Warrior (Kesha album)
Warrior is the second studio album by American singer and songwriter Kesha, released on November 30, 2012, by Kemosabe and RCA Records. Its music incorporates a wide range of genres, including pop, EDM, rock, punk, rap, country, and folk. Kesha described the album as more personal than her previous material in addition to mentioning it was her attempt at reviving the rock genre, calling it a "cock pop" record. Its theme is said to be magic.
Warrior
December 4, 2012
January–August 2012
44:27
Writing for Warrior began in late 2011 and ended in early 2012, with recording taking place from January through August 2012. Kesha wrote the majority of the album while touring internationally and during her spiritual journey. Contributions to the album's production came from longtime collaborators Dr. Luke (who was also the executive producer of the project), Max Martin, Shellback, Ammo and Benny Blanco. It features guest vocals from American rock singer Iggy Pop, who has been cited as a major influence on the album, as well as writing contributions from Nate Ruess from American indie rock trio Fun, American rapper will.i.am, American singer-songwriter Bonnie McKee, the Black Keys drummer Patrick Carney, American rock bands the Strokes and the Flaming Lips and Kesha's own mother, Pebe Sebert. Upon its release, Warrior received generally favorable reviews from music critics, who commended its rock-influenced material, lyrical content, and collaborations, whilst others criticized its use of Auto-Tune and formulaic content. The album reached number six on the Billboard 200 albums chart in the United States, while also charting in Australia, Canada, Japan, the United Kingdom, and other countries.
The album's lead single "Die Young" achieved commercial success, peaking at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States, while also charting in multiple countries worldwide. "C'Mon" initially served as a promotional single, and peaked at number 27 in the US after its release as the album's second single. An acoustic extended play (EP), Deconstructed (2012), was released exclusively through Kesha's website to promote the fan edition of the album and features rerecorded songs from her previous releases as well as a cover of "Old Flames Can't Hold a Candle to You" (1980) by American country recording artist Dolly Parton and cowritten by Kesha's mother, Pebe. "Crazy Kids" was released as the third and final single from Warrior. In total, the album spawned three Top 40 hits in the US, Canada, and Australia. To promote the album, Kesha embarked on two concert tours: the first was the North American Tour 2013, coheadlined with American rapper Pitbull, and the second one was the Warrior Tour (2013–2015).
Background[edit]
In June 2010, Kesha discussed her second studio album with MTV News. During the interview she revealed that she was already beginning to think about her second album and explained that it was going to differ from her first record, specifically commenting that it would reflect her growth: "There's definitely going to be a difference. I'm always changing and evolving and because I write all of my own music it will be reflective of the record. It'll still stay fun and young and irreverent."[3] After the release of her first album Kesha embarked on her first worldwide tour, the Get Sleazy Tour throughout 2011. While touring she began writing songs for her second album but recording and other work on the album was not commenced until she had completed the tour.[4][5] The album was slated for a release in late 2011, but got delayed. It was then slated for a May 2012 release, but ultimately got delayed again due to Kesha still recording songs.
In 2011, the singer took a hiatus from music to embark on other ventures.[6] She was hired by the Humane Society and became their first global ambassador, which consumed her time as she made a documentary for National Geographic that revolved around "animals being abused and how to stop that, or animals that are going extinct and how to help those animals".[6] The album includes a variety of different musical participants, which was explained by the singer: "The range of artists I want to work with is so vast it's bizarre. If someone is a real artist, you can't confine them to a particular genre. It's my mission to make it all make sense somehow."[7] Along with expanding her collaborations, the singer expanded her musical repertoire, as she began playing the guitar significantly more with the plans of incorporating it into her new material.[8] In February 2012, while being interviewed by Glamour, Kesha stated that while she was currently in the process of writing songs for her album, she was also taking a variety of instrument lessons, emphasizing specifically that she was taking guitar lessons.[9]
Title and concept[edit]
In March 2011, Kesha revealed in an interview with Beatweek Magazine that she had already chosen the title for the record, naming it Spandex on the Distant Horizon.[10] However, in a publication in May 2012, Billboard stated that the project was untitled.[11] The album's underlying theme stems around embracing a person's inner warrior, which the singer elaborated on: "I've seen how many people my music can reach, and I've realized that I have somewhat of a social responsibility to make sure everything I say is positive. The underlying theme of this next record is warrior, with the positive message being that everyone has a warrior inside."[6] On September 18, 2012, via her Twitter and Instagram accounts, Kesha began announcing letters, believed to be from the title of the album, alluding to the name of the album title, Warrior. This was later confirmed when she tweeted the release date of the album.[12]
Commercial performance[edit]
Warrior debuted at number six on the Billboard 200, selling 85,000 copies in its first week.[84][85] The album underwhelmed compared to her debut LP, Animal, which charted at number one on the Billboard 200 and sold 152,000 copies in its first week of release.[85] In December 2018, the album received a gold certification in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for selling 500,000 copies in the country alone.[86] The album debuted at number 66 on the UK Albums Chart with 2,101 copies sold. It went on to peak at number 60 in that chart, selling just 37,000 copies to date in the country.[87]
"Die Young," the album's lead single, was an international hit, peaking at number two on the Hot 100. The single dropped down to number four, suffering massive airplay and sales cuts after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting caused the lyrics to be negatively interpreted by critics.[84] Second single "C'Mon" debuted at number 99 on the Hot 100,[88] peaking at 27[89] ending Kesha's string of top-ten hits that had accumulated since her debut single "Tik Tok".[90] "Crazy Kids" was released as the third single off Warrior and it charted in a number of countries including the United States, Australia, United Kingdom, South Korea, and others. Other charted songs include "Thinking of You" and the album's title track, "Warrior," which peaked at 14 and 25 respectively on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart.[91]
Credits adapted from the liner notes of Warrior.