Last Time I Saw You

"Last Time I Saw You" is a song by Trinidadian-born rapper Nicki Minaj from her upcoming fifth studio album Pink Friday 2. It was released on September 1, 2023, through Young Money and Republic Records as the second single from the album.^[1]

"Last Time I Saw You"
Single by Nicki Minaj
from the album Pink Friday 2
Released	September 1, 2023 (2023-09-01)
Recorded	2023
Genre	R&B alternative hip hop synth-pop
Length	3:36
Label	Young Money Republic
Songwriter(s)	Onika Maraj
Producer(s)	ATL Jacob TooDope! Hendrix Smoke Bak Frankie Bash
Nicki Minaj singles chronology
"Endless Fashion" (2023) "Last Time I Saw You" (2023)

Background and composition

On June 29, 2023, Minaj announced the sequel to her debut studio album Pink Friday and began teasing the release of the album in the following weeks.^[2] On August 14, the rapper shared a short snippet of a "vulnerable" track on an Instagram livestream.^[3] The snippet was described as "emotionally charged" with lyrics "about a loved one from the distant past".^[4] When asked for the title of the song, Minaj replied that it was called "Last Time That I Saw You".^[5]

On August 25, Minaj shared the pre-save link of the song, where it was confirmed that the single name was "Last Time I Saw You". At the same time, she posted the single artwork.^[6] The song was produced by Hendrix Smoke and ATL Jacob.^[7] The cover depicts Minaj wearing a "glistening" dress, ^[8] in front of a pink backdrop with her hands raised.^[9] Minaj further teased the release by posting more promotional images and video clips of the photoshoot.^[10] On August 28, via Instagram Live, she confirmed that the single would be released on September 1.

Minaj confirmed in an interview with Zane Lowe that the song's lyrics explore her emotions surrounding the loss of her father shortly following the birth of her son, as well as an exploration of loss more generally in other types of relationships. "The last thing I thought I was going to have to do when I just gave birth to my first child was to start preparing for my father’s funeral," she commented.^[11]

Critical reception

Trent Fitzgerald of XXL wrote that the song is "heavily more pop than her previous singles".^[12] Alex Gonzalez of Uproxx also pointed out that the rapper "taps into her vocals, delivering a pop and R&B-influenced hit with a painfully relatable message".^[13] In her review for Consequence, Jo Vito described the song as "dreamy" and "melancholic" captouring "a feeling of loss, it also offers a message of hope". The writer also wrote that "Minaj’s vocals carry the melodies and really hit home the reflective vibe, with the perfect amount of ethereal delay effects to boot".^[14]

Tom Breihan of Stereogum wrote that the production sounds "lush and layered" and "himmering pop song with a whole lot of singing" where Minaj "never gets too specific, and she barely raps on the track" talking about "regretting losing touch with someone".^[15] Kyann-Sian Williams of NME defined the song "emotional".^[16] Raphael Helfand of The Fader wrote that Minaj "expands on the sentiment in a familiar, slightly Seussian flow" showing her "emotional spectrum".^[17]

Live performances

On September 12, 2023, Minaj performed "Last Time I Saw You" for the first time at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards, as well as an unreleased track from Pink Friday 2 entitled "Big Difference".^[18] The performance featured Minaj standing mostly stationary and singing onstage in a bulbous black coat, awash in a magenta neon light background. Rolling Stone's Larisha Paul praised the "stunning vocal performance in a rare reminder that she can sing nearly as well as she can rap".^[19] On the other hand, Pitchfork's Madison Bloom criticized the "dull performance" for lacking Minaj's "beloved eccentricity".^[20]

Track listings

• Streaming/digital download^[21]

1. "Last Time I Saw You" – 3:36

• Streaming/digital download – sped up^[22]

1. "Last Time I Saw You" (sped up) – 3:00
2. "Last Time I Saw You" – 3:36

Charts

Chart performance for "Last Time I Saw You"

Chart (2023)	Peak position
Australia Hip Hop/R&B (ARIA)^[23]	33
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)^[24]	48
Global 200 (Billboard)^[25]	36
Ireland (IRMA)^[26]	67
Japan Hot Overseas (Billboard Japan)^[27]	14
New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)^[28]	3
South Korea BGM (Circle)^[29]	149
UK Singles (OCC)^[30]	46
US Billboard Hot 100^[31]	23
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)^[32]	6
US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)^[33]	24
US Rhythmic (Billboard)^[34]	18

Release history

Release history and formats for "Last Time I Saw You"

Country	Date	Format	Version	Labels	Ref.
Various	September 1, 2023	Digital download streaming	Original	Young Money Republic	^[21]
	September 7, 2023		Sped up		^[22]

References

1. Aniftos, Rania (September 1, 2023). "Nicki Minaj Returns With 'Last Time I Saw You': Stream It Now". Billboard. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
2. Lamarre, Carl (June 29, 2023). "Nicki Minaj Announces 'Pink Friday 2' & Album's Delayed Release Date: 'It'll Be Well Worth the Wait'". Billboard. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
3. Romualdi, Melissa (August 14, 2023). . Entertainment Tonight Canada. Archived from the original on August 28, 2023. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
4. Powell, Jon (August 25, 2023). "Nicki Minaj announces "Last Time I Saw You" single". Revolt. from the original on August 28, 2023. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
5. Cho, Regina (August 14, 2023). "Nicki Minaj Previews New Song "Last Time That I Saw You" From 'Pink Friday 2'". Vibe. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
6. McIntyre, Hugh (August 25, 2023). "Nicki Minaj Has Officially Started Promoting Her New Album 'Pink Friday 2'". Forbes. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
7. Trapp, Malcolm (August 25, 2023). "Nicki Minaj Teases "Last Time I Saw You" Ahead Of New Album". Rap-Up. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
8. Alexandria, Lavender (August 25, 2023). "Nicki Minaj Shares Album Cover For Her New Single "Last Time I Saw You"". HotNewHipHop. from the original on August 26, 2023. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
9. Andriyashchuk, Yuriy (August 25, 2023). "Nicki Minaj announces upcoming "Last Time I Saw You" single". Hip-Hop Vibe. from the original on August 28, 2023. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
10. Pointer, Flisadam (August 25, 2023). "Azealia Banks Sort Of Praised Nicki Minaj's 'Last Time I Saw You' Single Promo Images, But It Wasn't Without Some Shade". Uproxx. from the original on August 27, 2023. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
11. Madarang, Charisma (September 1, 2023). "Nicki Minaj on Taking Risks That 'Shift the Motherf-cking Culture'". Rolling Stone.
12. Fitzgerald, Trent (September 1, 2023). "Nicki Minaj Drops 'Last Time I Saw You' - Listen to New Song". XXL. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
13. Gonzalez, Alex (September 1, 2023). "Nicki Minaj Drops 'Last Time I Saw You,' Her Reflective New Single". UPROXX. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
14. Vito, Jo (September 1, 2023). "Nicki Minaj Unveils New Song "Last Time I Saw You": Stream". Consequence. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
15. Breihan, Tom (September 1, 2023). "Nicki Minaj Releases New Single "Last Time I Saw You": Listen". Stereogum. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
16. Williams, Kyann-Sian (September 1, 2023). "Nicki Minaj shares emotional new single 'Last Time I Saw You'". NME. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
17. Helfand, Raphael (September 1, 2023). "Nicki Minaj shares new song "Last Time I Saw You"". The Fader. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
18. Bell, Sadie (September 12, 2023). "Nicki Minaj Gives Fans a Taste of 'Pink Friday 2,' Debuts New Tracks at the 2023 MTV VMAs". People.
19. Paul, Larisha (September 12, 2023). "Nicki Minaj Catches VMAs Up to Speed With 'Last Time I Saw You' and 'Pink Friday 2' Preview". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
20. Bloom, Madison; Herrera, Isabelia; Pierre, Alphonse (September 13, 2023). "The Best and Worst of the 2023 MTV VMAs". Pitchfork. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
21. "Last Time I Saw You". Spotify. September 1, 2023. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
22. "Last Time I Saw You (Sped Up)". Spotify. September 7, 2023. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
23. "ARIA Top 40 Hip Hop/R&B Singles Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. September 11, 2023. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
24. "Nicki Minaj Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
25. "Nicki Minaj Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
26. "IRMA – Irish Charts". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
27. "Billboard Japan Hot Overseas – Week of September 13, 2023". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved September 13, 2023.
28. "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. September 11, 2023. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
29. "BGM Chart – Week 36 of 2023". Circle Chart (in Korean). Retrieved September 14, 2023.
30. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
31. "Nicki Minaj Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
32. "Nicki Minaj Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
33. "Nicki Minaj Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
34. "Nicki Minaj Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved October 15, 2023.