Players

Album: Coi (2022)
Charted: 7 9
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Here, Coi Leray delivers bold and boastful lyrics that exude a playful swagger. She highlights the idea that women like her can also take on traditionally masculine "player" roles like achieving financial success and making independent choices. The lyrics also promote self-assurance and rejection of men who cannot provide a desirable lifestyle. On the unshakeable hook, Leray sums up her straightforward message: "Girls is players, too."
  • Leray wrote the song with producer Johnny Goldstein, alongside WorldWideFresh and Feli Ferraro. Goldstein samples the backing track of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five's 1982 classic hip-hop single, "The Message."

    Israeli producer and songwriter Johnny Goldstein produced 12 tracks on Black Eyed Peas' Translation album, including the singles "Mamacita," "Vida Loca" and "Girl Like Me." His other credits include Galantis featuring David Guetta & Little Mix's "Heartbreak Anthem" and Faouzia & John Legend's "Minefields."
  • Coi Leray freestyle rapped her rhymes in one take.
  • Leray released "Players" on November 2022. Two weeks later, she dropped a Jersey club remix created alongside DJ Smallz 732. The new version became a TikTok viral hit and helped the song into the charts.

    Jersey club is a fast-paced and energetic style of club music characterized by high-tempo beats and electronic synth sounds. It originated in Newark, New Jersey in the late 2000s.
  • Leray released a video for the Jersey club remix where the East Coast artist shows love to New Jersey with an impromptu block party.
  • Coi Leray started working with more writers towards the end of 2022. She'd collaborated with writers in the past but was a little stubborn. "Like, 'I don't need nobody to write for me,'" she told Billboard. Now Leray appreciates the value of having a structure for songs and the different perspectives that writers can bring. However, this track came about when she reverted to freestyling.

    When Leray went into her session with Johnny Goldstein alongside WorldWideFresh and Feli Ferraro, the group spent an hour and 20 minutes working on a song that ultimately didn't turn out well. Frustrated, she decided to try something different. "This not sounding right. It's too generic. Let me go in there and try something else and do some straight rap s--t," she told them. "No f---king melodies." Leray hopped on the mic and it just flowed: "Girls is players too."
  • Leray had recently been hanging out with Diddy and credits some of her inspiration to the experiences and energy from those parties and vacations.

    Apple bottom make 'em take a bite
    I just want to have a good night


    "That's me just staying in monotone," explained Leray. "I felt like at this moment, we knew this was it."
  • Soon after the release of "Players" in November 2022, New York DJ Saige created a remix when he switched Johnny Goldstein's production for the beat from Busta Rhymes' "Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Part of Their World: The Stories and Songs of 13 Disney Princesses

Part of Their World: The Stories and Songs of 13 Disney PrincessesSong Writing

From "Some Day My Prince Will Come" to "Let It Go" - how Disney princess songs (and the women who sing them) have evolved.

Jim McCarty of The Yardbirds

Jim McCarty of The YardbirdsSongwriter Interviews

The Yardbirds drummer explains how they created their sound and talks about working with their famous guitarists.

Martyn Ware of Heaven 17

Martyn Ware of Heaven 17Songwriter Interviews

Martyn talks about producing Tina Turner, some Heaven 17 hits, and his work with the British Electric Foundation.

American Hits With Foreign Titles

American Hits With Foreign TitlesSong Writing

What are the biggest US hits with French, Spanish (not "Rico Suave"), Italian, Scottish, Greek, and Japanese titles?

Ben Kowalewicz of Billy Talent

Ben Kowalewicz of Billy TalentSongwriter Interviews

The frontman for one of Canada's most well-known punk rock bands talks about his Eddie Vedder encounter, Billy Talent's new album, and the importance of rock and roll.

Jim Adkins of Jimmy Eat World

Jim Adkins of Jimmy Eat WorldSongwriter Interviews

Jim talks about the impact of "The Middle" and uses a tree metaphor to describe his songwriting philosophy.