Familiar (song)

On 25 February 2018, the artists announced the song on social media while they were shooting the music video in Miami.^[1][2] Payne revealed the song's cover art and release date on 16 April. He also tweeted a video featuring some of the lyrics, writing: "[Balvin,] you're gonna have to teach some of my fans Spanish..."^[3][4][5] He unveiled a snippet of the song on 19 April, which features J Balvin ad-libbing.^[6]

"Familiar" is a Latin, Latin pop and R&B song.^[7][8] According to Billboard, the song "combines Latin vibes with a summery, R&B sound".^[9] The lyrics are about impressing a love interest in a nightclub.^[10]

Mike Nied of Idolator opined that the song could easily become Payne's "best track yet", writing that "the Latin-tinged crossover hit is sure to storm the charts across the globe and may become his most successful release to date". He also noted Payne's vocal of being "velvety" and "enticing", before praising the song's "internationally appealing production".^[10] Shanté Honeycutt of Billboard said, "upon first listen, [the song] induces flashbacks to Justin Timberlake's "Señorita" [...] as does the video," though she also considered Payne and Balvin "made a hit" all on their own.^[11] Rianne Houghton of Digital Spy regarded the song as "an excellent attempt at recreating 'Despacito'".^[12]

The song's music video was released on 4 May 2018, directed by Mark Klasferf. In the video, Liam is seen dancing shirtless and mingling with women.

Payne and J Balvin performed "Familiar" on 15 May 2018 on Good Morning America,^[13] and on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on 17 May 2018.^[14]

Credits adapted from Tidal.^[15]

• Liam Payne – vocals
• J Balvin – vocals, composition
• LunchMoney – composition
• Mike Sabath – composition, production, guitar
• Sean Douglas – composition
• Randy Merrill – master engineering
• John Hanes – engineering
• Serban Ghenea – mixing