Britney Spears
Nov 5, 2013

"Perfume" is a song recorded by American singer Britney Spears for her forthcoming eighth studio album Britney Jean. It was written by both Spears and Sia Furler, and released on November 4th, as the second single from the album. A musical departure from its EDM-influenced predecessor, "Work Bitch", the song was met with positive reception from fans and critics. "Perfume" is a mid-tempo ballad. Lyrically, the song plays heavily on themes of jealousy and suspicion in a relationship.
While announcing her Las Vegas residency show, Britney: Piece of Me, Spears revealed that "Perfume" was one of her favorite tracks from the new record. In October, it was revealed that the song would serve as the second single for the album. The song was originally scheduled for release on November 5. However, Spears made the song available for streaming via Facebook on November 3rd, and made it available for purchase at midnight on November 4, one day ahead of the scheduled date.
Upon release, "Perfume" received generally positive reviews from music critics. Marc Hogan of Spin gave a generally positive review of "Perfume", complimenting Spears for conveying "the type of emotional vulnerability" that is not evident on most of her hit singles. Melinda Newman of HitFix lauded the song, stating Spears' vocal ability "is as strong as it has ever been" on the song and also stated it was Spears' "best song in years".