Hey QT

"Hey QT" is the only single by the one-off music project QT. The project consisted of American performance artist Hayden Dunham, English producer A. G. Cook, Scottish producer Sophie, and British singer Harriet Pittard. The song was released on 26 August 2014 via XL Recordings.[1] The single's release was accompanied by a photo of QT with a blonde wig trimmed into a messy bob cut.[2][3] The promotional image was made by Diamond Wright, a team that includes PC Music musician Hannah Diamond.[4]

"Hey QT"
Single by QT
Released26 August 2014 (2014-08-26)
Genre
Length3:55
LabelXL
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • A. G. Cook
  • Sophie

Composition

"Hey QT" is a dance-pop song composed in the key of F major, with a tempo of 129 beats per minute.[6][7] Its production uses synthesizer melodies and an irregular beat comprised of staccato snare hits.[6][8] It features a call and response hook of "Hey QT! Yeah?".[4] Although Dunham portrays QT, the song's vocals are actually by British singer Harriet Pittard, who also records as Zoee.[9] Her voice was shifted to a higher pitch,[6][10] and the song has a girlish, cute aesthetic.[11] She said that the lyrics describe a "feeling of sensing someone's presence even when they are not in the same physical space".[2] "Hey QT" includes a metanarrative about the song itself.[12]

Release and promotion

The song was debuted at a Boiler Room show in Los Angeles promoting Hudson Mohawke's Chimes EP. A digital broadcast by Eric Wareheim opened the performance.[13] Dunham performed the song as QT, opening the act by sitting down and reading a fashion magazine while a voiceover endorsed the QT energy drink.[4] Dunham then lip synced "Hey QT" while appearing disinterested.[14]

Diplo premiered his remix of "Hey QT" on 6 March 2015 through Annie Mac's BBC Radio 1 show.[15] His reworking is more subdued, with a drop leading into the chorus.[16] The remix was made available as a free download on WeTransfer.[17]

Critical reception

Reaction to "Hey QT" was divided; many people responded with confusion or repulsion.[18] It received some praise from music critics, placing 84th on The Village Voice's 2014 Pazz & Jop critics' poll.[19] "Hey QT" was chosen as number 14 on Pitchfork Media's "100 Best Tracks of 2014".[10] Spin ranked the song 4th on its list of "The 101 Best Songs of 2014",[20] The Fader listed the song 3rd,[21] and Fact magazine placed "Hey QT" 37th on its year-end list.[22]

Music video

The music video for "Hey QT", directed by Bradley & Pablo, was released on 25 March 2015.[23] The video depicts QT developing the DrinkQT energy drink.[24] A laboratory measures her emotional state and distills it into the drink's formula.[25] The video features CGI animations of DrinkQT, which were simulated in RealFlow and rendered using 3ds Max.[26] It references Gap advertisements and includes product placement for Beats headphones.[27][28]

References
  1. "Sophie and A. G. Cook are QT Announce Debut Single Hey QT". Pitchfork. 29 August 2014. Retrieved 29 August 2014.
  2. Friedlander, Emilie (26 November 2014). "QT Is The @Horse_Ebooks Of Music". The Fader. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
  3. Frank, Alex (19 September 2014). "A Visual Primer on PC Music, London's Weirdest New Subculture". Vogue. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
  4. Sherburne, Philip (17 September 2014). "PC Music's Twisted Electronic Pop: A User's Manual". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
  5. Robinson, Peter (11 September 2014). "'You become an arse overnight': the pitfalls of having a hit novelty single". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 January 2014.
  6. Adams, Gregory (26 August 2014). "QT 'Hey QT'". Exclaim!. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
  7. "QT — Hey QT [XL Recordings]". Beatport. 26 August 2014. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  8. Fallon, Patric (26 August 2014). "QT: 'Hey QT'". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
  9. Hussey, Allison (9 September 2021). "Hayden Dunham, Formerly of PC Music's QT, Shares First Solo Song: Listen". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  10. Mapes, Jillian (30 September 2014). "The Best Tracks of 2014". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
  11. Pearl, Max; Lhooq, Michelle (8 January 2015). "PC Music is Post-Internet Art". Vice. Archived from the original on 10 January 2015. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
  12. MacNeill, Kyle (29 August 2014). "Tracks: QT, Death From Above 1979 & More". DIY. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
  13. Beauchemin, Molly (9 September 2014). "Sophie and QT Perform Boiler Room Sets: Video". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
  14. Weiss, Dan (17 December 2014). "Trend of the Year: How PC Music Chewed Up Pop Conventions". Spin. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
  15. Milton, Jamie (11 March 2015). "Diplo shares edit of QT's 'Hey QT'". DIY. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
  16. Rettig, James (11 March 2015). "QT – 'Hey QT (Diplo Remix)'". Stereogum. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
  17. Harrison, Angus (25 March 2015). "The Video For 'Hey QT' is the Dystopian Energy Drink Commercial We've All Been Waiting For". Vice. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
  18. Martin, Clive (12 September 2014). "PC Music: Are They Really the Worst Thing Ever to Happen to Dance Music?". Vice. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
  19. "The Village Voice's 42nd Pazz & Jop Music Critics' Poll: The Last Word on the Year in Music". The Village Voice. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  20. "The 101 Best Songs of 2014". Spin. 8 December 2014. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
  21. McDermott, Patrick D. (9 December 2014). "The FADER's 116 Best Tracks Of 2014". The Fader. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
  22. "The 50 best tracks of 2014". Fact. 11 December 2014. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
  23. "pc music drop hey qt video and spread happiness". i-D. 26 March 2015. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  24. Gordon, Jeremy (25 March 2015). "QT Shares 'Hey QT' Video". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
  25. "Hey QT". One Point Four. 26 March 2015. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  26. Mzhavanadze, Beso (26 March 2015). "QT - Making Of Video". Vimeo. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
  27. "Watch QT's virtual reality advert-video for 'Hey QT'". Fact. 25 March 2015. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
  28. Milton, Jamie (25 March 2015). "QT unveils elixir-fuelled video for 'Hey QT'". DIY. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
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