Girl — The Internet
Not a remix: Kaytranada co-produced and features on “Girl”, the second single from The Internet’s 2015 album Ego Death, first aired on his BBC Radio 1 show.
- Second single from Ego Death (2015), the third album by The Internet.
- Produced by Kaytranada and band member Jameel Bruner; Kaytranada is the featured artist.
- First played by Kaytranada on his BBC Radio 1 residency in January 2015; released on 23 June 2015.
“Girl” is not a Kaytranada remix. Kaytranada is producer and featured artist on the original: the beat under Syd’s vocal is his, built with The Internet’s Jameel Bruner. The track waited six months between its first radio play and its release.
The Internet and Ego Death
The Internet formed in Los Angeles in early 2011, started by Syd and Matt Martians, both members of the Odd Future collective. Purple Naked Ladies (December 2011) was the first physical album released through Odd Future Records, and Feel Good followed in September 2013.
Ego Death, the third album, came out in late June 2015 on Odd Future and Columbia. The line-up was Syd, Matt Martians, Patrick Paige II, Christopher Smith, Steve Lacy and Jameel Bruner, with guests including Janelle Monáe, Vic Mensa, James Fauntleroy, Tyler, the Creator and Kaytranada.
The album reached No. 89 on the Billboard 200 and No. 9 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, and was nominated for Best Urban Contemporary Album at the 2016 Grammy Awards.
Six months on the radio
Kaytranada first played “Girl” in January 2015, during the debut show of his BBC Radio 1 residency. He called it one of his favourites and said the band would decide when it came out. There was no official stream until 23 June 2015, when it was released as the album’s second single, days before Ego Death. As a single it reached No. 19 on Billboard’s Adult R&B Songs chart, No. 28 on the Rhythmic chart and No. 44 on R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay.
The sound
The album version runs almost seven minutes (6:56). The FADER described its “staggered, thick beat” as the kind Kaytranada favours, with Syd’s vocal riding on top. Kaytranada’s own verdict on the genre he was working in was short: “There’s no bad neo-soul song.”
Kaytranada and The Internet after “Girl”
Kaytranada, born Louis Kevin Celestin in Port-au-Prince in 1992 and raised in Saint-Hubert near Montreal, had signed with XL Recordings in December 2014. His debut album 99.9% (2016) won the Polaris Music Prize, and Bubba (2019) won two Grammys in 2021, including Best Dance/Electronic Album.
After Ego Death, the members turned to solo work — in 2017 Steve Lacy released Steve Lacy’s Demo and Matt Martians The Drum Chord Theory — before regrouping. Kaytranada did remix the band later: his 2018 version of “Roll (Burbank Funk)”, the lead single of their fourth album Hive Mind, swapped some of the original bass for sharp, metallic synths. More in the archive: the Kaytranada profile and his remix of “All Night” by Chance the Rapper.
FAQ
Did Kaytranada remix Girl by The Internet?
Kaytranada is on the original: he co-produced “Girl” with Jameel Bruner and is its featured artist. His remix for the band came in 2018, on “Roll (Burbank Funk)”.
What album is Girl on?
Ego Death, The Internet’s third album, released in late June 2015 by Odd Future and Columbia. “Girl” came out as its second single on 23 June 2015.
Who sings Girl by The Internet?
Syd, the band’s singer. Kaytranada is credited as featured artist and co-producer.
