OMG What's Happening

"OMG What's Happening" is a song by American singer Ava Max, released through Atlantic Records as the seventh single from her debut studio album, Heaven & Hell (2020). It was released on September 3, 2020. The disco-funk and disco-pop song was written by Max, Roland Spreckley, Henri Antero Salonen, Sorana Păcurar, Cirkut and Jason Gill, and produced by the latter two writers alongside Hank Solo. A music video was released on October 29, 2020, which was directed by American music video director Hannah Lux Davis. It depicts Max racing against other drivers in muscle cars.

"OMG What's Happening"
Single by Ava Max
from the album Heaven & Hell
ReleasedSeptember 3, 2020 (2020-09-03)
Recorded2020
Genre
Length2:59
LabelAtlantic
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Ava Max singles chronology
"Who's Laughing Now"
(2020)		 "OMG What's Happening"
(2020)		 "Christmas Without You"
(2020)
Music video
"OMG What's Happening" on YouTube

Background and development

Max first teased the release of "OMG What's Happening" on her social media accounts on August 31, 2020.[1] She posted the song's official cover art on September 2, 2020, and announced that it would be released the next day,[2][3] stating that it was one of her favorite songs on Heaven & Hell.[4] The cover art depicts Max wearing a red cowboy hat and gloves, while standing on top of a monster truck.[3] "OMG What's Happening" was written by Max, Roland Spreckley, Henri Antero Salonen, Sorana Pacurar, with producers Cirkut and Jason Gill. Hank Solo was also involved in production.[5] The lyric, "There's something about your face / I don't know whether to kiss it or punch it" was initially recorded by Max in quarantine from the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic as a joke, but she decided to keep it in the song.[6]

Composition and critical reception

"OMG What's Happening" is a disco-funk[7] and disco-pop song.[8] Jon Pareles of The New York Times stated that it was part of the "disco revival" preceded by music released from Doja Cat, Dua Lipa, and Lady Gaga,[9] while Issei Honke of Billboard Japan additionally specified that "OMG What's Happening" followed 2020 songs such as Doja Cat's "Say So" (2020), and Lipa's "Don't Start Now" (2019).[8] The song contains Dominican bachata guitar syncopations which transition into disco hi-hats, synthesizers and rhythm guitar. It also uses a chord progression from Gloria Gaynor's 1978 song "I Will Survive", which inverses its lyrical message about being "smitten" in place of the original song's message of "independence".[9] "OMG What's Happening" utilizes vibey hooks and a spoken-word bridge,[10] while Max performed high-wire vocal undulations compared to Marina Diamandis.[11]

Mike Wass from Idolator described "OMG What's Happening" as a "loved-up banger" that "finds the pop star head over heels".[12] Writing for Us Weekly, Nicholas Hautman stated that it was "disco realness",[13] while Honke wrote that the song resembled a "disco-like atmosphere" from the late 1970s.[8]

Music video

American music video director Hannah Lux Davis announced her involvement in the music video on her social media accounts on September 2, 2020.[14] It was filmed during the same weekend as Max's 2020 song "Naked", which was also directed by Davis.[15] Prior to the video's release, Max mentioned that it involved a large truck and several fast muscle cars in the desert.[16] A lyric video was released on September 3, 2020, which coincided with the song's release.[17] The music video was released on October 29, 2020, which depicts Max as a driver on a truck covered with flames, while racing on an empty highway against another taunting driver.[18][19]

Personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal.[5]

  • Amanda Ava Koci – vocals, songwriting
  • Henry Walter – songwriting, production
  • Jason Gill – songwriting, production
  • Henri Antero Salonen – songwriting
  • Roland Spreckley – songwriting
  • Sorana Pacurar – songwriting
  • Hank Solo – production
  • Chris Gehringer – mastering
  • Serban Ghenea – mixing
  • John Hanes – engineering

Charts

Certifications
Certifications and sales for "OMG What's Happening"
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Norway (IFPI Norway)[32] Gold 30,000
Poland (ZPAV)[33] Gold 25,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history
Release dates and formats for "OMG What's Happening"
Region Date Format(s) Label Ref.
Various September 3, 2020
Atlantic [3]

References
  1. "Can't wait for you to fully experience #HeavenAndHell. Tomorrow, you'll be one step closer…". August 31, 2020. Retrieved September 2, 2020 – via Instagram.
  2. "OMG, What's Happening, Ava Max annonce un nouveau single !" [OMG, What's Happening, Ava Max announces a new single!] (in French). Virgin Radio (France). September 3, 2020. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
  3. Francisco, Vitor (September 3, 2020). "Ava Max divulga capa de novo single, "OMG What's Happening", que chega amanhã (03)" [Ava Max releases cover of new single, "OMG What's Happening", which arrives tomorrow (03)]. PapelPop (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved September 3, 2020.
  4. "One of my favorite songs on the album...Omg. Tomorrow!! #OMGWhatsHappening". September 2, 2020. Retrieved September 2, 2020 – via Instagram.
  5. "OMG What's Happening – Credits". Retrieved September 4, 2020 – via Tidal.
  6. Savage, Mark (September 22, 2020). "Ava Max: 'I need to make it, no matter what'". BBC News. Retrieved September 22, 2020.
  7. Yeung, Neil Z. "Heaven & Hell - Ava Max". AllMusic. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  8. Honke, Issei (September 29, 2020). "'ヘヴン＆ヘル' エイバ・マックス(Album Review)" ['Heaven & Hell' Ava Max (Album Review)]. Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved June 12, 2021.
  9. Pareles, Jon (September 4, 2020). "SZA's Surprise Return, and 10 More New Songs". The New York Times. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
  10. Wadia, Helena (September 18, 2020). "Ava Max - Heaven & Hell review: Catchy tunes, but manufactured pop lyrics lack personality". Evening Standard. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  11. Cragg, Michael (September 18, 2020). "Ava Max: Heaven & Hell review – turbo-charged 2010s pop joy". The Guardian. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  12. Wass, Mike (September 3, 2020). "Ava Max Drops Loved-Up Banger 'OMG What's Happening'". Idolator. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
  13. Hautman, Nicholas (September 17, 2020). "Ava Max Shows Promise on Debut Album 'Heaven & Hell': Review". Us Weekly. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
  14. "Been having too much fun with this girl. Exciting things coming soon! 🔥 @avamax". September 3, 2020. Retrieved September 3, 2020 – via Instagram.
  15. Kamaraj, Chandana (September 18, 2020). "Glass meets musician on-the-rise Ava Max". The Glass Magazine. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
  16. Tan, Vanessa (September 18, 2020). "'It resembles everything I've gone through.' Ava Max talks debut album Heaven and Hell, her dream K-pop collaborations, and coping with COVID-19". Bandwagon. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  17. "Ava Max - OMG What's Happening [Official Lyric Video]". Retrieved September 3, 2020 – via YouTube.
  18. Wass, Mike (October 29, 2020). "Ava Max's "OMG What's Happening" Video Is A Highway Romance". Idolator. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  19. Droke, Carolyn (October 29, 2020). "Ava Max Is A Sweltering Speed Demon In Her 'OMG What's Happening' Video". Uproxx. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
  20. Komerički, Goran (September 21, 2020). "ARC 100 – datum: 21. rujna 2020" [ARC 100 – date: 21 September 2020] (in Croatian). Hrvatska radiotelevizija. Retrieved July 8, 2021.
  21. "Ava Max – Suomen virallinen lista – Musiikkituottajat". Musiikkituottajat (in Finnish). Retrieved September 20, 2020.
  22. "Ava Max". Billboard. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
  23. "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  24. "2020 37-os savaitės klausomiausi (TOP 100)". Agata (in Lithuanian). Retrieved September 19, 2020.
  25. "VG-lista – Topp 20 Single uke 37, 2020". VG-lista. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  26. Arvunescu, Victor (September 28, 2020). "Top Airplay 100 - La vremuri noi, lideri noi, chiar şi în muzică!" [Top Airplay 100 – New times, new leaders, even in music!] (in Romanian). Un site de muzică. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
  27. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  28. "Veckolista Singlar, vecka 37". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  29. "Ava Max – OMG What's Happening". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  30. "Ava Max Chart History (Digital Song Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  31. "City & Country Radio – Top Year-End Hits" (in Russian). Tophit. 2021. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  32. "Norwegian single certifications – Ava Max – OMG What's Happening" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway. Retrieved November 19, 2021.
  33. "Wyróżnienia – Złote płyty CD - Archiwum - Przyznane w 2021 roku" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
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