Kiely Williams is “Spectacular”…or Maybe Not

Kiely Williams, best known for her role as Aquanetta Walker in Disney’s The Cheetah Girls and as part of the R&B group 3LW, is embarking on a new solo career, and she’s making sure you take notice. On April 5th, she released a video for her single “Spectacular” on YouTube, and it definitely had the Internets go nuts!

“Spectacular’s” racy lyrics, sexually video, along with Kiely’s suggestive dance moves had nearly everyone watching giving Kiely either a side eye or a blank stare. Written by Young Money’s Shanell, the song tells the story of a woman who gets wasted at the bar with a stranger before going back to his place for some good ole unprotected sex!

The video opens with Kiely parading down the streets in an outfit only a bad transvestite prostitute would wear and singing (or talking in my opinion *Kanye shrug*):

Last I remember I was face down, ass up, clothes off, broke off, dozed off!
Even though I’m not sure of his name he could get it again if he wanted…cause the sex was spectacular!

Trashy, huh? Almost immediately, Kiely began to receive criticism for promoting promiscuity and unprotected sexual adventures. She defended herself in a statement posted on her KielyTV YouTube page that read:

The fact is, that sometimes women get intoxicated and have unprotected sex. My video puts this issue front and center. It is absurd to infer or suggest that I am condoning this behavior. Are Lady Gaga and Beyonce advocating murder with the Telephone video? Of, course not. Was Rihanna encouraging suicide with Russian Roulette? No. Was Madonna suggesting that young unmarried girls get pregnant with Papa Dont Preach? I dont think so. Is Academy Award winner Monique a proponent of incest because of her portrayal of Mary in the movie Precious. Clearly, the answer is no.

I wrote Spectacular and made the video to bring attention to a serious womens health and safety issue. Dont shoot the messenger." (Posted as written—errors and all)

There are a five reasons Kiely’s video didn’t work and her statement didn’t go.

• 1) You’re not a proven artist. I’m sorry, but there’s a difference between a performer and an artist. Everyone who Kiely named is an award-winning artist with successful singles and chart-topping albums. Kiely has none of these. When you are an artist, you are able to push society’s limits and people accept it as art. When you’re not an artist people just call you an attention whore and keep it moving.

• 2) “Spectacular” lacked artistic features. I define art as the creative interpretation of life. Nothing about “Spectacular”, the song or video, lived up to this definition. The concept, the lyrics, and the video itself lacked the uniqueness and creativity to be called art. You could walk in any neighborhood bar and see Kiely’s version of art taking place nightly. Basically, I’m saying “Spectacular” wasn’t artistic; it was trashy!

• 3) Her response was disingenuous. Let’s be real. When this song and video were being conceptualized, no one was thinking about making a statement on the dangers of unprotected sex and promiscuity! Seriously, since when has Shanell been known for writing public service announcements (insert side eye here)? Kiely wanted to shock the world and prove that she was a grown-up! That she did. It just didn’t get the positive response she wanted. Next time you want to make a statement about the dangers of one-night stands, write a song about a woman suffering from the burn of gonorrhea and have her take the walk of shame into the free clinic. At least put an explanation at the end so that your less perspective viewers understand what you’re doing.

• 4) You were a DISNEY star!!! I’m sorry but you can’t go from being a child star to a porn star sex symbol over night. The kiddies who once idolized you are still looking for goodness sakes! All child stars that have had successful careers as adults have been gradually ushered into their adult/sexier personas. I mean seriously, I always knew Aquanetta was a little hood, but I don’t want to see her in porn.

• 5) Get a better casting director! If you’re going to put out a hypersexual video at least have a leading man who is sexy!!! Give us someone we can fantasize about! The casting director would’ve been better off choosing Pretty Rick’s Spectacular than dude in the video. At least we know Spectacular has moves!!! Dude in the video didn’t have an ounce of sex appeal! MAJOR FAIL!

There are three main reasons Erykah Badu can do a strip tease in a public park and no one write it off as trashy, Kiely. 1) She’s an artist. 2) She explained the meaning to the slow folks. 3) And she looked good doing it…not like a trashy transvestite. If you want to be an artist, Kiely, you have to step your game up…and learn how to stand by your art when no one else believes in it.

Check out the video below and let me know what you think.