"Lil Star" made its debut on the UK Singles Chart at number eighty-four on January 21, 2007 based on downloads alone five weeks before its release and climbed the charts rapidly to number thirty-seven within a matter of weeks due to strong download sales.

To date, "Lil Star" remains one of Kelis' best-selling singles in the UK where it sold over 118,000 copies.

Although "Lil Star" performed well in European countries such as the UK and Ireland, it became a commercial failure in Germany, peaking at number ninety-nine, Kelis' lowest-charting single there to date.

The video for "Lil Star" was filmed in Los Angeles in December 2006 and directed by Marc Klasfeld, who had previously worked with Kelis on "Bossy" and "Blindfold Me" earlier in 2006.

In the video Kelis is walking down a street in a large space suit-style coat, then singing to the stars.

The stars take the formation of Cee-Lo and Kelis as they both sing, all wrapped up in a very mellow and calm atmosphere, relating to the song's theme.