Big Fat Lie
Untitled | |
---|---|
Big Fat Lie is the second studio album by American recording artist Nicole Scherzinger, released on October 17, 2014 by RCA Records. Scherzinger began working on the record in the summer of 2013, enlisting Terius "The-Dream" Nash and Christopher "Tricky" Stewart to executively produce the album with Felix Snow, Bart Schoudel, Chris "TEK" O'Ryan and Carlos McKinney also contributing.
"Your Love" was released as the lead single from Big Fat Lie on May 30, 2014. It debuted at number six on the UK Singles Chart, and had moderate success in other international markets. "Run" was sent to US contemporary hit radio stations on September 30 as the album's lead single whilst the "On the Rocks" was released on October 10 elsewhere. "Run" was subsequently released in the UK, followed by a fourth single "Bang".
Background
Following the end of the ninth series of the UK edition of The X Factor, Scherzinger shifted her focus on her second studio album.[1] In March, she released "Boomerang" as the lead single from the project, and it managed to peak at number six on the UK Singles Chart.[2] According to Scherzinger, will.i.am served as the executive producer of the album and worked with songwriter-producers Afro Jack, Dallas Austin, Toby Gad and Sandy Vee who produced "Boomerang".[3] Whilst planning to release the new album worldwide in November, Scherzinger unveiled that she had doubts about returning for the tenth series of The X Factor as the promotion for the album would clash with the live stages of the singing competition.[4] She ultimately decided to return as a judge, which put the release on hold.[4][5]
When asked why "Boomerang" wouldn't appear on the album, she responded: "It's just going to remain a stand-alone single. In fact I did an entire album that belongs with "Boomerang". It had its own family. Unfortunately I don't know if those songs will ever be heard." She also revealed that she had recorded five albums between the release of her debut and second album, which were all scrapped.[6]
In January 2014, it was announced that Scherzinger signed a multi-album deal with Sony Records imprint label, RCA Records. She left her long-time label, Interscope Records. For the second album, Scherzinger collaborated with The-Dream and Tricky Stewart who executive produced the record whilst a lead single would be released in the summer.[7] In February, Scherzinger left The X Factor because she wanted to work on the new album. Sessions with The Dream and Tricky Stewart began in the summer of 2013 in Los Angeles. According to Scherzinger, "the music started to come naturally, without any outside influence, without any labels, just for us, just for music's sake."[8]
Release
On September 16, 2014, Scherzinger revealed the track listing for Big Fat Lie through Instagram via a crossword puzzle that fans had to solve.[9] Later she unveiled the album artwork along with the title for the standard and deluxe versions of the album; the black-and-white image depicts a close-up image of Scherzinger tussling her hair. Mike Wass of Idolator noted that the image "screams early Janet Jackson."[10] It was made available the same day for pre-order through the iTunes Store and it was confirmed that it would be released on October 17, 2014.[11]
Composition
Scherzinger said that songs from Big Fat Lie are pop with more urban and R&B influences.[12] She cited The Velvet Rope (1997), the sixth studio album by American recording artist Janet Jackson and Sade as major influences.[13] She further elaborated that the album is "vibey, it's cool, it's got a lot of soul and it's a very personal album to me."[12]
Promotion
To promote the album, Scherzinger made several media interviews on TV, radio…She starred covers of various magazines. Scherzinger first performed "Your Love" on the British chat show Alan Carr: Chatty Man on June 13, 2014.[14] At the Isle of MTV festival in Malta, Scherzinger performed "Your Love" along with a number of songs which included songs from her former group The Pussycat Dolls. She performed while wearing black leather shorts and gold body chains and was accompanied by male and female dancers.[15] Scherzinger also promoted the single in the UK performing on such shows as The One Show, Loose Women and Lorraine (TV programme). Other promotion consisted of interviews and live acoustic performances on radio stations such as Kiss FM and 4Music.
The first televised performance of "Run" was on Access Hollywood Live on October 1.[16] The following day, several songs of the album were played at a spin class at SoulCycle studios in New York.[17] On October 6, she traveled to France and appeared in Le Mag and Touche pas à mon poste!.[18] On October 14, 2014 Scherzinger gave a private concert at the Hotel Cafe Royal in London, where she sang an acoustic version of her new album. On the day of its release, she held an album signing at an HMV store in Oxford Street.[19] On October 22, 2014, Scherzinger performed "On the Rocks" at the MOBO Awards, wearing a top, trousers and high heels.[20] She also performed the song on shows such as This Morning (TV programme), Surprise Surprise (TV series) and Sunday Night at the Palladium. On 12 December 2014, Scherzinger performed 'Run' on The Graham Norton Show. On 16 November 2014, Scherziger performed "Run" on the eleventh series of The X Factor where she received praise for her great vocals. Although the performance was very simple with limited lighting, the original version had lasers as light effect as indicated Scherzinger in her Instagram account, but due to technical problems, could not be used. In addition, Scherzinger appeared at the Live Free Radio Birmingham festival on November 29 .She also performed at the KEY 103 Christmas Live festival, on December 4, 2014. She went to Azerbaijan to perform at the Adrenaline Festival of Azerbaijan.[21] She also sang in France, at Saint-Etienne [22] and at the Energy Stars For Free festival, organized by NRJ radio and held at the Hallenstadion in Zurich where Scherzinger interpreted "Your Love", "Run" and "Don’t Hold Your Breath".[23] Scherzinger also appeared at the Newcastle Metro Radio's Christmas Live festival. An acoustic set was held in the USA for Perez Hilton, where she sang "Run"[24] and Sam Smith’s "Stay with me". On December 15, 2014, through her VEVO channel, Scherzinger released a music video for the song "Bang" [25] to introduce her to the US market. During the short clip, Nicole plays with shadows, silhouettes, symmetries and demonstrates her skills hip-hop dancing skills. In February 2015 Scherzinger gave a concert in the Chaos club in Manila, Philippines after performing at a private wedding in India [26]
Singles
"Your Love" was released as the lead single from Big Fat Lie on May 30, 2014.[27] It generally received positive reviews from music critics who complimented the song's catchy chorus.[28] The song peaked at number six on the UK Singles Chart and received moderate success in other international markets.[29] The accompanying music video was directed by Dawn Shadforth and sees Scherzinger frolicking at a beach in Malibu, California.[30]
"Run" was released and impacted contemporary hit radio stations on September 30 as the second single worldwide and the lead single in the US.[31][32][33] The third single, "On the Rocks", was released on October 10, 2014 as the second single in the UK.[34] The song received negative reviews from music critics, criticizing the outdated production and the use of Auto-Tune.[35][36] The accompanying black-and-white music video was released on September 5 and depicts Scherzinger confronting her boyfriend before running outside the house liberating herself.[37]
Reception
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [38] |
Digital Spy | [39] |
MTV UK | [40] |
The Times | [41] |
Big Fat Lie received largely average or mixed reviews. Theo Watt of MTV UK described the Big Fat Lie as a "very like able record" and applauded the singer for putting her "life and insecurities on a record."[40] In a more mixed reiew Lewis Corner of Digital Spy wrote that none of the songs quite showcase her "flying vocal range, sharp choreography and glorious demeanor." He ended the review saying that the album "reaches for something it can't quite accomplish."[39] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic found that the album's production "isn't particularly distinctive" and criticized Tricky Stewart and The-Dream for not bringing "their A game." He ended the review writing, "There's nothing embarrassing about their work here but there's nothing memorable, and that suits a singer who has yet to strike a memorable pose in a decade of trying."[38]
Commercial performance
Big Fat Lie was not as successful as Scherzinger's previous album. It first appeared on the Irish Album Chart at number 39.[42] On the UK Albums Chart, the album entered at number 17 selling 4,606 copies in its first week; marking her second top-twenty album. The album fell to number 72 the following week spending only 2 weeks in the top 100.[43] Big Fat Lie also appeared on the lower regions of Belgium (Wallonia) (number 156),[44] France (number 108)[45] and Switzerland (number 95).[46]
Track listing
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Your Love" |
| 4:06 | |
2. | "Electric Blue" (featuring T.I.) |
|
| 3:41 |
3. | "On the Rocks" |
|
| 5:07 |
4. | "Heartbreaker" |
|
| 4:59 |
5. | "God of War" |
|
| 3:57 |
6. | "Girl with a Diamond Heart" |
|
| 3:38 |
7. | "Just a Girl" |
|
| 3:26 |
8. | "First Time" |
|
| 3:19 |
9. | "Bang" |
|
| 4:27 |
10. | "Big Fat Lie" |
|
| 3:49 |
11. | "Run" |
|
| 3:30 |
Total length: | 43:59 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
12. | "Little Boy" |
| 3:50 |
13. | "Unison" |
| 3:48 |
14. | "Cold World" |
| 3:26 |
Total length: | 55:03 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
15. | "Your Love" (music video) |
| 4:04 |
16. | "On the Rocks" (music video) |
| 4:28 |
Total length: | 63:35 |
- Notes[48]
- ^a signifies a vocal producer
Credits and personnel
Credits adapted from the liner notes of Big Fat Lie.[48]
- Alejandro Baima – assistant engineering (track 11)
- Kevin "KD" Davis – mixing (track 4)
- Manny Dominick – additional percussion (track 1)
- Josh Drucker – assistant mixing (tracks 1 – 3, 5 – 10)
- Brian Gardner – mastering (track 1)
- Brandon Harding – assistant engineering (track 10), assistant recording (track 3)
- Jordan Lewis – additional recording (track 5), assistant recording (tracks 1 – 4, 6), assistant mixing (track 7)
- Carlos "Los da Mystro" McKinney – producer (track 3)
- Terius "The-Dream" Nash – producer (tracks 1 – 10), programming, sequencing (tracks 3, 7, 8)
- Bart Schoudel – vocal production (tracks 1 – 3, 7, 9, 10), engineering (tracks 1, 3, 7 – 10), additional recording (tracks 2, 4)
- Felix Snow – producer, mixer (track 11)
- Brian "B-LUV" Thomas – engineering (tracks 2, 3, 5, 6), additional recording (tracks 1, 3)
- Christopher "Tricky" Stewart – producer (tracks 1 – 10), programming, sequencing (tracks 3, 7 – 10)
- Pat Thrall – additional editing (track 1)
- Brent Paschke – guitar (tracks 1, 10)
- Bianca Puente – assistant engineering (track 8), additional recording (track 5), assistant recording (tracks 2, 4, 6)
- Stevy Pyne – guitar (track 3)
- Eddie Smith III – additional programming (tracks 10)
- Chris "TEK" O'Ryan – vocal production (tracks 4 – 6, 11), engineer (track 11), additional recording (tracks 2, 4 – 6), guitar (track 4)
- Nick Valentin – assistant engineering (track 1), assistant recording (track 1)
- Andrew Wuepper – mixing (tracks 1 – 3, 5 – 10)
Charts
Chart (2014) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australian Urban Albums (ARIA)[49] | 16 |
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[44] | 156 |
French Albums (SNEP)[45] | 108 |
Irish Albums (IRMA)[42] | 39 |
South Korean International Albums (Circle)[50] | 34 |
Scottish Albums (OCC)[51] | 19 |
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[46] | 95 |
UK Albums (OCC)[52] | 17 |
UK Album Downloads (OCC)[53] | 23 |
Release history
Country | Date | Version | Format | Label | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Germany | October 17, 2014 |
|
Sony Music | [47] | |
Ireland | |||||
France | October 20, 2014 | ||||
Spain | |||||
United Kingdom | RCA | ||||
Italy | October 21, 2014 | Sony Music | |||
Brazil | |||||
Poland | |||||
Australia | October 24, 2014 |
References
- ^ Corner, Lewis (March 8, 2013). "Nicole Scherzinger 'didn't want to rush-release album for X Factor'". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK. Retrieved May 30, 2014.
- ^ Eames, Tom (March 17, 2013). "Justin Timberlake keeps UK singles No.1 for third week with 'Mirrors'". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK. Retrieved May 30, 2014.
- ^ Copsey, Robert (March 12, 2013). "Exclusive: Nicole Scherzinger on new album: 'It takes no prisoners'". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK. Retrieved May 30, 2014.
- ^ a b Eames, Tom (April 10, 2013). "Nicole Scherzinger 'having doubts over X Factor, clashes with album'". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK. Retrieved June 5, 2014.
- ^ Fletcher, Alex (May 22, 2013). "'X Factor' judges confirmed: Sharon Osbourne returns". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK. Retrieved June 5, 2014.
- ^ "Nicole Scherzinger interview: 'I've scrapped five whole albums'". Digital Spy.
- ^ Copsey, Robert (February 19, 2013). "Nicole Scherzinger signs new record deal, confirms album release". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK. Retrieved June 5, 2014.
- ^ "Nicole Scherzinger keeps it 'raw and real' as she returns to day job with new single Your Love". News.com.au. News Corp Australia. May 28, 2013. Retrieved September 4, 2014.
- ^ Stern, Bradley (September 16, 2014). "Nicole Scherzinger Reveals Tracklisting For Upcoming Album Via Instagram". Idolator. Spin Media. Retrieved September 16, 2014.
- ^ Wass, Mike (September 16, 2014). "Nicole Scherzinger's Sophomore LP Is Called 'Big Fat Lie': Check Out The Sexy Cover & Deluxe Tracklist". Idolator. Spin Media. Retrieved September 17, 2014.
- ^ a b c d "Music – Big Fat Lie (Deluxe) by Nicole Scherzinger". iTunes Store (Ireland). Apple Inc. Retrieved September 16, 2014.
- ^ a b "Nicole Scherzinger Tells Us About 'Your Love', New Album And How To Get The Scherzy Bod!". Capital FM. July 15, 2014. Retrieved September 4, 2014.
- ^ Corner, Lewis (June 21, 2014). "Nicole Scherzinger interview: 'I've scrapped five whole albums'". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines. Retrieved September 4, 2014.
- ^ Scum, David (June 13, 2014). "Alan Carr: Chatty Man on Channel 4 tonight with Pharrell Williams, Nicole Scherzinger, Phillip Schofield & Cher Lloyd". Scunthorpe Telegraph. Retrieved July 8, 2014.
{{cite web}}
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- ^ "Nicole Scherzinger Performs 'Run' on 'Access Hollywood Live'". Rap-Up. Retrieved October 1, 2014.
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- ^ "Adrenaline festival - Concerts in Baku - CityLife.az". citylife.az.
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- ^ Bobb, Maurice (June 9, 2014). "Nicole Scherzinger Heats Things Up With 'Your Love' Video: Watch Now". MTV. Viacom. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
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- ^ "Top 40/M Future Releases". All Access Music Group. Archived from the original on September 27, 2014. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
- ^ O'Mance, Brad (September 26, 2014). "Nicole Scherzinger's 'Run' has been confirmed as her new US-only single". Popjustice. Retrieved September 26, 2014.
- ^ "Music – On the Rocks – Single by Nicole Scherzinger". iTunes Store (Ireland). Apple Inc. Retrieved August 27, 2014.
- ^ Newman, Melinda (August 26, 2014). "Listen to Nicole Scherzingers latest tune, On The Rocks". HitFix. HitFix. Inc. Retrieved October 6, 2014.
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- ^ "Video: Nicole Scherzinger – 'On the Rocks'". Rap-Up. September 5, 2014. Retrieved October 8, 2014.
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- ^ "Ben Howard scores first Number 1 album with I Forget Where We Were". Official Charts Company. October 26, 2014. Retrieved October 26, 2014.
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- ^ a b Big Fat Lie (Media notes). Nicole Scherzinger. RCA Records.
{{cite AV media notes}}
:|access-date=
requires|url=
(help)CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ "The ARIA Report: Issue 1288 – Week Commencing 3 November 2014" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. p. 19. Retrieved November 19, 2014.
- ^ "South Korea Circle International Album Chart". On the page, select "2014.10.19~2014.10.25" to obtain the corresponding chart. Circle Chart Retrieved November 19, 2014.
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- ^ "Nicole Scherzinger | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart.
- ^ "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
- ^ "Big Fat Lie (Deluxe) [Explicit]: Nicole Scherzinger: Téléchargements MP3" (in French). Amazon.fr. Retrieved September 17, 2014.
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- ^ "Music – Big Fat Lie (Deluxe) by Nicole Scherzinger". iTunes Store (Great Britain). Apple Inc. Retrieved September 16, 2014.
- ^ "Big Fat Lie (Deluxe) [Explicit]: Nicole Scherzinger: Musica Digitale" (in Italian). Amazon.it. Retrieved September 17, 2014.
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