Here, Los Angeles-based German singer-songwriter Kim Petras teams up with Trinidadian-American rapper Nicki Minaj. The song samples Dutch trance music group Alice Deejay's 1997 club classic "
Better Off Alone."
While Alice Deejay's original track questions whether being alone is better, Kim Petras needs someone in her life to keep her company. Her lyrics, which comprise the entire song except for the second verse, convey the message that she has someone special in mind. She urges her love interest to forget about any doubts and just come over now.
Nicki Minaj brings her signature style to the second verse, where she boasts about her sexual prowess, wealth, and position as a global trendsetter. She makes it clear that any guy would be lucky to have either her or Petras in their lives, as they're both strong, independent women who know what they want in the bedroom.
Petras' sample of Alice Deejay's Eurodance megahit was inspired by the way she used music in her childhood to escape her problems.
As a German native, Petras grew up with "Better Off Alone" being a classic club hit all over Europe. Back in the late 1990s, while experiencing both amazing and bad moments, Alice Deejay's song always made her feel alive. For Petras, this track was a major inspiration for her own music career.
"I'm just so honored that Alice Deejay let us do this s--t because it's epic," said Petras, expressing her gratitude to the Dutch trance music group for allowing her to use their iconic track in her own work.
Petras is a longtime admirer of Nicki Minaj, dating back as far as 2011. When the German singer originally wrote and recorded "Alone," she did so hoping Minaj would agree to collaborate on the track.
To Petras' amazement, Minaj not only agreed to collaborate, but delivered an incredible verse that left her in tears. Hearing Minaj sing "It's Barbie and it's Kim Petras" was a surreal moment for Petras, and she was even more blown away when Minaj referred to her as "Kim Petty."
"Her verse rips, I love her and I'm so inspired by her always, it's crazy to me," Petras said during an interview with Apple Music's Zane Lowe. "I don't know how she does it, but she's just the greatest ever."
Nicki Minaj and Kim Petras wrote the song in collaboration with Ryan Ogren, Dr. Luke, and Rocco Did It Again!. Dr. Luke and Rocco Did It Again! produced the track, with additional credits going to "Better Off Alone" producers Sebastiaan Molijn and Eelke Kalberg.
Dr. Luke and Rocco's production on "Alone" blends elements of synth-pop and edgy electro-pop, creating a sound that is both modern and reminiscent of Minaj's earlier work.
Kim Petras gave fans a sneak peek of her collaboration with Nicki Minaj via TikTok on March 9, 2023. She then revealed a second snippet of the chorus a week later, which gave listeners a glimpse of the sample Petras used in the song.
On April 6, Petras officially announced her collaboration with Minaj by sharing a video of herself lip-syncing over Minaj's part of the track. In the video, we see Petras answering a phone call and getting excited about the collaboration.
Finally, on April 21, 2023, "Alone" was released as a single by Universal Music Group, Republic Records, Amigo Records, and Minaj's new label, Heavy On It, which the rapper had just launched a week before dropping the track.
"Alone" is the latest of a string of singles based on samples of 1990s and 2000s dance hits. This trend kicked off with David Guetta and Bebe Rexha's "
I'm Good (Blue)," which samples Eiffel 65's "
Blue (Da Ba Dee)," and Metro Boomin, The Weeknd, and 21 Savage's "
Creepin'," which uses Mario Winans' 2004 tune "
I Don't Wanna Know."
Other pop radio hits with similar samples released around the same time of "Alone" include David Guetta featuring Anne-Marie and Coi Leray's "
Baby Don't Hurt Me," which borrows from Haddaway's "
What Is Love," and Rita Ora's "
Praising You," which re-imagines Fatboy Slim's "
Praise You."
