Perfectionist (Natalia Kills album)
Encyclopedia
Perfectionist is the debut studio album
by English recording artist Natalia Kills
, first released digitally on 15 March 2011 and physically on 1 April 2011. The album has spawned three singles so far: "Mirrors
", "Wonderland
" and "Free
".
, Jeff Bhasker, Fernando Garibay
, "The-Ron" Feemster
, Akon
and Giorgio Tuinfort. Kills spoke about the album and her film, to coincide with the album, titled "The Exhibitionist": "I wanted to describe and express myself musically and visually. To show who I am and what inspires me. I love silent movies from the 20s. I wanted my film to be in the classic film noir style and tie in my album concept of 'Perfectionist'."
rated the album four out of five stars, noting that "a dark and electro-gothic soundscape flirts with Kills's metaphor-strewn lyrics and humorous quips", which are "best showcased in 'Mirrors' and 'Zombie'". He continued: "Each moment of pop surreality flourishes from Kills's own vision, then is finely tailored by some of the industry's most respected figures—the result as exciting as it is completely bonkers." British magazine Star gave the album five stars and wrote that it is "striking stuff and great moody pop to boot." Jon O'Brien of Allmusic, giving Perfectionist three out of five stars, felt that "there's something a little too calculated" about the album, and that "Kills appears to be more concerned with proving that she's all grown up than actually producing any music to back it up", concluding that "Perfectionist is far too formulaic and gimmicky to live up to Kills' obvious maverick intentions."
" was released on 10 August 2010 as the album's lead single.
"Wonderland
" was released digitally in the US as the album's second single on 12 April 2011, and later in Germany on 3 June 2011. The video was shot in late January 2011. "Wonderland" was featured in the 2011 romantic fantasy film Beastly
.
"Free
" served as the album's third single, featuring will.i.am
. It was released in the US on 28 June 2011, in Germany on 22 July 2011 and in the UK on 11 September 2011.
"Kill My Boyfriend" has been confirmed as the album's fourth single.
reality television series Face Off
on 2 March 2011. "Activate My Heart" was the second promotional single, released on 13 April 2010. The song, however, did not make the cut for the album.
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 English recording artist Natalia Kills
Natalia Kills
Natalia Keery-Fisher is an English singer-songwriter, actress, and short-film director who performs under the stage name Natalia Kills. She released her first single "Don't Play Nice" under the name Verbalicious in February 2005...
, first released digitally on 15 March 2011 and physically on 1 April 2011. The album has spawned three singles so far: "Mirrors
Mirrors (Natalia Kills song)
"Mirrors" is a song by English recording artist Natalia Kills from her debut studio album, Perfectionist. Written by Kills, Martin Kierszenbaum, Akon and Giorgio Tuinfort, and produced by Akon, Tuinfort and Kierszenbaum, the song was released as the album's lead single in August 2010. Lyrically,...
", "Wonderland
Wonderland (Natalia Kills song)
"Wonderland" is a song by English recording artist Natalia Kills from her debut studio album, Perfectionist. Written by Kills, Michael Warren and "The-Ron" Feemster, and produced by Feemster, the song was released digitally in the United States as the album's second single on 12 April 2011...
" and "Free
Free (Natalia Kills song)
"Free" is a song by English recording artist Natalia Kills from her debut studio album, Perfectionist. Written by Kills, Jeff Bhasker, Kid Cudi and No I.D., produced by Bhasker. The song was released digitally in selected areas of Europe as the album's third single on 22 June 2011, with staggered...
".
Background
Kills has been working on the album since early 2009. It features production from Martin KierszenbaumMartin Kierszenbaum
Martin Kierszenbaum is a graduate of the University of Michigan and head of A&R at Interscope Records and president of Interscope's subsidiary imprint Cherrytree Records...
, Jeff Bhasker, Fernando Garibay
Fernando Garibay
Fernando Garibay is a Mexican music producer, DJ, and songwriter. He was the official musical director for musician Lady Gaga during the making of her third album Born This Way.Garibay has been making records since the age of sixteen...
, "The-Ron" Feemster
Theron Feemster
Theron Feemster, is an American 3x Grammy Award Winner record producer, songwriter, musician, and singer. He rose to fame in 2006 with featured production on singer Ne-Yo's album In My Own Words, and has since worked with many high-profile artists, including Keyshia Cole, Michael Jackson, Busta...
, Akon
Akon
Aliaune Damala Badara Thiam, better known as simply Akon , is a Senegalese American R&B recording artist and songwriter.According to Forbes, Akon grossed $21 million in 2010, $20 million in 2009 and $12 million in 2008. He rose to prominence in 2004 following the release of "Locked Up", the first...
and Giorgio Tuinfort. Kills spoke about the album and her film, to coincide with the album, titled "The Exhibitionist": "I wanted to describe and express myself musically and visually. To show who I am and what inspires me. I love silent movies from the 20s. I wanted my film to be in the classic film noir style and tie in my album concept of 'Perfectionist'."
Critical reception
Lewis Corner of Digital SpyDigital Spy
Digital Spy is a British entertainment and media news website. According to Alexa Internet traffic statistics, as of February 2011, Digital Spy is the 93rd most popular website in the United Kingdom, with an overall Alexa ranking of 2,088....
rated the album four out of five stars, noting that "a dark and electro-gothic soundscape flirts with Kills's metaphor-strewn lyrics and humorous quips", which are "best showcased in 'Mirrors' and 'Zombie'". He continued: "Each moment of pop surreality flourishes from Kills's own vision, then is finely tailored by some of the industry's most respected figures—the result as exciting as it is completely bonkers." British magazine Star gave the album five stars and wrote that it is "striking stuff and great moody pop to boot." Jon O'Brien of Allmusic, giving Perfectionist three out of five stars, felt that "there's something a little too calculated" about the album, and that "Kills appears to be more concerned with proving that she's all grown up than actually producing any music to back it up", concluding that "Perfectionist is far too formulaic and gimmicky to live up to Kills' obvious maverick intentions."
Singles
"MirrorsMirrors (Natalia Kills song)
"Mirrors" is a song by English recording artist Natalia Kills from her debut studio album, Perfectionist. Written by Kills, Martin Kierszenbaum, Akon and Giorgio Tuinfort, and produced by Akon, Tuinfort and Kierszenbaum, the song was released as the album's lead single in August 2010. Lyrically,...
" was released on 10 August 2010 as the album's lead single.
"Wonderland
Wonderland (Natalia Kills song)
"Wonderland" is a song by English recording artist Natalia Kills from her debut studio album, Perfectionist. Written by Kills, Michael Warren and "The-Ron" Feemster, and produced by Feemster, the song was released digitally in the United States as the album's second single on 12 April 2011...
" was released digitally in the US as the album's second single on 12 April 2011, and later in Germany on 3 June 2011. The video was shot in late January 2011. "Wonderland" was featured in the 2011 romantic fantasy film Beastly
Beastly (film)
Beastly is a 2011 romantic fantasy film loosely based on Alex Flinn's 2007 novel of the same name. It is a retelling of the fairytale Beauty and the Beast set in modern-day New York City. The film is written and directed by Daniel Barnz and stars Vanessa Hudgens and Alex Pettyfer.The plot focuses...
.
"Free
Free (Natalia Kills song)
"Free" is a song by English recording artist Natalia Kills from her debut studio album, Perfectionist. Written by Kills, Jeff Bhasker, Kid Cudi and No I.D., produced by Bhasker. The song was released digitally in selected areas of Europe as the album's third single on 22 June 2011, with staggered...
" served as the album's third single, featuring will.i.am
Will.i.am
William James Adams, Jr. , better known by his stage name will.i.am and occasionally by his other stage name Zuper Blahq, is an American rapper, musician, songwriter, singer, actor and producer...
. It was released in the US on 28 June 2011, in Germany on 22 July 2011 and in the UK on 11 September 2011.
"Kill My Boyfriend" has been confirmed as the album's fourth single.
Promotional singles
"Zombie", the first promotional single, was released on 21 December 2009. It was used in the sixth episode of the SyfySyfy
Syfy , formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel and SCI FI, is an American cable television channel featuring science fiction, supernatural, fantasy, reality, paranormal, wrestling, and horror programming. Launched on September 24, 1992, it is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal, a...
reality television series Face Off
Face Off (TV series)
Face Off is an American reality television game show on the Syfy cable network in which a group of prosthetic makeup artists compete against each other create prostheses such as those found in science fiction and horror films...
on 2 March 2011. "Activate My Heart" was the second promotional single, released on 13 April 2010. The song, however, did not make the cut for the album.
Track listing
Personnel
- Natalia Kills – vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
- AkonAkonAliaune Damala Badara Thiam, better known as simply Akon , is a Senegalese American R&B recording artist and songwriter.According to Forbes, Akon grossed $21 million in 2010, $20 million in 2009 and $12 million in 2008. He rose to prominence in 2004 following the release of "Locked Up", the first...
– 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...
(track 7) - Jeff Bhasker – producer, engineerAudio engineeringAn audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
(tracks 3, 5, 12, 13); 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...
(track 5); vocals (track 13) - Dr. Orton – voice (track 1)
- Lauren DukoffLauren DukoffLauren Dukoff is an American photographer noted for her portraiture and documentary work of celebrities and musicians.Lauren Dukoff was born in California. Her father is a commercial director and still photographer. Lauren Dukoff briefly studied photography at the Brooks Institute of Photography...
– photographyPhotographyPhotography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film... - "The-Ron" FeemsterTheron FeemsterTheron Feemster, is an American 3x Grammy Award Winner record producer, songwriter, musician, and singer. He rose to fame in 2006 with featured production on singer Ne-Yo's album In My Own Words, and has since worked with many high-profile artists, including Keyshia Cole, Michael Jackson, Busta...
– producer, instrumentationInstrumentation (music)In music, instrumentation refers to the particular combination of musical instruments employed in a composition, and to the properties of those instruments individually...
(tracks 2, 4, 10, 14); 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...
(track 2); backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
(tracks 2, 10, 14) - Fernando GaribayFernando GaribayFernando Garibay is a Mexican music producer, DJ, and songwriter. He was the official musical director for musician Lady Gaga during the making of her third album Born This Way.Garibay has been making records since the age of sixteen...
– producer, engineer (tracks 6, 11) - Mark "Exit" Goodchild – engineer (track 7)
- Gene Grimaldi – masteringAudio masteringMastering, a form of audio post-production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device ; the source from which all copies will be produced...
- Nick J. Groff – A&R coordinator
- Robert Horn – engineer, guitar (track 2)
- Neil Jacobson – A&R
- Zach Kasik – engineer (tracks 2, 4, 10, 14); guitar (track 4)
- Carlos Keery-Fisher – guitar (tracks 4, 10)
- Heather Kierszenbaum – 911 operatorDispatcherDispatchers are communications personnel responsible for receiving and transmitting pure and reliable messages, tracking vehicles and equipment, and recording other important information...
(track 9) - Martin "Cherry Cherry Boom Boom" KierszenbaumMartin KierszenbaumMartin Kierszenbaum is a graduate of the University of Michigan and head of A&R at Interscope Records and president of Interscope's subsidiary imprint Cherrytree Records...
– producer (tracks 1, 7–9); engineer (track 1); instrumentation (tracks 7–9); backing vocals (track 8); vocal producer (track 11); 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...
, A&R - Anthony Kilhoffer – engineer (tracks 3, 13)
- Robert OrtonRobert Orton (mix engineer)Robert Orton is a Grammy award-winning mixer. He has worked with many prominent artists including; Darren Hayes, Lady Gaga, Sean Kingston, Kelis, Livvi Franc, Sean Paul, Robbie Williams, Pixie Lott, Lil Jon, Enrique Iglesias, Usher, Mary J...
– mixing (tracks 1–4, 6–14); vocal producer (track 11) - Julian Peploe – art directionArt directorThe art director is a person who supervise the creative process of a design.The term 'art director' is a blanket title for a variety of similar job functions in advertising, publishing, film and television, the Internet, and video games....
, designGraphic designGraphic design is a creative process – most often involving a client and a designer and usually completed in conjunction with producers of form – undertaken in order to convey a specific message to a targeted audience... - Andrea Ruffalo – A&R coordinator
- Christopher Simila – backing vocals (track 14)
- Kristle Simila – backing vocals (track 14)
- Giorgio Tuinfort – producer, instrumentation (track 7)
- Tony Ugyal – engineer (tracks 7–9, 11); vocal producer (track 11)
- will.i.amWill.i.amWilliam James Adams, Jr. , better known by his stage name will.i.am and occasionally by his other stage name Zuper Blahq, is an American rapper, musician, songwriter, singer, actor and producer...
– executive producer - Dion "No I.D." WilsonNo I.D.No I.D., officially known as Immenslope and also known as Ernest Wilson , is a hip hop and R&B record producer, also the vice-president of Def Jam Recordings, best known for his early work with Chicago rapper Common and is known as "The Godfather of Chicago hip hop".. The nickname No I.D...
– co-producer (track 3)
Charts
| Chart (2011) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austrian Albums Chart | 35 |
| 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... |
36 |
| 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... |
50 |
| Swiss Albums Chart Swiss Music Charts The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75... |
94 |
| 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... |
129 |
| US 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... |
134 |
| US Dance/Electronic Albums | 6 |
| US Heatseekers Albums Top Heatseekers Top Heatseekers refers to either of two separate "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by Billboard Magazine: the Heatseekers Albums chart or the Heatseekers Songs chart. They were introduced by Billboard in 1993 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new and developing musical... |
1 |
Release history
| Country | Date | Label | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| France | 15 March 2011 | Universal Music 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... |
Digital download Music download A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment... |
| Austria | 1 April 2011 | 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 ,... , digital download |
|
| Germany | |||
| Switzerland | |||
| Poland | 13 May 2011 | CD | |
| Canada | 16 August 2011 | CD, digital download | |
| United States | will.i.am Will.i.am music group will.i.am music group is a vanity label founded by hip hop artist will.i.am of the The Black Eyed Peas. Other than will.i.am, there are popular artists such as Fergie, Macy Gray and Sérgio Mendes signed to the label... , Cherrytree Cherrytree Records Cherrytree Records is an American record label and is an imprint of Interscope Records.-History:Cherrytree Records was founded in 2005 by Martin Kierszenbaum, being German for cherry tree... , Kon Live Konvict Muzik Kon Live Distribution is a record label founded by R&B singer Akon. It is his alternate R&B/Hip hop label.-Artists:*Colby O'Donis*Jeffree Star*Kardinal Offishall*Kat DeLuna*Lady Gaga*Natalia Kills*Brittian Scott*Ray Lavender- Discography :... , Interscope 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:... , Bozadya, Dandyville |
||
| United Kingdom | 19 September 2011 | Interscope 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:... |
|
| Brazil | 20 September 2011 | Universal Music | CD |