Sheezus
Sheezus is the third studio album by English singer Lily Allen, released on 2 May 2014 by Parlophone. The album is Allen's first work since her musical hiatus in 2009, after the release of her second studio album, It's Not Me, It's You (2009). In June 2012, Allen announced that she would be returning to music, revealing that she had been recording a new album and that she would be returning to the use of her professional name.
This article is about the album. For the song, see Sheezus (song).Sheezus
2 May 2014
March 2012 – November 2013
49:40
Sheezus features production from longtime collaborator Greg Kurstin, along with the likes of Shellback, DJ Dahi and Fraser T. Smith. Upon release, Sheezus received generally mixed reviews from music critics. The album debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart, becoming Allen's second consecutive number-one album.
The album was preceded by the release of two singles. The lead single "Hard Out Here" was released on 17 November 2013 and entered the UK Singles Chart at number nine, giving Allen two simultaneous top-10 singles. "Air Balloon" was released as the second single from the album, peaking at number seven on the UK Singles Chart.
Background[edit]
Allen released her second album It's Not Me, It's You in 2009, which saw a genre shift to electropop, rather than the ska and reggae influences used in her debut album Alright, Still (2006). The album debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart and the Australian Albums Chart and was well received by critics, noting the singer's musical evolution and maturity. It spawned the commercially successful singles "The Fear" and "Fuck You", popular mostly in Europe. Allen and Amy Winehouse were credited with starting a process that led to the media-proclaimed "year of the women" in 2009 that saw five female artists making music of "experimentalism and fearlessness" nominated for the Mercury Prize.[2] In 2009, Allen announced that she would be taking a hiatus from musical activities. The following year, she opened a fashion rental shop named Lucy in Disguise with her sister Sarah,[3] followed by the 2011 launching of her own record label.[4]
Composition[edit]
Sheezus contains a "diverse mix of vibrant pop hooks, snappy commentary and a fearlessly perceptive outlook."[15] Allen's sound, aesthetic, and lyricism on the album has been described as a return to "the same firecracker who turned heads in the mid-'00s with eclectic, post-hip-hop tunes and bullshit-slaying lyrics".[16] The album's opening track "Sheezus" is a "sarcastic pop" song, containing "anti-pop" lyrics that namecheck artists such as Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Katy Perry, Beyoncé and Lorde.[17] "L8 CMMR" is a bubblegum pop and electropop song,[18] whose lyrics describe Allen's obsession with her male lover.[19]
"Air Balloon" is a bubblegum pop[20] song that was described by Billboard as "more of a loopy lullaby than a slice of social commentary", the song contains a toy piano arrangement and creaseless beat.[21] "Our Time" is song built over "synth pop swirls", described as having a "carefree attitude".[15] "Insincerely Yours" is a funk song that contains a "narrative of blunt truths and gutsy celeb culture sneers."[15] The track namechecks models Cara Delevingne and Jourdan Dunn, as well as singer Rita Ora;[22] Allen stated that the song is "not about them, it's about the idea of them—how the media perceive them. It's about how the way [sic] the media perceive them as entities and how that actually has nothing to do with how they are in real life."[23]
"Take My Place" is a song that lyrically is about Allen's first child who she lost through a stillbirth in 2010.[15] "As Long as I Got You" contains a "jittery" harmonica and revolves around the theme of married life and Allen's partying past.[15] "URL Badman" is a response to the controversy surrounding Allen's music video for Hard out Here. Layered over "ironic" dubstep wobbles, the song was described as "an astute slap across the faceless nature of the blogosphere".[15] On "Silver Spoon", Allen lambasts all the critics who continually attribute her success to her privileged upbringing, echoing the "snarky charm" of her previous albums, Alright, Still and It's Not Me, It's You.[15] "Hard out Here" is a "typically outspoken, sweary" synth-pop song.[24] Lyrically, it speaks about "body image pressures and misogyny in the entertainment industry".[25]
Release and promotion[edit]
In December 2013, Allen was announced as one of the newest signees at Warner Bros. Records, following Warner Music Group's acquisition of Parlophone from Universal Music Group in May 2013.[42] In an interview with Graham Norton on The Graham Norton Show on 21 February 2014, Allen confirmed that her third studio album would be titled Sheezus, saying that it is "a little nod to Kanye West", who had released the album Yeezus in 2013.[43] Allen released the album's artwork and track listing on 10 March 2014, the artwork features Allen sitting outside a stately home with Corgis, while the building is engraved with the Latin phrase divide et impera translated to "divide and rule".[44] The same day, Sheezus was made available for pre-order along with the song "Our Time".[45]
On 14 November 2013, Allen made her debut live performance of "Hard Out Here" in the YoYos pod at the Red Bull Revolutions in Sound event on the London Eye. During an interview with Graham Norton on The Graham Norton Show on 21 February 2014, Allen performed the album's second single, "Air Balloon".[43] On 24 May 2014, Allen performed "Sheezus", "Hard Out Here", "URL Badman" and "Our Time" as part of her set at BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend in Glasgow.[46]
Allen played at Glastonbury Festival on 27 June 2014, where she also recorded a video for "As Long as I Got You". Moreover, to promote the album, Allen embarked on the Sheezus Tour, which took place in Europe, Australia and North America.[47]
Commercial performance[edit]
Sheezus debuted atop the UK Albums Chart with first-week sales of 35,414 copies, becoming Allen's second consecutive number-one album.[61] As of June 2018, it had sold 113,054 copies in the United Kingdom.[62] In the United States, the album debuted at number 12 on the Billboard 200, selling 17,000 copies in its first week.[63] In Japan, it sold 1,931 copies to enter the Oricon Weekly Albums Chart at number 26.[64] The album debuted at number 23 on the French Albums Chart with 2,300 copies sold in its first week.[65]
Notes