Beautiful People (Ed Sheeran song)

"Beautiful People" was announced as part of the tracklist for No.6 Collaborations Project (2019). Ed Sheeran revealed the song's artwork and release date on 23 June 2019.^[1][2] Footage of it being recorded in a studio was released in the following days leading up to its release.^[3]

"Beautiful People"

20-second sample from "Beautiful People"

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"Beautiful People" is composed in ⁴
₄ time and the key of E-flat major, with a moderate R&B groove and a tempo of 96 beats per minute. It has a chord progression of Cm–E♭–A♭–Gm₇. Sheeran and Khalid's vocal range spans two octaves from B♭₃ to B♭₅.^[4]

NME's Nick Levine wrote that Sheeran's "skills as a pop craftsman are on full display" and the song "gives his usual everybro persona a welcome edge."^[5] Chris Willman of Variety said Sheeran and Khalid make "a good match".^[6] Bernadette Giacomazzo of HipHopDX viewed it as "one of the few tracks that actually works on the album", writing, "though they recycle old tropes, they stick to what they know best, which is just fine."^[7] Malvika Padin of Clash found the track "strong and likeable, but nothing surprising."^[8] Pitchfork's Rawiya Kameir was less impressed, calling it "heavy-handed" and "a catchy calculation appropriate for the sad-pop dominating the charts."^[9] Evening Standard reviewer Phoebe Luckhurst described the track as "Chainsmokers-esque".^[10] Lucy Shanker of Consequence regarded the song as "disingenuous".^[11]

The music video for "Beautiful People" was teased a day before its 28 June release.^[12] The video included cameos of Ed Sheeran and Khalid. It was directed by Andy McLeod, and filmed in Barcelona and at the Lleida–Alguaire Airport in Catalonia, Spain.^[13][14]

The video opens with a couple having a vacation waiting in line with their luggage at a small airport. After being approached by a pair of airport personnel, they are directed to a long white limousine waiting outside. The couple hesitantly enters the limousine, where they eat snacks they packed and notice other fancy cars driving past them, apparently heading to the same destination.

As the video continues, the couple find themselves at a series of fancy, expensive places filled with beautiful people: a pool party beside a mansion, a yacht filled with models, a fashion show, and a house party. Surrounded by wealth, indulgence, and beauty, the couple reacts to everything with cautious interest, but spend most of their time focused on each other, following the song's theme of being true to oneself.

At the end of the video, the couple flies home on a private plane, and upon landing at the airport, they are offered a ride in a nice car. The couple decline, take hands, and head for the airport bus instead.^[15]

• Digital download and streaming^[16]

1. "Beautiful People" (featuring Khalid) – 3:17

• Digital download and streaming – Danny L Harle Harlecore Remix^[17]

1. "Beautiful People" (featuring Khalid) [Danny L Harle Harlecore Remix] – 3:45

• Digital download and streaming – NOTD Remix^[18]

1. "Beautiful People" (featuring Khalid) [NOTD Remix] – 2:42

• Digital download and streaming – Acoustic^[19]

1. "Beautiful People" (Acoustic) – 3:06

• Digital download and streaming – Jack Wins Remix^[20]

1. "Beautiful People" (featuring Khalid) [Jack Wins Remix] – 2:43

Credits adapted from the liner notes of No.6 Collaborations Project^[21]

Locations

• Recorded at MXM Studios (Stockholm, Sweden), Mandarin Oriental (Hong Kong) and Promised Land Music Studios (London)
• Mixed at MixStar Studios (Virginia Beach, Virginia)
• Mastered at Metropolis Mastering (London)

Personnel

• Ed Sheeran – vocals, songwriter, producer
• Khalid – additional vocals, songwriter
• Max Martin – songwriter, producer
• Shellback – songwriter, producer, guitar, programming
• Fred – background vocals, songwriter, producer, programming, bass, drums, guitar, keys, engineer
• Alex Gibson – additional production
• Serban Ghenea – mixing
• Denis Kosiak – recording Khalid's vocals
• Joe Rubel – engineer
• John Hanes – engineer
• Michael Ilbert – engineer
• Stuart Hawkes – masterering