Mirrors (Natalia Kills song)

served as a producer for the song|alt=Akon performing "Mirrors" was recorded at the 11th Street Studios, Chalice Recording Studios and Cherrytree Recording Studios. It was co-produced and co-written by Akon, Giorgio Tuinfort, and Martin "Cherry Cherry Boom Boom" Kierszenbaum; the latter two also recorded instruments for the song. Kills provided additional songwriting. Mark "Exit" Goodchild and Tony Ugyal engineered it, while post-production was helmed by Robert Orton and Gene Grimaldi. The former mixed the track, while the latter mastered it. "Mirrors" has been described as a disco-pop song which features electric guitars, a bassline and a "grinding synthesised beat" and that the track "fuses bubbling '80s synth pop basslines, stadium rock guitars, and an anthemic falsetto chorus". Jack Stevin of AltSounds commented that the track's instrumentation provides it with a "gothic feel". Kills hits a falsetto note on the chorus, where she sings, "Turning the lights out / Burning the candles / And the mirrors gonna fog tonight". Consequence of Sound's Alex Young interpreted the lyrical content as discussing "duplicity of identity, hubris, and objectification", which he also called "more relatable" than the themes portrayed in Perfectionist. ==Reception==

Upon release, "Mirrors" received generally positive reviews from music critics. Writing for Consequence of Sound, Alex Young highlighted the song as an "essential track" from Perfectionist, while AllMusic's Jon O'Brien also denoted it as a standout from the album, calling it "pretty stellar". AltSounds' Jack Stevin opined that the song was "enjoyable", in spite of "uninspiring lyrics". The song achieved high positions on some European charts. On the Ö3 Austria Top 40, it spent 20 weeks and peaked at number 7; the track was listed fiftieth on Austria's 2011 year-end chart. "Mirrors" reached number 10 on the Media Control German single chart, and was 2011's 80th most successful single in the country. The song reached its highest peak of number two on the Polish Airplay Top 20, for the week ending 15 April 2011; in contrast, the song entered the United Kingdom chart at number 101. In Switzerland, "Mirrors" spent one week, peaking at number 52, whereas in Flanders, it didn't manage to enter the main Ultratop chart and instead entered the secondary Ultratip, at number 18. In North America, the single attained limited success—it reached number 35 on the Canadian Hot 100, and peaked at number 3 on the US Hot Dance Club Songs. ==Music video==

The French director Guillaume Doubet was commissioned to direct the video for "Mirrors", which was released on 2 December 2010. Idolator's Robbie Daw described it as "creepy" and "cinematic", and praised Kills' clothing. The video begins with Kills applying red lipstick, in a car mirror, while the instrumental of the song plays. She leaves the car and passes by a man, who is afterwards seen standing between two women wearing plastic masks of Kills' face. The music mutes and the sound of footsteps is heard repeatedly as Kills approaches a cracked mirror. After hearing a noise behind her, she looks over her shoulder as her reflection looks to her as well. Kills is dragged into the mirror, and the title card of the first act, "Vanity". During the section, a metal skull is shown while Kills lip-synchs the song in front of a mirror. The visual transitions to its second act, dubbed "Control", in which she holds an axe while standing on top of a glass box. A man is seen inside the box, filming her as she moves around it. The video then shifts to act three, named "Sex", in which Kill is depicted singing to a skull. Towards the end of the video, Kills is seen handcuffed and chained while sitting on the floor, and seducing a blindfolded man. ==Live performances==

Kills first performed "Mirrors" at Prince Peter's fashion show during New York Fashion Week on 8 September 2010. On 25 April 2011, Kills performed the song at ProSieben's live game show Schlag den Raab. A month later, she performed it at the 2011 Life Ball, held in Austria. ==Track listings==

• ;Digital download • "Mirrors" (Albumn Version) • "Mirrors" (Chris Moody Remix) • "Mirrors" (Kevin Graves Club Remix) • "Mirrors" (Frankmusik Obsidian Overkill Mix) • "Mirrors" (Jeff T Club Remix) • "Mirrors" (Saul Ruiz Club Mix) • "Mirrors" (Adrian Lux Remix) • "Mirrors" (Sin Morera Fierce Remix) • "Mirrors" (FRG Deluxe Remix) ==Personnel==

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Perfectionist. • Natalia Kills – vocals • Akon – production • Mark "Exit" Goodchild – engineering • Martin Kierszenbaum – all instruments, production • Robert Orton – mixing • Giorgio Tuinfort – all instruments, production • Tony Ugyal – engineering ==Charts==

Weekly charts Year-end charts ==Certifications==