American Girl

"American Girl" is a song by American singer and songwriter Bonnie McKee intended to be the lead single of her canceled second studio album. Epic Records first released it to McKee's SoundCloud on June 25, 2013. The song was written by McKee, Josh Abraham, Jon Asher, Alex Drury, Oliver Goldstein and Jacknife Lee, while Abraham and Oligee handled the production. The single has been described as a dance-pop and electropop track. Its lyrics address McKee's childhood and teenagehood from an American perspective. "American Girl" was met with positive reviews from music critics, who complimented its sound and lyrics. The song was McKee's first entry on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 87. It also entered the charts of Australia, Germany, New Zealand and South Korea. Two music videos were directed for the track. The first one shows McKee alongside other celebrities including Katy Perry, Kesha, and George Takei lip synching to the song. The second one, directed by Justin Francis, depicts McKee spending her time with a couple of friends. Both videos were received positively by critics. McKee performed the song on various occasions including at KIIS FM and on Good Morning America in 2013. Background and release Following the underperformance of her debut album Trouble (2004) and an incident regarding the defacement of a Warner Records' former chairman car with lipstick, McKee was dropped from the label. However, due to the connection she had through her boyfriend, McKee was able to submit a song to the music publishing company Pulse Recording, which would subsequently sign her. She began working with American singers Elliott Yamin and Leighton Meester until fellow singer Katy Perry, whom McKee had already met, invited her to work for Perry's Teenage Dream (2010). In a November 2010 interview with Billboard, McKee stated that she would begin working on her second album in 2011 with American record producer and songwriter Dr. Luke and she hoped to have "something" released by spring. Epic Records noticed McKee's "staggering run of hits" and according to Josh Abraham, the label was "salivating to [sign McKee]". Her performance of "Lovebird" (2012), a song she co-wrote and gave to British singer Leona Lewis, impressed former Epic Records CEO and chairman L.A. Reid who signed her to the label soon after.