Kill Em with Kindness (song)

Background and release

While working on the album, Selena Gomez enlisted her longtime collaborators Antonina Armato and Tim James, known as the production duo Rock Mafia. They helped Gomez on the creation of six tracks on the album, including "Revival" and "Kill Em with Kindness", one of her most personal tracks that the duo produced for the album. According to Gomez, one of the main inspirations behind the track was the "body-shaming" she received after a photo of herself in a bikini during her trip to Mexico was leaked online, and media claimed she gained weight, while she also received hurtful comments. She commented: "I was getting a lot of hate for my body and ‘you’re gaining weight,’ and so I was in Mexico and I was just feeling all of this stuff and I would be lying to you if I said it didn’t kind of hurt my feelings, but I kind of channeled that into my music." Later, she told the producers that the track was important, but the lyrics were more important.

In an interview for Power 106, she commented about how she was inspired to create the track, saying: "Everybody has had a say in my life … meaning the world, the perception, the media. It was really frustrating. There is a song on my record called ‘Kill Em with Kindness.’ So I’ve always done that. I ignore, I ignore, I ignore. And then it just kind of got out of hand. So I went to the new label [Interscope] and I was like, I have to say something. I need to say what I want to say, and you guys have to help me figure out how to do that." After releasing three successful singles from Revival, Gomez entered the studio to work on the follow-up to her second solo studio album, claiming she was already moving on from the album. However, in an interview for 97.5 Now FM, she revealed that "Kill Em with Kindness" was going to be released as the album's fourth and final single, claiming: "‘Kill Em with Kindness’ is lyrically my favorite song I put on the record and I definitely can’t wait to be able for that to have a story." It was serviced to contemporary hit radio on May 3, 2016.

Composition

"Kill Em with Kindness" was written by Gomez, Antonina Armato, Tim James, Benjamin Levin and Dave Audé. It was produced by Rock Mafia and Benny Blanco, with additional production by R3drum. Rock Mafia and Blanco were responsible for instrumentation and programming. Gomez recorded the track at Rock Mafia Studios in Los Angeles, California. According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Universal Music Publishing Group, the song it is written in the key of B♭ minor with a tempo of 120 beats per minute in common time. The song follows a chord progression of B♭m – G♭ – D♭ – F, and Gomez's vocals span from A♭₃ to B♭₄. It is a dance song with a tropical house breeze, with an "airy synth whoosh" and added bells. Critics noted that the "whistle hook" recalls Adam Lambert's "Ghost Town".

Lyrically, "Kill Em with Kindness" gives advice for dealing with critics, with a positive message of being kind to mean people. In the beginning, she sings: "The world can be a nasty place, you know it, I know it, yeah," and, as noted by Idolator's Mike Wass, "instead of raising the proverbial middle finger, [she] takes the high road," commending: "put out the fire before igniting." Later, she continues: "Your lies are bullets/ Your mouth's a gun/ And no war and anger/ Was ever won." Gomez claimed: "It's kind of my motto for life. It's so much easier to be mean. It's so easy to just kind of give yourself that, but it's so hard to walk away from a situation, turn your cheek the other way, and be the bigger person. So, that's what 'Kill Em With Kindness' represents. I think people need to hear that more often."

Critical reception

Tim Sendra of AllMusic picked it as a highlight from the album, remarking that "Gomez sounds most at home." Elysa Gardner of USA Today selected it one of the tracks to download and named it a "groove-driven, electro-savvy track." Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine noted that though it "lacks of originality," the song is yet a standout. James Reed of Boston Globe called it a "dance-floor catnip," while Dave Hanratty of Drowned In Sound named it a "laser-focused sugar rush," adding that "Gomez succeeds in laying down a winning pop gauntlet." Mikael Wood of Los Angeles Times noted that "what's remarkable is how steadied she seems by such a facile conviction." Katharine St. Asaph of Time labelled it "au corant", which according to him "stirs a tropical-house breeze not dissimilar from Bieber's recent 'What Do You Mean?'." Jia Tolentino of Spin wrote that the track works for addressing the viewing public, calling it a "hustling little posi-heater." Lindsay Haddox of Music Times was positive, calling it "a very simple song but it's very catchy and fun. [...] [I]t's upbeat and has a fun chorus that makes you just want to dance, which is something the radio is full of these days. Another plus, it sends such a positive message out so that would be nice to see playing on the radio." Mike Wass of Idolator referred to it as a "triple threat's measured missive to haters," noting that the message "is a powerful stance in the age of online-bullying, Twitter beefs and messy open letters."

Music video

The music video was released on Vevo on June 6, 2016. It was directed by Emil Nava and shot in black-and-white. It starts with the singer in a photoshoot set, "wearing a slinky, satin slip with a drape-y robe falling off of her shoulders as she smolders on a stool in front of a gray backdrop." The scenes are intercepted with "dramatic shots of bullets and blood-dripped flowers flash across the frame." The video also features several dancers performing interpretive moves, and later "Gomez begins to shed layers of her clothing, at one point wearing just a corset and underwear." Billboard Staff called it "artful", while Ryan Reed of Rolling Stone named it "dramatic". Gabriella Salkin of V went on to call it "intimate and sultry." Some critics compared the video to hair commercials.

Live performances

Gomez performed the song as part of her setlist at Jingle Ball Tour 2015. The track was also presented for the first time after being announced as a single at the We Day annual event on April 7, 2016. "Kill Em with Kindness" is included on the encore of her Revival Tour.

Track listings

1. "Kill Em with Kindness" – 3:37

1. "Kill Em with Kindness" (Felix Cartal Remix) – 3:17
2. "Kill Em with Kindness" (River Tiber Remix) – 3:41
3. "Kill Em with Kindness" (Young Bombs Remix) – 3:56

Credits and personnel

Recording

Personnel

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.