Animal (Kesha album)
Animal is the debut studio album by American singer and songwriter Kesha. The album was released on January 5, 2010, by RCA Records.[1] Kesha worked on the album with a variety of record producers and songwriters such as Lukasz "Dr. Luke" Gottwald, Benny Blanco, David Gamson, Greg Kurstin, Max Martin and others. Kesha had been recording demos for several years when one eventually ended up in the hands of Samantha Cox, senior director of writer/publisher relations at BMI. Cox passed along the demo and it ended up in the hands of Gottwald, who decided to have Kesha perform on the song "Right Round" with American rapper Flo Rida. Within two months, the song became a hit in multiple countries around the world. The event led to Kesha being sought after by many major labels, and she eventually signed a multi-album deal with RCA Records.
Animal
January 5, 2010
2007–2009
- Los Angeles (Conway Recording, Henson Recording, Dr. Luke's)
- Long Beach (ACME Recording)
- Hollywood (Ollywood Studios)
- Eagle Rock (Kingsize Soundlabs)
- New York City (Lotzah Matzah Studios)
- Stockholm (Maratone Studios)
- London (Love Minus Zero)
46:18
- Ammo
- Benny Blanco
- David Gamson
- Greg Kurstin
- Dr. Luke
- Max Martin
- Tom Neville
- Shellback
Musically, Animal draws from the electropop genre, while incorporating elements of dance-pop in its production and beats. Lyrically, the majority of the album's songs are based on Kesha's past life experiences of love, heartbreak, boys, and having a good time. The album received mixed reviews from music critics. Some appreciated its fun, carefree nature, while others dismissed it as juvenile and said that it seemed insincere. The album attained chart success, debuting at number one on the Canadian Albums Chart, the Billboard 200 in the United States and the IFPI Greece Albums Chart, while charting within the top ten in seven other countries. In December 2018, Animal was certified 3× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of over 3 million copies in the United States and has since sold over 8
million equivalent units worldwide as of 2017.[2]
Four singles were released from the album. Its lead single, "Tik Tok", was released on August 7, 2009, and was a worldwide hit, reaching number one in eleven countries. It reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US and stayed at the top for nine consecutive weeks. The song sold 12.8 million digital copies worldwide in 2010, making it the best-selling single of the year; whereas 6.8 million of those downloads were sold in the United States alone, making it at the time the sixth best-selling song in digital history. It has since sold over 18 million copies worldwide as of August 2019, making it one of the best-selling digital singles worldwide of all time.[3] The album's second, third and fourth singles ("Blah Blah Blah", "Your Love Is My Drug" and "Take It Off") all achieved similar success, reaching the top ten in multiple countries, including Australia, Canada and the United States. The album's commercial success led to its nomination for the Juno Award for Best International Album at the Juno Awards of 2011.
Background[edit]
Kesha had been recording demos for a few years, when one of her demos ended up in the hands of Samantha Cox, senior director of writer/publisher relations at BMI. Cox, who had worked with Kesha before, passed along the demos to a friend at BMI, who passed it to the manager of Lukasz Gottwald, known as Dr. Luke. At the age of eighteen, Kesha signed to Dr. Luke's label, Kemosabe Records, and his publishing company, Prescription Songs. Luke was busy with other projects at the time, and Kesha ultimately wound up signed to David Sonenberg's management company, DAS. While at DAS she worked with several top writers and producers, but rarely worked with or even spoke to Luke. DAS searched for a label deal for Kesha despite her still being in a signed contract with Luke. Kara DioGuardi, an artists and repertoire (A&R) representative for Warner, was also interested in signing Kesha but the deal never went through because of the outstanding contract with Luke. Shortly after, Kesha and DAS parted ways and Kesha wound up reunited with Luke.[4]
At the end of 2008, Luke was working on a track with Flo Rida called "Right Round", and the two decided they needed a female hook. Luke decided to have Kesha perform on the song and within two months, it was a number one hit in multiple countries around the world. The event led to Kesha being sought after by many major labels,[4] and she eventually signed a multi-album deal with RCA Records.[5] Kesha explained that she chose to sign with the company due to how well she got along with RCA A&R executive Rani Hancock, explaining that "Rani doesn't ever try to censor me, [...] and I like being surrounded by strong, intelligent women."[4]
Music and lyrics[edit]
Musically, Animal is of the dance-pop and electro-pop genres, while incorporating elements of electro in its production and beats.[8][9][10] Kesha's vocals uses Auto-Tune and vocoders to alter her voice and includes samples.[8] David Jeffries of AllMusic noted that the album lyrically revolves around avoiding reality with a preference for a "garbage chic" life, with lyrics such as "Maybe I need some rehab, or maybe just need some sleep" from the opening song "Your Love Is My Drug".[8] Lyrically, the majority of the album's songs are based on Kesha's past life experiences of love, heartbreak, boys, and having a good time. "Your Love Is My Drug" is a dance song that is layered with a heavy electronic backdrop.[11] Her vocals throughout the song have been described as a shouty sing-speak style. Musically, the song uses a simple, upbeat lyric line.[12] On "Tik Tok" Kesha uses a spoken word rap style on the verses while the chorus is sung.[13] According to her the lyrics are representative of herself, stating "it's about my life, it's 100 per cent me".[14] "Take It Off" has been described as "a heavily Auto-Tuned reworking" of "There's a Place in France".[15]
"Kiss n Tell"'s lyrics depict a tale of the ""slutty" ex of [Kesha] [who is] spreading his wild oats around the town".[16] The writing of the song came about after Kesha discovered that her boyfriend was cheating on her with a famous pop starlet.[17] "Kiss n Tell" is a dance-pop track that features standard elements of "party pop" music that is prominent on Animal.[18] According to sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Sony/ATV Music Publishing, "Kiss n Tell" is written in the time signature of common time, with a moderate beat rate of 144 beats per minute. The song is written in the key of E Major and Kesha's vocal range in the song spans from the note of G♯3 to the note of B4.[19] "Stephen" is opened in "Kansas-style vocal harmonies" as Kesha sings about an unattainable lover depicting their story.[20] "Blah Blah Blah" combines heavy use of Auto-Tune with drum machines while infusing hints of R&B.[21] Lyrically, "Blah Blah Blah" depicts a woman who would rather have sex than listen to a man speak.[21] "Dinosaur" features a whistle-synth infused backing while the lyrics describe the story of older men hitting on younger girls.[20] "Party at a Rich Dude's House" is reminiscent of music from the 1980s which according to Jeffries could have appeared on the soundtrack to the 1982 film Fast Times at Ridgemont High. "Dancing with Tears in My Eyes" is an upbeat pop-rock ballad; one of a small minority of tracks to incorporate Guitars in the instrumental, as Kesha tried to exclude the style from the album.[8] "Boots & Boys" is a "lusty" song reminiscent of INXS's "Suicide Blonde", but from a female point of view.[8]
Singles[edit]
"Tik Tok" was released as the album's lead single commercially worldwide on August 7, 2009, through digital distribution.[36] Upon its release the single generated mixed to generally positive reviews. Critics generally praised the lyrics and celebration of party lifestyle; the song's production was generally well received although some critics criticized the song for sounding irritating and being too similar to other tracks performed by the likes of Lady Gaga and Uffie.[37][38] The song achieved commercial success by topping charts in eleven countries, as well as reaching the top 10 in many other countries.[39] It reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed at the top for nine consecutive weeks.[40] "Tik Tok" had sold over 6 million downloads in the United States alone and 15 million worldwide,[41] making it the second best-selling song in digital history.[42][43] The song sold 12.8 million digital copies worldwide in 2010, making it the best selling single of the year, beating the previous year's song by more than three million downloads.[44]
"Blah Blah Blah" was released as the second single from the album on February 2, 2010. It had charted before being released in the album's debut week in the United States due to strong digital download sales[45] on par with "Tik Tok", which influenced RCA's decision to release it as the next single.[5] The song also debuted and peaked in the top 10 in three other countries under similar circumstances, only improving upon its peak in Australia.[46] The single was met with mixed reaction from music critics, some praised Kesha's unapologetic lyrics combined with an auto-tuned working hook, while others called it trashy.[21][47] Although reviews were mainly positive, a common complaint amongst critics was the appearance of 3OH!3.[21]
"Your Love Is My Drug" was released as the album's third single. The song generated generally positive reviews from music critics. Critics complimented the song for its strong hook, but had mixed reactions about the chorus. Kesha was praised for knowing her way around a "strong pop chorus", while others critics called it predictable and dull.[12][48] It reached the top 10 in the United States, Canada, and Australia—peaking at number four, six and three—giving her her third consecutive top 10 hit in all regions.[40] The single reached the top ten in five countries.[49]
"Take It Off" was released on July 13, 2010, as the album's fourth and final single. Upon its release the single generated mixed reviews from music critics. A common complaint amongst critics was the demonstration of overly processed vocals with the use of auto-tune.[48] Other critics complimented the song for its carefree dance feel and its catchiness.[50] Due to strong digital sales from the release of Animal, the song charted in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada before being announced as a single. After being released as a single the song reached the top ten in Canada, Australia and the United States. It has also reached the top twenty in Ireland, the United Kingdom and New Zealand.[51]