$ex Tape

"$ex Tape" is a download only release from British recording artist Dakota Prescott. Although not an official single, the track was released as the second of Dakota's 'buzz' singles in order to gain interest and gather a fan following. The song was written by the singer herself and criticises the emphasis of sexuality placed upon females within the music industry.

Background
On 15 April, Dakota revealed that before releasing an official single, she would be releasing several promotional singles first, exclusive to the download chart. Dakota explained to Rolling Stones. "...the plan is I'm just going to chuck some buzz promo singles out there for the Digital chart to see what works and what doesn't. Songs that are a hit can make the album, songs that don't do so well... I'll just bin them." On 05 June "$ex Tape" was revealed to be the title of Dakota's second promotional single (after "80s Bomb"). The song originally had a release date of 15 June 2015, but was pushed back one week later as "80s Bomb" remained in the Digital Chart top ten for longer than expected.

Release and reception
The song premiered on 20 June 2015. The song received very positive praise from critics, who praised Dakota's ability to tell a story through a song. The empowering yet political message in the song received acclaim, with Digital Spy stating "if every artist had the balls to tackle the real issues musicians face nowadays, the world would be a very different place. We have to commend Dakota for that."

Music video


A music video premièred on Friday 26 June 2015.

The video for "$ex Tape appears to be filmed on a handheld camera in a motel room, giving the impression it is an actual sex tape.

The video consists of Dakota parading around on the bed, dancing and singing to the camera. She takes off clothing as the song progresses,eventually singing in just her underwear. A brief spoken interlude hears the man behind the camera order her to take "it all off". Dakota looks upset but appears as if she is going too.

Suddenly through the motel room door, hundreds of colourful women charge in, knocking over the man and his camera as some of them begin to dress Dakota.

The video ends with the cameraman tied up to a chair, gagged in just his underwear - as Dakota and the other women celebrate being a strong female, and Dakota sings the chorus of the song for the last time in a party with her female friends.

Track listing

 * Download Release
 * 1) "$ex Tape"

Credits

 * "$ex Tape" &mdash; written by Dakota Prescott

Chart performance
The song has yet to be released. It debuted on the Digital chart at #2 with first week sales of 38,727 copies sold. It has also charted at #42 on the Airplay chart before entering the top forty at #36 and then rising to #22.