Tell Ur Girlfriend

Album: single release only (2024)
Charted: 15 58
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Songfacts®:

  • On "Tell Ur Girlfriend," Lay Bankz flips the script on infidelity, revealing a complicated entanglement. The song opens with a hint of guilt as Bankz contemplates whether to confess to her boyfriend that's she also has a side piece. But that quickly fades as she throws major shade on the whole "side piece" situation. She's done playing games and drops the ultimatum to the guy she's cheating with: "If you want me, you gotta put the word in. Tell your girlfriend... that I'm your girlfriend."

    Lay Bankz wants commitment, not crumbs. It's clear she's over being a secret and is ready to claim her rightful place as his main squeeze.
  • Bankz hinted on social media that in this song she might be cheating on her boyfriend with another woman. Perhaps her experience with men has left her disillusioned, leading her to explore a connection on her own terms.
  • Bankz wrote "Tell Ur Girlfriend" with Ink. The Georgia songwriter Atia "Ink" Boggs co-penned several of Beyoncé's Renaissance and Cowboy Carter tracks, including "Alien Superstar," "Summer Renaissance" "Thique" and "16 Carriages."
  • The song is infused with Philly Club, a genre of house music characterized by its fast beats and heavy bass. "All club music has its own twist to it, but when you hear Philly Club you know the difference," Bankz told The Philadelphia Inquirer.
  • Israeli producer and songwriter Yonatan "Johnny" Goldstein produced the track. Goldstein's other credits include Black Eyed Peas' "Girl Like Me" and Coi Leray's "Players."
  • Lay Bankz released "Tell Ur Girlfriend" through Artist Partner Group on February 7, 2024. The song garnered instant success on TikTok thanks to its viral dance, and it charted worldwide.
  • Lay Bankz writes from the heart, and this song hits close to home. "'Tell Ur Girlfriend' is truthfully something that I went through," she told Billboard. "At the time, I knew what I was going through, but I didn't have a song for it, and I feel like I have a song for everything at this point."
  • Walking into the studio with Johnny Goldstein and Ink, Lay Bankz had a story to tell. "Yo," she declared, "I've got this idea!" Goldstein laid down some chords, but the beat lacked the urgency Bankz envisioned.

    "I'm like, 'I want to talk about how I'm feeling right now,'" she said.

    For two hours, the trio brainstormed. "We were sitting there like, Alright bet like this is what we're going to talk about," she recalled.

    Inspiration struck. Bankz hopped on the mic, freestyling melodies until she landed on something that resonated. Ink then stepped in, helping her craft lyrics and shape the catchy hook. The verses were equally raw – pure freestyle expressing her emotions.

    But the first recording wasn't quite right. "I actually had to re-record [the song] from the first time I recorded it because I felt like some things needed to be changed to make it a little more truthful, Bankz admitted. "It was probably a two-week process to get this song where I really wanted it to be, but I actually recorded [it] two months before I dropped it."

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