". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 29, 2024. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  15. ^ "UM 20: Lay Bankz Wants Your Attention And She Knows Just How To Get It". UPROXX. May 3, 2024. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
  16. ^ "Lay Bankz Demands Honesty On "Tell Ur Girlfriend"". The Garnette Report. February 7, 2024. Retrieved April 23, 2024.
  17. ^ Tell Ur Girlfriend - Single by Lay Bankz on Apple Music, February 7, 2024, retrieved May 4, 2024
  18. ^ Tell Ur Girlfriend (Alternate Versions) - EP by Lay Bankz on Apple Music, May 1, 2024, retrieved May 4, 2024
  19. ^ Tell Ur Girlfriend (Alternate Versions) - EP by Lay Bankz on Apple Music, May 1, 2024, retrieved May 4, 2024
  20. ^ Tell Ur Girlfriend (Alternate Versions) - EP by Lay Bankz on Apple Music, May 1, 2024, retrieved May 4, 2024
  21. ^ "ARIA Top 50 Singles Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. April 22, 2024. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  22. ^ "ARIA Top 40 Hip Hop/R&B Singles Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. April 22, 2024. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  23. ^ "Lay Bankz – Tell Ur Girlfriend" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
  24. ^ "Billboard Canadian Hot 100: Week of April 27, 2024". Billboard. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  25. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Change the chart to CZ – SINGLES DIGITAL – TOP 100 and insert 202417 into search. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  26. ^ "Track Top-40 Uge 18, 2024". Hitlisten. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
  27. ^ "Billboard Global 200: Week of May 11, 2024". Billboard. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
  28. ^ "Official IFPI Charts – Digital Singles Chart (International) (Week: 18/2024)". IFPI Greece. Archived from the original on May 11, 2024. Retrieved May 23, 2024.
  29. ^ "Tónlistinn – Lög" [The Music – Songs] (in Icelandic). Plötutíðindi. Archived from the original on May 4, 2024. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
  30. ^ "Official Irish Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  31. ^ "2024 17-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. April 26, 2024. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
  32. ^ "Lay Bankz – Tell Ur Girlfriend" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
  33. ^ "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. May 6, 2024. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
  34. ^ "Singel 2024 uke 18". VG-lista. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
  35. ^ "OLiS – oficjalna lista sprzedaży – single w streamie" (Select week 26.04.2024–02.05.2024.) (in Polish). OLiS. Retrieved May 9, 2024.
  36. ^ "Lay Bankz – Tell Ur Girlfriend". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  37. ^ "Media Forest – Weekly Charts. Media Forest. 3 May 2021. Retrieved 26 April 2021. Note: Romanian and international positions are rendered together by the number of plays before resulting an overall chart.
  38. ^ "Media Forest – Weekly Charts. Media Forest. 5 July 2021. Retrieved 28 June 2021. Note: Select 'Songs – TV'. Romanian and international positions are rendered together by the number of plays before resulting an overall chart.
  39. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select SINGLES DIGITAL - TOP 100 and insert 202418 into search. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
  40. ^ "Veckolista Singlar, vecka 18". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
  41. ^ "Lay Bankz – Tell Ur Girlfriend". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
  42. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
  43. ^ "Official Independent Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
  44. ^ "Billboard Hot 100: Week of April 27, 2024". Billboard. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  45. ^ "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs: Week of May 4, 2024". Billboard. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  46. ^ "Rhythmic Airplay: Week of June 22, 2024". Billboard. Retrieved June 18, 2024.