Tardy for the Party

"Tardy for the Party" is a song by American television personality Kim Zolciak; it was independently released on September 1, 2009. The track was written and produced by her The Real Housewives of Atlanta castmate Kandi Burruss, with additional lyrical contributions from Zolciak, Brandon Joel Bowles, and Darnell Richard.

Background and composition
"Tardy for the Party" was written by Kandi Burruss, Zolciak, Brandon Joel Bowles, and Darnell Richard, and was produced solely by Burruss. Zolciak claimed that her daughter Brielle drafted the original lyrics when she was 9 years old, which were later reworked by Burruss during formal recording sessions. The production of "Tardy for the Party" was documented on the second season of the reality television series The Real Housewives of Atlanta, in which Zolciak and Burruss are featured. After Zolciak requested that the track be a duet with fellow housewife NeNe Leakes, Burruss began making arrangements for the women to record together. However, the song ultimately became a solo performance by Zolciak, placing a strain on Leakes' friendships with her and Burruss.

Reception
In October 2009, Nielsen Soundscan reported that "Tardy for the Party" had sold approximately 29,000 digital downloads, while Mediabase revealed that the track had been played six times on radio stations. In September 2011, The Hollywood Reporter noted that the song had moved 101,000 copies since its premiere, with illegal downloads increasing ownership of the track to over one million individuals.

Live performances


Zolciak first performed "Tardy for the Party" during the reunion for the second season of The Real Housewives of Atlanta, broadcast by Bravo on November 5, 2009. Dressed in black leggings and leather boots, Zolciak was accompanied by two female backup dancers, and encouraged her fellow housewives Leakes, Sheree Whitfield, and Lisa Wu-Hartwell to "c'mon bitches" in the midst of the performance. During the bridge of the song through the end of the recording, Zolciak was joined onstage by Burruss. Donald Deane from The Huffington Post characterized the segment as an "assault to the senses", while Brian Moylan from Gawker Media labeled it "the scariest thing to happen on television" since Britney Spears' performance of "Gimme More" at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards. Zolciak later sang "Tardy for the Party" on February 26, 2010, at the Gold Room in Atlanta and during an April 9, 2010 appearance on The Wendy Williams Show.

Lawsuit
Since 2010, Burruss has claimed that Zolciak withheld payment for her services during production of "Tardy for the Party". The ensuing conflict between the women became a central plotline during the third and fourth seasons of The Real Housewives of Atlanta, which appeared to have been resolved during a season 4 reunion episode. However, Burruss filed a lawsuit against Zolciak on March 14, 2013, coincidentally the same day that the fifth season reunion was filmed. Burruss was represented by fellow housewife Phaedra Parks, and alleged that Zolciak made profit from the track "without [the] plaintiffs' authorization, license or consent." The lawsuit was dismissed on October 12, 2013, after the presiding judge deemed that Burruss failed to furnish enough evidence of copyright infringement.