The single received acclaim from music critics upon release, who praised it for its catchy sound and upbeat tempo, and comparisons were made with the songs from the group's debut album, DNA (2012).

As of 2021, the song has been certified triple platinum in the UK by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) and gold or higher in ten other countries, including diamond in Brazil.

[3][4] In February 2015, Little Mix revealed that they had chosen the lead single from their third studio album and also said that it has a "whole new sound" compared to previous material.

[7][8] The song's title was accidentally revealed by member Leigh-Anne Pinnock's mother on Twitter on 21 April 2015 when she tweeted "#MixersAreExcitedForBlackMagic yesss mixers it's the new single and it's fantastic".

On 14 May 2015, Little Mix revealed that the song was titled "Black Magic", after the single's cover art surfaced on music identification service Shazam.

"Black Magic" was scheduled to premiere on 26 May, but was later moved forward to 21 May, after the single leaked online the day before.

[11] It was released as a CD single in Europe on 17 July 2015,[12] and in Japan on 12 August 2015 with an exclusive Japanese edition.

[13] "Black Magic" is a dance-pop[14][15] and teen pop[16] song that runs for a total length of three minutes and thirty-one seconds.

[17] It was written by Edvard Førre Erfjord, Henrik Michelsen, Ed Drewett and Camille Purcell, and was produced by the Norwegian production duo Electric, who previously worked on the group's second studio album.

Matt Bagwell of The Huffington Post called the single "one of the best pop releases of the year", complimenting its "killer chorus" and "trademark call to arms chant", while writing that "Black Magic" is "significantly better" than Britney Spears and Iggy Azalea's single "Pretty Girls", which Little Mix co-wrote.

[24] Renowned for Sound described the song as "fun and catchy" and went on to compare the song to the group's previous work for its familiar chemistry and the overall feel good vibe it presents, "it's generic pop with a snappy melody and a neat call and response bridge".

[25] Madeline Roth of MTV stated that the track "is an up-tempo jam featuring summery vibes and bewitching lyrics".

[15] Attitude ranked the song at number 10 on their list of 32 greatest Little Mix singles, writing "Around the time of 'Black Magic', the girls were in an uncertain place, with fears of even being dropped.

[49] In the United States, the song entered at number 99 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in the week ending 29 August 2015, becoming the group's first entry on the chart since "Wings".

[23] The music video for the song was directed by Director X, and was filmed at the University of Southern California on 22–23 May 2015 in Los Angeles.

Critics noted references to witch-themed films and television shows such as The Craft, Charmed and Sabrina, the Teenage Witch,[60] as well as the music video for "Too Much" by the Spice Girls.

[63][64] Additionally, Forrester from Mirror said that the group "turned to Katy Perry for inspiration and the results are hilarious" and also compared the scene of the girls walking down the hall with the 1999 film She's All That.

[64] Lucy Wood of Cosmopolitan said that the video is "a brilliant combo of Clueless, Sabrina The Teenage Witch and The Craft all in one go".

[59] Capital FM wrote, "Take a dash of Sabrina The Teenage Witch, add a pinch of Mean Girls and throw in a little Charmed, and you've got yourself an INCREDIBLE video!

[68] Little Mix performed "Black Magic" for the first time at Capital's Summertime Ball in Wembley Stadium on 6 June 2015.

[70] On 14 June 2015, they performed the song on the British radio show Total Access, hosted by Elliot Holman.

[74][75] The group performed the song during Radio City's Summer Live in the Echo Arena alongside singers such as Rita Ora, Alesha Dixon and Nick Jonas.

[81] Little Mix opened the Apple Music Festival in London for One Direction and performed "Black Magic" among other songs.

[83] In the United States, they performed the song during The 1989 World Tour with Taylor Swift at Levi's Stadium on 15 August 2015.

[98] Welsh singer-songwriter Greta Isaac, accompanied by her sisters, performed the song for Terry Wogan on BBC Radio 2 live in session on 9 August 2015.