I wanted to give my fans and everyone a first listen that wasn't so serious. I've had so much fun making this album, and I wanted the first moment to reflect that light-hearted spirit.
— Carey on releasing "GTFO" as a promotional single.[5]
Carey announced "GTFO" would be the first promotional single from her then upcoming fifteenth studio album with the release via press release.[5]
Critical reception
Israel Daramola from Spin was positive, calling it a "ghostly, tender record with a magnetic rhythm".[6] Randall Colburn from Consequence of Sound praised Carey's vocal performance and the song's instrumentation, noting "the song's dreamy flow clashes compellingly."[7] R. Eric Thomas of Elle was also positive stating the track was "[a] sultry mid-tempo addition", noted that song "enters a grand tradition of songs about being told to get out."[8]Billboard editor Gil Kaufman described the song's production as "spiky".[9] It was included at number 59 on Idolator's list of the 100 best singles of 2018, and at number 92 on NPR's list of the 100 best songs of 2018.[10][11]
Music video
The music video for the song was directed by Sarah McColgan.[12][13] It was premiered via Carey's Vevo channel on September 14, 2018.[14]
