Stronger (Kelly Clarkson album)
Encyclopedia
Stronger is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Kelly Clarkson
. The album was released on October 21, 2011 in Australia and October 24, 2011 in the United States and the United Kingdom through RCA Records
. The thirteen-song set (seventeen on the deluxe edition) features Clarkson collaborating with new musicians Greg Kurstin
, Steve Jordan
, Rodney Jerkins
, Toby Gad
, Brian Kennedy
and Ester Dean
, as well as recording with longtime collaborator Howard Benson
. Wanting to stray away sonically from her previous albums, Clarkson's main objective was to record her vocal performances as it is heard in her live sets, and used minimal auto-tune
processing as possible. The album also marked the first release by Clarkson that did not cause a conflict with RCA; her previous records, most notably My December
, were released with conflict and controversy.
Clarkson began writing new material for the album in November 2009 while touring and finished recording in February 2011. For the recording sessions, Clarkson drew inspiration from Tina Turner
, Prince
, Radiohead
and Sheryl Crow
among others. Clarkson also mixed R&B
, country
, urban
, dance-pop
and soul
with her established pop rock character to develop a more diverse pop music material. The album's lyrical content mainly explores themes about heartbreak, vengeance, forgiveness and empowerment using metaphors about Clarkson's relationships around people.
The record is predominantly a pop rock
and pop music
album, with several music critics noting the predominant R&B and country influences Clarkson explored in Thankful
and All I Ever Wanted
as well as dance-pop themes which Clarkson has newly developed. Originally planned to be released in late 2010, the release date of the album was pushed back several times. Upon its release, Stronger received mostly favorable reviews from critics, who noted the album's un-risky progression unlike her previous albums but notably praising Clarkson's vocal performance. In the United Kingdom, the album debuted at number 5, with over 30,000 in sales. In the the United States, the album debuted at number 2 and sold over 163,000 copies.
The album's release was preceded by the lead single
"Mr. Know It All
", which was released on September 5, 2011. The song, originally perceived as a moderate success, turned into a sleeper hit
, peaking at the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100
and the UK Singles charts
, as well as topping the Australian Charts.
in November 2009, Clarkson stated that while performing on the All I Ever Wanted Tour, she would also be in the process of writing new material for her fifth studio album, which she hoped for a late 2010 release. In an interview with the Chart Show TV
Clarkson revealed that she wanted to do something different for the album, she remarked "Luckily, my label wanted me to do it as well." On March 4, 2010, Clarkson was announced to perform on the revived Lilith Fair
music festival. However, low ticket sales and scheduling conflicts led Clarkson and Norah Jones
to cancel their upcoming performances. Clarkson remarked she would focus on recording for her upcoming album instead. Clarkson took a six-month break from her music career in 2010. Clarkson, who had a hectic schedule following the release of her sophomore album Breakaway, admitted that her music career had a bad effect on her health, saying "Because my career went from zero to 100, there was no 'growing'. I learnt well under pressure, but, like, four years passed by and I hit rock bottom, Breakaway just exploded everywhere. Everyone was making a lot of money, so everyone was pushing the train. That's when it finally all caught up with me. I came down with 'walking pneumonia' for the second time in a year. My body was physically giving up. I took six months off and went home. I love working, but at the end of the day you've got to take care of yourself."
on December 2009, Clarkson said "There's still some like singer/songwriter stuff [on the album], but there's ... I don't know. It's almost like Garbage
-meets-pop-meets-Muse
. It's a little different. "I don't know how it's going to end up. Who knows?" she said. "It always ends up being something completely different." On October 6, 2010, Clarkson hosted an impromptu session on the social networking site Twitter
to update fans regarding the status of the album. Clarkson tweeted "We've almost completed the album. We're gonna have way too many songs to pick from." Later adding that she hoped to release it in early 2011. Claude Kelly, who had previously worked with Clarkson on All I Ever Wanted, remarked "Well, I wrote 'My Life Would Suck Without You' for the last album, so we're trying to take it up a level", adding "She's toured the world with that album. She's experienced stuff, so whatever she's going through right now: fun, good, the bad, the ugly — we want to put on that record." During an interview with Entertainment Weekly
, Clarkson remarked that unlike her previous records, most notably the controversial My December
(2007) and her previous single, "Already Gone
" (2009), the recorded songs for Stronger didn't manage to spark a single conflict with her label RCA upon the album's release, she remarked "Usually on most albums, I'll fight and be like 'No, this has to be a single.' There's no real fighting on this. The label and I, we all love them." Clarkson remarked that Stronger is her best album to record. "Everything was really fluid, and everyone agreed on it and that's a first."
and Claude Kelly
, both of whom also produced songs from her previous album, All I Ever Wanted
. Jason Halbert, her musical director and her co-writer during the sessions for My December
, also added new material for the new album. Clarkson also announced that she also recorded worked with several other musicians such as Toby Gad
, Greg Kurstin
, Josh Abraham
, Steve Jordan
and Rodney Jerkins
. Bonnie McKee
revealed in an interview that she also contributed with Clarkson for the album, stating "I did a bunch of work with Kelly Clarkson last summer, it’s looking like that will make the album. She really has an incredible voice and I’m excited to see what happens, I have high expectations for that album!"
. In August 2010, Clarkson recorded a song with country singer Jason Aldean
entitled "Don't You Wanna Stay
" for his fourth studio album, My Kinda Party
. The song was released as a single in November 2010 and was later included in the deluxe versions of Stronger as a bonus track. In February 2011, Clarkson announced that she will record the final song, which is "Mr. Know It All" for the album on February 25, 2011. Clarkson also revealed the she recorded two duet songs for the album, saying "There are actually 2 duets on the new record & I have at some point sang w/both of these artists before but not on record." One of the duets, titled "One More Yesterday", which Clarkson confirmed was featuring fellow Idol-alumnus Chris Daughtry
, did not manage to make the final track list. The song was written by Daughtry, Richard Marx
and Jason Wade
but Clarkson decided not to include it feeling that it might not be suitable for the album's direction. The second duet, "The Sun Will Rise," which appears on the deluxe edition, is revealed to be a duet with American songwriter Kara DioGuardi
.
During Clarkson's live web cast on August 30, 2011 she stated what made her title the album Stronger is "mainly because the entire album is very much about empowerment and just strength overall and I love singing songs like that... That was kind of the theme is strength so we named it Stronger. She also named it Stronger because it comes from a lyric from one of her favorite tracks on the album called "What Doesn't Kill You (Stronger)". "It just kind of encompass the whole theme for the album".
and Bonnie McKee
for the first time. Clarkson stated that the new music will be different from her previous albums, describing it as "like Garbage-meets-pop-meets-Muse." Claude Kelly remarked that the songs he wrote "were in true Kelly Clarkson form, singer records that showcase her voice, but also show her edge and her attitude and her personality." He also explained that "[It's] always up-tempo for me when it comes to Kelly. I like to hear her in kick-butt mode. She has an edge to her voice that you want to hear her sing high and get in your face". Rodney Jerkins then remarked that he and Lauren Christy wrote a song that’s just crazy pop-rock, and "The first person who came into my head to do it was Kelly Clarkson." Clarkson stated that the album ended up going in a different direction than what they were originally going for.
In an interview with Ryan Seacrest
, Clarkson stated that she and her producers strove to record her voice in the album as it is heard at live performances, with as little auto-tune
processing as possible, saying saying "What separates this album are the vocals. They sound richer and fuller, and, for the first time, how I sound when I’m performing live. The producers I worked with just let me sing and be me." Clarkson remarked that "It was a lot of soulful stuff. You know what I'm saying? Like, Radiohead
is alternative, but they're very soulful. And Sheryl Crow
, very soulful singer/songwriter. So it's all very soulful, rhythmic pop rock." Shortly after the final track listing was revealed, MTV
observed that the word "you" featured prominently in the songs' titles. Clarkson asserted "They're all different 'you's,' There's no common, like, it wasn't like one, I didn't have a bad breakup or anything, it wasn't like that. No I just think life is about relationships, so I always write about all these different ones going on in my life and I don't really have a filter. So it's usually very [straightforward]."
", written by Ester Dean
, Brian Kennedy
and Brett James
, is a mid tempo pop song with R&B influences, similar to the songs of her debut album Thankful and was described by critics as a fusion of Bruno Mars
and P!nk
. The song generally features raw vocals of Clarkson, which was not much featured from her previous songs as well as a feature she wanted to showcase for the album. Rolling Stone
remarked "Clarkson sasses a controlling man with double-entendres that up her R&B appeal"
Clarkson compared "What Doesn't Kill You (Stronger)" to her 2004 hit single "Since U Been Gone
". She remarked "I can't wait to perform that live. It's like this big dance anthem. That'll be the one [that's] kinda like 'Since U Been Gone,' [with] people jumping up and down to [it], and it's just kind of really inspiring, so I can't wait to perform that one." Another song, "You Love Me", which Clarkson wrote following an incident that she thought would break her. "It was probably the most hurt I’ve ever been in my life. But by writing about it, I got to work through it and get it out of my system." Clarkson described the lyrics of the song "You Can't Win" as her favorite, singing the line "If you're thin/Poor little walking disease/If you're thick/They're all screaming obese/If you're straight/Why aren't you married yet/If you're gay/Why aren't you waving a flag."
that it was a "smart decision", while Claude Kelly remarked that the move could work in her favor, citing "I will say that I'd be willing to bet that the reason it was pushed back was not for anything as horrible or earth-shattering as people think — it's probably (sic
) a better setup". It was also reported that the delay was caused by the internal restructuring at Sony Music with the former Universal Music Group
chairman Doug Morris
entering as its new CEO. On July 2011, several demo songs that Clarkson recorded, ranging from 50 to 70, were leaked
into the internet, some of which were recorded in 2002 while Clarkson is still recording Thankful
and for Stronger. RCA immediately issued warnings to infringing websites, and leaked tracks were soon removed from such sites. Clarkson, who came after spending a vacation in Tahiti, released a statement, saying "I get back in the States from a vacation and somehow 50 of my songs are leaked on the Internet?! There's no point in getting angry because there's nothing I can do. I can't wait for everybody to hear my actual finished fifth album." In an exclusive interview with Entertainment Weekly, Clarkson responded to the situation,
Clarkson then added, "I don’t even have (the full album), by the way, because I’m so freaked out to put it on my computer." Referring to the incident in December 2010 where two hackers from Germany were arrested after stealing songs by international pop artists including Clarkson, Lady Gaga
, Ke$ha and Justin Timberlake
by accessing their own computers. On August 17, 2011, Clarkson announced the that the album's title will be Stronger, which is set to be released on October 25, 2011. On September 7, 2011, RCA released the album cover and moved up the American release date to October 24, 2011. The deluxe edition of the album will be released simultaneously with the standard edition worldwide. On October 15, the Japanese iTunes Store
accidentally released the whole album for purchase which was immediately replaced by snippet previews later that day.
's "Celebrity Fight Night" charity event in Phoenix, Arizona on March 19, 2011. On August 16 , 2011, RCA announced that they will merge Clarkson's two websites, KellyOfficial.com (Sony Music site) and KellyClarkson.com (Official Fan Club site), in favor for KellyClarkson.com. On August 17, 2011, RCA released press statements for the release "Mr. Know It All", which was released on August 30, 2011, and of Stronger, which is set to be released on October 25, 2011. On September 7, 2011, RCA released the album cover and moved up the release date to October 24, 2011 due to overwhelming demand.
On August 30, 2011, Clarkson hosted a special live webcast on her website to premiere "Mr. Know It All
." Clarkson began promoting the song worldwide for the first time at the Stars for Free music festival in Berlin, Germany on September 10, 2011. She then performed it on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno
on September 20, 2011, at the iHeartRadio
Music Festival in Las Vegas, Nevada
on September 23, 2011, on the Australian television series The X Factor, and at the 2011 NRL Grand Final
at the ANZ Stadium in Sydney, Australia on October 2, 2011 accompanied by three hundred dancers, this marks her first appearance at the event in 8 years since 2003 NRL Grand Final
. On October 5, 2011, Clarkson previewed the final version of "What Doesn't Kill You (Stronger)" and "You Love Me" on her website to positive reviews from music critics. Billboard commented, " The track is a sonic departure from first single "Mr. Know It All," and may give an indication of the range of material on "Stronger." On October 11, 2011, Sony
announced that Clarkson will perform select songs from Stronger in a free concert at The Troubadour in Los Angeles on October 19, 2011 to promote the album. Clarkson then promoted the album at the 13th season
of Dancing with the Stars
on October 18, 2011, Clarkson is also scheduled to perform at the 8th series
of British television series The X Factor
on October 23, 2011, and at the 2011 American Music Awards
on November 20, 2011.
Clarkson is then scheduled to promote Stronger on The Today Show
on October 25 and 27, 2011, The View on October 26, 2011, and at Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
on October 28, 2011. On October 12, 2011, VH1
announced that Clarkson will film VH1 Unplugged: Kelly Clarkson
featuring songs from Stronger on October 27, 2011 which will be broadcast the following month on November 17 and 18. MTV
also announced that Clarkson will perform at the MTV O Music Awards
on October 31, 2011 which will also include a special tribute performance honoring the Apple
co-founder and former chairman and CEO Steve Jobs
.
", premiered on August 30, 2011 during a special live webcast on Clarkson's website, after which the song was immediately sent into radio airplay. The single was released to several countries as a digital download on September 5, 2011. It debuted at number 18 on the Billboard Hot 100
, marking Clarkson's second highest debut on the chart since "Never Again
" (2007) debuted at number 8. It then peaked at number 10 on the chart, thus becoming Clarkson's first top ten single since "My Life Would Suck Without You
" (2009) and her ninth top ten single overall. It also peaked at number 15 on the Billboard Pop Songs and at number 12 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, and number 6 on the Billboard Adult Pop Songs chart. In the United Kingdom, the song debuted at number 6 on the UK Singles Chart
and peaked at number 4, becoming Clarkson's second highest-charting single and her seventh top ten single on the chart. The song also debuted at number 25 on the Australian Singles Chart
and peaked at number 1 after Clarkson's performance at the NRL Grand Final, earning Clarkson her first number 1 and her highest single in Australia. In South Korea, the song also debuted at the top of the Gaon International chart
.
" debuted at number 64 at the Billboard Hot 100 with over 40,000 downloads sold. It also debuted at number 64 in Canada and at number 22 in South Korea. All songs from the album debuted on the Gaon International Chart in South Korea. "I Forgive You" debuted at number 1 with 170,655 downloads. "You Love Me" with downloads more than 12,500 at number 45; "Hello" at 46 and 12,227 sales; "Dark Side" at 47 and over 12,000 downloads; "Honestly" less than 12,000 at number 49. "Standing In Front of You" at place 51 and almost 11,500 sold copies; "Breaking Your Own Heart" at 52 and 11,372 downloads; "Einstein" 53, almost 11,000; "Let Me Down" at 60 and more than 10,000 sold copies; "The War Is Over" 65 with almost 10,000 sales and "You Can't Win" at 66 with 9,877 downloads.
Clarkson also stated in interviews that she was developing touring plans to support Stronger, which will begins in North America in January, in which she might release a live album. On November 15, 2011, RCA announced the North American tour dates, which will begin on January 13, 2012 at the MGM Grand Theatre in Mashantucket, Connecticut and will close on April 10, 2012 at the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego, California. Folk rock musician Matt Nathanson
was also announced to be the opening act for the tour.
, which assigns a weighted mean
rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 62, based on 10 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews". Prior to its release, the album was placed on several lists including Entertainment Weekly
s "Fall Albums We Can't Wait to Hear", and Rolling Stone
s "Fall Music Preview: The Season's Hottest Albums", and MTV's "Fall albums, in which MTV remarked, "Clarkson's fifth LP promises to be one of the season's highlights." Mikael Wood wrote a positive review for Spin
, commenting that " Stronger isn't Clarkson's long-promised Nashville album; it mostly sticks to the bright-and-shiny bubble-grunge sound of "Since U Been Gone
." But she delivers tunes like "Einstein" and the disco-glam title track with a country singer's earthy conviction." Melissa Maerz of Entertainment Weekly
wrote a positive review, remarking that Stronger is Clarkson's older-better-tougher-smarter album, later adding "Best of all is "What Doesn't Kill You (Stronger)," a throbbing glitter-disco tribute to believing that it really does get better. Los Angeles Times
's Allison Stewart wrote that "Clarkson has two moods — scrappy and morose — and “Stronger” works every possible combination of both." And concluded that "it's a good album by a great vocalist who, it’s easy to still hope, is capable of a lot more." Express
's Simon Gage wrote: "[...] her voice is strong while the production is a real bulldozer of sound ploughing through songs that mostly seem to have the gumption to withstand the assault."
, the album's release also catapulted "Mr Know It All" from number 6 to 4, with 53,307 in sales. In Australia, the album debuted at number 3 in the ARIA charts
, which was lower than All I Ever Wanted but higher than My December. In the United States, the album debuted at number 2 on the Billboard 200
chart with 163,000 copies sold, making it the second time Clarkson debuted at the second spot on the chart, the first being My December in 2007. It also became her fifth consecutive album to debut at the top three.
(^) denotes additional producer
, titled The Smoakstack Sessions, is packaged with the Stronger deluxe editions that are available exclusively on her official music store. It consists of acoustic performances of select album tracks as well as "If I Can't Have You" from All I Ever Wanted
(2009), and a cover version of Bonnie Raitt
's "I Can't Make You Love Me
"; all of which are recorded at the Smoakstack Studios in Nashville, Tennessee
.
Performance credits
Visuals and imagery
Music credits
Instruments
Production credits
Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Brianne Clarkson is an American pop rock singer-songwriter and actress. Clarkson came into prominence after becoming the winner of the inaugural season of the television series American Idol in 2002 and would later become the runner-up in the television special World Idol in 2003.In 2003,...
. The album was released on October 21, 2011 in Australia and October 24, 2011 in the United States and the United Kingdom through RCA Records
RCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
. The thirteen-song set (seventeen on the deluxe edition) features Clarkson collaborating with new musicians Greg Kurstin
Greg Kurstin
Gregory Allen "Greg" Kurstin is an award-winning American songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. In 2009 Kurstin received a Grammy Award nomination for Producer of the Year. That same year he won three Ivor Novello awards for his work with Lily Allen, including Songwriters of the Year for "The Fear"...
, Steve Jordan
Steve Jordan (musician)
Steve Jordan is an American multi-instrumentalist, composer, musical director and Grammy Award-winning artist, who has made a name for himself as a producer from the Bronx in New York City. A graduate of the Fiorello H...
, Rodney Jerkins
Rodney Jerkins
Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins is an American songwriter, record producer, and musician. Jerkins received two Grammy nominations in 2011.-Biography:...
, Toby Gad
Toby Gad
Tobias "Toby" Gad is a Los Angeles-based hit producer and songwriter from Germany, perhaps best known for co-writing Fergie's Grammy nominated hit song "Big Girls Don't Cry" as well as co-writing and producing Beyoncé's worldwide #1 hit "If I Were a Boy", and The Veronicas multi-platinum #1...
, Brian Kennedy
Brian Kennedy (producer)
Brian Kennedy Seals is an American songwriter, record producer and musician from Kansas City, MO. Revered as a piano prodigy, he has been making music tracks since 2001...
and Ester Dean
Ester Dean
Ester Renay Dean is an American singer and songwriter, and record producer signed to Zone 4 Records/Interscope Records. She is most notable for her dual appearance on Rio: Music From The Motion Picture and her 2009 US hit single "Drop It Low", which featured singer Chris Brown...
, as well as recording with longtime collaborator Howard Benson
Howard Benson
Howard Benson is a two-time Grammy-nominated music producer and aerospace engineer.-Biography:Howard Benson has a degree in materials engineering from Drexel University and studied composition at the Philadelphia College for Performing Arts. Later he worked for Garrett AiResearch, where he worked...
. Wanting to stray away sonically from her previous albums, Clarkson's main objective was to record her vocal performances as it is heard in her live sets, and used minimal auto-tune
Auto-Tune
Auto-Tune is a proprietary audio processor created by Antares Audio Technologies. Auto-Tune uses a phase vocoder to correct pitch in vocal and instrumental performances. It is used to disguise off-key inaccuracies and mistakes, and has allowed singers to perform apparently perfectly tuned vocal...
processing as possible. The album also marked the first release by Clarkson that did not cause a conflict with RCA; her previous records, most notably My December
My December
My December is the third studio album by American pop rock singer Kelly Clarkson. The album was released on June 22, 2007 throughout most of Europe , on June 23, 2007 in Australia, on June 25, 2007 in the United Kingdom, Hong Kong and Poland, and on June 26, 2007 in North America...
, were released with conflict and controversy.
Clarkson began writing new material for the album in November 2009 while touring and finished recording in February 2011. For the recording sessions, Clarkson drew inspiration from Tina Turner
Tina Turner
Tina Turner is an American singer and actress whose career has spanned more than 50 years. She has won numerous awards and her achievements in the rock music genre have led many to call her the "Queen of Rock 'n' Roll".Turner started out her music career with husband Ike Turner as a member of the...
, Prince
Prince
Prince is a general term for a ruler, monarch or member of a monarch's or former monarch's family, and is a hereditary title in the nobility of some European states. The feminine equivalent is a princess...
, Radiohead
Radiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, formed in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke , Jonny Greenwood , Ed O'Brien , Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway .Radiohead released their debut single "Creep" in 1992...
and Sheryl Crow
Sheryl Crow
Sheryl Suzanne Crow is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, musician, and actress. Her music incorporates elements of rock, folk, hip hop, country and pop...
among others. Clarkson also mixed R&B
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
, country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
, urban
Urban contemporary
Urban contemporary is a music radio format. The term was coined by the late New York DJ Frankie Crocker in the mid 1970s. Urban contemporary radio stations feature a playlist made up entirely of hip hop/rap, contemporary R&B, pop, electronica such as dubstep and drum and bass and Caribbean music...
, dance-pop
Dance-pop
Dance-pop is dance-oriented pop music that originated in the early 1980s. Developing from post-disco, it is generally up-tempo music intended for clubs with the intention of being danceable or merely dancey...
and 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...
with her established pop rock character to develop a more diverse pop music material. The album's lyrical content mainly explores themes about heartbreak, vengeance, forgiveness and empowerment using metaphors about Clarkson's relationships around people.
The record is predominantly a pop rock
Pop rock
Pop rock is a music genre which mixes a catchy pop style and light lyrics in its guitar-based rock songs. There are varying definitions of the term, ranging from a slower and mellower form of rock music to a subgenre of pop music...
and pop music
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
album, with several music critics noting the predominant R&B and country influences Clarkson explored in Thankful
Thankful (Kelly Clarkson album)
-Sales and chart performance:Release of the album was preceded by the single "Miss Independent", which become a top 10 Billboard Hot 100 hit and a #1 top 40 smash. In thanks to the success of the single, as well as buzz from her American Idol win , the album sold well in the United States...
and All I Ever Wanted
All I Ever Wanted (album)
All I Ever Wanted is the fourth studio album by American pop rock singer-songwriter Kelly Clarkson, released on March 6, 2009 in Australia and Germany and the United States on March 10. It was her second album to debut at #1 on the Billboard 200...
as well as dance-pop themes which Clarkson has newly developed. Originally planned to be released in late 2010, the release date of the album was pushed back several times. Upon its release, Stronger received mostly favorable reviews from critics, who noted the album's un-risky progression unlike her previous albums but notably praising Clarkson's vocal performance. In the United Kingdom, the album debuted at number 5, with over 30,000 in sales. In the the United States, the album debuted at number 2 and sold over 163,000 copies.
The album's release was preceded by the lead single
Lead single
A lead single is usually the first single released by a musician or a band before the release of its home album.During the era of the grammophone record, all music arrived in the marketplace as what is now termed a single, one potential hit song backed by an additional song of generally less...
"Mr. Know It All
Mr. Know It All
"Mr. Know It All" is a song by American singer-songwriter Kelly Clarkson. The break-up themed song was written by Brian Kennedy, Ester Dean, Brett James, and Dante Jones. It was described as the most different among the singles released by Clarkson...
", which was released on September 5, 2011. The song, originally perceived as a moderate success, turned into a sleeper hit
Sleeper hit
A sleeper hit, a.k.a. surprise hit , refers to a film, book, single, album, TV show, or video game that gains unexpected success or recognition...
, peaking at the top ten of 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...
and the UK Singles charts
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
, as well as topping the Australian Charts.
Background
During an interview with MTV NewsMTV News
MTV News is the news division of MTV, one of the first and most popular music television network in the U.S., as well as some of MTV's related channels around the world. MTV News began in the late 1980s with the program The Week In Rock, hosted by Kurt Loder, the first official MTV News correspondent...
in November 2009, Clarkson stated that while performing on the All I Ever Wanted Tour, she would also be in the process of writing new material for her fifth studio album, which she hoped for a late 2010 release. In an interview with the Chart Show TV
Chart Show TV
Chart Show TV is a British music television channel owned and operated by CSC Media Group . The same people behind The Chart Show, a television programme that had previously been on Channel 4 and ITV, before relaunching it themselves in 2008...
Clarkson revealed that she wanted to do something different for the album, she remarked "Luckily, my label wanted me to do it as well." On March 4, 2010, Clarkson was announced to perform on the revived 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...
music festival. However, low ticket sales and scheduling conflicts led Clarkson and Norah Jones
Norah Jones
Norah Jones is an American singer-songwriter and occasional actress.In 2002, she launched her solo music career with the release of the commercially successful and critically acclaimed album Come Away With Me, which was certified a diamond album in 2002, selling over 20 million copies...
to cancel their upcoming performances. Clarkson remarked she would focus on recording for her upcoming album instead. Clarkson took a six-month break from her music career in 2010. Clarkson, who had a hectic schedule following the release of her sophomore album Breakaway, admitted that her music career had a bad effect on her health, saying "Because my career went from zero to 100, there was no 'growing'. I learnt well under pressure, but, like, four years passed by and I hit rock bottom, Breakaway just exploded everywhere. Everyone was making a lot of money, so everyone was pushing the train. That's when it finally all caught up with me. I came down with 'walking pneumonia' for the second time in a year. My body was physically giving up. I took six months off and went home. I love working, but at the end of the day you've got to take care of yourself."
Development
In an interview with MTVMTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
on December 2009, Clarkson said "There's still some like singer/songwriter stuff [on the album], but there's ... I don't know. It's almost like Garbage
Garbage (band)
Garbage are an alternative rock band formed in Madison, Wisconsin in 1994. The group consists of Scottish singer Shirley Manson and American musicians Duke Erikson , Steve Marker and Butch Vig . All four members are involved in songwriting and production...
-meets-pop-meets-Muse
Muse (band)
Muse are an English alternative rock band from Teignmouth, Devon, formed in 1994. The band consists of school friends Matthew Bellamy , Christopher Wolstenholme and Dominic Howard...
. It's a little different. "I don't know how it's going to end up. Who knows?" she said. "It always ends up being something completely different." On October 6, 2010, Clarkson hosted an impromptu session on the social networking site Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
to update fans regarding the status of the album. Clarkson tweeted "We've almost completed the album. We're gonna have way too many songs to pick from." Later adding that she hoped to release it in early 2011. Claude Kelly, who had previously worked with Clarkson on All I Ever Wanted, remarked "Well, I wrote 'My Life Would Suck Without You' for the last album, so we're trying to take it up a level", adding "She's toured the world with that album. She's experienced stuff, so whatever she's going through right now: fun, good, the bad, the ugly — we want to put on that record." During an interview with 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...
, Clarkson remarked that unlike her previous records, most notably the controversial My December
My December
My December is the third studio album by American pop rock singer Kelly Clarkson. The album was released on June 22, 2007 throughout most of Europe , on June 23, 2007 in Australia, on June 25, 2007 in the United Kingdom, Hong Kong and Poland, and on June 26, 2007 in North America...
(2007) and her previous single, "Already Gone
Already Gone (Kelly Clarkson song)
"Already Gone" is a song performed by American singer–songwriter Kelly Clarkson from her 2009 album, All I Ever Wanted. It is co-written by Clarkson and Ryan Tedder, who also produced it. The song was released as the album's third single in August 2009...
" (2009), the recorded songs for Stronger didn't manage to spark a single conflict with her label RCA upon the album's release, she remarked "Usually on most albums, I'll fight and be like 'No, this has to be a single.' There's no real fighting on this. The label and I, we all love them." Clarkson remarked that Stronger is her best album to record. "Everything was really fluid, and everyone agreed on it and that's a first."
Collaborations
Clarkson began collaborating with Howard BensonHoward Benson
Howard Benson is a two-time Grammy-nominated music producer and aerospace engineer.-Biography:Howard Benson has a degree in materials engineering from Drexel University and studied composition at the Philadelphia College for Performing Arts. Later he worked for Garrett AiResearch, where he worked...
and Claude Kelly
Claude Kelly
Claude Kelly is an American singer-songwriter. He has a prolific discography, well known for writing for artists such as Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Toni Braxton, Whitney Houston, Jordin Sparks, Kelly Clarkson, Jay Sean, Adam Lambert, Jessie J and Charice.-Career:He began playing the piano...
, both of whom also produced songs from her previous album, All I Ever Wanted
All I Ever Wanted (album)
All I Ever Wanted is the fourth studio album by American pop rock singer-songwriter Kelly Clarkson, released on March 6, 2009 in Australia and Germany and the United States on March 10. It was her second album to debut at #1 on the Billboard 200...
. Jason Halbert, her musical director and her co-writer during the sessions for My December
My December
My December is the third studio album by American pop rock singer Kelly Clarkson. The album was released on June 22, 2007 throughout most of Europe , on June 23, 2007 in Australia, on June 25, 2007 in the United Kingdom, Hong Kong and Poland, and on June 26, 2007 in North America...
, also added new material for the new album. Clarkson also announced that she also recorded worked with several other musicians such as Toby Gad
Toby Gad
Tobias "Toby" Gad is a Los Angeles-based hit producer and songwriter from Germany, perhaps best known for co-writing Fergie's Grammy nominated hit song "Big Girls Don't Cry" as well as co-writing and producing Beyoncé's worldwide #1 hit "If I Were a Boy", and The Veronicas multi-platinum #1...
, Greg Kurstin
Greg Kurstin
Gregory Allen "Greg" Kurstin is an award-winning American songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. In 2009 Kurstin received a Grammy Award nomination for Producer of the Year. That same year he won three Ivor Novello awards for his work with Lily Allen, including Songwriters of the Year for "The Fear"...
, Josh Abraham
Josh Abraham
Josh Abraham is a Grammy-winning record producer and co-owner of Pulse Management and Check Your Pulse Publishing. He has produced songs and albums for many of the industry's most successful artists such as Velvet Revolver, 30 Seconds to Mars, Linkin Park, Kelly Clarkson and Courtney Love...
, Steve Jordan
Steve Jordan (musician)
Steve Jordan is an American multi-instrumentalist, composer, musical director and Grammy Award-winning artist, who has made a name for himself as a producer from the Bronx in New York City. A graduate of the Fiorello H...
and Rodney Jerkins
Rodney Jerkins
Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins is an American songwriter, record producer, and musician. Jerkins received two Grammy nominations in 2011.-Biography:...
. Bonnie McKee
Bonnie McKee
Bonnie Leigh McKee is a North American singer-songwriter, formerly signed to Reprise Records. She released her debut album Trouble in 2004, which was a minor success. The single "Somebody" was included in the soundtrack to the 2004 comedy film Win a Date with Tad Hamilton!...
revealed in an interview that she also contributed with Clarkson for the album, stating "I did a bunch of work with Kelly Clarkson last summer, it’s looking like that will make the album. She really has an incredible voice and I’m excited to see what happens, I have high expectations for that album!"
Recording
Recording sessions for Stronger took place at various recording studios around the world while Clarkson was on the international leg of her All I Ever Wanted Tour. Some recording sessions took place at Chalice Recording Studios in Los Angeles, CA, and at Smoakstack and Starstruck studios in Nashville, TennesseeNashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
. In August 2010, Clarkson recorded a song with country singer Jason Aldean
Jason Aldean
Jason Aldine Williams is an American country music singer, known professionally as Jason Aldean. Since 2005, Aldean has recorded for Broken Bow Records, an independent record label for which he has released four albums and twelve singles...
entitled "Don't You Wanna Stay
Don't You Wanna Stay
"Don't You Wanna Stay" is a song performed by American country singer Jason Aldean featuring Kelly Clarkson from Aldean's 2010 album, My Kinda Party. It was written by Andy Gibson, Paul Jenkins and Jason Sellers...
" for his fourth studio album, My Kinda Party
My Kinda Party
Michael McCall with the Associated Press lauded Aldean for his "fresh sound" on the album saying he "stands at the forefront of a movement combining country themes with hard-rock chords"...
. The song was released as a single in November 2010 and was later included in the deluxe versions of Stronger as a bonus track. In February 2011, Clarkson announced that she will record the final song, which is "Mr. Know It All" for the album on February 25, 2011. Clarkson also revealed the she recorded two duet songs for the album, saying "There are actually 2 duets on the new record & I have at some point sang w/both of these artists before but not on record." One of the duets, titled "One More Yesterday", which Clarkson confirmed was featuring fellow Idol-alumnus Chris Daughtry
Chris Daughtry
Christopher Adam "Chris" Daughtry is an American musician best known as the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for the rock band Daughtry and as the fourth-place finalist on the fifth season of American Idol, from which he was eliminated on May 10, 2006...
, did not manage to make the final track list. The song was written by Daughtry, Richard Marx
Richard Marx
Richard Noel Marx is an American adult contemporary and pop/rock singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He had a string of hit singles in the late 1980s and 1990s, including "Endless Summer Nights", "Right Here Waiting", "Now and Forever", and "Hazard"...
and Jason Wade
Jason Wade
Jason Michael Wade is the lead vocalist, main songwriter, and guitarist of the American alternative rock band Lifehouse.-Biography:...
but Clarkson decided not to include it feeling that it might not be suitable for the album's direction. The second duet, "The Sun Will Rise," which appears on the deluxe edition, is revealed to be a duet with American songwriter Kara DioGuardi
Kara DioGuardi
Kara Elizabeth DioGuardi is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, music publisher, A&R executive, composer and TV personality. She writes music primarily in the light pop-rock, dance, and R&B genres. DioGuardi has worked with many popular artists; her songs have appeared on more than 159...
.
Title and concept
Clarkson revealed the that the album's title will be Stronger. She described it as "very much about strength and empowerment, so 'Stronger' felt like the perfect title. Plus that song is just a gold mine — it's a little bit pop, a little bit pop-rock, a little bit urban, a little bit dance, and it ties everything in. And everybody loves that message. "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger." It's a perfect representation of my life."During Clarkson's live web cast on August 30, 2011 she stated what made her title the album Stronger is "mainly because the entire album is very much about empowerment and just strength overall and I love singing songs like that... That was kind of the theme is strength so we named it Stronger. She also named it Stronger because it comes from a lyric from one of her favorite tracks on the album called "What Doesn't Kill You (Stronger)". "It just kind of encompass the whole theme for the album".
Music and themes
Clarkson co-wrote seven tracks from the album, and collaborated with other artists such as Ester DeanEster Dean
Ester Renay Dean is an American singer and songwriter, and record producer signed to Zone 4 Records/Interscope Records. She is most notable for her dual appearance on Rio: Music From The Motion Picture and her 2009 US hit single "Drop It Low", which featured singer Chris Brown...
and Bonnie McKee
Bonnie McKee
Bonnie Leigh McKee is a North American singer-songwriter, formerly signed to Reprise Records. She released her debut album Trouble in 2004, which was a minor success. The single "Somebody" was included in the soundtrack to the 2004 comedy film Win a Date with Tad Hamilton!...
for the first time. Clarkson stated that the new music will be different from her previous albums, describing it as "like Garbage-meets-pop-meets-Muse." Claude Kelly remarked that the songs he wrote "were in true Kelly Clarkson form, singer records that showcase her voice, but also show her edge and her attitude and her personality." He also explained that "[It's] always up-tempo for me when it comes to Kelly. I like to hear her in kick-butt mode. She has an edge to her voice that you want to hear her sing high and get in your face". Rodney Jerkins then remarked that he and Lauren Christy wrote a song that’s just crazy pop-rock, and "The first person who came into my head to do it was Kelly Clarkson." Clarkson stated that the album ended up going in a different direction than what they were originally going for.
In an interview with Ryan Seacrest
Ryan Seacrest
Ryan John Seacrest is an American radio personality, television host, network producer and voice actor. He is the host of On Air with Ryan Seacrest, a nationally syndicated Top 40 radio show that airs on KIIS-FM in Los Angeles and throughout the United States and Canada on Premiere Radio Networks,...
, Clarkson stated that she and her producers strove to record her voice in the album as it is heard at live performances, with as little auto-tune
Auto-Tune
Auto-Tune is a proprietary audio processor created by Antares Audio Technologies. Auto-Tune uses a phase vocoder to correct pitch in vocal and instrumental performances. It is used to disguise off-key inaccuracies and mistakes, and has allowed singers to perform apparently perfectly tuned vocal...
processing as possible, saying saying "What separates this album are the vocals. They sound richer and fuller, and, for the first time, how I sound when I’m performing live. The producers I worked with just let me sing and be me." Clarkson remarked that "It was a lot of soulful stuff. You know what I'm saying? Like, Radiohead
Radiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, formed in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke , Jonny Greenwood , Ed O'Brien , Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway .Radiohead released their debut single "Creep" in 1992...
is alternative, but they're very soulful. And Sheryl Crow
Sheryl Crow
Sheryl Suzanne Crow is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, musician, and actress. Her music incorporates elements of rock, folk, hip hop, country and pop...
, very soulful singer/songwriter. So it's all very soulful, rhythmic pop rock." Shortly after the final track listing was revealed, MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
observed that the word "you" featured prominently in the songs' titles. Clarkson asserted "They're all different 'you's,' There's no common, like, it wasn't like one, I didn't have a bad breakup or anything, it wasn't like that. No I just think life is about relationships, so I always write about all these different ones going on in my life and I don't really have a filter. So it's usually very [straightforward]."
Song structure and lyrical content
The lead single "Mr. Know It AllMr. Know It All
"Mr. Know It All" is a song by American singer-songwriter Kelly Clarkson. The break-up themed song was written by Brian Kennedy, Ester Dean, Brett James, and Dante Jones. It was described as the most different among the singles released by Clarkson...
", written by Ester Dean
Ester Dean
Ester Renay Dean is an American singer and songwriter, and record producer signed to Zone 4 Records/Interscope Records. She is most notable for her dual appearance on Rio: Music From The Motion Picture and her 2009 US hit single "Drop It Low", which featured singer Chris Brown...
, Brian Kennedy
Brian Kennedy (producer)
Brian Kennedy Seals is an American songwriter, record producer and musician from Kansas City, MO. Revered as a piano prodigy, he has been making music tracks since 2001...
and Brett James
Brett James
Brett James Cornelius is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. Signed to Career Records as a solo artist in 1995, James charted three singles and released a self-titled debut album that year...
, is a mid tempo pop song with R&B influences, similar to the songs of her debut album Thankful and was described by critics as a fusion of Bruno Mars
Bruno Mars
Peter Gene Hernandez , better known by his stage name Bruno Mars, is an Filipino-American singer-songwriter and record producer. Raised in Honolulu, Hawaii by a family of musicians, Mars began making music at a young age...
and P!nk
Pink (singer)
Alecia Beth Moore , better known by her stage name Pink , is an American singer-songwriter, musician and actress....
. The song generally features raw vocals of Clarkson, which was not much featured from her previous songs as well as a feature she wanted to showcase for the album. 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...
remarked "Clarkson sasses a controlling man with double-entendres that up her R&B appeal"
Clarkson compared "What Doesn't Kill You (Stronger)" to her 2004 hit single "Since U Been Gone
Since U Been Gone
"Since U Been Gone" is a song written and produced by Max Martin and Lukasz "Dr. Luke" Gottwald for American singer Kelly Clarkson. The song was released as the second single from her second album, Breakaway in the US and Australia and was released as the first single in Europe...
". She remarked "I can't wait to perform that live. It's like this big dance anthem. That'll be the one [that's] kinda like 'Since U Been Gone,' [with] people jumping up and down to [it], and it's just kind of really inspiring, so I can't wait to perform that one." Another song, "You Love Me", which Clarkson wrote following an incident that she thought would break her. "It was probably the most hurt I’ve ever been in my life. But by writing about it, I got to work through it and get it out of my system." Clarkson described the lyrics of the song "You Can't Win" as her favorite, singing the line "If you're thin/Poor little walking disease/If you're thick/They're all screaming obese/If you're straight/Why aren't you married yet/If you're gay/Why aren't you waving a flag."
Release and promotion
In October 2009, Clarkson announced the the album will be released in Fall 2010. In January 2011, Clarkson stated that the album will be released in March 2011. In March 2011, Clarkson announced that the album has been pushed back to September 2011, explaining "I realize that is a long time, but that’s the best time to release it apparently so I’m sorry for the wait, but I promise you it sounds great!" Jerkins told The Hollywood ReporterThe Hollywood Reporter
Formerly a daily trade magazine, The Hollywood Reporter re-launched in late 2010 as a unique hybrid publication serving the entertainment industry and a consumer audience...
that it was a "smart decision", while Claude Kelly remarked that the move could work in her favor, citing "I will say that I'd be willing to bet that the reason it was pushed back was not for anything as horrible or earth-shattering as people think — it's probably (sic
Sic
Sic—generally inside square brackets, [sic], and occasionally parentheses, —when added just after a quote or reprinted text, indicates the passage appears exactly as in the original source...
) a better setup". It was also reported that the delay was caused by the internal restructuring at Sony Music with the former 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...
chairman Doug Morris
Doug Morris
Doug Morris is an American music executive. He is the current Chairman and CEO of Sony Music Entertainment. He previously served as Chairman and CEO of the Universal Music Group from 1995 to 2011.-Life and career:...
entering as its new CEO. On July 2011, several demo songs that Clarkson recorded, ranging from 50 to 70, were leaked
Internet leak
An Internet leak occurs when a party's confidential information is released to the public on the Internet. Various types of information and data can be, and have been, "leaked" to the Internet, the most common being personal information, computer software and source code, and artistic works such...
into the internet, some of which were recorded in 2002 while Clarkson is still recording Thankful
Thankful (Kelly Clarkson album)
-Sales and chart performance:Release of the album was preceded by the single "Miss Independent", which become a top 10 Billboard Hot 100 hit and a #1 top 40 smash. In thanks to the success of the single, as well as buzz from her American Idol win , the album sold well in the United States...
and for Stronger. RCA immediately issued warnings to infringing websites, and leaked tracks were soon removed from such sites. Clarkson, who came after spending a vacation in Tahiti, released a statement, saying "I get back in the States from a vacation and somehow 50 of my songs are leaked on the Internet?! There's no point in getting angry because there's nothing I can do. I can't wait for everybody to hear my actual finished fifth album." In an exclusive interview with Entertainment Weekly, Clarkson responded to the situation,
"Oh my God, have you ever been robbed? I have. I’ve been physically robbed a couple of times, but this is much worse. Those songs came out and people are like, Oh my God, what direction is Kelly going? I think what made me mad was that: People stole from me, everybody had no idea what my next album was going to sound like. That really caused a lot of confusion. Here’s the best part though, nothing that’s leaked is the final version. Those are all demos."
Clarkson then added, "I don’t even have (the full album), by the way, because I’m so freaked out to put it on my computer." Referring to the incident in December 2010 where two hackers from Germany were arrested after stealing songs by international pop artists including Clarkson, Lady Gaga
Lady GaGa
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta , better known by her stage name Lady Gaga, is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, she primarily studied at the Convent of the Sacred Heart and briefly attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts before withdrawing to...
, Ke$ha and Justin Timberlake
Justin Timberlake
Justin Randall Timberlake is an American pop musician and actor. He achieved early fame when he appeared as a contestant on Star Search, and went on to star in the Disney Channel television series The New Mickey Mouse Club, where he met future bandmate JC Chasez...
by accessing their own computers. On August 17, 2011, Clarkson announced the that the album's title will be Stronger, which is set to be released on October 25, 2011. On September 7, 2011, RCA released the album cover and moved up the American release date to October 24, 2011. The deluxe edition of the album will be released simultaneously with the standard edition worldwide. On October 15, the Japanese iTunes Store
ITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
accidentally released the whole album for purchase which was immediately replaced by snippet previews later that day.
Marketing
Clarkson previewed the song "Why Don't You Try" during Muhammad AliMuhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali is an American former professional boxer, philanthropist and social activist...
's "Celebrity Fight Night" charity event in Phoenix, Arizona on March 19, 2011. On August 16 , 2011, RCA announced that they will merge Clarkson's two websites, KellyOfficial.com (Sony Music site) and KellyClarkson.com (Official Fan Club site), in favor for KellyClarkson.com. On August 17, 2011, RCA released press statements for the release "Mr. Know It All", which was released on August 30, 2011, and of Stronger, which is set to be released on October 25, 2011. On September 7, 2011, RCA released the album cover and moved up the release date to October 24, 2011 due to overwhelming demand.
On August 30, 2011, Clarkson hosted a special live webcast on her website to premiere "Mr. Know It All
Mr. Know It All
"Mr. Know It All" is a song by American singer-songwriter Kelly Clarkson. The break-up themed song was written by Brian Kennedy, Ester Dean, Brett James, and Dante Jones. It was described as the most different among the singles released by Clarkson...
." Clarkson began promoting the song worldwide for the first time at the Stars for Free music festival in Berlin, Germany on September 10, 2011. She then performed it on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jay Leno that initially aired from May 25, 1992 to May 29, 2009, and resumed production on March 1, 2010. The fourth incarnation of the Tonight Show franchise made its debut on May 25, 1992, three days following Johnny...
on September 20, 2011, at the iHeartRadio
Iheartradio
iHeartRadio is a Clear Channel Radio network to aggregate local radio brands, personalities and on-demand content. It is best known as a mobile application...
Music Festival in Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
on September 23, 2011, on the Australian television series The X Factor, and at the 2011 NRL Grand Final
2011 NRL Grand Final
The 2011 NRL Grand Final was the conclusive and premiership-deciding game of the NRL's 2011 Telstra Premiership season. It was played between the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles and the New Zealand Warriors on the afternoon of Sunday, 2 October, and it was the first time the two sides have met in a...
at the ANZ Stadium in Sydney, Australia on October 2, 2011 accompanied by three hundred dancers, this marks her first appearance at the event in 8 years since 2003 NRL Grand Final
2003 NRL grand final
The 2003 NRL grand final was the conclusive and premiership-deciding match of the 2003 NRL season. In what was a contest of Sydney's east versus west, defending premiers and match favourites, the Sydney Roosters played against minor premiers and underdogs, the Penrith Panthers...
. On October 5, 2011, Clarkson previewed the final version of "What Doesn't Kill You (Stronger)" and "You Love Me" on her website to positive reviews from music critics. Billboard commented, " The track is a sonic departure from first single "Mr. Know It All," and may give an indication of the range of material on "Stronger." On October 11, 2011, Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
announced that Clarkson will perform select songs from Stronger in a free concert at The Troubadour in Los Angeles on October 19, 2011 to promote the album. Clarkson then promoted the album at the 13th season
Dancing with the Stars (U.S. season 13)
Dancing with the Stars returned for its thirteenth season on September 19, 2011. Carrie Ann Inaba, Len Goodman and Bruno Tonioli returned as the judges, and Tom Bergeron and Brooke Burke Charvet returned as hosts. Twelve couples competed in this season...
of Dancing with the Stars
Dancing with the Stars
Dancing with the Stars is the name of several international television series based on the format of the British TV series Strictly Come Dancing, which is distributed by BBC Worldwide – the commercial arm of the BBC. Currently the format has been licensed to over 35 countries...
on October 18, 2011, Clarkson is also scheduled to perform at the 8th series
The X Factor (UK series 8)
The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. The eighth series began airing on ITV on 20 August 2011. Louis Walsh is the only judge from the previous series to return, as the other three, Simon Cowell, Dannii Minogue and Cheryl Cole, all left to join other...
of British television series The X Factor
The X Factor (UK)
The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. Created by Simon Cowell, it began in September 2004 and is contested by aspiring singers drawn from public auditions. It is the originator of the international X Factor franchise. The seven series of the show to date...
on October 23, 2011, and at the 2011 American Music Awards
American Music Awards of 2011
The 39th American Music Awards was held on November 20, 2011 , at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles . The awards recognized the most popular artists and albums from the year 2011. Nominees were announced on October 11, 2011. The awards ceremony was host-free...
on November 20, 2011.
Clarkson is then scheduled to promote Stronger on The Today Show
The Today Show
Today is an iconic American morning news and talk show airing every morning on NBC. Debuting on January 14, 1952, it was the first of its genre on American television and in the world. The show is also the fourth-longest running American television series...
on October 25 and 27, 2011, The View on October 26, 2011, and at Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jimmy Fallon on NBC. The show premiered on March 2, 2009, as the third incarnation of the Late Night franchise originated by David Letterman....
on October 28, 2011. On October 12, 2011, VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
announced that Clarkson will film VH1 Unplugged: Kelly Clarkson
MTV Unplugged
MTV Unplugged is a TV series showcasing many popular musical artists usually playing acoustic instruments. The show has received the George Foster Peabody Award and 3 Primetime Emmy nominations among many accolades.-Unplugged:...
featuring songs from Stronger on October 27, 2011 which will be broadcast the following month on November 17 and 18. MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
also announced that Clarkson will perform at the MTV O Music Awards
MTV O Music Awards
The MTV Online, Open, Ongoing Music Awards, also known as the OMAs, are one of the major annual awards established by MTV to honor the art, creativity, personality and technology of music into the digital space. It uses a "spinoff" of the VMAs, but using online features, such as Twitter, YouTube,...
on October 31, 2011 which will also include a special tribute performance honoring the Apple
Apple
The apple is the pomaceous fruit of the apple tree, species Malus domestica in the rose family . It is one of the most widely cultivated tree fruits, and the most widely known of the many members of genus Malus that are used by humans. Apple grow on small, deciduous trees that blossom in the spring...
co-founder and former chairman and CEO Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs
Steven Paul Jobs was an American businessman and inventor widely recognized as a charismatic pioneer of the personal computer revolution. He was co-founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of Apple Inc...
.
Singles
The album's lead single, "Mr. Know It AllMr. Know It All
"Mr. Know It All" is a song by American singer-songwriter Kelly Clarkson. The break-up themed song was written by Brian Kennedy, Ester Dean, Brett James, and Dante Jones. It was described as the most different among the singles released by Clarkson...
", premiered on August 30, 2011 during a special live webcast on Clarkson's website, after which the song was immediately sent into radio airplay. The single was released to several countries as a digital download on September 5, 2011. It debuted at number 18 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...
, marking Clarkson's second highest debut on the chart since "Never Again
Never Again (Kelly Clarkson song)
"Never Again" is a song written by American pop rock singer Kelly Clarkson and Jimmy Messer, and is the first single from her third studio album, My December ....
" (2007) debuted at number 8. It then peaked at number 10 on the chart, thus becoming Clarkson's first top ten single since "My Life Would Suck Without You
My Life Would Suck Without You
"My Life Would Suck Without You" is a song performed by American pop rock singer-songwriter Kelly Clarkson. It is the first single from her fourth studio album, All I Ever Wanted. Dr. Luke and Max Martin, writers of her hit "Since U Been Gone", co-produced and co-wrote the song. Claude Kelly also...
" (2009) and her ninth top ten single overall. It also peaked at number 15 on the Billboard Pop Songs and at number 12 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, and number 6 on the Billboard Adult Pop Songs chart. In the United Kingdom, the song debuted at number 6 on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
and peaked at number 4, becoming Clarkson's second highest-charting single and her seventh top ten single on the chart. The song also debuted at number 25 on the Australian Singles Chart
ARIA Charts
The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...
and peaked at number 1 after Clarkson's performance at the NRL Grand Final, earning Clarkson her first number 1 and her highest single in Australia. In South Korea, the song also debuted at the top of the Gaon International chart
Gaon Chart
The Gaon Chart is a national record chart of South Korea. It is complied by the Korea Music Content Industry Association and sponsored by South Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism; with an aim to create a national chart for Korea similar to the Billboard charts and Oricon charts...
.
Other charted songs
"What Doesn't Kill You (Stronger)What Doesn't Kill You (Stronger)
"What Doesn't Kill You " is a song by American pop rock singer Kelly Clarkson. It is the second track from her fifth studio album, Stronger. It was written by Jörgen Elofsson, Ali Tamposi, David Gamson, Greg Kurstin and produced by Kurstin. The song's lyrics mainly explores the themes of empowerment...
" debuted at number 64 at the Billboard Hot 100 with over 40,000 downloads sold. It also debuted at number 64 in Canada and at number 22 in South Korea. All songs from the album debuted on the Gaon International Chart in South Korea. "I Forgive You" debuted at number 1 with 170,655 downloads. "You Love Me" with downloads more than 12,500 at number 45; "Hello" at 46 and 12,227 sales; "Dark Side" at 47 and over 12,000 downloads; "Honestly" less than 12,000 at number 49. "Standing In Front of You" at place 51 and almost 11,500 sold copies; "Breaking Your Own Heart" at 52 and 11,372 downloads; "Einstein" 53, almost 11,000; "Let Me Down" at 60 and more than 10,000 sold copies; "The War Is Over" 65 with almost 10,000 sales and "You Can't Win" at 66 with 9,877 downloads.
Tour
Stronger TourClarkson also stated in interviews that she was developing touring plans to support Stronger, which will begins in North America in January, in which she might release a live album. On November 15, 2011, RCA announced the North American tour dates, which will begin on January 13, 2012 at the MGM Grand Theatre in Mashantucket, Connecticut and will close on April 10, 2012 at the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego, California. Folk rock musician Matt Nathanson
Matt Nathanson
Matt Nathanson is an American singer-songwriter whose work is a blend of folk and rock music. In addition to singing, he plays acoustic and electric guitar, and has played both solo and with a full band. His work includes the platinum-selling song "Come On Get Higher".-Early life and college...
was also announced to be the opening act for the tour.
Critical reception
The album has received generally positive reviews from music critics. At MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, which assigns a weighted mean
Weighted mean
The weighted mean is similar to an arithmetic mean , where instead of each of the data points contributing equally to the final average, some data points contribute more than others...
rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 62, based on 10 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews". Prior to its release, the album was placed on several lists including 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...
s "Fall Albums We Can't Wait to Hear", and 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...
s "Fall Music Preview: The Season's Hottest Albums", and MTV's "Fall albums, in which MTV remarked, "Clarkson's fifth LP promises to be one of the season's highlights." Mikael Wood wrote a positive review for Spin
Spin (magazine)
Spin is a music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione Jr.-History:In its early years, the magazine was noted for its broad music coverage with an emphasis on college-oriented rock music and on the ongoing emergence of hip-hop. The magazine was eclectic and bold, if sometimes haphazard...
, commenting that " Stronger isn't Clarkson's long-promised Nashville album; it mostly sticks to the bright-and-shiny bubble-grunge sound of "Since U Been Gone
Since U Been Gone
"Since U Been Gone" is a song written and produced by Max Martin and Lukasz "Dr. Luke" Gottwald for American singer Kelly Clarkson. The song was released as the second single from her second album, Breakaway in the US and Australia and was released as the first single in Europe...
." But she delivers tunes like "Einstein" and the disco-glam title track with a country singer's earthy conviction." Melissa Maerz 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...
wrote a positive review, remarking that Stronger is Clarkson's older-better-tougher-smarter album, later adding "Best of all is "What Doesn't Kill You (Stronger)," a throbbing glitter-disco tribute to believing that it really does get better. Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
's Allison Stewart wrote that "Clarkson has two moods — scrappy and morose — and “Stronger” works every possible combination of both." And concluded that "it's a good album by a great vocalist who, it’s easy to still hope, is capable of a lot more." Express
Express
-Communication:* Express , a series of Russian communications satellites* Express mail, a postal delivery service* Express , a free daily in Washington, D.C., U.S.* Daily Express, a British newspaper...
's Simon Gage wrote: "[...] her voice is strong while the production is a real bulldozer of sound ploughing through songs that mostly seem to have the gumption to withstand the assault."
Chart performance
On its first week of release in the United Kingdom, Stronger sold 29,233 copies, enough for it to debut at number 5 in the UK Albums ChartUK 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...
, the album's release also catapulted "Mr Know It All" from number 6 to 4, with 53,307 in sales. In Australia, the album debuted at number 3 in the ARIA charts
ARIA Charts
The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...
, which was lower than All I Ever Wanted but higher than My December. In the United States, the album debuted at number 2 on the 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 with 163,000 copies sold, making it the second time Clarkson debuted at the second spot on the chart, the first being My December in 2007. It also became her fifth consecutive album to debut at the top three.
Track listing
(*) denotes co-producer(^) denotes additional producer
The Smoakstack Sessions EP
Clarkson's first EPExtended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
, titled The Smoakstack Sessions, is packaged with the Stronger deluxe editions that are available exclusively on her official music store. It consists of acoustic performances of select album tracks as well as "If I Can't Have You" from All I Ever Wanted
All I Ever Wanted (album)
All I Ever Wanted is the fourth studio album by American pop rock singer-songwriter Kelly Clarkson, released on March 6, 2009 in Australia and Germany and the United States on March 10. It was her second album to debut at #1 on the Billboard 200...
(2009), and a cover version of Bonnie Raitt
Bonnie Raitt
Bonnie Lynn Raitt is an American blues singer-songwriter and a renowned slide guitar player. During the 1970s, Raitt released a series of acclaimed roots-influenced albums which incorporated elements of blues, rock, folk and country, but she is perhaps best known for her more commercially...
's "I Can't Make You Love Me
I Can't Make You Love Me
"I Can't Make You Love Me" is a 1991 popular song, written by Mike Reid and Allen Shamblin and recorded by Bonnie Raitt on her Luck of the Draw album from that year. In August 2000, Mojo magazine voted "I Can't Make You Love Me" #8 on its The 100 Greatest Songs Of All Time list...
"; all of which are recorded at the Smoakstack Studios in Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
.
Track listing
(*) produced by DJ Form and Incorporated ElementsPersonnel
- Credits were lifted from Allmusic and the album's liner notes.
Performance credits
- Chris DeStefano – background vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
- Lauren Christy – background vocals
- Kelly Clarkson – 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...
, background vocals - Kara DioGuardi – vocals
- Jason Aldean – vocals
Visuals and imagery
- Meghan Foley – 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....
, designDesignDesign as a noun informally refers to a plan or convention for the construction of an object or a system while “to design” refers to making this plan... - Peter Butler – hair stylist
- Ashley Donovan – make-up
- Justin McIntosh – 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...
- Harper Smith – photography
- Steph Ashmore – wardrobeWardrobe stylistA wardrobe stylist is the job title of someone who selects the clothing for published editorial features, print or television advertising campaigns, music videos, concert performances, and any public appearances made by celebrities, models or other public figures...
Music credits
- Chris DeStefano – arranger, musician
- Busbee – composer
- Ester Dean – composer
- Jörgen Elofsson – composer
- James Fauntleroy II – composer
- David Gamson – composer
- Alex Geringas – composer
- Andy Gibson – composer
- Oliver Goldstein – composer
- Catt Gravitt – composer
- Jennifer Hanson – composer
- Kyle Jacobs – composer
- Brett James – composer
- Paul Jenkins – composer
- Rodney Jerkins – composer
- Bridget Kelly – composer
- Brent Kutzle – composer
- Danelle Leverett – composer
- Michael Logen – composer
- Robert Marvin – composer
- Bonnie McKee – composer
- Brian Kennedy – composer
- Jason Sellers – composer
- Tom Shapiro – composer
- Livvi Franc – composer
- Alexandra Temposi – composer
- Olivia Waithe – composer
- Felix Bloxsom – composer
- Ryan Williams – composer
- Greg Kurstin – composer
- Toby Gad – composer
- Aben Eubanks – composer
- Josh Abraham – composer
- Andre Lindal – composer
- Lauren Christy – composer
- Kelly Clarkson – composer
Instruments
- Paul Bushnell – bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Tony Lucido – bass
- Thaddaeus Tribbett – bass
- Felix BloxsomFelix BloxsomFelix Bloxsom, was born in Sydney, Australia. He is a professional musician, best known for his drumming and percussion playing.Since completing Jazz studies at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music in 2000, Felix has worked with a diverse group of artists across many styles and genres...
– drums - Greg Kurstin – bass, keyboardsMusical keyboardA musical keyboard is the set of adjacent depressible levers or keys on a musical instrument, particularly the piano. Keyboards typically contain keys for playing the twelve notes of the Western musical scale, with a combination of larger, longer keys and smaller, shorter keys that repeats at the...
- Randy CookeRandy CookeRandy Cooke is an established Canadian drummer, percussionist, session musician, and touring musician.-Biography:Influenced by his drummer father, Cooke picked up the drums as a child, learning and playing as part of a local drum corps before starting his own bands as a teenager...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person .... - Josh FreeseJosh FreeseJosh Freese is an American session drummer and songwriter. He is a permanent member of A Perfect Circle, The Vandals, and Devo, having formerly played drums for Nine Inch Nails from late 2005 until late 2008, and for Guns N' Roses from mid-1998 to 2001. Freese has appeared on close to 300 records....
– drums - Lee Levin – drums
- Miles McPherson – drums
- Frank ZummoStreet Drum CorpsStreet Drum Corps is a punk rock percussion band formed in Los Angeles, California in 2004 by Bobby Alt, of S.T.U.N. and Faculty X, Adam Alt, of Circus Minor, and Frank Zummo, of TheStart. To date the group have released two albums and have been part of tours such as Van's Warped Tour, Taste of...
– drums - Craig Duncan – hammered dulcimerHammered dulcimerThe hammered dulcimer is a stringed musical instrument with the strings stretched over a trapezoidal sounding board. Typically, the hammered dulcimer is set on a stand, at an angle, before the musician, who holds small mallet hammers in each hand to strike the strings...
- Aben Eubanks – 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...
- Kevin DukesKevin DukesKevin Dukes is an American guitarist, born in Brookhaven, Mississippi in 1956.A native of Natchez, Mississippi, Kevin attended The University of Southern Mississippi as a Music Theory and Composition major prior to moving to Los Angeles, California in the late 1970s...
– guitar - Andre Frappier – guitar
- Jerry McPherson – guitar
- Brent Paschke – guitar
- Chris RodriguezChris Rodriguez-Biography:Rodriguez was born on March 7, 1960, in Bronx New York, and moved to Nashville, becoming a veteran of the scene in the early 1990s. His debut album, Beggar's Paradise, was released by Sony in 1999, by which time he had collaborated on projects with country and CCM acts such as Amy Grant,...
– guitar - Dan Warner – guitar
- Phil XPhil XPhilip Xenidis, better known as Phil X , is a Greek-born guitarist and co-founder of the Los Angeles-based turbo pop band Powder. He also has a second band, the Drills. He is best known as the guitarist who replaced Rik Emmett in the Canadian rock band Triumph, for the Edge of Excess album and tour...
– guitar - Dann HuffDann HuffDann Huff is an American musician, session musician, singer-songwriter and producer. For his work as a producer in the Country music genre he has won several awards including the Musician of the Year award in 2001 and 2004 at the Country Music Association Awards and the Producer of the Year award...
– guitar, soloist - Howard Benson – keyboards
- Brian Kennedy – keyboards
- Jason Halbert – keyboards
- Kim Bullard – keyboards
Production credits
- Jeff Aldrich – A&R
- Dante Jones – additional production
- Nathan Yarborough – assistant
- Jimmy Fahey – assistant engineer
- Phil Seaford – assistant engineer
- Greg Kurstin – engineer, 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...
, programmingProgramming (music)Programming is a form of music production and performance using electronic devices, often sequencers or computer programs, to generate music. Programming is used in nearly all forms of electronic music and in most hip hop music since the 1990s. It is also frequently used in modern pop and rock... - Toby Gad – engineer, producer, programming
- Chris DeStefano – engineer, producer, programming
- Marc VanGool – guitar technicianGuitar technicianA guitar technician is a member of a music ensemble's road crew who maintains and sets up the musical equipment for one or more guitarists during a concert tour...
- Chris Gehringer – 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...
- Serban GheneaSerban GheneaSerban Ghenea is a four-time Grammy Award and three-time Latin Grammy Award-winning mixer. He has mixed songs for such artists as Michael Jackson, Justin Timberlake, Usher, Faith Hill, Carrie Underwood, Jewel, Santana, Ozomatli, Shakira, Jill Scott, R. Kelly, Rod Stewart, and Dave Matthews Band...
– 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... - John Hanes – mixing engineerMix engineerA mix engineer, also referred to as "mixing engineer", is a person who, once all instruments, voices, and sounds, etc., have been recorded, creates what is called the final version of a song, hence the term "mix engineer"...
- Lani Crump – production coordination
- Chrys Dye – programming
- DarkchildRodney JerkinsRodney "Darkchild" Jerkins is an American songwriter, record producer, and musician. Jerkins received two Grammy nominations in 2011.-Biography:...
– producer - Michael Knox – producer
- Oligee – producer
- Ester Dean – producer
- Josh Abraham – producer
- Andre Lindal – producer
- Howard Benson – producer, programming
- Brian Kennedy – producer, programming
- Jason Halbert – producer, vocal producer
- Kim Bullard – programming
- Deborah LurieDeborah LurieDeborah Lurie is an American composer, string arranger, and producer from Palto Alto, CA best known for her scores in the films Justin Bieber: Never Say Never, Dear John, and 9. Most recently, Lurie was honored with an ASCAP Film and Television Music Award in June 2011 for a Top Box Office Film...
– string arrangementsStrings (music)A string is the vibrating element that produces sound in string instruments, such as the guitar, harp, piano, and members of the violin family. Strings are lengths of a flexible material kept under tension so that they may vibrate freely, but controllably. Strings may be "plain"... - John Mark PainterJohn Mark PainterJohn Mark Painter is an American musician and songwriter. He is best known for his role, with his wife, singer Fleming McWilliams, in the rock and roll duo, Fleming and John....
– string arrangements, string engineer - Dewain Whitmore – vocal producer
Charts
| Chart (2011) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
3 |
| Austrian Albums Chart Ö3 Austria Top 40 Ö3 Austria Top 40 is the name of the official Austrian singles chart, as well as the radio show which presents it, aired Fridays on Hitradio Ö3. The show presents the Austrian singles, ringtones and downloads chart. It premiered on 26 November 1968 as Disc Parade and was presented by Ernst Grissemann... |
20 |
| Belgian Albums Chart Ultratop Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium, and it is also the name of most of those charts... (Flanders) |
45 |
| Belgian Albums Chart Ultratop Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium, and it is also the name of most of those charts... (Wallonia) |
57 |
| 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... |
4 |
| Dutch Albums Chart | 16 |
| German Albums Chart | 14 |
| Irish Albums Chart Irish Albums Chart The Irish Albums Chart is the Irish music industry standard albums popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on its behalf by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured electronically... |
8 |
| Italian Albums Chart | 68 |
| Japanese Albums Chart Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc... |
59 |
| Mexican Albums Chart | 85 |
| New Zealand Albums Chart | 6 |
| Spanish Albums Chart | 40 |
| Swedish Albums Chart | 39 |
| Swiss Albums Chart | 12 |
| 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... |
5 |
| 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... |
2 |
Release history
| Region | Date | Label | Format | Edition(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | Sony Music Entertainment Sony Music Entertainment Sony Music Entertainment ' is the second-largest global recorded music company of the "big four" record companies and is controlled by Sony Corporation of America, the United States subsidiary of Japan's Sony Corporation.... |
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 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... |
Standard, Deluxe edition | |
| Belgium | ||||
| Ireland | ||||
| Italy | ||||
| Netherlands | ||||
| Norway | ||||
| Singapore | ||||
| Austria | ||||
| Denmark | ||||
| Finland | ||||
| France | ||||
| Greece | ||||
| Hong Kong | ||||
| New Zealand | ||||
| Portugal | ||||
| Poland | Eco, standard, Deluxe edition | |||
| Sweden | Standard, Deluxe edition | |||
| United Kingdom | RCA Records RCA Records RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label... |
|||
| United States | ||||
| Canada | Sony Music Entertainment | |||
| South Korea | ||||
| Spain | ||||
| Taiwan | ||||
| Japan | Sony Music Japan | |||
| Germany | Sony Music Entertainment | |||
| Brazil | Deluxe edition | |||
| Philippines | ||||
External references
- Stronger at MetacriticMetacriticMetacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...