Figures (song)

"Figures"
Single by Jessie Reyez
from the EP Kiddo and the album Before Love Came to Kill Us
ReleasedAugust 26, 2016 (2016-08-26)
GenreSoul[1]
Length4:00
LabelFMLY
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Priest and the Beast
Jessie Reyez singles chronology
"k goodnight"
(2016) 		"Figures"
(2016) 		"Shutter Island"
(2017)
Music video
"Figures" on YouTube

"Figures" is a song by Canadian singer Jessie Reyez from her debut extended play Kiddo (2017). It was released as a single by FMLY on August 26, 2016 and was later added to her debut studio album Before Love Came to Kill Us (2020). The song was written by Reyez and Shy Carter alongside Björn Djupström and Tobias Frelin, the members of songwriting duo Priest and the Beast, who also produced it.

Commercial performance

"Figures" was a minor hit in Canada[1] where it peaked at 58 on the Canadian Hot 100.[2] The song received a triple platinum certification from Music Canada for selling 240,000 track-equivalent units.[3]

In the US, the song peaked at number 7 on the R&B Digital Song Sales chart[4] and at 32 on the Rhythmic Songs chart.[5] It received a platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for selling one million track-equivalent units.[6]

Music video

The music video for "Figures" was published on YouTube on August 24, 2016. It is a minimal video in which Reyez sings the song while she is sitting on a chair.[7]

Live performances

On June 18, 2017, Reyez performed "Figures" on the 2017 iHeartRadio Much Music Video Awards Red Carpet pre-show.[8] She again performed the song a week later at the 2017 BET Awards.[9]

Reyez made her late-night TV debut with her performance of "Figures" on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on August 9, 2017.[10][11] In November 2017, she performed both "Gatekeeper" and "Figures" on Late Night with Seth Meyers, with the latter being released as a web exclusive.[12]

A live performance of "Figures" recorded for Vevo in a motel parking lot was published on Reyez's YouTube channel on March 30, 2020.[13] The singer played the guitar alongside a group of string players.[14]

Personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal.[15]

  • Priest and the Beast – producer, recording engineer
  • Dustin Richardson – mix engineer
  • Cole Nystrom – mixer

Charts

Peak chart performance for "Figures"
Chart (2017-2018) Peak
position
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[2] 58
Canada CHR/Top 40 (Billboard)[16] 12
Canada Hot AC (Billboard)[17] 30
US R&B Digital Song Sales (Billboard)[4] 7
US Rhythmic (Billboard)[5] 32

Certifications

Certifications and sales for "Figures"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[3] 3× Platinum 240,000‡
France (SNEP)[18] Gold 100,000‡
United States (RIAA)[6] 2× Platinum 2,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Figures, a Reprise

"Figures, a Reprise"
Single by Jessie Reyez featuring Daniel Caesar
ReleasedMarch 26, 2018 (2018-03-26)
Length3:12
LabelFMLY
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Jordan Evans
  • Matthew Burnett
Jessie Reyez singles chronology
"Rush"
(2018) 		"Figures, a Reprise" "Body Count"
(2018)
Daniel Caesar singles chronology
"Best Part"
(2017) 		"Figures, a Reprise" "Forever Always"
(2018)

Background

Daniel Caesar asked Jessie Reyez to join him on stage for one of five sold-out shows he played in Toronto. Reyez wanted to sing her song "Figures" and decided to include Caesar's band to her performance. She performed half of the song solo while playing the guitar, and the other half was performed by the band. She later asked Caesar to rework the song with her and "Figures, a Reprise" was done a few weeks later.[19]

Release and promotion

On March 25, 2018, Reyez shared a screenshot of a chat with Daniel Caesar through her Instagram story.[20] Later that night, they performed "Figures, a Reprise" together during the Juno Awards of 2018. The song was released on digital platforms after their performance.[21]

Personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal.[22]

  • Jordan Evans – producer
  • Matthew Burnett – producer, drums
  • Ian Culley – guitar
  • Saya Gray – bass
  • Riley Bell – mixer, recording engineer

References

  1. ^ a b DeVille, Chris (October 18, 2018). "Jessie Reyez Is Really Great And You Should Listen To Her". Stereogum. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Jessie Reyez Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  3. ^ a b "Canadian single certifications – Jessie Reyez – Figures". Music Canada. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  4. ^ a b "Jessie Reyez Chart History (R&B Digital Song Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  5. ^ a b "Jessie Reyez Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  6. ^ a b "American single certifications – Jessie Reyez – Figures". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved December 11, 2024.
  7. ^ McCormick, Luke (August 24, 2016). "Watch Jessie Reyez's "Figures" Video". The Fader. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  8. ^ "Jessie Reyez Stuns With Emotional Red Carpet Performance Of 'Figures'". iHeartRadio. June 18, 2017. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  9. ^ "Toronto's Jessie Reyez Talks About Performing at the BET Awards!". CKIS-FM. August 1, 2017. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  10. ^ Bowsher, Allison (August 9, 2017). "Watch Jessie Reyez Get A Standing Ovation On The Tonight Show". Much. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  11. ^ Walaszek, John (August 9, 2017). "Watch Jessie Reyez Perform "Figures" on The Tonight Show". Pigeons & Planes. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  12. ^ Cantor, Brian (November 21, 2017). "Jessie Reyez Performs On "Late Night With Seth Meyers"". Headline Planet. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  13. ^ Darmon, Aynslee (March 30, 2020). "Jessie Reyez Gives Special "Figures" Live Performance". Entertainment Tonight Canada. Archived from the original on April 3, 2020. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  14. ^ Droke, Carolyn (March 31, 2020). "Jessie Reyez Performs "Figures" During Golden Hour In a Captivating Live Performance". Uproxx. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  15. ^ "Jessie Reyez / Figures / Credits". Tidal. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  16. ^ "Jessie Reyez Chart History (Canada CHR/Top 40)". Billboard. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  17. ^ "Jessie Reyez Chart History (Canada Hot AC)". Billboard. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  18. ^ "French single certifications – Jessie Reyez – Figures" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  19. ^ Corry, Kristin (May 7, 2018). "Jessie Reyez Is Using R&B to Deal With Old Demons". Noisey. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  20. ^ "Jessie Reyez Enlists Daniel Caesar for "Figures, a Reprise"". Pigeons & Planes. March 26, 2018. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  21. ^ Bowsher, Allison (March 26, 2018). "Listen to Jessie Reyez and Daniel Caesar on "Figures, A Reprise"". Much. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  22. ^ "Jessie Reyez / Figures, a Reprise / Credits". Tidal. Retrieved June 1, 2020.