Fire + Jade

"Fire + Jade" is a song by British recording artist Alesha. The song was written and produced by Alesha for inclusion on  Exile in Nashville: Music from the Motion Picture (2016); however, Alesha chose to save the song for her tenth studio album, The White Album (2016). Noted by several music critics as the most "pop" song on its parent album, the track "absorbs EDM and trance in the album's seemingly infinite palette of sound." Lyrically, "Fire + Jade" describes a destructive relationship that has fallen apart.

Alesha pulled the release of "Alright" as the fourth single from The White Album in favor of "Fire + Jade", which was released on June 5, 2017. The song was acclaimed by fans and music critics alike, with many publications pointing to "Fire + Jade" as a "fan favorite" and "summer-ready". "Fire + Jade" reached the top of the singles chart, becoming Alesha's sixth consecutive number one single and her 24th overall. The song was included on the compilation album Number Ones later in 2017.

"Fire + Jade" coincided with the release of The White Album: Visual Edition, which contained the song's music video.

Background and composition
Alesha recorded "Fire + Jade" in early 2016, the first song to be completed in sessions for both the motion picture soundtrack Exile in Nashville and her tenth studio album The White Album (both released in 2016). Alesha felt the song was single-worthy and considered releasing it as the lead single from the Exile in Nashville soundtrack. However, Alesha opted to record and release "How to Disappear", penned by Shell Ruin specifically for the film. With the uncertainty of a second single from the soundtrack, Alesha ultimately chose to save "Fire + Jade" for The White Album.

Several music critics described "Fire + Jade" as the most traditionally "pop" song on the album. The White Album draws influences from a variety of musical genres, rooted in modern electronic music as well as folk rock. Writing for The Guardian, Alexis Petridis stated that the track "absorbs EDM and trance in the album's seemingly infinite palette of sound." It is set in time signature of common time, and is composed in the key of F major, with a moderate tempo of 117 beats per minute. Alesha's vocals range from the lower octave of F3 to the higher note of A♭4. David Browne from Entertainment Weekly noticed that the "hard-step beats and synth washes make the romantic-physical yearning (and hook) of 'Fire + Jade' even tauter [...]".

Promotion
Alesha announced "Alright" as the fourth single from The White Album in May 2017. Shortly afterwards, Alesha announced that an "Alright" remix EP would be made available to download or stream on May 22, 2017, but "Fire + Jade" would be the official fourth single from the album. "Fire + Jade" was sent to radio on May 15 ahead of its formal release on June 5, 2017. Leading up to the release, Alesha posted a number of images from video sets, some of which showed similarities to the single art for "Winter". Alesha had not released a music video since "Petroleum" in October 2016. Tabloids and social media users debated whether Alesha was filming visuals for her tour. On June 5, Alesha announced the release of The White Album: Visual Edition the following week, which would feature music videos for the album's ten tracks including "Fire + Jade".

The single's B-side, a cover of Neil Young's "Expecting to Fly", was recorded in light of the the Manchester Arena bombing. Alesha performed the cover version at One Love Manchester, an all-star benefit concert held to raise funds for victims and their families. A digital EP included exclusive remixes crafted by Borgore, Christian Stone, Gigamesh, Martin Jensen and offaih.

Critical reception
"Fire + Jade" received critical acclaim. Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic, Kevin C. Johnson from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Chris Gernard from Metro Weekly highlighted "Fire + Jade" as one of The White Album's best tracks. Chuck Taylor from Billboard labeled the song as a "gem" and commended the "irresistible hook". From the same publication, Jason Lipshutz commented, "What if the suave dance of 'Fire + Jade', the eye-popping 'Petroleum' music video or the stark beauty of 'Winter' never existed? Luckily, we never need to find out." Stephen Thompson from The A.V. Club was positive in his review, stating that the "chugging" chorus and composition "should ring across dance floors for years to come[...]".

The reaction to the song online was so positive that Alesha considered bringing the song's single release forward. Consequence of Sound named "Fire + Jade" the fifth best song of 2016; the following year, the same publication highlighted "Fire + Jade" as one of 2017's best singles.

Commercial response
"Fire + Jade" entered the official singles chart at number one on June 11, 2017, selling 95,053 copies in its first week of sale. It slipped to number three in its second week on the charts, behind the URAPS United charity single "One More Memory" (which Alesha produced) and a new release from Aftershock. "Fire + Jade" spent three more weeks in the top five and a further three weeks in the top ten. In its first week outside of the top ten, "Fire + Jade" was certified platinum as total sales reached 518,715 copies. The single continued to linger in the top forty for a number of weeks, ultimately spending 35 weeks on the chart. By the end of its chart run, "Fire + Jade" had sold 725,019 copies.

Track listing and formats

 * Digital single / Limited edition vinyl (Alesha.com exclusive)
 * 1) "Fire + Jade"
 * 2) "Fire + Jade" (Acoustic)
 * 3) "Expecting to Fly" (written by Neil Young)


 * Digital remix EP
 * 1) "Fire + Jade" (Borgore Remix)
 * 2) "Fire + Jade" (Christian Stone Silk Road Edit)
 * 3) "Fire + Jade" (Gigamesh Extended Remix)
 * 4) "Fire + Jade" (Martin Jensen Remix)
 * 5) "Fire + Jade" (offaih Remix)