Firework (song)

"Firework" is a song by American singer Katy Perry from her third studio album, Teenage Dream (2010). Perry co-wrote the song with its producers, StarGate and Sandy Vee, with additional writing from Ester Dean. It is a dance-pop and dance-rock self-empowerment anthem with inspirational lyrics, and was considered by Perry as an important song for her on Teenage Dream. The song was released on October 18, 2010 by Capitol Records as the third single from the album.

"Firework" received mostly positive reviews from music critics, with some noting its catchy melody and danceable beat and comparing it to songs by British band Coldplay. The song was commercially successful, reaching the top spot on Billboard Hot 100 and the top five on 20 charts around the world. As of October 2015, the song has sold 7 million copies in the US alone.

An accompanying music video, directed by Dave Meyers, was released on October 28, 2010. It portrays Perry singing and dancing around Budapest, with interspersed scenes of young people becoming confident in themselves. An open casting call for the music video drew an unprecedented 38,000 applicants. On MuchMusic's top 50 videos of 2010, "Firework" reached the top position. The music video was said to be a more upbeat take on Christina Aguilera's message in "Beautiful". It was nominated for three awards at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards, eventually winning one of those, the Video of the Year, the main and final award. "Firework" was nominated for Record of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance at the 54th Grammy Awards. On January 5, 2012, "Firework" was elected the fifth most played single on US radio during 2011 by Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems, with 509,000 plays.