How to Disappear

"How to Disappear" is a song by British recording artist Alesha. The song was written by Shell Ruin and produced by Alesha & Shell Ruin for the film soundtrack Exile in Nashville: Music from the Motion Picture (2016). Plans to release "Another American" as the sixth single from afterhours (2015) to coincide with the Fourth of July were nixed in favor of "How to Disappear". Following a highly publicized chart battle with Fusion Records labelmate Lady Lou, "How to Disappear" debuted at number one on the official singles chart. It marked Alesha's 20th number one single.

Background and composition
Alesha had written and recorded four songs – "Cult Leader", "Domino (With Me Wherever I Go)", "Drive 2" and "Love You Any Less" – for the Exile in Nashville original soundtrack but deemed none of them worthy of being a lead single. Shell Ruin penned "How to Disappear" specifically for the motion picture, initially intended as her own contribution to the soundtrack. Ruin ultimately offered the song to Alesha, who had praised the track. The pair co-produced the song, which strays from the 1980s-inspired synthpop of Alesha's previous studio album afterhours (2015).

Alesha's Fusion Records labelmate Lady Lou had scheduled a release for July 4th, the planned release date for "How to Disappear". Alesha approached Lou with the idea of a chart battle, something that had been much more common before the digital era.

Reception
"How to Disappear" received generally positive reviews from music critics. Nylon writer Liza Darwin deemed the track "silky-smooth" and "total ear candy." Sharan Shetty of Slate complimented the melody of the song, however disliked the lack of "big, chewy vocal hooks." "How to Disappear" entered the official singles chart at number one, selling 120,456 in its first week. The following week, the single held strong at number two with 98,640 copies shifted in its first-week sales frame. In its third week on the chart, "How to Disappear" slipped one slot to number three, selling another 76,913 units. The single spent another week in the top ten as sales surpassed 300,000 copies. After seven weeks in the top ten, "How to Disappear" was certified platinum (500,000 copies shifted). In total, "How to Disappear" spent nine weeks in the top ten, at which point it had sold 641,313 copies. The single spent another eleven weeks in the lower tiers of the chart, selling 766,332 copies altogether. It was the sixth best selling single of 2016.

Music video
The music video was shot by Gus Van Sant, who also directed the film Exile in Nashville. In the simple clip, Alesha dances in the dark, lighting herself with a naked bulb suspended by a wire. "Alesha lets the song's lyrics tell the story by themselves. Maybe she's hoping fans will flock to the cinema instead," noted pop culture website Digital Wave.

Track listing and formats

 * CD / Digital EP
 * 1) "How to Disappear"
 * 2) "Love You Any Less"
 * 3) "Another American" (Fourth of July Remix)
 * 4) "How to Disappear" (Medvsa Remix)