The single was co-written by group members Amy Heidemann and Nick Noonan, along with Sam “S*A*M” Hollander, while production duties were handled by Boys Like Girls frontman Martin Johnson. The instrumental concept of the song was inspired by the film Pitch Perfect, a movie about an all-A cappella singing group. The song itself is a mix of human voices with limited instrumentation. Over a "booming bass line," Amy raps about finding Mr. Right and realizing he wasn’t so perfect after all.
Critical reception
"Acapella" has received mixed reviews from music critics. Amy Sciarretto of the website PopCrush gave the song 4 stars out of 5, stating "'Acapella' is a song about gaining your independence from dudes who are duds. Thematically, it could be this decade’s answer to 'Single Ladies', without being quite so anthemic and obvious." Adam Soybel at blog POP! Goes The Charts called it a "cute song", noting that "they sound like they're having fun", but at the same time, pointed out the risks of releasing it as a single. Mikeal Wood of The Los Angeles Times gave the song a highly negative review, stating: "Released last month, 'Acapella' is bad, no doubt about it: lame melody, lame beat, lame rapping by Heidemann, who shamelessly copies herself copying Brown's staccato flow from 'Look at Me Now'". In 2015, Billboard included "Acapella" on its list of "The 10 Worst Songs of the 2010s ", describing it as "the result of a focus group aimed at beguiling Millennials" and that the song "completely falls apart when Amy Heidemann actually goes a cappella in the final minute."
Commercial performance
"Acapella" entered the Australian ARIA Singles Chart at number seventeen for the week of July 28, 2013. The following week, it jumped to number eight, and peaked at number four the next week, becoming the duo's second top-ten hit in Australia, following, and succeeding "Brokenhearted", which peaked at number nine. In New Zealand, the single rose steadily, reaching a new peak of number nine, and also followed the success of "Brokenhearted", which peaked at number five. It was certified Platinum in New Zealand. Domestically, "Acapella" became their third single to chart on the US Billboard Hot 100, reaching number seventy-two. It has Been Certified 3x platinum in Australia for selling 140,000 Copies there.
Live performances
Karmin first performed the song live in an acoustic setting for Ryan Seacrest's Pick Your Purse party in late June 2013. On July 10, 2013, the duo performed the song on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, along with several other songs to be featured on their upcoming debut albumPulses. They also performed the song on 2nd Indonesian Choice Awards.
Music video
The music video for "Acapella" was directed by Matt Stawski, while creative direction and choreography was handled by Richard "Richy Squirrel" Jackson. Filming took place in early June 2013. The treatment for the video was written by band member Amy Heidemann. The visuals of the music video were inspired by 90's music videos the group grew up watching, mostly drawn from director Hype Williams, and artists such as Busta Rhymes, Missy Elliott, TLC, Brandy and Destiny's Child. Amy and Nick rock red, blue and green color-coordinated outfits and accessories while performing choreographed moves. Products from Coach, Mercedes Benz, Olive Garden and United Nude are featured in the video. The video premiered on Cosmopolitan's website July 12 and premiered on Vevo July 13. The duo said of the concept: “The video for ‘Acapella’ is visually something we’ve always wanted to put out. Our first few major label videos didn’t totally capture who Karmin is, ” explains the duo. “It feels good to create something like this where we are at the helm and can really be proud of. The video definitely plays homage to the 90's videos we grew up with and are still inspired by today."
Credits and personnel
Songwriting – Amy Heidemann, Nick Noonan, Sam Hollander, Martin Johnson
Production – Martin Johnson, additional by Kyle Moorman and Brandon Paddock
