"SugarCrash!" is a song written, produced, and performed by Canadian musician ElyOtto. It was released on August 25, 2020. A remix featuring Kim Petras and Curtis Waters was released on April 23, 2021.
Background and composition
At one minute and 20 seconds long, the song is in the key of F major with a tempo of 98 beats per minute.[1][2] It went viral on the video-sharing app TikTok in February 2021. The song is associated with two meme formats on the app, with the more popular format, a parody of fancams, featuring a CapCut video effect that highlights the climax of the video.[3]
On August 26, 2020, ElyOtto uploaded "Sugarcrash!," a hyperpop song inspired by 100 gecs, to his SoundCloud.[4]
On August 27, 2020, ElyOtto uploaded a TikTok video promoting the song that received over 760,000 views and 204,000 likes in seven months.[5]
"SugarCrash!" incorporates hyperpop with many sound effects, distorted bass, and high-pitched vocals, consisting of two choruses, a verse, and a bridge. Platt claimed in a Genius interview that the song, made with GarageBand, was a soundfont test for Pokémon Black and White. Platt also stated that the song covered many of his issues; how tired he was of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, his future, and his gender dysphoria.[6]
I've heard a lot of trans people say that they feel like they're born in the wrong body, wishing they could be someone else. I don't feel like that at all, I'm who I meant to be. I want to get rid of that self-hatred I have for myself, and sort of become accepting. It's such a personal thing to me, but taken out of context, it's something that pretty much anyone could relate to, which I think is really beautiful.[6]
Reception
Vulture's Justin Curto wrote: "As a song, 'SugarCrash!' tries to solve the very problem it's about. It's nothing new in hyperpop, which often uses buoyant productions to address darker themes. But on another, equally self-aware level, the song works so well because it's also about exactly what it sounds like. It's a hyperactive song about being full of pent-up energy; a brain-splitting song that, at one point, contemplates splitting one's own brain".[7] The song also received praise from Billboard author Joe Lynch, who described it as "a diaristic, candy-coated slice of teenage dissatisfaction."[8]
Following the song's success, at least seven record labels reached out to ElyOtto before he signed to RCA Records.[9][10]
Chart performance
The song debuted at number 30 on the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart, having spent 19 weeks-and-counting on the chart in total, peaking at number 10.[11] It later debuted at number 23 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 for the week of March 20, 2021,[12] and peaked at number 59 on the UK Singles Chart,[13] as well as number 126 on Billboard's Global 200.[14] The song also earned ElyOtto a spot on Rolling Stone's Breakthrough 25 chart for the months of February and March 2021 at numbers 15 and 17, respectively,[15] as well as a spot on Billboard's Emerging Artists chart for four weeks, peaking at number 36.[16]
Music video
On April 23, 2021, a visualizer was released along with the remix. A music video for the original song was released on May 4, 2021.[17] Both videos sit at a combined 23.5 million views as of September 2022.
