BTR (album)
BTR is the debut studio album by pop boy band Big Time Rush. Released on October 11, 2010, the track listing for the album was announced on September 1, 2010. The album was preceded by the release of several singles from the TV show soundtrack. On December 3, 2009, the band released their eponymous song as the album's promotional single. The first single, "Til I Forget About You", was released on September 21, 2010. On October 11, 2010, "Boyfriend", which features vocals from rapper Snoop Dogg, was the second official single from the album and has become the band's biggest hit to date, charting on the Billboard Hot 100 as well as reaching the Top 40 of the Pop Songs music chart in the US. Despite not being released as a single, the song "Big Night" charted on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number seventy-nine.
BTR
October 11, 2010
2009–2010
37:57
- Emanuel Kiriakou
- Damon Sharpe
- Lucas Secon
- Matthew Gerrard
- Kevin Rudolf
- Edwin "Lil Eddie" Serrano
- Jeremy Skaller
- Robert Larow
- Stuart Grekin
- Christopher Rojas
- The Messengers
- Eric Sanicola
- S*A*M and Sluggo
- Timothy Foxx
Composition[edit]
The music found on the album is mainly pop oriented, as well as R&B. The music found on the album is child-appropriate, as it serves as not only their debut album, but the soundtrack to their self-titled series. Jessica Dawson of Common Sense Media said of the songs on the album, "Not since 'N Sync or the Backstreet Boys has there been a boy band making such a sudden splash in the tweenage music world. Big Time Rush is a standout, not only because of their boyish charm and good looks, but because their music is a cool blend of synth-pop, hip hop, and boy-band harmonies. 'City is Ours' is already a digital hit, and 'Count On You' with Jordin Sparks is a catchy collaboration about earning your place in a relationship. With a hit TV show to showcase their music and their adorable personalities, Big Time Rush won't be in a hurry out of the spotlight. Parents need to know that this boy band is making tween hearts swoon with their hit Nickelodeon TV show, Big Time Rush. In their debut album they sing about relationships, going out, and making the most of your life, but it's all clean and age-appropriate for young fans."[5]
Commercial performance[edit]
In the United States, BTR sold 67,000 copies in the first week, debuting at number 3 on the Billboard 200 and easily became one of the highest charting debut albums of the year in 2010.[10] The album stayed 57 weeks on the Billboard chart.[11] As of 2012, the album has sold 700,000 copies in the U.S..[12] It also charted in Mexico, on the Dutch Albums Chart, in Austria, Switzerland, Germany, the UK, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Scottish album charts amongst others. The album received a platinum plaque by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales and streaming of 1,000,000 units.[13]
Promotion[edit]
To promote the album, Big Time Rush embarked on many promotional tours. Member James said of the tour, "Everybody can expect us to be playing 3–5 songs at every high school we're stopping at. Then we're going to be doing a signing. We're in between filming, and that's the crazy part. We're in the middle of the second season. It's going to a pretty fun month for us! I hope people are excited for us to come to their towns. This is going to be done by the end of the month with filming in between, but we absolutely be back on the road with a full set soon." In another attempt to promote the album, the band appeared on Today, where they performed their songs "Til I Forget About You" and "Big Night". The band also performed their latest single, "Boyfriend", at the 2011 Kids' Choice Awards. Rapper Snoop Dogg, who is featured on the single, appeared at the awards show to perform along with the band.[14][15][16]
Among these performances, the band also performed at the 2010 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Also, the band recently announced yet another tour. However, this tour will be their first headlining tour, and will begin immediately after filming of the second season of Big Time Rush is over.