"Alone" is a song by German singer Kim Petras and American rapper Nicki Minaj. It was released on 21 April 2023 through Amigo Records and Republic Records as the lead and only single from Petras' major-label debut studio album, Feed the Beast (2023). The song was produced by Dr Luke and Rocco Did It Again!. The song became a top 10 hit in Turkey and a top 40 hit in Slovakia, on the United Kingdom Singles Chart and Irish Singles Chart.

Background Kim Petras' admiration for rapper Nicki Minaj dated back as far as 2011. First speculations about a collaboration arose in early March 2023, after Petras started commenting on Minaj's Instagram. In an interview with Billboard, the singer also mentioned Minaj as part of her dream girl group. On 9 March and 15 March, Petras posted snippets of the song to her TikTok account. The singer announced the collaboration with Minaj on 6 April. She is seen answering a phone and lip-synching over Minaj's part of the song. The song samples "Better Off Alone" (1999) by Alice Deejay. Musically, it has been described as a dance track.

Music video The music video for the song was directed by Arrad. They stated: "Inspiration was drawn from the quintessential early 2000s Europop music videos by artists such as Fedde Le Grand and Alex Gaudino."Kim Petras - The Making of 'Alone' (Vevo Footnotes) ft. Nicki Minaj

Petras stated: "I wanted a really German techy vibe, and was so happy Nicki was down. The harness was custom made by Zana Bayne."

Critical reception "Alone" received generally positive reviews from critics. Tyler Damara Kelly of The Line of Best Fit described the song as a "club-ready dance-pop track" that "elevates Petras’ penchant for glossy hooks with Minaj's effortless rap verses." Jeff Nelson from People praised the track for sampling the iconic 1999 hit "Better Off Alone" by Alice Deejay and called it "an infectious bop that blends nostalgic dance with a modern twist." Charlotte Manning of Attitude wrote that Petras and Minaj "absolutely deliver" on the "ultimate dance banger" and highlighted the song's catchy beat and Minaj's "spicy verse." In a review for Euphoria, Nmesoma Okechukwu commended the collaboration for delivering "undeniable chemistry between Petras and Minaj," noting that "Alone" is a "catchy dance-pop anthem" destined for club and radio success.

On the other hand, some critics were more critical of the song. Mosi Reeves of Rolling Stone pointed out that while Minaj's performance was strong, the track's "repetitive hooks" and "overly polished production" lacked the originality found in both artists' previous works. Mano Sundaresan of NPR criticized the track for being "void of personality" and called Minaj's verse "a well-worn rhyme scheme with platitudes about money and private jets." Sundaresan concluded that the collaboration between Petras and Minaj ultimately didn't live up to its promise.

Track listing Streaming/digital download – single "Alone" – 3:05 "Alone" (a cappella) – 3:04 "Alone" (extended) – 4:01

Streaming/digital download – sped up and slowed version "Alone" (sped up) – 2:35 "Alone" (slowed) – 3:23

Streaming/digital download – remixes "Alone" – 3:05 "Alone" (2.0) – 3:05 "Alone" (DallasK remix) – 3:41 "Alone" (Alex Chapman remix) – 3:22 "Alone" (Tommie Sunshine & On Deck remix) – 5:10 "Alone" (extended) – 4:01 "Alone" (sped up) – 2:35 "Alone" (slowed) – 3:23 "Alone" (a cappella) – 3:04 "Alone" (instrumental) – 3:04

Streaming/digital download – James Hype remix "Alone" (James Hype remix) – 3:00

Streaming/digital download – Major Lazer remix "Alone" (Major Lazer remix) – 2:48

Charts

Weekly charts + Weekly chart performance for "Alone" Chart (2023–2024) Peakposition Croatia International Airplay (Top lista) 71 Estonia Airplay (TopHit) 54 Greece International (IFPI) 77 Japan Hot Overseas (Billboard Japan) 9 Lithuania Airplay (TopHit) 57 New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ) 4 Poland (Polish Airplay Top 100) 43 Sweden Heatseeker (Sverigetopplistan) 17 Turkey International Airplay (Radiomonitor Türkiye) 4

Monthly charts + Monthly chart performance for "Alone" Chart (2023) Peakposition Estonia Airplay (TopHit) 86 Lithuania Airplay (TopHit) 91 Slovakia (Rádio – Top 100) 29

Year-end charts + Year-end chart performance for "Alone" Chart (2023) Position US Hot Dance/Electronic Songs (Billboard) 30

Certifications

Release history +Release dates and formats for "Alone" Region Date Format Version Label Various 21 April 2023 Single 25 April 2023 Single EP 27 April 2023 Sped Up + Slowed 24 May 2023 Remix album 16 June 2023 James Hype remix 22 June 2023 Major Lazer remix

References