"Fever" is a song by English singer Dua Lipa featuring Belgian singer Angèle from the French edition of the former's second studio album, Future Nostalgia (2020). The song was written by the singers alongside Caroline Ailin, Jacob Kasher Hindlin, Julia Michaels and the sole producer Ian Kirkpatrick. It was originally intended to be placed on the standard edition of the album as a solo version by Lipa. The song was released for digital download and streaming on 29October 2020, through Warner Records as a single. It is a dance-pop, deep house and nu-disco song with 2000s Eurodance elements and a disco-pop production that features Afrobeat-tinged synth-pop beats. Lyrically, the song uses a metaphor of sickness to demonstrate an infatuation and addresses the excitement of being with someone where one almost develops a fever, with the two singers acting as counterpoints to one and other.
The sultriness of "Fever" was complimented by music critics, as well the blend of Lipa and Angèle's vocals. The song topped both the Ultratop Flanders and Wallonia charts of Belgium, while also reaching the summit of France's SNEP singles chart. It tied "Hello" by Adele as the longest running number one single in the Wallonia region of Belgium. It further reached the top 10 of charts in Hungary, Romania and Switzerland as well as peaking at number79 on the UK Singles Chart and number69 on the Billboard Global 200 chart. The song was awarded a triple platinum certification from the Belgian Entertainment Association (BEA) and a diamond certification from the Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique (SNEP) in Belgium and France, respectively.
The music video for "Fever" was directed by We are from L.A. and filmed in London. It was built around a concept that women need to avoid danger in the streets by being home at a certain time, but have safety when around other women. The video features Lipa and Angèle spending the night exploring the streets of the city following a night out at a club. Several critics commended the visual for being an escape for viewers from the COVID-19 pandemic. Lipa and Angèle promoted the song with performances at the former's Studio 2054 livestream concert and at the 2020 NRJ Music Awards. Remixes by Oklou, Feder, Myd and Vantage were released for further promotion.
Background and development "Fever" was written by Dua Lipa, Angèle, Caroline Ailin, Ian Kirkpatrick, Jacob Kasher Hindlin and Julia Michaels, while the production was handled solely by Kirkpatrick. Lipa originally intended to place a solo version of the song on Future Nostalgia, but thought that its "lithe" tropical beat did not fit the album's sound. She decided to save the song for a later release. Following Future Nostalgias March 2020 release, Lipa decided to contact Angèle's manager via email to send "Fever" to her and arrange a collaboration. Angèle was surprised when Lipa contacted her as she was a big fan of her work; she decided to respond saying that she was up to do the collaboration. Lipa discovered Angèle after her manager showed her the singer's music video for "Balance ton quoi" (2019), which she adored, while Angèle discovered Lipa through the internet and her single "New Rules" (2017). The two also had used the same choreographer.
The singers had been friends on social media prior to the collaboration and often sent one and other dog videos. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Lipa and Angèle were unable to meet in person, but worked from a distance while Lipa was in the United States and Angèle was between Belgium and Paris. They communicated through SMS to talk about ideas for the song and Angèle also proposed changes, including incorporating a keyboard. Angèle worked with Tristan Salvati and added French lyrics, and even got Lipa to sing in the language. The artists both described "Fever" as a blend of their styles. The song marks Angèle's first participation in an international song. "Fever" was recorded at Zenseven Studios in Los Angeles and Studio La Vague in Paris with the vocals being recorded at TaP Studio in London. Josh Gudwin mixed the song at Henson Studios in Hollywood while Chris Gehringer mastered it at Sterling Sound in Edgewater, New Jersey.
Music and lyrics
Musically, "Fever" is a "sultry" dance-pop, deep house and nu-disco song with elements of 2000s Eurodance. The song is composed in time and the key of F minor with a tempo of 115 beats per minute. It has a structure of verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, chorus, middle eight, bridge. The verses follow a Fm–E–Bm chord progression, while an additional D chord is added to the sequence everywhere else. The song features a "slinky" disco-pop production, that includes Afrobeat-tinged synth-pop beats, digital melodies and dynamic percussion that contains hand claps and a snap sound. The song opens with tropical synths, while it as a whole features airy instrumentation and off-kilter melodies.
Lipa and Angèle both sing in English and French, with their vocals ranging from F3 to C5. Lipa begins the song using confident vocals before stretching her voice to perform a "dramatic" falsetto in the chorus. Following a drop in a tropical house beat, Angèle "whisper-sings" the second verse using a "breathy" vocal style and singing in French. Angèle sings in iambic pentameter as the rhythm speeds up and the two sing together after the second verse. Lyrically, "Fever" deals with febrile and inevitably doomed lust themes, with the singers using the metaphor of sickness as a crush. They sing about the excitement of being with someone where they almost give one a fever due to the infatuation, being hot and flustered, as well as what comes with the feeling. Lipa and Angèle act as counterpoints to one and other, where Lipa is "strong, seductive, and playful" using bold vocals, while Angèle is "softer, pleading, almost despondent", using "airy, sensitive" vocals.
Release and promotion
Rumours of a collaboration between Lipa and Angèle began in October 2020 after the two were spotted filming its music video in London. They began teasing the release of their collaboration via social media on 23October 2020, exchanging the thermometer emoji back and forth. On 26October 2020, Lipa formally announced that the collaboration would be titled "Fever" and that it was scheduled for a release four days later. The song was released for digital download and streaming on 29October 2020 as a single. Simultaneously, it was added to the digital edition of Future Nostalgia. The following day, a lyric video was released. The song was included on the physical French edition of Future Nostalgia, released 20November 2020.
Lipa and Angèle performed "Fever" for the first time at the former's 27November 2020 livestream concert Studio 2054 as the 12th track. In the performance, the two danced around a pink and gold boudoir while wearing matching Versace outfits. On 5December 2020, the singers performed the song at the 2020 NRJ Music Awards. A remix of the song by Oklou was released on 18December 2020. Remixes by Feder, Myd and Vantage followed on 8January 2021. The song was also included as the twelfth track on the album's 2021 reissue, Future Nostalgia: The Moonlight Edition, released 11February. Angèle performed a solo rendition of "Fever" for RFM in September 2021. It was included on the setlist of Lipa's 2022 Future Nostalgia Tour. Angèle joined Lipa on the tour to perform the song for numerous tour dates. It was also included on the setlist of Angèle's 2022 Nonante-Cinq Tour.
Critical reception "Fever" received favorable reviews from music critics. In Rolling Stone, Brittany Spanos and Althea Legaspi complimented the song's sultriness and how Lipa and Angèle's vocal intertwine with one another. They additionally noted how their vocals complement the song's "steamy sentiment" and "seductive" beat. Chris Murphy of Vulture also commended the song's sultriness. Writing for the Evening Standard, Jochan Embley noted Lipa's departure from the disco-pop of Future Nostalgia, calling the song a "tantalising taste" of Lipa's future work. Mike Wass of Idolator viewed "Fever" as a "bilingual bop" and commended the "catchy" chorus and "elegant" middle eight. The staff of Wonderland noted Lipa's Kylie Minogue, Elvis Presley and Peggy Lee influences, seeing the song as a "slow burner" that is "all things sultry, hot and utterly atmospheric at the same time". In his review of Angèle's second studio album Nonante-Cinq (2021), Edward Pomykaj of Pitchfork named the song an "anxiety-ridden love song" that is driven home by the two singer's "brief but necessary" counterpoint to one and other while also mentioning that "it encapsulated the emotional breadth possible within nu-disco".
For Jenesaispop, Jordi Bardají compared "Fever" to "Look at Her Now" (2019) by Selena Gomez, another song produced by Kirkpatrick. In Billboard, Jason Lipshutz thought the song "happily prolongs" Future Nostalgias "great era" and stated it "slows down the thump" of the album and simmers "instead of boiling over". He additionally complimented Lipa's vocals for encapsulating her "yearning" particularly on the hook, also calling Angèle's appearance a "satisfying assist". Stereogums staff viewed "Fever" as "conventional" and praised the beat, which they called "fleet" and "efficient", as well as stating it "bubbles and twinkles". The staff additionally praised Lipa's pronunciation of "usually" saying it gives the song "shape and dimension" and sounds like a "bird call" sound effect. Têtus staff thought that "Fever" will help everyone pass the time while in the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns. Frenchlys Catherine Rickman commended the song for being "upbeat, sexy, and undeniably catchy".
Isabella Vega of Euphoria Magazine labelled "Fever" a "smoky, melodic, low-key symphony of intoxicating lust" and noted its blend of Lipa's "new wave of nostalgia pop" and Angèle's "sophistication, flirtiness, and je ne sais quoi" vocals. The staff of The Face labelled the song a "smooth dance pop tune", while Nina Corcoran of Consequence called it a "quick but infectio[us] pop song", and Derrick Rossignol for Uproxx labelled the song a "infectious and thumping pop tune". iHeartRadio's Eliot Hill named "Fever" one of 2020's most underrated songs. Atwood Magazine placed the song on its list of the year's best songs, with Nicole Almeida of the magazine complimenting the blend of Lipa's "undeniable swagger" and Angèle's "innocent poise" vocals and how "genuine" it is. She concluded by naming the song an "achievement" for putting forward the best of the two singers without "dimming" their personalities. Popjustice ranked the song at number 25 on their year-end, best songs of 2020 list. "Fever" won Hit of the Year for 2021 at the 2022 Music Industry Awards in Belgium.
Commercial performance