NDA (song)

of Kauai—an island she visited in 2020. At the age of 18, Billie Eilish won five awards at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards held in 2020. These include Album of the Year for her debut studio album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? (2019). It was a commercial success, debuting at number one on many national record charts and bringing her mainstream fame. Her newly found success attracted the attention of stalkers: in 2019, the address of her family home in Los Angeles leaked online, causing three fans to show up at her house one day. One of them was an old man who had driven all the way from San Diego. That same year, a man was arrested for trespassing after appearing outside Eilish's residence seven times while "showing erratic behavior", such as by waiting for her by the front porch when told by her father that she was not home yet. A judge issued a restraining order against the man, which prevented him from trying to contact or go within a 100-meter radius of Eilish and her parents, harassing the family, or visiting Eilish's workplaces. In 2020, Billie Eilish and her family experienced stalking from another person. She filed a civil harassment restraining order against the stalker, who went by a nickname of "Adam Lucifer", on February 11, 2021, winning the case the following month. Camping by a school across from Eilish's residence, he had been sending her "extremely disturbing" letters and making throat-slitting gestures whenever they encountered each other. Eilish started fearing for her life and the well-being of her family, and she stopped feeling safe while inside her house as well as travelling outside of it. In a court statement, she wrote: "Every time I see him I just want to scream." On April 27, 2021, Eilish announced her second studio album Happier Than Ever for release on July 30. "NDA" was announced via an Instagram post by Eilish, alongside a music video, on July 1, 2021. She additionally revealed the cover art for the single, which features double image of her. Two days before the song's release, Eilish posted a short snippet of it on Instagram. The song was released to digital download and streaming media on July 9, as the fifth single from Happier Than Ever. On July 13, the song impacted alternative and mainstream radio formats in the United States. Along with the release of the album, the lyric video of the song was uploaded to Eilish's official YouTube channel. ==Development and recording==

"NDA" was written by Eilish and her brother Finneas O'Connell, who also served as the track's producer. It was recorded at Finneas' home recording studio, located in the basement of his Los Angeles residence. The song's production started with the sound made by Finneas that plays in between pre-chorus and chorus. Eilish wanted to use the sounds, because if not it would be a "waste" according to her. She added that the recording of "NDA" did not take place in her "comfort zone", but it was therapeutic and fun for her. The singer likes the track because of its different structure. She further elaborated about the song's development process in an interview with Zane Lowe for Apple Music: "I'm so happy that it's seeing the light of day. It came from that [does sound] We had that, we only had that. Finneas made that, just that. We were just messing around, and he just made that, and we were like, 'Oh!' And it just was that … and it was way slower and pitched down. It was really slow, this crazy... And we would just listen to it, and we would just walk around the room feeling it. And it was such a feeler. Oh my God, I kept picturing visuals for it. And I kept picturing legs, and girls and shapes, and darkness, and this cool. And I was just like, 'We have to make something to this, because this is a waste otherwise.' We literally made that whole song in two days or something, a day, I don't know. But it was a fun, satisfying-ass process. It was very, very fulfilling." ==Composition and production==

Musically, "NDA" is a minimal, pulsating, trip-hoppy, and trance-like song described as alt-pop, dark-pop, electropop, industrial, and progressive pop. According to the sheet music published by Universal Music Group, the song is composed in the key of G minor, and has a tempo of 85 beats per minute. Eilish's vocals span from G3 to D5, staying in her mid-range. The song later features "weird plucky" guitar, "eerie" piano line, atmospheric synths, sub-bass, an electro Auto Tune, "hypnotic" couplets and refrains, and Eilish's doubled whispery vocals while Eilish screams "You couldn't save me, but you can't let me go / I can crave you, but you don't need to know" through heavily auto-tuned vocals. The chorus itself was classified by Rob Harvilla of The Ringer as "dystopian techno-pop". The song segues into the album's next track "Therefore I Am". "NDA" has been labeled as "claustrophobic", "jittery", "prowling", "razor-sharp", "syncopated", and "thumping" by music commentary, with Allison Stewart from The Washington Post describing it as "twitchy club [track]". Tyler Golsen of Far Out stated that the song is a "stark and shadowy version of electro-pop" and is "closer to goth-pop" than the previous single "Lost Cause" (2021), but noted how "stylistically it stays in the same sonic sandbox". In Teen Vogue article, production of the tune was stated as its "unique sound element", while the song in whole was described as "woozier take on hyperpop". Alex McLevy from The A.V. Club described the track as "pulsing, heartbeat-like throb". and to the work of artists such as progressive rapper Kanye West, industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, and hip hop and dance producer Timbaland. Sophie Walker of The Forty-Five opined that strings of this track are influenced by the Eastern music, and they with the "ticking metronome" create a "disorientating, otherworldly sound". The singer's vocal delivery in the track was described as "apathetic", and "hushed". whilst Capital FM's Savannah Roberts called her vocals "effortless", elaborating that Eilish carried the verses and allowed the poignant words to sink in. NMEs Rhian Daly wrote that the song "moves between sparse, hypnotic verses and big refrains anchored by a heavy sub bass". Bardají said that the song contains an interesting contrast with its production choices, "catchy and boastful melody", and "Billie's voice in the foreground but subjected to the habitual virguerias". Walker said that the auto tune effect put on Eilish's voice "brings this glacial, nocturnal and spectacularly odd track to life." ==Lyrical content and interpretation==

Lyrically, "NDA" covers various topics. Eilish also presents the struggles of having a private personal life and a romantic partner due to her fame. In the second verse, Eilish addresses her fame and money, singing that after being featured in Forbes 30 Under 30, her life has been negatively impacted since she can "barely" go outside. Eilish later refers to other songs from the album, such as "Getting Older", "I Didn't Change My Number", and "My Future". The singer thinks that the outro has "like eight different meanings". "emotional", "barbed", and "sly". Megan Stone of Good Morning America had a different perspective on the track, describing it as "vulnerable and unsettling". In an article published by Pinkvilla, a writer suggested that the song seemingly also talks about trust, while Young Hollywoods Rebecca Breitfeller stated it is about "that life is moving too fast and too many things are coming at [Eilish] from all angles". Jon Dolan of Rolling Stone opinied this tracks is about "life as a disconnected blur of new-fame isolation." ==Critical reception==

Gigwises Vicky Greer deemed Eilish to be "returning to the darker alt-pop" with "NDA", Tom Breihan of Stereogum wrote that the song contains a "playfulness that's mostly lacking on the album" and that it is "one of the few moments where Happier Than Ever really crackles to life". The Forty-Fives Emma Holbrook called the song's title line as one of the darkest lyrics of the album. Writing for Hot Press, Peter O'Neill said that certain lyrics "highlight the moody feeling of the track". Robin Murray from Clash said that it is "delicately composed"; while Sarah El-Mahmoud of CinemaBlend called the song "brooding" and "well orchestrated" with "intense back beat", as well as labeling the subject matter "interesting", however admitting that it did not "blow [her] mind". (pictured) in "NDA" was acclaimed by some music critics. "NDA" was praised by respective editors of The Wall Street Journal and Hollywood.com, with Mark Richardson commenting "[Eilish's] hushed voice and muted phrasing need the contrast these grittier and noisier tracks provide"; while Sam Persall said that it is a "perfect accompaniment to the previously released Happier Than Ever singles" because of its diverse lyrics. Persall also described Finneas' production as "killer" and "superb", while opining that Eilish's vocal performance is "unworldly". Golsen praised the song, saying that "with a darker, almost creeper beat and near-whispered lyrics, 'NDA' shows off what Billie does best and builds up in tension and raw emotion as the song goes on". In an analysis published at Chorus.fm, Mary Varvaris said that "NDA" has an "excellent" transition into "Therefore I Am" and that they "[complement] side-by-side and on the album". On more critical note, William said that because the song is full of details it "should make [Eilish] less relatable", however "counterintuitively, it has the opposite effect". McLevy criticized the fact that "Everybody Dies", "Your Power", and "NDA" are placed next to each other because "following one another, they feel jarring, as though Eilish and her brother couldn't bear to leave such quality material in the studio, regardless of how inelegantly they work when placed together". Lists Jackson Langford of MTV Australia put "NDA" on the third place of his list compiling of every Eilish songs, where he wrote that even though the track is not relatable, it "doesn't alienate." He also compared it to previous Happier Than Ever singles, "My Future" (2020) and "Your Power", saying that unlike those "NDA" is an "all-out onslaught of fiery emotion as she reckons with fame's intense repercussions." Walker placed the single on the tenth position of her worst-to-best list of the artist's songs. Dailey was more critical of "NDA", hence she placed it at number 13 in her ranking of worst-to-best songs of Happier Than Ever, explaining that the song is a "fairly unrelatable song about what it takes to have a relationship and personal life when you're an ultra-famous celebrity". ==Commercial performance==

Similarly to two previous Happier Than Ever singles, "NDA" achieved moderate commercial success, which have not meet some fans expectations, resulting in calling it her "flop era". The singer addressed those allegations in a TikTok video, suggesting trolls to "eat [her] dust", with "NDA" playing in the background. According to MRC Data, in the week ending July 22, 2021, "NDA" was the 87th most-streamed song in the United States, while Hits reported that during its debut radio week, the song became the third most added track to pop panels. "NDA" debuted and peaked at number 39 on a chart issue July 24. The song slipped to number 75 the following week, and rebounded two weeks later to position 59, receiving "Biggest Streaming Gain" award. A week later, it was one of two songs from Happier Than Ever that stayed on the Hot 100, logging position 77. Additionally, the song peaked at number 25 on Mainstream Top 40. Also, it charted within top 20 in other Billboard charts, peaking at number 18 on the Canadian Hot 100 and at number 20 on both global charts—Global 200 and Global Excl. U.S. "NDA" was certified gold by Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas (AMPROFON) for moving 70,000 copies in Mexico. On August 25, 2023, it was certified silver by British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for shipping 200,000 copies in the country. After the album's release, the song re-entered the ARIA Singles Charts at number 36. In the latter, the single logging position 14. "NDA" was certified platinum by Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) and Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry (ZPAV) for selling 70,000 and 50,000 copies in Australia and Poland, respectively. ==Music video==

Background and synopsis The music video for "NDA" was directed by Eilish and recorded on June 1, 2021. It was uploaded on her official YouTube channel on July 9, 2021, at 12 am Eastern Time. In an interview with Apple Music, Eilish revealed the original concept for the music video was scrapped due to complications. The one-shot video features Eilish walking at a dark night on a dimly lit desert road, while Stone proposed that the cars may be symbolizing the singer's "distress". while Ruth Samuel from the Los Angeles Times labeled it "eerie", adding "engulfed in clouds of smoke as dozens of cars race past her, Billie Eilish puts a literal spin on life". Ruelle called it "shocking"; In an article published by Paper, the video was called "fun" and "Hollywood-themed"; while iHeartRadio Canada's John R. Kennedy named it "daring" and "dark". Besides calling it "dark", Breitfeller said the video "particular[ly] feels very honest and emotional", and that the cars featured in it are not only a "wonderful metaphor", but also "visually extremely entertaining". ==Live performances==

(2022–2023). On July 16, 2021, an in-studio live performance of the song was uploaded to Eilish's YouTube channel. Besides Eilish, the video featured her brother, Finneas, playing synths and Andrew Marshall on drums. One day before the album's release, she performed "NDA" and "Billie Bossa Nova" on German program Unserding. On August 5, 2021, Eilish performed a five-song in BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge that included "NDA", alongside other album tracks and a cover of Frances Langford's "I'm in the Mood for Love". Next month, the singer released her concert film entitled Happier Than Ever: A Love Letter to Los Angeles, which featured a performance of the song. On September 20, Eilish performed "NDA" at Life Is Beautiful Music & Art Festival in front of 180,000 fans. In 2022, Eilish embarked on a world tour that started on February 3, 2022, in New Orleans at Smoothie King Center and finished on September 30, 2022, at Perth Arena, in support of Happier Than Ever, where she performed "NDA" after "I Didn't Change My Number", before she transitioned into "Therefore I Am". During the song's performance, the stage changed into the highway road and backdrops displayed cars, reminiscent of the single's music video. The tour included gigs on such festivals as Coachella and Glastonbury. The singer shared footage of the performance of "NDA" from the former festival on her official YouTube channel. ==Credits and personnel== • Billie Eilish vocals, songwriting, vocal engineering • Finneas O'Connell songwriting, production, drum programming, engineering, percussion, synth bass, synthesizer, vocal arrangement • Dave Kutch mastering • Rob Kinelski mixing • Casey Cuayo mixing assistant • Eli Heisler mixing assistant • Nick Rives immersive mix engineering ==Charts==

Weekly charts Year-end charts ==Certifications==