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Untitled

SWAAY is the debut extended play from American pop-rock band DNCE. The album was released worldwide on October 23, 2015 through Universal Music Group and Republic Records. The extended play serves as the first release from the group, which first formed in 2015. It consists of songs that were recorded during sessions for their debut studio album; whether the songs featured will be included on their album is unknown. The project features elements of pop, rock, and funk music. Lead vocalist Joe Jonas co-wrote three of the project's four songs, and producers for the album included Mattman & Robin among others. The album's lyrics deal with topics of relationships and sex, considered mature in comparison to Jonas' prior recordings.

Upon its release, SWAAY received a generally positive reception from music critics. The extended play's production and themes were praised, though critics were divided on whether the band could have mainstream success. The album debuted on the Billboard 200 at number seventy-nine, before falling off the chart the following week. SWAAY was preceded by the release of the band's debut single, "Cake by the Ocean". The song became a success for the band, reaching the upper half of the Billboard Hot 100 and the top-forty of the Canadian Hot 100. The band promoted the project through a number of live performances and interviews, including their sold-out fourteen date Greatest Tour Ever Tour (2015).

Background

DNCE was formed in 2015, consisting of members Joe Jonas, Jack Lawless, Cole Whittle, and JinJoo Lee. Jonas rose to fame as a member of the Jonas Brothers, a pop-rock band that achieved much mainstream success though their albums and affiliation with Disney Channel. While touring with his band, Jonas met both Jack Lawless and JinJoo Lee, who served as the drummer and guitar player for their tours, respectively. Jonas and Lawless first had the idea for DNCE while living together, though the project was put on hold while the two focused on other opportunities. Following the split of the Jonas Brothers in 2013, Joe debated recording his second solo studio album or forming a new band; he chose the latter, thus forming DNCE with Lawless and Lee. Jonas and Whittle became good friends after meeting through a former band mate of Whittle's, with Whittle going on to occupy the fourth and final spot of DNCE as the bass player. The group opted for the name DNCE as it is an imperfect spelling of the word "dance", with Lee claiming you "don't have to be a perfect dancer to dance in life."

Jonas, still unsure of whether to record a solo album or form a new group, began working with record producer Malay, though the songs were scrapped after Jonas deemed them too "sad" for the record. He began working with Justin Tranter and Swedish production duo Mattman & Robin on new music, with the foursome coming up with the idea behind "Cake by the Ocean" after a night of drinking. Mattman & Robin claimed to have the guitar riff to "Cake by the Ocean" for nearly ten years, though failed to find a song to use it in until then. Jonas claimed that the song served as the "launchpad" for the rest of record, ultimately determining the sound he wanted the album to have. It was after this session that Jonas decided to form DNCE with Lawless and Lee. Jonas claimed that the group tried to make a song that was better than "Cake by the Ocean", though felt that it couldn't be done.

Jonas worked with both Tranter and Mattman & Robin on another song for the album, "Pay My Rent". It was during this time that DNCE began playing secret shows in New York City as rehearsals for their upcoming promotional campaign, with people such as Hailee Steinfeld and Leonardo DiCaprio coming to see the band. Jonas reported in early October that eighth songs had been finished for their upcoming debut album, though over twenty had been written. On October 10, the group announced that their debut extended play would be released on October 23 through Republic Records. The album was initially revealed to be titled Booty Cake, though it was changed to SWAAY prior to its release. Jonas revealed during a live chat that the band initially tried to name themselves Swaay, though copyright issues prevented this. They named the album SWAAY simply because "music makes you sway".

Critical reception

Kyle Anderson of Entertainment Weekly said of lead singer Joe Jonas on the record "It’s still too early to tell whether or not Joe can join Nick in the upper echelon, but the debut EP by his new combo DNCE is a solid step in the right direction." He also said the group "have a spry, playful chemistry" on the EP and that "they’ve absolutely got the chops and the instincts to carve out a funky, buoyant place on pop radio". Richard Baxter of Popology Now described lead single "Cake by the Ocean" as "one of the quirkiest pop songs of the year", but also stated that compared to the rest of the record it was "just a little appetizer for what the band has been working on". He concluded by saying that "All in all, 'SWAAY' provides just enough to leave us wanting more".

Singles

"Cake by the Ocean" was released as the EP's lead single on September 18, 2015. It has so far reached a peak of number 47 on the Billboard Hot 100 and has charted moderately in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand.

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Cake by the Ocean"	Joe Jonas Mattias Larsson Robin Fredriksson Justin Tranter	3:38
2.	"Pay My Rent"	Jonas Larsson Fredriksson Tranter	3:13
3.	"Toothbrush"	Jonas James Alan Ghaleb Rickard Goransson Ilya Salmanzadeh	3:51
4.	"Jinx"	Oscar Gorres Oscar Holter Tranter	3:36
Total length:			14:18

Charts

Chart (2015)	Peak position
US Billboard 200	79

Release history

Region	Date	Format	Label	Ref.
Worldwide	October 23, 2015	Digital download CD	Republic Records Universal Music Group

References

This page is about the Joe Jonas album. For other work with the same title, see Fast Life.

Untitled

Fastlife is the debut studio album by American recording artist Joe Jonas. The album was first released in the Netherlands on October 7, 2011 through Hollywood Records. Fastlife serves as Jonas' first album outside of his band Jonas Brothers, which announced an indefinite hiatus one year prior to its release. Jonas hoped to create a more mature and "electric" sound for the album, a contrast from the pop-rock releases with his band. To achieve this goal, Jonas worked with a range of urban producers such as Danja and Claude Kelly, among others. Fastlife lyrically speaks of topics such as love, sex, and breakups. Jonas received co-writer credits for seven songs on the album.

Fastlife received a generally positive reception from music critics, with the records production and lyrical themes receiving praise. Despite positive reviews, the project failed to achieve the commercial success Jonas had seen with is band. Fastlife sold a total of 18,000 copies in its first week of release, reaching number fifteen on the Billboard 200 chart. The album quickly fell off the chart, going on to sell 45,000 copies in the United States by 2015. The album fared similarly worldwide, reaching the lower end of various charts. Following the release of Fastlife, both Jonas and his band parted ways with Hollywood Records, purchasing the rights to their musical releases. The album is Jonas' first to include a Parental Advisory sticker.

The album was preceded by the release of two singles. "See No More" was released as the lead single from the project in June 2011. The song failed to have much success, only reaching number ninety-two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. "Just in Love" was released as the album's second single in September. The song was remixed to feature rapper Lil Wayne, which was released in October 2011. "Love Slayer" was released as a promotional single for the album, reaching the top ten of the Dance Club Songs chart. Jonas promoted the album through various live performances and interviews.

Background

Joe Jonas first rose to fame as a member of the pop-rock band Jonas Brothers, who made their debut in 2006. The group signed with Hollywood Records in 2007, and released their multi-platinum second studio album that same year. The band became a teen sensation, having a large teenage fan-base and receiving much media attention focused on their personal lives. The brothers participated in many projects with the Disney Channel, including a number of television shows and television films. Jonas had his first solo release with the song "This Is Me" (2008) alongside Demi Lovato. The duet entered the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100 chart and sold over 900,000 copies in the United States alone. He would later collaborate with Lovato again for various Disney projects, as well as the songs "Make a Wave" (2010) and "Wouldn't Change a Thing" (2010). While touring with the Jonas Brothers on their 2010 world tour, Jonas began working on a solo debut album. The project was officially announced on May 19, 2010. Jonas opted to release the project through Hollywood Records, much like his band.

Jonas initially hoped to have a "Hall & Oates meets disco-funk" vibe for the record, though was pressured by the label to record an R&B album similar to releases from Justin Timberlake. During early sessions for the album, Jonas worked with Robert Coppola Schwartzman for numerous songs for the album, though none of the songs were included on Fastlife as Jonas felt they didn't suit the record. Jonas would claim years later that the tracks with Schwartzman had a "Freddie Mercury" vibe, though were not included due to the label's ideas for the album. Jonas described the early stages of the album as having a Michael Bublé sound, and revealed that two of the original songs were reworked into the finished product. Reportedly, the label found the tracks for the album to be "weird" and said they "sounded like demos", thus Jonas was told to work with producers who had worked with other Disney acts such as Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez. Jonas neglected to do so, instead working closely with producers such as Danja, Claude Kelly, and Hit-Boy on the project.

Jonas was a fan of Danja's work with artists such as Britney Spears and Mary J. Blige. On working with the producer, Jonas said "I told him that this was the kind of music I wanted to do and the type of album I wanted to create. At the same time I wanted to make something that was my own. We had two days apart and then came back and he presented me with some tracks and they were perfect. He was very easy to work with."

Jonas wanted the album's lyrics to be more personal than his releases with Jonas Brothers, stating "When I started writing for the record, I wanted it to be very personal … even though it's scary because it's just (me) by myself. People are going to listen and try to pinpoint what the lyrics are about, but I did my best without saying any names." Jonas wrote seven of the eleven songs featured on the album, citing "Sorry" as the most personal on the album. Jonas met Chris Brown through a mutual colleague, with Jonas claiming they decided to work together after playing each other some of their music. Brown wrote the song "Lighthouse" specifically for Jonas, while the duo collaborated to write the song "See No More". Brown provides background vocals for the latter. Jonas later claimed to have been inspired by the music Brown played for him, which he claimed was evident in the finished product of Fastlife.

Musical style

Jonas explained the title of the album, Fastlife, by saying "I think my life has been so crazy busy for the past year and a half, and I kind of wanted to show people a little bit more of what my life is about, bring them into it a little bit more, so that's been a fun experience." He described Fastlife as an "upbeat record". According to him, the difference between the songs done with his brothers and the songs on his solo album is that they are "more urban and dance electronic". Jonas wanted to make music that could be played in night clubs for the album, and frequently went out to gain inspiration for the album.

Singles

The first single from Fastlife is "See No More", which was released on June 13, 2011. "See No More" entered at number 53 in UK and 92 in the US.

The second single from Fastlife is "Just in Love", which was released on September 13, 2011 and failed to chart. A remix version featuring Lil Wayne was released on October 4, 2011.

A promotional video for "All This Time" was released on December 9, 2011. The video that contains footage in the French radio station NRJ was posted on its website.

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	66/100
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic
Boston Globe	mixed
Entertainment Weekly	(B)
Rolling Stone
Slant
Washington Post	favorable

Fastlife received mixed to positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 66, based on 5 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Tim Sendra wrote a very positive review for Allmusic, rating it four stars out of five. Sendra perceived that Jonas "injected some personality" into the record, writing "Joe and his team of writers and producers put a lot of care into the sound of the record, making sure the uptempo tracks really have punch, the ballads have some grit, and the mid-tempo grooves have a believable amount of soul...Most importantly, a large part of the album is made up of songs with big melodic and rhythmic hooks that will propel you onto the dance-floor or have you singing along." Mikael Wood wrote for Entertainment Weekly that "Produced in large part by Danja, who worked on Justin Timberlake's FutureSex/LoveSounds, the club-friendly Fastlife largely favors the FutureSex — 'I'm loving that frame', Joe drools on 'Make You Mine' — yet it's the LoveSounds, as on gorgeous ballad 'Sorry', that most impress."

Allison Stewart wrote a favorable review for Washington Post. Stewart wrote that "Fastlife, is exactly what it should be, a fizzy, danceable, R&B-steeped club pop album that greases Jonas’s transition to pop adulthood." Mesfin Fekadu wrote a mixed review for Boston Globe, writing that "Overall, "Fastlife" is lifeless. Vocally, the 22-year-old Jonas is boring: He lacks energy when he sings, and even he doesn't seem interested in what he's singing about." Slant Magazine's Jonathan Keefe wrote a favorable review, commenting that "Jonas certainly can't match someone like Timberlake in terms of a defined aesthetic or presence, but at least he and his team had the smarts to enlist producers who know how to construct solid pop songs. That may not make Fastlife much of an artistic statement, but it does make it a better pop album than any of the Jonas Brothers' albums or Nick Jonas & the Administration's Who I Am. Jody Rosen of Rolling Stone gave the album two out of five stars, calling Jonas' vocal performance "a flop" explaining "He sounds strained, simpering – like one of those High School Musical Disney kids trying to sing R&B."

Promotion

On August 22, 2011, Joe Jonas performed these songs on Live on Letterman:

• "Love Slayer"
• "Just in Love"
• "Fast Life"
• "I'm Sorry"
• "Kleptomaniac"
• "See No More"

Joe also performed on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (July 13), Lopez Tonight (August 8), Live with Regis and Kelly (September 8), The Ellen DeGeneres Show (September 26), The Today Show (October 5), The Wendy Williams Show (October 7), The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (November 3) and Conan (November 7).

Commercial performance

The album debuted at No. 15 with 18,000 sales and stayed 2 weeks on the Billboard 200. As of February 2015, the album has shifted 45,000 copies.

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"All This Time"	Nathaniel Hills, Kevin Cossom, Marcella Araica, Joe Jonas	Danja, Jim Beanz (vocal)	4:27
2.	"Just in Love"	Robin Tardoss, James Fauntleroy, LaShawn Daniels, Jonas	Rob Knox	3:27
3.	"See No More"	Brian Kennedy, Chris Brown, Jonas	Kennedy, Brown (co.)	3:52
4.	"Love Slayer"	Hills, Cossom, Araica, Jonas	Danja, Beanz (vocal)	4:10
5.	"Fastlife"	Tardoss, Fauntleroy, Daniels, Jonas	Knox	4:01
6.	"Make You Mine"	Hills, Claude Kelly, Araica, Jonas	Danja, Kelly (vocal)	4:12
7.	"Sorry"	Tardoss, Fauntleroy, Daniels, Jonas, Nuno Bettencourt	Knox	5:03
8.	"Kleptomaniac"	Adonis Shropshire, Tiffany Fred	Adonis	4:04
9.	"Not Right Now"	Hills, Cossom, Araica, Jonas, James Washington	Danja, Beanz (vocal)	3:49
10.	"Take It and Run"	Hills, Cossom, Araica	Danja, Beanz (vocal)	4:36
11.	"Lighthouse"	Chauncey Hollis, Brown, Kevin McCall	Hit-Boy, Brown (co.)	3:45
12.	"Just in Love" (featuring Lil Wayne)	Tardoss, Fauntleroy, Daniels, Jonas, Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr.	Knox	3:27
Total length:				48:52

iTunes Store bonus tracks

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
13.	"Just in Love" (Moto Blanco Radio Edit Remix)	Tardoss, Fauntleroy, Daniels, Jonas	Knox	3:45
14.	"Just in Love" (Soul Seekerz Radio Remix)	Tardoss, Fauntleroy, Daniels, Jonas	Knox	3:44
Total length:				56:21

Release history

• Netherlands: October 7, 2011
• Poland: October 10, 2011
• United States/Canada/Mexico: October 11, 2011
• Australia: October 13, 2011
• Argentina/France: October 14, 2011
• Germany: October 14, 2011
• Brazil: October 18, 2011
• Philippines: October 22, 2011
• United Kingdom: October 24, 2011

Charts

Charts (2011)	Peak Position
Argentinian Albums Chart	5
Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders)	42
Belgian Albums Chart (Wallonia)	54
Dutch Albums Chart	85
France Charts.com	75
Italian Albums Chart	12
Mexican Albums Chart	8
Portuguese Albums Chart	4
Spanish Albums Chart	9
UK Albums Chart	99
US Billboard 200	15