Then What (Illy song)

"Then What"
Single by Illy
from the album The Space Between
Released24 May 2019[1]
Length3:01
LabelSony
Illy singles chronology
"Exit Sign"
(2019) 		"Then What"
(2019) 		"Codes"
(2019)

"Then What" is a song by Australian rapper Illy and was released in May 2019 as the lead single from Illy's forthcoming sixth studio album, The Space Between (2021). "Then What" peaked at number 33 on the ARIA Charts and was certified platinum.

"Then What" was written about the changes since Illy's last album Two Degrees in 2016 and its success. Illy told Ben & Liam on Triple J "You notice people come around that weren't there before. When the times are good, they're there, and inevitably you sort of go quiet, start working on new stuff and they're not around anymore. It's not something to get bummed about, I find it funny because it's a cliché but it's true. I wanted to write a song addressing that."[2]

At the APRA Music Awards of 2020, "Then What" was nominated for Most Performed Urban Work of the Year.[3][4]

Reception

Zanda Wilson from The Music Network said "('Then What') is cut from the same cloth as some of his biggest radio hits, with Illy's clean and energetic combination of rapping and singing underpinned by production with pop sensibilities."[5]

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2019) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[6] 33

Year-end charts

Chart (2019) Position
Australian Artist (ARIA)[7] 21

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[8] Platinum 70,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ "Then What – Single by Illy on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
  2. ^ "First Spin: Illy returns with 'Then What', a fun reflection on success". ABC. 23 May 2019. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
  3. ^ "Tones and I Leads Nominations for 2020 Virtual APRA Awards". Noise11. 7 April 2020. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
  4. ^ "2020 Awards". APRA. 7 April 2020. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
  5. ^ "Song of the Day Illy Answers the Question "Then What"". The Music Network. 23 May 2019. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
  6. ^ "Illy – Then What". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
  7. ^ "ARIA Australian Artist End of Year Singles Chart 2019". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
  8. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2019 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.