Female (song)

"Female" is a song written by Shane McAnally, Nicolle Galyon, and Ross Copperman and recorded by New Zealand-born Australian country music artist Keith Urban. It was released in November 2017 as the first single from Urban’s 2018 album Graffiti U. Urban debuted the song live on the 51st Annual Country Music Association Awards that same day.[1]

"Female"
Single by Keith Urban
from the album Graffiti U
Released	8 November 2017
Recorded	2017
Genre	Country pop
Length	3:14
Label	Hit Red Capitol Nashville
Songwriter(s)	Shane McAnally Ross Copperman Nicolle Galyon
Producer(s)	Keith Urban Ross Copperman Dann Huff
Keith Urban singles chronology
"The Fighter" (2017) "Female" (2017) "Parallel Line" (2018)

Content

The song, which was written in early October 2017,[2] has been described as "an empowerment anthem partially inspired by the Harvey Weinstein scandal."[1] Urban said of the song that "as a husband and a father of two young girls, it affects me in a lot of ways. And as a son -- my mother is alive. It just speaks to all of the females in my life, particularly. For a guy who grew up with no sisters in a house of boys, it’s incredible how now I’m surrounded by girls. But not only in my house; I employ a huge amount of women in my team. The song just hit me for so many reasons.”[1] Urban's wife Nicole Kidman and song co-writer Nicolle Galyon provided background vocals on the track.[2]

Chart performance

"Female" was the best-selling country song on the week of its debut, with 21,000 copies sold based on only a couple of days sales after its release,[3] and entered the Hot Country Songs chart at number 21.[4] The following week, the single debuted at number 69 on the US Billboard Hot 100, selling 32,000 copies.[5][6] As of March 2018, the single has sold 163,000 copies in the US.[7] On August 16, 2019, the single was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for combined sales and streaming data of over 500,000 units in the United States.[8]

Reaching a peak of number 12 on the Billboard Country Airplay charts, "Female" became Urban's first single to miss the Top 10 since his mainstream debut, "It's a Love Thing," from 1999, ending a streak of 37 top ten hits.

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2017–18) Peak position Australia (ARIA)[9] 55 Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[10] 71 Canada Country (Billboard)[11] 3 US Billboard Hot 100[12] 69 US Country Airplay (Billboard)[13] 12 US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[14] 11

Year-end charts Chart (2018) Position US Country Airplay (Billboard)[15] 58 US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[16] 56

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[17]	Gold	500,000
Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

1. Joe Lynch (8 November 2017). "Keith Urban Brings His Harvey Weinstein-Inspired Song 'Female' to 2017 CMAs". Billboard.com. Retrieved 11 November 2017.
2. WENN (11 November 2017). "Nicole Kidman sings backup on Keith Urban's 'Female' song inspired by Harvey Weinstein". WJLA. Archived from the original on 12 November 2017. Retrieved 11 November 2017.
3. Bjorke, Matt (15 November 2017). "Top 30 Digital Country Singles Chart: November 14, 2017". Roughstock.
4. Gary Trust, Trevor Anderson (16 October 2017). "Chart Beat Podcast: What Should the Next Singles Be From Taylor Swift's 'Reputation'?". Billboard.CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)
5. Bjorke, Matt (22 November 2017). "Top 30 Digital Country Singles Chart: November 21, 2017". Roughstock. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
6. Cantor, Brian (20 November 2017). "Keith Urban's "Female" Debuts On Billboard Hot 100". Headline Planet.
7. Bjorke, Matt (13 March 2018). "Top 30 Digital Country Singles Sales Chart: March 13, 2018". Roughstock. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
8. "RIAA Certifications - Keith Urban". Retrieved 1 March 2020.
9. "ARIA Chart Watch #447". auspOp. 18 November 2017. Retrieved 18 November 2017.
10. "Keith Urban Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 21 November 2017.
11. "Keith Urban Chart History (Canada Country)". Billboard. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
12. "Keith Urban Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 21 November 2017.
13. "Keith Urban Chart History (Country Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved 21 February 2018.
14. "Keith Urban Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 21 November 2017.
15. "Country Airplay – Year-End 2018". Billboard. Retrieved 7 December 2018.
16. "Hot Country Songs – Year-End 2018". Billboard. Retrieved 7 December 2018.
17. "American single certifications – Keith Urban – Female". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 24 August 2019. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH.