Christian Gates had the chorus of “TOXIC” for years before it became a song. He knew it was good. He just could not finish it, and he refused to settle for a version that was merely fine. The fix did not come from a writing session. It came from a party.
Three years, one chorus
Gates has been unusually candid about how long the track sat unfinished, and how close he came to giving up on the verses entirely.
I’ve actually been working on “TOXIC” for a few years now. For the longest time, I only had the chorus. I kept rewriting the verses over and over, but nothing felt quite right. Then I showed it to Dutch Melrose, and as soon as he took a crack at it, what he did was pure gold. It inspired me to write my first verse, and in a way, he pretty much saved the song.Christian Gates, The Honey POP
He met Dutch Melrose in person, played him the unfinished track, and got a blunt reaction and a better idea. Gates has called Dutch one of his two or three favorite artists alive, marveling that Dutch keeps “30 to 40 versions of every single song” before he lands the right one.
A verse written against the clock
The timing was almost comically tight. Dutch was days from leaving the country when he cut his part.
He was going on vacation like within three days after I met him. Right before he left, his flight got delayed, he had one day left, and he just hopped in his studio at his house and flowed on it. It went crazy.Christian Gates, Rob Herrera interview
That verse reset everything. Gates threw out the lyrics he had been fighting with and started over, calling it a “horrible, humbling experience” that finally showed him how good the song could be.
One delayed flight, one night in a home studio, and TOXIC finally had its second half.
What it is really about
For all the drama behind it, the meaning is simple and personal.
TOXIC is really about when someone brings out the worst in you, the side you’ve been trying to bury deep. It’s that moment of realization where you’re like, this is heading in a bad direction, and you should probably run before it gets worse.Christian Gates, The Honey POP
The afterlife
Released October 11, 2024 and folded into his debut album No Strings Attached, “TOXIC” got a cinematic music video in February 2025 and turned a one-off collaboration into a real partnership. The two would go on to co-headline a hometown show together in Los Angeles.