Issues (Julia Michaels song)

"Issues" is the debut single recorded by American singer and songwriter Julia Michaels, from her third EP Nervous System (2017). The song was co-written with Justin Tranter, and its producers Benny Blanco and Stargate. Released by Republic Records on January 13, 2017, as the lead single from the EP, it is a confessional downtempo pop song. Lyrically, it is a raw ode to Michaels' anxiety.

The song peaked in the top 10 of the record charts in Australia, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Norway, Scotland and UK. In the US, the song peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100. "Issues" is certified Platinum or higher in twelve countries including Diamond in France. The song's accompanying music video was directed by Tabitha Denholm. It depicts Michaels hosting a party with a group of friends.

The video premiered on March 7, 2017. "Issues" received a Song of the Year nomination at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards. Michaels promoted the song in a number of appearances, including live performances at The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, the 2017 Radio Disney Music Awards, Wango Tango, the 2017 Billboard Music Awards, the 2017 iHeartRadio Much Music Video Awards, the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards and The Today Show.

Background and composition
"Issues" was written by Michaels, and Justin Tranter. A few artists, who Stargate and Benny Blanco refused to name, laid claim to the song. However, Michaels refused to give the song away as it felt "too much my story to give to someone else. In 2017, a demo of the song by English singer Charli XCX was leaked and revealed that she had recorded the song before Michaels decided to keep it.

Recording sessions for "Issues" took place at Westlake Recording Studios, Los Angeles, California, and Treehouse X Studio, Suffolk, United Kingdom. It was engineered by Dave Schwerkolt and Chris Sclafani. Mark "Spike" Stent mixed the track at Mixsuite UK with assistance from Michael Freeman and Geoff Swish. Blanco and Stargate, who produced the song, also performed all the instruments and programming. Tom Coyne and Randy Merrill completed the audio mastering at Sterling Sound, New York City.

Musically, "Issues" is a confessional downtempo pop song. In terms of music notation, "Issues" was composed using common time in the key of A♭ major, with a moderate tempo of 114 beats per minute. The song follows the chord progression of D♭-E♭-A♭/C-D♭sus2 and Michaels' vocal range spans from the low note C4 to the high note of E♭5, giving the song one octave and two notes of range. Lyrically, Michaels has described the song as a raw ode to her own anxieties.

Critical reception
The song received generally positive reviews from music critics. A writer for Billboard praised the song, writing, "with blunt, honest lyricism and razor-sharp songwriting, Michaels' decision to choose minimal production proves to be wise, helping to frame her intriguing vocals expertly in order to give fans a delicious first taste of what is yet to come". Writing for Idolator, Mike Wass stated "it can be hard for songwriters to carve out a unique voice when they step out on their own, but it doesn’t look like that will be a problem for Julia".

Music video
The official music video for the song, directed by Tabitha Denholm, was released on March 7, 2017. It features Michaels experiencing the unknown that every relationship goes through. It portrays the singer in a "loving" relationship which "feels like it could fall apart any moment". The male role is played by Alex Koch. The official lyric video for the song was released after the music video on May 17, 2017. It was directed by Pedro Chaves and shot in London, England. The video displays the life of several people and several backgrounds.

Chart performance
"Issues debuted at number 87 on the US Billboard Hot 100 issued for February 11, 2017. The song peaked at number 11 in its 18th week on the chart and spent 29 weeks in total. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified it 5× Platinum, which denotes five million units based on sales and track-equivalent on-demand streams. On the Canadian Hot 100, "Issues" peaked at number 17 and was certified 6× Platinum by Music Canada.

The song reached number seven in France and was certified Diamond. In Sweden, it peaked at number 11 and was certified 4× Platinum. "Issues" was certified 3× Platinum in Norway and Australia, reaching number three in the former country and number five in the latter. In New Zealand and the United Kingdom, the song peaked at number 11 and number 10, respectively, attaining a Platinum certification in both. It charted within the top 15 of national record charts, at number two in Belgium, number three in Denmark, number seven in Scotland, number nine in Czech Republic, number 11 in Ireland, Malaysia, Slovakia, and number 15 in the Netherlands. The song received a 2× Platinum certification in Denmark, Italy, Spain, and Platinum in Belgium, Germany.

Live performances
Michaels made her late night television debut on March 20, 2017, performing "Issues" on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. She also performed "Issues" at the 2017 Radio Disney Music Awards on April 30, 2017, and at Wango Tango on May 13, 2017. At the 2017 Billboard Music Awards, Michaels was selected as the T-Mobile Breakthrough Artist and gave a performance of "Issues" that was regarded one of the night's best by several media outlets. Michaels also performed the song at the 2017 iHeartRadio Much Music Video Awards on June 18, 2017 and at the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards on August 27, 2017. The latter performance was cut short on TV as MTV decided to cut to a commercial break, which upset many people. The song was performed on The Today Show in August 2017.

Credits and personnel
Recording and management
 * Recorded and Tracked at Westlake Studios (Los Angeles, California) and Treehouse X Studio (Suffolk, United Kingdom)
 * Mixed at Mixsuite UK
 * Mastered at Sterling Sound (New York City)
 * Published by Please Don't Forget To Play Me Music/Administered by Universal Music Publishing (GMR), EMI Music Publishing (ASCAP), EMI Music Publishing (ASCAP), Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp. (BMI) Thanks for the Songs Richard (BMI) All Rights on behalf of Itself and Thanks for the Songs Richard Administered by Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp, Justin's School for Girls/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp/All Rights Administered by Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp (BMI)

Personnel


 * Julia Michaels – vocals, songwriting
 * Benjamin Levin – songwriting, production for Matza Ball Productions, Inc., programming, instrumentation
 * Tor Erik Hermansen – songwriting; production for 45th and 3rd Music, LLC, programming, instrumentation (as part of Stargate)
 * Mikkel Storleer Eriksen – songwriting; production for 45th and 3rd Music, LLC, programming, instrumentation (as part of Stargate)
 * Justin Tranter – songwriting
 * Dave Schwerkolt – engineering
 * Chris Sclafani – engineering
 * Mark "Spike" Stent – mixing
 * Michael Freeman – assistant engineer for mix
 * Geoff Swish – assistant engineer for mix
 * Tom Coyne – mastering
 * Randy Merrill – mastering

Credits adapted from Nervous System liner notes.