Build A Bitch

Album: Dolls (2021)
Charted: 30 56
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Songfacts®:

  • Bella Poarch grew up on a farm in the Philippines before moving with her family to Texas when she was 13. After three years serving in the United States Navy, Poarch started actively posting on TikTok in April 2020. She swiftly rose to fame with her lip-sync videos, most notably her clip for Millie B's "M to the B." Poarch's lip syncing to the British rapper's diss track blew up unprecedentedly, breaking the record for the most likes for a single TikTok video.

    Following her success on social media, Poarch signed a deal with Warner Records and dropped "Build A Bitch" as her debut single on May 14, 2021.
  • Poarch wrote this song because of the direct scrutiny she receives online. It finds the singer pointing out the pressure society and the internet put on women to look a certain way. She calls out men who expect girls to be perfect Barbie dolls designed for them, when they "don't look like Ken at all."

    Poarch said: "The song is about accepting yourself for who you are instead of listening to other people's ideas of what you should do."
  • The song title is a reference to the American retailer Build-A-Bear Workshops, in which the customer can assemble and tailor a teddy bear to their own preferences during their visit to the store.
  • Poarch recorded the song in collaboration with Sub Urban. The New Jersey producer-songwriter's breakthrough hit "Cradles" was itself popularized through TikTok.
  • Sub Urban co-directed the video with Twenty One Pilots' longtime visual collaborator Andrew Donoho. They set the clip in an android store where men can literally pick and choose features to create their ideal female androids. Mayhem ensues after Poarch leads a revolution against the establishment.

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