"IDGAF" (an acronym for "I don't give a fuck") is a song by English-Albanian singer Dua Lipa from her eponymous debut studio album (2017). The song was written by Lipa, MNEK, Larzz Principato, Skyler Stonestreet, and Whiskey Water, with Koz handling the production. It was released for digital download and streaming on 12January 2018 as the eighth and final single from the album. A pop song, Lipa uses a deadpan vocal delivery, backed by an electro palm-muted electric guitar riff and a militaristic drum line. Lyrically, the song is about an ex-boyfriend who intends to get back with the singer, who is uninterested.
Several music critics complimented the strong production and post-breakup lyrics of "IDGAF". The song was viewed as a sequel to "New Rules", Lipa's previous single. It was nominated for British Single of the Year at the 2019 Brit Awards. Commercially, the song reached the top 10 of charts in 20 territories worldwide, including Croatia and Ireland where it reached the summit. On the UK Singles Chart the song peaked at number 3. It is certified multi-platinum in six countries. This includes a triple platinum award in the United Kingdom, double platinum awards in Italy, Norway, and the United States, a quadruple platinum award in Australia, and a six-times platinum certification in Canada.
The music video for "IDGAF" accompanied its single release and was directed by Henry Scholfield. It features two versions of Lipa, a vulnerable romantic and an empowered spirit, who perform a dance battle against one another with their respective girl groups. One group wears purple and the other wears orange. Several critics praised its self-love message and the choreography. The video was nominated for Best Choreography at the 2018 MTV Video Music Awards and British Video of the Year at the 2019 Brit Awards. Lipa promoted the song with numerous live performances, including ones on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Remixes by Anna of the North, Young Franco, and featuring Saweetie were released for further promotion.
Background and composition
"IDGAF" was written by Dua Lipa alongside MNEK, Larzz Principato, Skyler Stonestreet and Whiskey Water, with production from Koz. The song was originally written by MNEK and was later picked up by Lipa who made adjustments with him in the studio; she did this to make the lyrics more relevant to her. The rewrites took place in Los Angeles in February 2017. The song was one of the last songs recorded for Lipa's eponymous debut studio album (2017). Lipa was inspired after an ex-boyfriend who was really mean to her, messaged her saying "Hi" and expressing his enjoyment of her music, which made her think, "What gives him the right to call me now and see how I'm doing? Does he not realize the damage he's done?" Lipa stated that parts of the song are true and parts are false. The song was recorded at Paramount Studios in Los Angeles and the vocal recording and engineering took place at Sarm Music Village in London. Mixing was done by Josh Gudwin and mastering was handled by John Davis at Metropolis Studios in London.
Musically, "IDGAF" is a pop song, running for 3 minutes and 36 seconds. The song is composed time and the key of E minor, with a tempo of 100 beats per minute and a chord progression of Em–D–G/Bm–C. The track is backed by an electro palm-muted electric guitar riff, a militaristic drum line, a piano and a multi-tracked chorus. Lipa uses a deadpan vocal delivery, ranging two octaves from D3 to D5. Lyrically in "IDGAF", the female protagonist's former lover comes back and attempts to rekindle things with her, but she sends him on his way and makes sure he knows that she is not thinking about him. The song was viewed as a sequel to "New Rules", another song by Lipa.
Release and promotion
"IDGAF" was released through Warner Bros. Records on 2June 2017 as the fifth track on Lipa's eponymous debut studio album. In November of that year, Lipa confirmed that it would serve as a single, to be released in 2018 due to the rising success of "New Rules". On 8January 2018, she announced its official single release and revealed the cover art. The song was released for digital download and streaming on 12January 2018 as the eighth and final single from Dua Lipa. The same day, a radio edit was digitally released. It was sent for radio airplay in Italy a week later. On 27February 2018, the song impacted contemporary hit radio formats in the United States as the album's fourth single in the country.