Heartbreaker | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | 27 November 2020 | |||
Recorded | November 2020 | |||
Genre | Dance-pop | |||
Length | 30:12 | |||
Language |
| |||
Label | Global | |||
Producer | ||||
Inna chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from Heartbreaker | ||||
|
Heartbreaker is the seventh studio album by Romanian singer Inna. It was released for streaming [B] to YouTube and SoundCloud by Global Records on 27 November 2020, and was issued to fellow platforms and released for digital download a week later under the same label. An EDM, Middle Eastern and Latin-influenced dance-pop release, the album was preceded by Inna's retransition to the EDM genre following the release of Yo (2019), her experimental and gypsy-inspired sixth studio album.
Heartbreaker was created over the course of three weeks in a mansion where Inna resided with Romanian songwriters and producers Sebastian Barac, Marcel Botezan, David Ciente, Alexandru Cotoi and Minelli. To document the progress made on what was initially planned to be an extended play (EP), Inna uploaded daily YouTube vlogs that constituted the first season of her Dance Queen's House series. However, the EP was ultimately scrapped after the creation of over 50 songs to choose from. Heartbreaker was aided by the release of two singles—"Flashbacks" and "Maza". [A] The former reached number one in Russia's radio ranking, and the top ten in Romania, Bulgaria, Ukraine and the Commonwealth of Independent States.
Inna released her sixth studio album Yo in May 2019, which was jointly distributed by Global Records and Roc Nation. [3] [4] Containing songs written solely in Spanish, the singer took the entirety of creative control over the album and worked extensively with Romanian producer David Ciente. Inna described Yo's material as experimental and gypsy-influenced, marking a departure from her previous EDM work. [5] [6] [7] [8] With the release of "Bebe" in November 2019, [9] Inna's fourth number one on the native Airplay 100 chart, [10] she retransitioned to the EDM genre; it was the first in a string of several non-album singles. [11] [12] [13] [14]
Heartbreaker was created during a three-week period in November 2020 at a rented Bucharest mansion with two recording studios, in which Inna resided with Romanian songwriters and producers Sebastian Barac, Marcel Botezan, Ciente, Alexandru Cotoi and Minelli. Inna documented the progress made during daily vlogs on her YouTube channel—which constituted the first season of her series called Dance Queen's House—that ran from 3 to 21 November 2020. The record was initially supposed to be an extended play (EP) released on 20 November 2020. [15] [16] [17] [18]
Inna's 19 November 2020 vlog featured Romanian singer Antonia, which prompted InfoMusic writer Raluca Chirilă to speculate that Heartbreaker included a collaboration between Inna and the singer. [19] On the same occasion, Inna confirmed that the project had been expanded to a studio album and postponed to 27 November, with over 50 songs having been created to choose from. [20] A Zoom party was held during Inna's vlog on 21 November 2020 for fans to listen to demo versions of the chosen songs for the album; the tracks went on to be finished as well as mixed and mastered the following week. [21] [22]
"Madja Jadja", a demo of what later became "Maza Jaja", was uploaded to SoundCloud on 22 November 2020. [23] Inna revealed the album's final title, Heartbreaker, and a preliminary tracklist through Instagram posts on 27 November. [24] [25] On the same date, the album was issued for streaming [B] to YouTube and SoundCloud, with its release to fellow platforms and for digital download following on 4 December 2020. [26] [27] [28] Global Records handled the release process, and additionally issued all 10 songs on Heartbreaker as promotional singles on 4 December. [29]
Bradley Stern of MuuMuse called Inna a "solid supplier" and "damn prolific", praising her decision to issue a completely new body of work with Heartbreaker and not stretch it out by not adding the previously released non-album singles to its tracklist. Stern further applauded the album's release strategy as a "power move", and jokingly concluded: "[The album] came right after [ Spotify's] #Wrapped2020 happened. I will be launching a Change.org petition to have Spotify recount the votes immediately." Running for approximatively 30 minutes, Heartbreaker consists of EDM, Middle Eastern and Latin-influenced dance-pop songs that are written in both English and Spanish. The album opens with the Arabic music and reggaeton-inspired "Maza Jaja" [30] and "One Reason", with Stern commenting that the latter is "bound to be on heavy rotation at my Russian barbershop in Midtown that solely blasts deep house dance hits". [26] [31]
Dance-Charts' Manuel Probst commended Heartbreaker as "top notch" and singled out "Flashbacks" as his favorite track, noticing "atmospheric" sounds, a piano loop and slap bass in its composition. [32] The "drama[tic]" song is followed by "Beautiful Life", which Stern compared to material released by Danish singer Medina. The Spanish-language "label brag" "Gucci Balenciaga" includes the explicit lyrics "me importa una mierda" (Spanish: "I don't give a shit"), [31] and is followed by the title "Heartbreaker", which InfoMusic's Alex Stănescu picked as the album's highlight, noticing its oriental influences as well as the use of a synthesizer and vocal chopping. [26] While Stern likened "Sunset Dinner" to American recording artist Britney Spears' "Change Your Mind (No Seas Cortes)" off her 2016 studio album Glory , he praised "Thicky" as "stand[ing] out above the rest". Seeing it as a "hypnotic dance floor anthem" and "a spiritual successor" to American singer Dev's "In the Dark" (2011), the writer noted "award-worthy lyricism that would make someone like Nadia Oh proud", including lines such as "He likes the kitty, I dog with it" and "Go down, stay there... don't move..." [31]
On 20 January 2021, "Flashbacks" was serviced to Romanian radio stations as the lead single of Heartbreaker; [1] the song was also aided by a music video released that month. [33] Upon entering the Shazam chart in Russia, [34] "Flashbacks" experienced commercial success on the radio ranking in the region, as well as in those of Romania, Bulgaria, Ukraine and the Commonwealth of Independent States, peaking at numbers one, four, seven, nine and two, respectively. [35] [36] [37] [38] [39] After performing "Maza Jaja" live on Selly Show, the Artist Awards and Untold Festival in December 2020, [40] [41] [42] Inna released a marginally remastered version of the song—titled "Maza"—as the album's second single on 11 June 2021 alongside a music video. [2] [43] Other renditions of "Maza" include French lines from Black M and the contribution of Thutmose, respectively. [44] [45]
All tracks lyrics written by Elena Alexandra Apostoleanu (Inna) and Luisa Luca whereas musical composition was done by producers Alexandru Cotoi, Sebastian Barac, Marcel Botezan and David Ciente. Additionally, Nicole Ariana provided additional lyrics "You and I" and "Thicky", while Andrés Alcaraz provided additional lyrics on "Gucci Balenciaga". [46]
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Maza Jaja" | 3:20 |
2. | "One Reason" | 3:08 |
3. | "Flashbacks" | 2:57 |
4. | "Beautiful Lie" | 3:00 |
5. | "Gucci Balenciaga" | 2:50 |
6. | "Heartbreaker" | 3:00 |
7. | "Sunset Dinner" | 2:52 |
8. | "You and I" | 2:46 |
9. | "Thicky" | 3:04 |
10. | "Till Forever" | 3:10 |
Total length: | 30:12 |
Region | Date | Format | Label | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
Various [B] | 27 November 2020 | Streaming | Global | |
4 December 2020 | Digital download | |||
Elena Alexandra Apostoleanu, known professionally as Inna, is a Romanian singer. Born in Mangalia and raised in Neptun, she studied political science at Ovidius University before meeting the Romanian trio Play & Win and pursuing a music career. She adopted the stage name "Alessandra" and a pop-rock style in 2008; later that year, she changed her stage name to "Inna" and began releasing EDM, house and popcorn music. "Hot" (2008), her debut single, was a commercial success worldwide and topped the Romanian and Billboard's Hot Dance Airplay chart, among others. Her debut studio album of the same name followed in August 2009 and was certified Gold and Platinum. It featured several other successful singles in Europe, including "Amazing" (2009), the singer's second number-one single in Romania.
"Love" is a song recorded by Romanian singer Inna for her debut studio album, Hot (2009). It was released as the second single from the record on 16 February 2009. Written and produced by Play & Win members Sebastian Barac, Radu Bolfea and Marcel Botezan, "Love" is an EDM and house track. Its lyrics revolve around the potential complications related with love. The song was described as containing high-pitched vocals by one reviewer, as well as compared to the work of English rock band New Order. Another critic foresaw the single to be commercially successful.
"10 Minutes" is a song recorded by Romanian singer Inna for her debut studio album, Hot (2009), featuring Romanian trio Play & Win. It was released as the fifth and final single from the record on 25 January 2010. Written and produced by Play & Win members Sebastian Barac, Radu Bolfea and Marcel Botezan, "10 Minutes" is a synth-pop and electropop track stylized to fit the style of music consumed in the United States. Its style was also regarded as a departure from her past work by both Inna and one critic.
Romanian singer Inna has released eleven studio albums, three compilations, 62 singles and 51 promotional singles. Her YouTube channel surpassed three billion total views as of May 2019. 24 of her singles have reached the top ten in Romania, with "Hot", "Amazing", "Diggy Down", "Bebe", "Up" and "Tare" topping the country's singles chart in 2008, 2009, 2015, 2020, 2021 and 2022, respectively. With global album sales of four million copies from her first three studio albums, Inna is the best-selling Romanian artist.
"Sun Is Up" is a song recorded by Romanian singer Inna for her second studio album, I Am the Club Rocker (2011), and also included on several versions of her debut album Hot (2009). Written and produced by Play & Win members Sebastian Barac, Radu Bolfea and Marcel Botezan, the song was released in October 2010 as the first single from I Am the Club Rocker. "Sun Is Up" is a rave pop track, and was compared to Sabrina's "Boys " (1987) by one reviewer.
Romanian singer Alexandra Stan has released five studio albums, a reissue album, three extended plays, one compilation album, two video albums, two remix albums, 47 singles and 11 promotional singles. Stan's career began in 2009, when music producers Marcel Prodan and Andrei Nemirschi heard her singing at a karaoke bar and signed her to their label, Maan Studio. That same year, she released the promotional song "Show Me the Way". Her debut single, "Lollipop " (2009), reached number 58 in Romania.
"Be My Lover" is a song recorded by Romanian singer Inna for the deluxe edition of her third studio album, Party Never Ends (2013). It was released on 26 July 2013 through Roton. The track was written by Uli Brenner, Lane McCray, Gerd Amir Saraf and Melanie Thornton, with production handled by Afrojack and METI. Musically, "Be My Lover" encompasses dubstep, electro dance, club and house genres, sampling the 1995 song of the same name by La Bouche, for which Brenner, McCray, Saraf and Thornton received writing credits.
"In Your Eyes" is a song recorded by Romanian singer Inna for her third studio album, Party Never Ends (2013). It was released on 3 November 2013 through Roton, featuring the vocal collaboration of Puerto Rican reggaeton performer Yandel. The track–recorded at the Rokstone Studios–was written by Steve Mac, Yandel and Ina Wroldsen, while production was solely handled by Mac. Musically, "In Your Eyes" is inspired by Latin music and encompasses a hip hop style because of Yandel's contribution.
"Cola Song" is a song recorded by Romanian recording artist Inna for Body and the Sun (2015), the Japanese counterpart of her fourth studio album Inna (2015), and the American counterpart of her third studio album, Party Never Ends. It was made available for digital download on 15 April 2014 through Atlantic Records, which was the result of the singer signing a record deal with the label earlier that year. Initially planned to be named "Soy Latinna", the recording contains guest vocals from Colombian reggaeton performer J Balvin, who wrote and produced the song along with Andrew Frampton, Breyan Isaac, Thomas Joseph Rozdilsky and Andreas Schuller. The single is musically an electro house, electronic and Latin track which incorporates saxophone and horn in its instrumentation, and elements from Inna's previous collaboration with Schuller on "Piñata 2014" (2013).
"We Wanna" is a song by Romanian singers Alexandra Stan and Inna, the first single from Stan's third studio album, Alesta (2016). Featuring the vocal collaboration of Puerto Rican performer Daddy Yankee, it was made available for digital consumption on 8 June 2015 through Roton, Fonogram and Global Records. The track was written by Ramon Ayala, Jacob Luttrell, Andreas Schuller and Thomas Troelsen, while being produced by Schuller and Troelsen. Musically, "We Wanna" is a dance-pop song inspired by 90s electro music and Paul Johnson's "Get Get Down" (1999), whose lyrics delve on themes such as enjoyment and partying. It was solely intended for Inna, but it was then offered to Stan in order to relaunch in the music industry.
Inna is the fourth studio album recorded by Romanian singer Inna. It was released on 30 October 2015 by Warner Music, while a Japanese version of the record titled Body and the Sun was made available on 23 July 2015 by Roton and Empire Music. The singer collaborated with various producers on the album, including The Monsters and the Strangerz, Axident, Play & Win and Thomas Troelsen. Its material includes multiple genres, such as dance-pop, deep house, electro house, electropop and Latin.
"Bop Bop" is a song recorded by Romanian singer Inna for her eponymous and fourth studio album (2015) and its Japanese counterpart, Body and the Sun (2015). Featuring the vocals of American recording artist Eric Turner, it was made available for digital consumption on 14 July 2015 through Roton and Empire Music. The recording was written by Sebastian Barac, Carl Bjorsell, Marcel Botezan, Julimar J-Son Santos, Thomas Troelsen and Eric Turner, while production was handled by Bjorsell, Troelsen, Turner and Play & Win. A dance-pop track, "Bop Bop" was described as a departure from the singer's previous work.
Party Never Ends is the third studio album recorded by Romanian singer Inna, released on 4 March 2013 by Roton, and re-issued on 14 October 2014, by Atlantic Records in the US. The singer collaborated with several producers on the record, including DJ Frank E, Orange Factory, Steve Mac, Lucas Secon, DJ Smash and Play & Win. Party Never Ends has been described as approaching dance music and its subgenres, with influences varying from Latin, hip hop and house to electropop, salsa and dubstep. The Times of India gave the album a mixed review; while commending some tracks, other were deemed passable or mediocre.
Nirvana is the fifth studio album by Romanian singer Inna. It was released on 11 December 2017 by Global Records and UMG in a partnership with supermarket chain Lidl. For this record, she collaborated with multiple producers, including Marcel Botezan, Sebastian Barac, Thomas Troelsen, Alex Cotoi and Vlad Lucan. It was entirely recorded at the studios of Global Records in Bucharest, Romania. Nirvana has been described as a pop album, with influences varying from electronic dance music (EDM), reggaeton and R&B to Latin, club and tropical music.
"Nirvana" is a song recorded by Romanian singer Inna for her fifth studio album of the same name (2017). It was made available for digital download on 28 November 2017 by Global Records, as the record's third single. The track was written by Inna and Thomas Troelsen, while production was handled by Sebastian Barac, Marcel Botezan, David Ciente, Vlad Lucan and Troelsen. Musically, "Nirvana" is a Latin-influenced club song, featuring a rap delivered in Spanish during its drop.
"Not My Baby" is a song by Romanian singer Inna, released for digital download as a single by Global Records on 3 April 2020. It was composed by Inna alongside Lara Andersson, Michelle Buzz, Junior Oliver Frid, and Fridolin Walcher, while the latter received credit as a producer under his stage name of Freedo. The song was noted as being a hi-NRG-inspired dance-pop, deep house, EDM and Europop track, as well as a departure from the experimental and gypsy music-influenced sound of Inna's Spanish studio album, Yo. Inna had already retransitioned to a more electronic production prior to the song with "Bebe" in 2019. The lyrics of the former delve on a toxic relationship with a selfish and untruthful partner.
Alexandru Cotoi is a Romanian composer, producer and disc jockey signed by Global Records. Over the years, he has worked with several high-profile singers including Delia, Irina Rimes, Inna and Alexandra Stan. Under the pseudonym Sickotoy, he released the commercially successful songs "Addicted" and "You Don't Love Me" in 2019 with Minelli and Roxen, respectively, which reached the top three on the Romanian Airplay 100 chart.
"Flashbacks" is a song recorded by Romanian singer Inna for her seventh studio album, Heartbreaker (2020). It was written by Inna and Minelli alongside its producers Sebastian Barac, Marcel Botezan, David Ciente and Alexandru Cotoi. On 20 January 2021, the song was serviced as the lead single of the album to Romanian radio stations. An electropop and EDM-inspired electro dance and dance-pop track, it is driven by a piano loop and slap bass. Lyrically, the song talks about a woman struggling to let go of her love interest who is far away.
Champagne Problems is the eighth studio album by Romanian singer Inna. It was released in two parts, Champagne Problems #DQH1 and Champagne Problems #DQH2, that were made available for digital download and streaming through Global Records on 7 January and 11 March 2022, respectively. Recording sessions took place in late 2021 for both releases and was completed in 16 days in a mansion Inna resided in with several Romanian songwriters and producers; such as Sebastian Barac, Marcel Botezan, David Ciente, Alexandru Cotoi, Minelli, Moa Pettersson Hammar and Gustav Nyström. The first release has been described as a primarily dance-pop record that encompasses Latin pop and reggaeton influences.
"Up" is a song recorded by Romanian singer Inna. Global Records sent it to Romanian radio stations on 21 October 2021. Another version of the track with Jamaican rapper Sean Paul was issued on 17 December 2021. "Up" was written by Inna, Sebastian Barac, Marcel Botezan, Alex Cotoi and Minelli, while the production was handled by Barac, Botezan and Cotoi; Paul received additional writing and production credits on his version. "Up" is a dancehall-influenced pop song, with its lyrics describing a healing love.