Heels

"Heels" is the debut single from British/Canadian singer Aimee Stevens. The song served as the lead single from The Uraps Factor runner-up's debut album, "Papermade Hearts". The song was released on 8 October 2012 and charted at #6 on the singles chart.

Background
In 2012, Stevens was runner-up in the first series of singing competition The Uraps Factor, following which she was offered a record deal with Blacklight Records in September, due to her mentor on the show Candi being one of the bosses of the label. Prior to her signing, work had already began on her debut album and "Heels" was written by Stevens over the summer. The song is lighthearted, and is based on the importance of shoes to a woman, and in particular the confidence her high heels can give her. Stevens commented: "I somewhat compare my love of shoes as a relationship, however I mention that unlike men, my shoes aren't going to hurt me." Stevens said she was excited to be releasing the single, although she revealed it did not reflect the album which would in fact be more serious and address issues such as domestic violence and heartbreak.

The song premiered on British radio on 25 September 2012 on Radio 1.

Critical reception
The song recieved mixed reviews. Lewis Corner of Digital Spy gave the song three out of five stars writing, "Like all good starters, the intro is a perfectly-sized portion of thumping beats and slick synths that leads into an even tastier main course. "You don't know how good it feels/ To get on my brand new pair of heels," Aimee admits before a '90s handbag house chorus ensues. However it might be catchy, but when you have other acts from the same show such as Pandora and Jetfire releasing music that pushes boundries, you really have to wonder if Aimee's shoes are in the same league." Daily Star's John Earls described "Heels" as "unforgettable electro, as slick as anything by Coral Harris." Clemmie Moodie of the Daily Mirror called the song a "bang-on hit." In his review for The Guardian, Michael Cragg criticized the theme of the song and wrote: "While the theme of comparing the fact shoes make her feel better than boys is a nice touch, you have to look at the song on the whole and think 'this is a song about shoes' Is this really what music in 2012 is about?" Mark Molloy of Metro called the song's production "Nice but not new".

Music video
The video begins with Aimee walking down a Los Angles shopping street, with the emphasis on her feet as they take each step. She is shown to be wearing flip-flops, and as the camera slowly moves up her it goes to her face, where she sighs and looks fed up. She then walks past a shop named "Her Best Friend" and stops at the window, staring at the massive collection of shoes they have on display. Aimee runs into the shop and tries on hundreds of pairs, buying them all.

As Aimee leaves the store, her feet are once again focused on with every step she takes, however this time with every step she is wearing a different pair of high heels. It is now shown that as Aimee is walking in her new shoes, a massive crowd have began to follow her, admiring how fierce she looks.

Aimee stands in the middle of the street singing and dancing to the song, as the crowd behind her join her in a choreographed dance routine.

Finally the sun sets, but the night only means one thing - Aimee needs to change her shoes. She carries on singing into the night as dancers remain in the background. Finally the sun begins to rise, and Aimee returns home. She falls back into her bed laughing, surrounded by piles and piles of shoes.

Performances
Aimee performed "Heels" on The Xtra Factor on Sunday 07 October 2012.

Cover Versions
The track was sung on week 3 of the second season of The Uraps Factor by girlgroup Diamante. Their version charted at #73 on UK airplay chart.

Chart performance
The song is due for release October 8, 2012. It debuted at #6 with sales of 57,860 and spent three weeks in the top ten.

Chart Run
TOTAL: 247,639
 * Week 1: #6 - 57,860
 * Week 2: #7 - 32,290
 * Week 3: #10 - 26,890
 * Week 4: #14 - 26,890
 * Week 5: #21 - 11,988
 * Week 6: #22 - 11,212
 * Week 7: #25 - 11,222
 * Week 8: #25 - 11,400
 * Week 9: #20 - 11,964
 * Week 10: #30 - 7,898
 * Week 11: #36 - 6,545
 * Week 12: #36 - 7,101
 * Week 13: #38 - 4,765
 * Week 14: #35 - 6,740
 * Week 15: #26 - 10,654
 * Week 16: #36 - 6,343
 * Week 17: #40 - 4,859