Fear of Flying (album)
Encyclopedia
Fear of Flying is the second studio album
by American singer-songwriter
Mýa
, released April 25, 2000 on Interscope Records
. Recording sessions for the album took place during late 1999 to early 2000. Mýa worked with a wide range of producers and songwriters on the album which included Rodney Jerkins
, Swizz Beatz
, Wyclef Jean
, Knobody
, Robin Thicke
, Tricky Stewart, and Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis to embrace a more mature sound. Fear of Flying is a metaphor for the ups and downs of life. It's about handling things like an adult, knowing you must have faith to make anything happen. The album showcases Mýa
experimenting with a wider genre of music such as reggae
, jazz
, soul
, and hip-hop and serves as a departure from her conventional structure of her debut studio album Mýa
(1998); representing a musical promise fulfilled, combining saucy femininity
and no-nonsense assurdness. It is the sound of a budding composer
and song stylist discovering her creative voice and reflections of being in love for the very first time, experience success, and the fears of fame.
Fear of Flying spawned three singles including; the Swizz Beatz
-produced street savvy anthem
"The Best of Me
" featuring Jadakiss
and worldwide pop sensational hits "Case of the Ex
" and "Free
". The former was an instant success worldwide, it reached the top twenty in over eight countries including United States
, United Kingdom
, Australia
, Canada
, Ireland
, New Zealand
, Beligum and Netherlands
. The latter became an international hit; it reached the top twenty in two countries the United Kingdom and Australia
.
Fear of Flying debuted at number fifteen on Billboard 200
chart on May 13, 2000 with first-week sales of 72,000 copies. Upon its release, the album seem be suffering from the dreaded sophomore slump
. The first single, "The Best of Me" under-performed on the charts, not even making it into the pop Top 40. The follow-up, "Case of the Ex" proved to be a different matter. Interscope Records
intelligently issued a commercial single for the song, which helped propel it to number two, and in turn solidified the album as a hit; re-releasing Fear of Flying on November 7, 2000 with two previous unreleased tracks. The album earned a platinum certification by Recording Industry Association of America
on March 28, 2001 and two gold certification by Australian Recording Industry Association
and Canadian Recording Industry Association
.
debut studio album, Harrison quickly re-entered the recording studio to begin work on her sophomore album. Her self-titled debut studio album spawned three Top 10 hits and garnered attention for her vocal performances on Pras
hit "Ghetto Supastar
" and Blackstreet
's Take Me There
. During her two years away, Mýa's managed to tour with some of the biggest names in the business, both on the Smokin' Grooves tour as well as with Lilith Fair
. Originally scheduled to drop at the end of February 2000, Fear of Flying featured a number of guest vocalists on the project, including TLC
's Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, Jordan Knight
, and Beenie Man
. Harrison recorded with several different producers for this album, including She'kspere, Knobody
, Tricky Stewart, and Robin Thicke
. To help sign, seal, and deliver that promise, she enlisted such production mega-talent as Wyclef and Swizz Beatz
of Ruff Ryders
for the album, which was due on April 25.
's 1973 novel. "I wasn't aware of the book, but someone later brought it to my attention," says the singer. "I've just started reading it and have noticed a lot of similarities. Fear of Flying is a metaphor for the ups and downs of life. It's about handling things like an adult, knowing you must have faith to make anything happen."
, was heavily involved in the production of "Fear of Flying." "I wanted to get that hands-on experience, exlaining further: I was involved in every single process, from writing
and recording
to producing
, mixing
, and mastering. The album's first single "The Best of Me
," featuring Jadakiss
, is an uptempo tune with "a lot meanings," says Mýa. "It's talking about not letting the heat of the moment get to you, whether you're in a relationship or not. The physical can be really overwhelming and manipulative at times." The dance
-oriented "Pussycats" is a nursery rhyme
-influenced song produced by Wyclef Jean
and Jerry Duplessis
. "It may sound sexual, but it's not," says Mýa. "It's telling young females to hold off on being physical, especially with people you know aren't going to treat you right. "I'm learning that the decisions being made ultimately affect me, so I make most of them with the insight and help of other people," says Mýa. "I still have to focus on what feels good to me and what's going to work in the long run, instead of selling 20 million records or being controversial." "I want to bring people of all races and ages together," she says. "I want to create memories for them. If I can be a part of that, I'm happy."
". One of many uptempo recordings on the album, the lyrics were inspired by Tricky Stewart's writing partner Traci Hale
and produced by Tricky Stewart. The song itself tells the story of an ex lover who will not go away. The single reached the top ten United States
, Australia
, United Kingdom
, and the Netherlands
and the top forty elsewhere in countries like Germany
, New Zealand
, Ireland
, France
, and Belgium
. The song remains Mýa's biggest success to date. "Free
", the third and final single from the album was a disco
-funk
dance
track helmed by legendary producers Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis. The song was originally featured on the soundtrack
to Jamie Foxx
's movie Bait before being added to the re-release of Fear of Flying. On the charts however, the track underperformed in the United States
but became a success internationally reaching the top twenty and five in United Kingdom
and Australia
. Fourth track "Pussycats" is a nursery rhyme
-influenced song produced by Wyclef Jean
and Jerry Duplessis
. Again & Again is the album's fifth track. The song was produced by Swedish duo Bag & Arnthor with additional production from Damon Elliott
and Mýa
herself. It incorporates elements of rock music
. The She'kspere-produced "How You Gonna Tell Me" is the album's sixth track. Written by Kevin Briggs, Kandi Burruss
and Mýa
; the song itself tells the story of how people do not practice what they preach. "Grandma Says" is the album's seventh track and first skit
of one. The skit
is produced by Chucky Thompson
and features comedian Chris Thomas as Mýa's grandma. Track eight, "Takin Me Over", was produced by R&B soul
singer Robin Thicke
and features Lefteye of TLC
. "The Best of Me
", the album's leading single was produced by Swizz Beatz
. The song itself tells the story of about not letting the heat of the moment get to you, whether you are in a relationship or not. The single underperformed, reaching number fifty in the United States on the Billboard Hot 100
. "Lie Detector", another Wyclef Jean
and Jerry Duplessis
-produced track and the tenth song on the album incorporates elements of reggae
music. "Fear of Flying", the album's first ballad
and eleventh track was produced by Jerome "Knobody
" Foster and written by Teron Beal
and Derrick Thompson. The song itself tells the story of a relationship being compared to likes of a person's fear to fly unaware of the possible outcomes. "Fear of Flying" is the album's twelfth track and an interlude
. The interlude is produced by Chucky Thompson
and features Mya reciting poetry
. "Now or Never" is a mid-tempo
track produced by soul singer Robin Thicke
and incorporates elements of 1970s soul music
. "Man In My Life", the album's second ballad and fourteenth track. The song is a remake of Michael Jackson
's "Lady In My Life" off his 1982's biggest-selling album Thriller
. "Can't Believe" is the album's third ballad and fifteenth track. The track was produced by Soulshock & Karlin
and written by Anthem. The Rodney Jerkins
-produced "That's Why I Wanna Fight" is the album's sixteenth track. Written by Rodney Jerkins, Lashawn Daniels, and Fred Jerkins; the song was considered a single at one point by Mýa's record label Interscope. "Ride & Shake" is a bouncy uptempo song and the album's seventeenth track. The song was produced by Anthony Dent and written by Tamara Savage. "Get Over" is an outro and the album's final track. It was produced by Chucky Thompson
and features Mýa singing and saying her thank yous.
Josh Tyrangiel of Entertainment Weekly
gave the album a (C) saying, "Mýa can sing well enough; now she needs to find something to sing about." Rolling Stone
magazine writer Ernest Hardy gave the album 2½ stars out of 5 and wrote, "The signature quiver in Mýa's voice does give her some sonic identity, but otherwise this could be the music of Destiny's Child
, Aaliyah
or any of the countless interchangeable hip-hop/R&B divas; while The Source
gave the album positive a review saying, "Reaching out to hip-hop heads....Mýa proves she can hold her own in this competitive game of young female musicians. She's well on her way [to] the class of elite divas".
Uncut
called the album "A crafted, coffee-rich affair blending soul and swing". "It's a grower which oozes class." However though Q
magazine gave the album 3 stars out of 5 and wrote "Mýa demonstrates enough sass to suggest a sunny future". Vibe stated "The starlet has decided to show off her range...as if she and her top-notch producers attempted to wipe out the competition by transforming Mýa into each of her rivals in turn complimenting further saying, a grand tour through the ever-changing moods of female adolescence".
album chart and Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
chart at number seven with first-week sales of 72,000 units sold. The album was certified platinum
by the RIAA on March 28, 2001 and remained on Billboard 200 album chart for 52 consecutive weeks. Fear of Flying has sold 1.2 million copies in the United States alone, according to Nielsen SoundScan
. The album was the 144th best-selling album of 2000 and the following year the 178th best-selling in the United States. Outside the United States
, the album debuted or peaked at number #98 in the United Kingdom
, #39 in New Zealand
, #102 in France
, #33 in Switzerland
, #52 in Germany
, #39 in Canada
and #28 in Australia
. Internationally, the album was successful as well, Fear of Flying was certified gold by the CRIA
and ARIA
in 2001.
Fear of Flying debuted at number fifteen on the Billboard 200 album chart, with first-week sales of 72,000 copies. In its second week, the album dropped 10 spots to number 25, selling 42,784 copies. In its third week, the album dropped 15 spots to number 40, selling 33,907 copies. In its fifth week, the album dropped to number 58 and fell out of Billboard
' s Top 50. After thirteen weeks of its release, the album sat at number 109 and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America
for shipments of 500,000 copies to retailers on June 8, 2000. In its fourteenth week, the album moved up 16 spots to number 93. It moved up 6 spots to number 87 in its fifteenth consecutive week. In its twenty-ninth week the album leaped from numbers 82 to 68, moving 14 spots. In its thirty-sixth week, the album moved up 9 spots from numbers 74 to 65. On the Billboard 200 album chart, the album spent a total of 52 consecutive weeks.
Internationally, the album reached seven countries. In Swizterland, the album debuted at number 84, before peaking at number 33 and spent a total of 16 consecutive weeks on the Swiss Albums Chart. It debuted at number 54 on the Australian Albums Chart and reached number 28 in its twentieth non-consecutive week. It spent a total of 25 non-consecutive weeks on the chart and later certified gold by Australian Recording Industry Association
. It debuted at number 39 in New Zealand and dropped out the next week. In Germany, the album debuted at number 52 and spent a total of 16 consecutive weeks on the German Albums Chart. It debuted and peaked at number 98 on the United Kingdom
s' album chart. It failed to move up on France's Top 100 album chart, spending a total of 5 consecutive weeks below the chart; peaking at number 102. It debuted at number 51 on the Canadian Albums Chart
and rose 12 spots to number 39 in its second week. It spent a total of 9 consecutive weeks on the chart and later certified gold
by Canadian Recording Industry Association
.
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by American singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
Mýa
Mya
-A person:* Bo Mya , Chief Commander of the Karen National Union* Mýa , American R&B singer-songwriter and actress** Mýa , a 1998 album by Mýa-A code:* Burmese language, ISO 639-3 code is mya* Moruya Airport's IATA code...
, released April 25, 2000 on Interscope Records
Interscope Records
Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that currently operates as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-History:...
. Recording sessions for the album took place during late 1999 to early 2000. Mýa worked with a wide range of producers and songwriters on the album which included Rodney Jerkins
Rodney Jerkins
Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins is an American songwriter, record producer, and musician. Jerkins received two Grammy nominations in 2011.-Biography:...
, Swizz Beatz
Swizz Beatz
Kasseem Dean , better known by his stage name, Swizz Beatz, is an American record producer, DJ, rapper and painter. At the age of 17, he gained attention in the hip-hop world through his friendship with rapper DMX. Grady Spivey and rapper Cassidy helped launch his label Full Surface Records...
, Wyclef Jean
Wyclef Jean
Wyclef Jean is a Haitian musician, record producer, and politician. At age nine, Jean moved to the United States with his family and has spent much of his life in the country...
, Knobody
Knobody
Jerome Foster, better known as Knobody, is an American music producer and A&R. Knobody has produced records across different genres including soul, R&B, hip hop and rock for several multi-platinum artists including Jay-Z, Ne-Yo, Akon, The Game, Big Pun, Mýa and R.E.M....
, Robin Thicke
Robin Thicke
Robin Charles Thicke is an Award-winning American R&B singer-songwriter, musician, composer, and actor. Thicke's albums, which he previously released under the moniker Thicke, are noted for their feature of a predominantly R&B sound. Robin Thicke has penned hits for popular artists such as...
, Tricky Stewart, and Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis to embrace a more mature sound. Fear of Flying is a metaphor for the ups and downs of life. It's about handling things like an adult, knowing you must have faith to make anything happen. The album showcases Mýa
Mya
-A person:* Bo Mya , Chief Commander of the Karen National Union* Mýa , American R&B singer-songwriter and actress** Mýa , a 1998 album by Mýa-A code:* Burmese language, ISO 639-3 code is mya* Moruya Airport's IATA code...
experimenting with a wider genre of music such as reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
, jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
, and hip-hop and serves as a departure from her conventional structure of her debut studio album Mýa
Mýa (album)
*AllMusicStephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic calls Mýa, "a smooth, sultry collection of well-crafted contemporary urban soul that is actually richer than the average urban record the late '90s", citing "part of its success lies with the teenage Mýa, who has a voice that is at once innocent and...
(1998); representing a musical promise fulfilled, combining saucy femininity
Femininity
Femininity is a set of attributes, behaviors, and roles generally associated with girls and women. Though socially constructed, femininity is made up of both socially defined and biologically created factors...
and no-nonsense assurdness. It is the sound of a budding composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
and song stylist discovering her creative voice and reflections of being in love for the very first time, experience success, and the fears of fame.
Fear of Flying spawned three singles including; the Swizz Beatz
Swizz Beatz
Kasseem Dean , better known by his stage name, Swizz Beatz, is an American record producer, DJ, rapper and painter. At the age of 17, he gained attention in the hip-hop world through his friendship with rapper DMX. Grady Spivey and rapper Cassidy helped launch his label Full Surface Records...
-produced street savvy anthem
Anthem
The term anthem means either a specific form of Anglican church music , or more generally, a song of celebration, usually acting as a symbol for a distinct group of people, as in the term "national anthem" or "sports anthem".-Etymology:The word is derived from the Greek via Old English , a word...
"The Best of Me
The Best of Me (Mýa song)
"The Best of Me" is an R&B-hip hop song by American singer-songwriter Mýa and features rapper Jadakiss. The track was produced by Swizz Beatz for Harrison's second studio album Fear of Flying...
" featuring Jadakiss
Jadakiss
Jason Phillips , better known as Jadakiss, is an American rapper. He is a member of the group The LOX. Jadakiss is one of the three owners of the imprint known as D-Block. In early 2007, Jadakiss signed to Roc-a-Fella Records / Def Jam Records.-Early life:By the age of 16, Jadakiss was a freestyle...
and worldwide pop sensational hits "Case of the Ex
Case of the Ex
"Case of the Ex" is an R&B/Dance Pop song by American singer-songwriter Mýa. The track was produced by Tricky Stewart for Harrison's sophomore studio album Fear of Flying. Case of The Ex was written by Christopher “Tricky” Stewart, Traci Hale, and Tab. The lyrics speak about an ex lover who will...
" and "Free
Free (Mýa song)
"Free" is a Dance Pop song by American singer-songwriter Mýa. The track was produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis for the re-release of Harrison sophomore studio album Fear of Flying...
". The former was an instant success worldwide, it reached the top twenty in over eight countries including United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, Beligum and Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. The latter became an international hit; it reached the top twenty in two countries the United Kingdom and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
Fear of Flying debuted at number fifteen on Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
chart on May 13, 2000 with first-week sales of 72,000 copies. Upon its release, the album seem be suffering from the dreaded sophomore slump
Sophomore slump
A sophomore slump or sophomore jinx refers to an instance in which a second, or sophomore, effort fails to live up to the standards of the first effort...
. The first single, "The Best of Me" under-performed on the charts, not even making it into the pop Top 40. The follow-up, "Case of the Ex" proved to be a different matter. Interscope Records
Interscope Records
Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that currently operates as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-History:...
intelligently issued a commercial single for the song, which helped propel it to number two, and in turn solidified the album as a hit; re-releasing Fear of Flying on November 7, 2000 with two previous unreleased tracks. The album earned a platinum certification by Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
on March 28, 2001 and two gold certification by Australian Recording Industry Association
Australian Recording Industry Association
The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956...
and Canadian Recording Industry Association
Canadian Recording Industry Association
Music Canada is a Toronto-based, non-profit trade organization that was founded 9 April 1963 to represent the interests of companies that record, artists, manufacture, production, promotion and distribution of music in Canada...
.
Background
Following the success of her self-titledMýa (album)
*AllMusicStephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic calls Mýa, "a smooth, sultry collection of well-crafted contemporary urban soul that is actually richer than the average urban record the late '90s", citing "part of its success lies with the teenage Mýa, who has a voice that is at once innocent and...
debut studio album, Harrison quickly re-entered the recording studio to begin work on her sophomore album. Her self-titled debut studio album spawned three Top 10 hits and garnered attention for her vocal performances on Pras
Pras
Prakazrel Samuel Michel, known as Pras, is a Grammy Award-winning Haitian-American rapper, actor, film producer, and member of the hip hop trio The Fugees.-Early life:...
hit "Ghetto Supastar
Ghetto Supastar
Ghetto Supastar is Pras' debut album released in 1998. The chorus of the title track is a reworking of the 1983 Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers hit "Islands in the Stream", which was written by The Bee Gees - Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb...
" and Blackstreet
Blackstreet
Blackstreet is an American R&B group founded in 1991 by Thomas Taliaferro and Teddy Riley, the inventor of New Jack Swing known for his work as a member of Guy. Chauncey Hannibal and Levi Little were signed under production and management contracts with Thomas Taliaferro and were merged into what...
's Take Me There
Take Me There (Blackstreet song)
"Take Me There" is a Pop/R&B song by American quartet Blackstreet and Mýa and features Bad Boy rappers Ma$e and Blinky Blink. The track was produced by Teddy Riley for the soundtrack for the motion picture film The Rugrats Movie and featured on Blackstreet's fourth studio album Finally...
. During her two years away, Mýa's managed to tour with some of the biggest names in the business, both on the Smokin' Grooves tour as well as with Lilith Fair
Lilith Fair
Lilith Fair was a concert tour and travelling music festival, founded by Canadian musician Sarah McLachlan, Nettwerk Music Group's Dan Fraser and Terry McBride, and New York talent agent Marty Diamond. It took place during the summers of 1997 to 1999, and was revived in the summer of 2010. It...
. Originally scheduled to drop at the end of February 2000, Fear of Flying featured a number of guest vocalists on the project, including TLC
TLC (band)
TLC is an American musical trio whose repertoire spanned R&B, hip-hop, soul, funk, and new jack swing. Originally consisting of singer Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins, rapper-singer Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes and singer Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas it found success in the 1990s while also enduring a series of spats...
's Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, Jordan Knight
Jordan Knight
Jordan Nathaniel Marcel Knight is an American singer-songwriter best known as the lead singer in the boy band, New Kids on the Block , and actor, who rose to fame in the 1980s and 1990s. He is best known for his distinctive falsetto style of singing, influenced by The Stylistics. After New Kids On...
, and Beenie Man
Beenie Man
Anthony Moses Davis , better known by his stage name Beenie Man, is a Grammy award winning Jamaican reggae artist. He is the self-proclaimed "King of the Dancehall".-Biography:...
. Harrison recorded with several different producers for this album, including She'kspere, Knobody
Knobody
Jerome Foster, better known as Knobody, is an American music producer and A&R. Knobody has produced records across different genres including soul, R&B, hip hop and rock for several multi-platinum artists including Jay-Z, Ne-Yo, Akon, The Game, Big Pun, Mýa and R.E.M....
, Tricky Stewart, and Robin Thicke
Robin Thicke
Robin Charles Thicke is an Award-winning American R&B singer-songwriter, musician, composer, and actor. Thicke's albums, which he previously released under the moniker Thicke, are noted for their feature of a predominantly R&B sound. Robin Thicke has penned hits for popular artists such as...
. To help sign, seal, and deliver that promise, she enlisted such production mega-talent as Wyclef and Swizz Beatz
Swizz Beatz
Kasseem Dean , better known by his stage name, Swizz Beatz, is an American record producer, DJ, rapper and painter. At the age of 17, he gained attention in the hip-hop world through his friendship with rapper DMX. Grady Spivey and rapper Cassidy helped launch his label Full Surface Records...
of Ruff Ryders
Ruff Ryders
Ruff Ryders Entertainment is a record label founded by brothers Darrin "Dee" Dean and Joaquin "Waah" Dean, uncles of producer Swizz Beatz. Today it operates as a subsidiary of Universal Music Group, and is distributed by Fontana Distribution.The label is currently active as Ruff Ryders...
for the album, which was due on April 25.
Album Title
The new set's title comes from a song she recorded by the same name—not from Erica JongErica Jong
Erica Jong is an American author and teacher best known for her fiction and poetry.-Career:A 1963 graduate of Barnard College, and with an M.A...
's 1973 novel. "I wasn't aware of the book, but someone later brought it to my attention," says the singer. "I've just started reading it and have noticed a lot of similarities. Fear of Flying is a metaphor for the ups and downs of life. It's about handling things like an adult, knowing you must have faith to make anything happen."
Conception
Harrison said that many of the album's songs are about female empowerment. Mýa, who did some writing on her 1998 eponymous debut albumMýa (album)
*AllMusicStephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic calls Mýa, "a smooth, sultry collection of well-crafted contemporary urban soul that is actually richer than the average urban record the late '90s", citing "part of its success lies with the teenage Mýa, who has a voice that is at once innocent and...
, was heavily involved in the production of "Fear of Flying." "I wanted to get that hands-on experience, exlaining further: I was involved in every single process, from writing
Writing
Writing is the representation of language in a textual medium through the use of a set of signs or symbols . It is distinguished from illustration, such as cave drawing and painting, and non-symbolic preservation of language via non-textual media, such as magnetic tape audio.Writing most likely...
and recording
Recording
Recording is the process of capturing data or translating information to a recording format stored on some storage medium, which is often referred to as a record or, if an auditory medium, a recording....
to producing
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, mixing
Audio mixing (recorded music)
In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
, and mastering. The album's first single "The Best of Me
The Best of Me (Mýa song)
"The Best of Me" is an R&B-hip hop song by American singer-songwriter Mýa and features rapper Jadakiss. The track was produced by Swizz Beatz for Harrison's second studio album Fear of Flying...
," featuring Jadakiss
Jadakiss
Jason Phillips , better known as Jadakiss, is an American rapper. He is a member of the group The LOX. Jadakiss is one of the three owners of the imprint known as D-Block. In early 2007, Jadakiss signed to Roc-a-Fella Records / Def Jam Records.-Early life:By the age of 16, Jadakiss was a freestyle...
, is an uptempo tune with "a lot meanings," says Mýa. "It's talking about not letting the heat of the moment get to you, whether you're in a relationship or not. The physical can be really overwhelming and manipulative at times." The dance
Dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...
-oriented "Pussycats" is a nursery rhyme
Nursery rhyme
The term nursery rhyme is used for "traditional" poems for young children in Britain and many other countries, but usage only dates from the 19th century and in North America the older ‘Mother Goose Rhymes’ is still often used.-Lullabies:...
-influenced song produced by Wyclef Jean
Wyclef Jean
Wyclef Jean is a Haitian musician, record producer, and politician. At age nine, Jean moved to the United States with his family and has spent much of his life in the country...
and Jerry Duplessis
Jerry Duplessis
Jerry 'Wonder' Duplessis is a Grammy Award nominated Haitian-born musical composer and record producer. His first major success was as producer for The Fugees' 1996 album The Score. He also played the bass guitar with The Fugees, and band member Wyclef Jean is his cousin.-Early Life:Jerry 'Wonda'...
. "It may sound sexual, but it's not," says Mýa. "It's telling young females to hold off on being physical, especially with people you know aren't going to treat you right. "I'm learning that the decisions being made ultimately affect me, so I make most of them with the insight and help of other people," says Mýa. "I still have to focus on what feels good to me and what's going to work in the long run, instead of selling 20 million records or being controversial." "I want to bring people of all races and ages together," she says. "I want to create memories for them. If I can be a part of that, I'm happy."
Musical Content
Introduced by the words of Mýa telling her listeners to Turn It Up, Fear of Flying opens with second single "Case of the ExCase of the Ex
"Case of the Ex" is an R&B/Dance Pop song by American singer-songwriter Mýa. The track was produced by Tricky Stewart for Harrison's sophomore studio album Fear of Flying. Case of The Ex was written by Christopher “Tricky” Stewart, Traci Hale, and Tab. The lyrics speak about an ex lover who will...
". One of many uptempo recordings on the album, the lyrics were inspired by Tricky Stewart's writing partner Traci Hale
Traci Hale
Traci Hale is a Atlanta-based American Pop, R&B songwriter and vocalist. She began her career as a back up singer for R&B superstars Keith Sweat and Aaliyah before becoming a songwriter for artists including Rihanna, Blu Cantrell, Mýa and Brandy...
and produced by Tricky Stewart. The song itself tells the story of an ex lover who will not go away. The single reached the top ten United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, and the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
and the top forty elsewhere in countries like Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, and Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
. The song remains Mýa's biggest success to date. "Free
Free (Mýa song)
"Free" is a Dance Pop song by American singer-songwriter Mýa. The track was produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis for the re-release of Harrison sophomore studio album Fear of Flying...
", the third and final single from the album was a disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
-funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
dance
Dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...
track helmed by legendary producers Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis. The song was originally featured on the soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
to Jamie Foxx
Jamie Foxx
Eric Marlon Bishop , professionally known as Jamie Foxx, is an American actor, singer-songwriter, stand-up comedian, and talk radio host. As an actor, his work in the film Ray earned him the Academy Award and BAFTA Award for Best Actor as well as the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a...
's movie Bait before being added to the re-release of Fear of Flying. On the charts however, the track underperformed in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
but became a success internationally reaching the top twenty and five in United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Fourth track "Pussycats" is a nursery rhyme
Nursery rhyme
The term nursery rhyme is used for "traditional" poems for young children in Britain and many other countries, but usage only dates from the 19th century and in North America the older ‘Mother Goose Rhymes’ is still often used.-Lullabies:...
-influenced song produced by Wyclef Jean
Wyclef Jean
Wyclef Jean is a Haitian musician, record producer, and politician. At age nine, Jean moved to the United States with his family and has spent much of his life in the country...
and Jerry Duplessis
Jerry Duplessis
Jerry 'Wonder' Duplessis is a Grammy Award nominated Haitian-born musical composer and record producer. His first major success was as producer for The Fugees' 1996 album The Score. He also played the bass guitar with The Fugees, and band member Wyclef Jean is his cousin.-Early Life:Jerry 'Wonda'...
. Again & Again is the album's fifth track. The song was produced by Swedish duo Bag & Arnthor with additional production from Damon Elliott
Damon Elliott
Damon Elliott , commonly known as Dame, is an American producer, writer, composer, recording artist and entrepreneur. His production genre’s include pop, hip hop, rock, R&B, gospel, and more recently, country....
and Mýa
Mya
-A person:* Bo Mya , Chief Commander of the Karen National Union* Mýa , American R&B singer-songwriter and actress** Mýa , a 1998 album by Mýa-A code:* Burmese language, ISO 639-3 code is mya* Moruya Airport's IATA code...
herself. It incorporates elements of rock music
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
. The She'kspere-produced "How You Gonna Tell Me" is the album's sixth track. Written by Kevin Briggs, Kandi Burruss
Kandi Burruss
Kandi Burruss , better known by her stage names Kandi or Kandi Girl, is an American R&B singer-songwriter and record producer. She is also a former member of the group Xscape from Atlanta.-Early life:...
and Mýa
Mya
-A person:* Bo Mya , Chief Commander of the Karen National Union* Mýa , American R&B singer-songwriter and actress** Mýa , a 1998 album by Mýa-A code:* Burmese language, ISO 639-3 code is mya* Moruya Airport's IATA code...
; the song itself tells the story of how people do not practice what they preach. "Grandma Says" is the album's seventh track and first skit
Sketch comedy
A sketch comedy consists of a series of short comedy scenes or vignettes, called "sketches," commonly between one and ten minutes long. Such sketches are performed by a group of comic actors or comedians, either on stage or through an audio and/or visual medium such as broadcasting...
of one. The skit
Sketch comedy
A sketch comedy consists of a series of short comedy scenes or vignettes, called "sketches," commonly between one and ten minutes long. Such sketches are performed by a group of comic actors or comedians, either on stage or through an audio and/or visual medium such as broadcasting...
is produced by Chucky Thompson
Chucky Thompson
Carl E. "Chucky" Thompson is a hip hop/R&B record producer. Thompson was a member of Bad Boy Entertainment's "Hitmen" team of in-house producers during the 1990s, and worked with Bad Boy mogul Sean Combs on material for artists such as The Notorious B.I.G. and Mase. He was responsible for album...
and features comedian Chris Thomas as Mýa's grandma. Track eight, "Takin Me Over", was produced by R&B soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
singer Robin Thicke
Robin Thicke
Robin Charles Thicke is an Award-winning American R&B singer-songwriter, musician, composer, and actor. Thicke's albums, which he previously released under the moniker Thicke, are noted for their feature of a predominantly R&B sound. Robin Thicke has penned hits for popular artists such as...
and features Lefteye of TLC
TLC (band)
TLC is an American musical trio whose repertoire spanned R&B, hip-hop, soul, funk, and new jack swing. Originally consisting of singer Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins, rapper-singer Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes and singer Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas it found success in the 1990s while also enduring a series of spats...
. "The Best of Me
The Best of Me (Mýa song)
"The Best of Me" is an R&B-hip hop song by American singer-songwriter Mýa and features rapper Jadakiss. The track was produced by Swizz Beatz for Harrison's second studio album Fear of Flying...
", the album's leading single was produced by Swizz Beatz
Swizz Beatz
Kasseem Dean , better known by his stage name, Swizz Beatz, is an American record producer, DJ, rapper and painter. At the age of 17, he gained attention in the hip-hop world through his friendship with rapper DMX. Grady Spivey and rapper Cassidy helped launch his label Full Surface Records...
. The song itself tells the story of about not letting the heat of the moment get to you, whether you are in a relationship or not. The single underperformed, reaching number fifty in the United States on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. "Lie Detector", another Wyclef Jean
Wyclef Jean
Wyclef Jean is a Haitian musician, record producer, and politician. At age nine, Jean moved to the United States with his family and has spent much of his life in the country...
and Jerry Duplessis
Jerry Duplessis
Jerry 'Wonder' Duplessis is a Grammy Award nominated Haitian-born musical composer and record producer. His first major success was as producer for The Fugees' 1996 album The Score. He also played the bass guitar with The Fugees, and band member Wyclef Jean is his cousin.-Early Life:Jerry 'Wonda'...
-produced track and the tenth song on the album incorporates elements of reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
music. "Fear of Flying", the album's first ballad
Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
and eleventh track was produced by Jerome "Knobody
Knobody
Jerome Foster, better known as Knobody, is an American music producer and A&R. Knobody has produced records across different genres including soul, R&B, hip hop and rock for several multi-platinum artists including Jay-Z, Ne-Yo, Akon, The Game, Big Pun, Mýa and R.E.M....
" Foster and written by Teron Beal
Teron Beal
Teron Beal is an American singer/songwriter born in Tyler, Texas. He has also written songs for Michael Jackson, Jennifer Lopez, P!nk, Kelly Rowland, Chrisette Michele, Robyn, Jaheim and others....
and Derrick Thompson. The song itself tells the story of a relationship being compared to likes of a person's fear to fly unaware of the possible outcomes. "Fear of Flying" is the album's twelfth track and an interlude
Break (music)
In popular music, a break is an instrumental or percussion section or interlude during a song derived from or related to stop-time – being a "break" from the main parts of the song or piece....
. The interlude is produced by Chucky Thompson
Chucky Thompson
Carl E. "Chucky" Thompson is a hip hop/R&B record producer. Thompson was a member of Bad Boy Entertainment's "Hitmen" team of in-house producers during the 1990s, and worked with Bad Boy mogul Sean Combs on material for artists such as The Notorious B.I.G. and Mase. He was responsible for album...
and features Mya reciting poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
. "Now or Never" is a mid-tempo
Tempo
In musical terminology, tempo is the speed or pace of a given piece. Tempo is a crucial element of any musical composition, as it can affect the mood and difficulty of a piece.-Measuring tempo:...
track produced by soul singer Robin Thicke
Robin Thicke
Robin Charles Thicke is an Award-winning American R&B singer-songwriter, musician, composer, and actor. Thicke's albums, which he previously released under the moniker Thicke, are noted for their feature of a predominantly R&B sound. Robin Thicke has penned hits for popular artists such as...
and incorporates elements of 1970s soul music
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
. "Man In My Life", the album's second ballad and fourteenth track. The song is a remake of Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
's "Lady In My Life" off his 1982's biggest-selling album Thriller
Thriller (album)
Thriller is the sixth studio album by American recording artist Michael Jackson. It was released on November 30, 1982, by Epic Records as the follow-up to Jackson's critically and commercially successful 1979 album Off the Wall...
. "Can't Believe" is the album's third ballad and fifteenth track. The track was produced by Soulshock & Karlin
Soulshock & Karlin
Soulshock & Karlin is a duo of Danish record producers and songwriters, Carsten Schack and Kenneth Karlin. They have produced a large number of successful songs, including Monica's "Before You Walk out of My Life", Whitney Houston's "Heartbreak Hotel", JoJo's "Leave ", and Fantasia's "Truth Is"...
and written by Anthem. The Rodney Jerkins
Rodney Jerkins
Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins is an American songwriter, record producer, and musician. Jerkins received two Grammy nominations in 2011.-Biography:...
-produced "That's Why I Wanna Fight" is the album's sixteenth track. Written by Rodney Jerkins, Lashawn Daniels, and Fred Jerkins; the song was considered a single at one point by Mýa's record label Interscope. "Ride & Shake" is a bouncy uptempo song and the album's seventeenth track. The song was produced by Anthony Dent and written by Tamara Savage. "Get Over" is an outro and the album's final track. It was produced by Chucky Thompson
Chucky Thompson
Carl E. "Chucky" Thompson is a hip hop/R&B record producer. Thompson was a member of Bad Boy Entertainment's "Hitmen" team of in-house producers during the 1990s, and worked with Bad Boy mogul Sean Combs on material for artists such as The Notorious B.I.G. and Mase. He was responsible for album...
and features Mýa singing and saying her thank yous.
Critical
Upon its initial release, Fear of Flying received mixed to average reviews from music critics. Jon Azpiri of Allmusic said Harrison's sophomore effort proves that she is a promising young talent, but still has yet to develop the chops necessary to rank among the best of R&B divas; commenting without the energy of collaborators in the mix, many of her solo tracks wander into predictability; relieving too heavily on tepid ballads such as the title track and "Man In My Life" though songs like "Can't Believe", "For the First Time", and "Lie Detector" show emotional depth that lacked in her debut.Josh Tyrangiel of Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
gave the album a (C) saying, "Mýa can sing well enough; now she needs to find something to sing about." Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
magazine writer Ernest Hardy gave the album 2½ stars out of 5 and wrote, "The signature quiver in Mýa's voice does give her some sonic identity, but otherwise this could be the music of Destiny's Child
Destiny's Child
Destiny's Child was an American R&B girl group whose final line-up comprised lead singer Beyoncé Knowles alongside Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams. Formed in 1997 in Houston, Texas, Destiny's Child members began their musical endeavors in their pre-teens under the name Girl's Tyme...
, Aaliyah
Aaliyah
Aaliyah Dana Haughton , who performed under the mononym Aaliyah , was an American R&B recording artist, actress and model. She was born in Brooklyn, New York, and was raised in Detroit, Michigan. At the age of 10, she appeared on the television show Star Search and performed in concert alongside...
or any of the countless interchangeable hip-hop/R&B divas; while The Source
The Source (magazine)
The Source is a United States-based, monthly full-color magazine covering hip-hop music, politics, and culture, founded in 1988. It is the world's second longest running rap periodical, behind United Kingdom-based publication Hip Hop Connection. The Source was founded as a newsletter in 1988...
gave the album positive a review saying, "Reaching out to hip-hop heads....Mýa proves she can hold her own in this competitive game of young female musicians. She's well on her way [to] the class of elite divas".
Uncut
UNCUT (magazine)
Uncut magazine, trademarked as UNCUT, is a monthly publication based in London. It is available across the English-speaking world, and focuses on music, but also includes film and books sections...
called the album "A crafted, coffee-rich affair blending soul and swing". "It's a grower which oozes class." However though Q
Q (magazine)
Q is a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom.Founders Mark Ellen and David Hepworth were dismayed by the music press of the time, which they felt was ignoring a generation of older music buyers who were buying CDs — then still a new technology...
magazine gave the album 3 stars out of 5 and wrote "Mýa demonstrates enough sass to suggest a sunny future". Vibe stated "The starlet has decided to show off her range...as if she and her top-notch producers attempted to wipe out the competition by transforming Mýa into each of her rivals in turn complimenting further saying, a grand tour through the ever-changing moods of female adolescence".
Commercial performance
Fear of Flying debuted at number fifteen on the Billboard 200Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
album chart and Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999...
chart at number seven with first-week sales of 72,000 units sold. The album was certified platinum
Platinum
Platinum is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Pt and an atomic number of 78. Its name is derived from the Spanish term platina del Pinto, which is literally translated into "little silver of the Pinto River." It is a dense, malleable, ductile, precious, gray-white transition metal...
by the RIAA on March 28, 2001 and remained on Billboard 200 album chart for 52 consecutive weeks. Fear of Flying has sold 1.2 million copies in the United States alone, according to Nielsen SoundScan
Nielsen SoundScan
Nielsen SoundScan is an information and sales tracking system created by Mike Fine and Mike Shalett. Soundscan is the official method of tracking sales of music and music video products throughout the United States and Canada...
. The album was the 144th best-selling album of 2000 and the following year the 178th best-selling in the United States. Outside the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, the album debuted or peaked at number #98 in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, #39 in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, #102 in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, #33 in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, #52 in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, #39 in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and #28 in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Internationally, the album was successful as well, Fear of Flying was certified gold by the CRIA
Cria
A cria is the name for a baby camelid such as a llama, alpaca, vicuña, or guanaco. It comes from the Spanish word cría, meaning "baby". Its false cognate in English, crya , was coined by British sailors who explored Chile in the 18th century and were quick to describe the camelids onomatopoeically...
and ARIA
Australian Recording Industry Association
The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956...
in 2001.
Fear of Flying debuted at number fifteen on the Billboard 200 album chart, with first-week sales of 72,000 copies. In its second week, the album dropped 10 spots to number 25, selling 42,784 copies. In its third week, the album dropped 15 spots to number 40, selling 33,907 copies. In its fifth week, the album dropped to number 58 and fell out of Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
for shipments of 500,000 copies to retailers on June 8, 2000. In its fourteenth week, the album moved up 16 spots to number 93. It moved up 6 spots to number 87 in its fifteenth consecutive week. In its twenty-ninth week the album leaped from numbers 82 to 68, moving 14 spots. In its thirty-sixth week, the album moved up 9 spots from numbers 74 to 65. On the Billboard 200 album chart, the album spent a total of 52 consecutive weeks.
Internationally, the album reached seven countries. In Swizterland, the album debuted at number 84, before peaking at number 33 and spent a total of 16 consecutive weeks on the Swiss Albums Chart. It debuted at number 54 on the Australian Albums Chart and reached number 28 in its twentieth non-consecutive week. It spent a total of 25 non-consecutive weeks on the chart and later certified gold by Australian Recording Industry Association
Australian Recording Industry Association
The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956...
. It debuted at number 39 in New Zealand and dropped out the next week. In Germany, the album debuted at number 52 and spent a total of 16 consecutive weeks on the German Albums Chart. It debuted and peaked at number 98 on the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
s' album chart. It failed to move up on France's Top 100 album chart, spending a total of 5 consecutive weeks below the chart; peaking at number 102. It debuted at number 51 on the Canadian Albums Chart
Canadian Albums Chart
The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada. It is compiled every Wednesday by U.S.-based music sales tracking company Nielsen Soundscan, and published every Thursday by Jam! Canoe and Billboard, along with its sister charts the Canadian Singles Chart and the Canadian BDS...
and rose 12 spots to number 39 in its second week. It spent a total of 9 consecutive weeks on the chart and later certified gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
by Canadian Recording Industry Association
Canadian Recording Industry Association
Music Canada is a Toronto-based, non-profit trade organization that was founded 9 April 1963 to represent the interests of companies that record, artists, manufacture, production, promotion and distribution of music in Canada...
.
Singles
- The first single from the album was "The Best of MeThe Best of Me (Mýa song)"The Best of Me" is an R&B-hip hop song by American singer-songwriter Mýa and features rapper Jadakiss. The track was produced by Swizz Beatz for Harrison's second studio album Fear of Flying...
", peaked at number fifty on Billboard Hot 100Billboard Hot 100The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
and number fourteen on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop SongsHot R&B/Hip-Hop SongsHot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
chart. The single was a commercial failure due to lack of promotion.
- The second single "Case of the ExCase of the Ex"Case of the Ex" is an R&B/Dance Pop song by American singer-songwriter Mýa. The track was produced by Tricky Stewart for Harrison's sophomore studio album Fear of Flying. Case of The Ex was written by Christopher “Tricky” Stewart, Traci Hale, and Tab. The lyrics speak about an ex lover who will...
" peaked at number two on Billboard Hot 100 and number ten on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The single became instant success stateside and a breakthrough hit internationally. "Case of the Ex" became Mýa's second top ten hit (solo). It entered the top five in AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, the top ten in NetherlandsNetherlandsThe Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, the top twenty in IrelandIrelandIreland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, and New ZealandNew ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, and the top forty in GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, and Beligum.
- "FreeFree (Mýa song)"Free" is a Dance Pop song by American singer-songwriter Mýa. The track was produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis for the re-release of Harrison sophomore studio album Fear of Flying...
", the third and final single peaked at number forty-two on Billboard Hot 100 and number fifty-two on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Stateside, the single was a commercial failure. It was a moderate success internationally, reaching the top twenty in the United Kingdom and the top five in Australia.
Original release
Re-release
Charts and certifications
| Chart (2000/2001) | Peak position |
Certification | Sales | Weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Albums Chart | 28 | Gold | 35,000+ | 25 |
| Canadian Albums Chart Canadian Albums Chart The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada. It is compiled every Wednesday by U.S.-based music sales tracking company Nielsen Soundscan, and published every Thursday by Jam! Canoe and Billboard, along with its sister charts the Canadian Singles Chart and the Canadian BDS... |
39 | Gold | 50,000+ | 9 |
| French Albums Chart Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry... |
102 | - | - | 5 |
| German Albums Chart Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
52 | - | - | 16 |
| New Zealand Albums Chart | 39 | - | - | 2 |
| Swiss Albums Chart | 33 | - | - | 16 |
| UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
98 | - | - | 1 |
| Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
15 | Platinum | 1,200,000 | 52 |
Year-end charts
| Year | Chart | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Billboard 200 | 144 |
| Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999... |
73 | |
| 2001 | Billboard 200 | 178 |
Nominations
| Year | Ceremony | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | MOBO Mobo Mobo can refer to:*Shorthand for the motherboard in computers and other electronic equipment*Shorthand for a mobile [network] operator or MNO *Shorthand for a mobile bohemian, a person who embraces mobile technology... |
Best Album, Fear of Flying | Nominated |
| Soul Train Music Awards Soul Train Music Awards The Soul Train Music Awards is an annual award show which previously aired in national television syndication, and honors the best in Black music and entertainment... |
Best R&B/Soul Album - Female Soul Train Music Award for Best R&B/Soul Album, Female The Soul Train Music Award winners for Best R&B/Soul Album - Female... |
Nominated |
Musicians
- Robert Aaron - HornHorn (instrument)The horn is a brass instrument consisting of about of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. A musician who plays the horn is called a horn player ....
- Joe Davi GuitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
- (AcousticAcoustic guitarAn acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
) - Rick Davies - HornHorn (instrument)The horn is a brass instrument consisting of about of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. A musician who plays the horn is called a horn player ....
- Norman Hedman - Percussion
- Sean Hurley Guitar - (Bass)
- Marlon Williams - GuitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
- Traci Hale - Vocals (bckgr)
- Elijah JoyElijah JoyElijah Joy Erik C. Nedd is an emcee, television host, singer, writer, vegan celebrity chef and green living advocate from Washington, DC. He is the founder of Organic Soul, Incorporated, a vegan lifestyle and multimedia company based in Takoma Park, Maryland. Organic Soul, Inc. was also a Green...
- (voice-over) - Michael Cain - KeyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
- Maiesha Rashad - (voice-over)
Production
- Mýa - Vocals (lead/bckgr), ProducerRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, Executive ProducerExecutive producerAn executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production... - Jerry Duplessis - Producer
- A. Islam Haqq - Producer, Executive Producer
- Wyclef JeanWyclef JeanWyclef Jean is a Haitian musician, record producer, and politician. At age nine, Jean moved to the United States with his family and has spent much of his life in the country...
- Producer - Rodney JerkinsRodney JerkinsRodney "Darkchild" Jerkins is an American songwriter, record producer, and musician. Jerkins received two Grammy nominations in 2011.-Biography:...
- Producer - Kandi BurrussKandi BurrussKandi Burruss , better known by her stage names Kandi or Kandi Girl, is an American R&B singer-songwriter and record producer. She is also a former member of the group Xscape from Atlanta.-Early life:...
- Producer - Pro-Jay - Programming, Producer
- Chris "Tricky" Stewart - KeyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, Programming, Producer - Swizz BeatzSwizz BeatzKasseem Dean , better known by his stage name, Swizz Beatz, is an American record producer, DJ, rapper and painter. At the age of 17, he gained attention in the hip-hop world through his friendship with rapper DMX. Grady Spivey and rapper Cassidy helped launch his label Full Surface Records...
- Producer - Robin ThickeRobin ThickeRobin Charles Thicke is an Award-winning American R&B singer-songwriter, musician, composer, and actor. Thicke's albums, which he previously released under the moniker Thicke, are noted for their feature of a predominantly R&B sound. Robin Thicke has penned hits for popular artists such as...
- Programming, Producer - Anthony Dent - Programming, Producer
- Jordan KnightJordan KnightJordan Nathaniel Marcel Knight is an American singer-songwriter best known as the lead singer in the boy band, New Kids on the Block , and actor, who rose to fame in the 1980s and 1990s. He is best known for his distinctive falsetto style of singing, influenced by The Stylistics. After New Kids On...
- Performer - Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes - Performer
- Beenie ManBeenie ManAnthony Moses Davis , better known by his stage name Beenie Man, is a Grammy award winning Jamaican reggae artist. He is the self-proclaimed "King of the Dancehall".-Biography:...
- Performer - JadakissJadakissJason Phillips , better known as Jadakiss, is an American rapper. He is a member of the group The LOX. Jadakiss is one of the three owners of the imprint known as D-Block. In early 2007, Jadakiss signed to Roc-a-Fella Records / Def Jam Records.-Early life:By the age of 16, Jadakiss was a freestyle...
- Performer - Brandon Abeln - EngineerEngineerAn engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
- Ralph Cacciurri - Engineer
- Keith Cohen - Engineer
- Kevin Crouse - Engineer
- Chris Frame - Engineer
- Brad Gilderman - Engineer
- Jason Groucott - Engineer, Mixing Engineer
- Tal Herzberg - Engineer
- Adam Holmstead - Engineer
- Ricco Lumpkins - Engineer
- Michael Sherman - Engineer
- Brian "B Luv" Thomas - Engineer
- Darrel Thorpe - Engineer
- Richard Travali - Engineer, Mixing Engineer
- Dylan Vaughan - Mixing Engineer
- Kieran Wagner - Engineer
- Doug Woulson - Engineer
- Kevin "KD" Davis - MixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
, Mixing Engineer - Glen Marchese - Mixing
- Manny Marroquin - Mixing
- Tony Maserati - Mixing
- Chris Athens - Mastering
Release history
| Region | Date | Format | Edition(s) | Label |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia Australia Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area... |
August 21, 2001 | CD Compact Disc The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,... , LP LP record The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry... |
Standard | Universal Music Group Universal Music Group Universal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations... , Interscope Records Interscope Records Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that currently operates as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-History:... |
| Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... |
June 19, 2000 | |||
| May 8, 2001 | Bonus Tracks | |||
| Japan Japan Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south... |
April 28, 2000 | Standard | Universal Music Japan | |
| United States United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
April 25, 2000 | Interscope Records Interscope Records Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that currently operates as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-History:... |
||
| November 7, 2000 | Bonus Tracks | |||
| United Kingdom United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... |
July 24, 2000 | Standard | Polydor Records Polydor Records Polydor is a record label owned by Universal Music Group, headquartered in the United Kingdom.-Beginnings:Polydor was originally an independent branch of the Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft. Its name was first used as an export label in 1924, the British and German branches of the Gramophone... |
|
| February 21, 2001 | Bonus Tracks |
External links
- MyaMya.com — Mýa's official site