My Kink Is Karma

"My Kink Is Karma"
Single by Chappell Roan
from the album The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess
ReleasedMay 6, 2022
Genre
Length3:42
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Nigro
Chappell Roan singles chronology
"Naked in Manhattan"
(2022) 		"My Kink Is Karma"
(2022) 		"Femininomenon"
(2022)
Music video
"My Kink Is Karma" on YouTube

"My Kink Is Karma" is a song by the American singer Chappell Roan, released on May 6, 2022 as the second single from her debut studio album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess (2023). It was produced by Dan Nigro. The song became a sleeper hit in 2024, as one of Roan's seven simultaneously charting songs on the Billboard Hot 100, along with "Good Luck, Babe!", "Casual", "Hot to Go!", "Red Wine Supernova", "Pink Pony Club", and "Femininomenon".[2]

Background

In an interview with Into, Chappell Roan spoke about the origins of the song: "I've been through some pretty gnarly breakups. I was just sitting in the session and I was like, 'Ah, it feels so nice that my ex is doing horrible!' Which is insanely toxic. The song is toxic! I'm very aware that it's not healthy. But that's how I was feeling that day."[1]

Composition and lyrics

"My Kink Is Karma" features synth-laden production[3] and finds Chappell Roan relishing in her ex-partner's misfortune, such as watching them "ruin your life", "losing your mind", "dyeing your hair" and "crashing your car."[1][3] She also claims, "People say I'm jealous but my kink is karma"[4], using the term kink to describe her extreme desire for karmic justice directed at her ex.

Critical reception

AllMusic's editor Neil Z. Yeung called it a "sardonic, synth-laden" song.[3] Annabel Holman of The Fulcrum listed "My Kink Is Karma" among the best songs from The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, noting its angriness.[5] Writing for David Reviews, Syd Briscoe praised "My Kink Is Karma", calling it a "smooth song", and also applauded the music video for its "gleeful visuals".[6]

Music video

The music video finds Chappell Roan wearing excessive clown makeup and portraying a character named "Karma", who has a stark white heart-shaped face, bright blue eyeshadow and devil horns. According to Roan, she made the video with her friends from summer camp. She stated, "I didn't want it to be like a beauty shot necessarily. I wanted it to look kind of scary. And I knew I didn't want it to be fully based around sex, which — the song is called 'My Kink Is Karma.' Like, we could have gone the very easy route of being super sexual." Her makeup took inspiration from clowns, the biggest one being the character Him from The Powerpuff Girls.[1]

Charts

Chart performance for "My Kink Is Karma"
Chart (2024) Peak
position
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[7] 98
US Billboard Hot 100[8] 81

Certifications

Certifications for "My Kink Is Karma"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[9] Gold 40,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ a b c d Cramer, Jude (July 8, 2022). "Chappell Roan's Kink Is Karma, And Our Kink Is Chappell Roan". Into. Archived from the original on April 17, 2024. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
  2. ^ Unterberger, Andrew (August 14, 2024). "Is Chappell Roan About to Catch Up to Taylor Swift on the Billboard 200?". Billboard. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c Yeung, Neil (September 22, 2023). "Chappell Roan – The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess review". AllMusic. Archived from the original on August 20, 2024. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
  4. ^ Franzini, Sam (September 21, 2023). "Chappell Roan: The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess – big pop smashes lead the way | Pop". The Line of Best Fit. Archived from the original on September 27, 2023. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
  5. ^ Holman, Annabel (November 20, 2023). "Review: This Midwest Princess Should Be On Your Playlist". The Fulcrum. The Fulcrum Publishing Society. Archived from the original on August 24, 2024. Retrieved August 24, 2024.
  6. ^ Briscoe, Syd (July 5, 2022). "'My Kink is Karma' by Chappell Roan". David Reviews. Archived from the original on August 24, 2024. Retrieved August 24, 2024.
  7. ^ "Chappell Roan Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
  8. ^ "Chappell Roan Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
  9. ^ "Canadian single certifications – Chappell Roan – My Kink Is Karma". Music Canada. Retrieved September 30, 2024.