how i'm feeling now | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 15 May 2020 | |||
Recorded | 2017 ("party 4 u" first version); 6 April – 8 May 2020 | |||
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Genre | ||||
Length | 37:00 | |||
Label | ||||
Producer |
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Charli XCX chronology | ||||
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Alternative cover | ||||
Singles from how i'm feeling now | ||||
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how i'm feeling now is the fourth studio album by English singer Charli XCX,released on 15 May 2020. Released eight months after her previous LP, Charli (2019),the album was conceived in the span of six weeks during the COVID-19 lockdown in a "do it yourself" collaborative process with her fans. Charli XCX,A. G. Cook and BJ Burton served as the album's executive producers. [1]
how i'm feeling now was preceded by the singles "forever","claws" and "i finally understand",which were met with positive reviews from critics. The album received critical acclaim and was noted for its fusion of pop songwriting and experimental electronic production. It debuted at number 33 on the UK Albums Chart,moving 2,145 units. [2] It was shortlisted for the 2020 Mercury Prize. [3]
On 13 September 2019,Charli XCX released her third studio album, Charli . To celebrate the one month anniversary of Charli,Charli XCX announced that the album would not receive a deluxe edition and that she already began work on a new project. [4] Soon after,on 24 November 2019,Charli XCX announced on Twitter that she was planning to record two new albums in 2020,with plans to release both by 2021. [5] On 18 March 2020,in response to the COVID-19 pandemic,Charli XCX began a self-isolating livestream series featuring artists such as Diplo,Clairo and Rita Ora. [6]
External videos | |
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"how i'm feeling now" Announcement Zoom,via YouTube |
On April 3,2020,a PDF file containing album details was allegedly leaked on Reddit and LanaBoards. [7] [ better source needed ] It was initially perceived as a prank,but it gained validity when the file was the first hint of the album title,and Charli and Atlantic Records retweeted the image of the file after it was released by FckyeahCharli on Twitter.
On 6 April 2020,Charli XCX announced through a public Zoom call with fans that she would be working on a new album in self-isolation,with the tentative title how i'm feeling now. [8] In the call,Charli XCX stated "The nature of this album is going to be very indicative of the times just because I'm only going to be able to use the tools I have at my fingertips to create all music,artwork,videos everything." [8] The entire project would be collaborative with her fans,using Zoom calls to share demos and text conversations with producers and ask fan input on single releases,song ideas,and artwork. [9] She also said in the stream that A. G. Cook and BJ Burton were among the people she was working with. [10] During the Zoom announcement,Charli XCX set a release date of 15 May 2020. [8] [9]
On 30 April 2020,Charli XCX announced on Twitter the song titles that were currently considered for the track list and that the yet unreleased fan-favorite "party 4 u" would be on the album as well. [11] The full tracklist and album cover were revealed on 13 May 2020,prior to the album's release.
This is Charli XCX's "quarantine album." Due to the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic,she recorded the entire project inside her house,with the support of her friends and producers online. Lyrically,Charli referred to this album as her "most optimistic project to date," and she has asked fans to submit her beats and assist her with other projects. She has also indicated that she will be livestream her production process for anyone who wants to watch. [12] On April 7,Charli stated that the album's tone and much of the lyrics will be about her relationship with her then-boyfriend Huck Kwong. On May 13,Charli discussed the album on Instagram,writing:
"I can’t believe How I'm Feeling Now is out this Friday!! this whole process has been so incredible &I’m so happy you’ve all been such a crucial part of the creative process! co-writing verse 2 of “anthems”on insta live,making the “forever”video together from all your amazing clips,your green screen versions of “claws”,the remixes &edits you made using the stems I dropped (&playing them on my Apple Music show!),deciding which photos to use as a basis for the artworks,collecting your own amazing artworks you’ve been making,helping me with production decisions &so much more... i couldn’t have made this album without you! howimfeelingnowinbox@gmail.com has been bombarded with wild beats,artwork &ideas &it’s been so inspiring going through it all. I’ve discovered FARCE,Whyetc,BVXTR,Jikuroux &so many new and v talented producers/writers. i’ve also been lucky enough to collaborate with visual artists like Naked Cherry,Polygon 1993 &lots of others. This process has introduced me to new work &I’m so grateful for that. [...] I can’t believe this album is nearly out! We did it! 🤍".
An electronic pop, [13] experimental pop [14] [15] and hyperpop album, [16] [17] how i'm feeling now is a continuation of the signature sound Charli XCX has specialized in since the 2016 release of EP Vroom Vroom ,in which she embraced the futuristic pop music of Sophie and other musicians related to the PC Music label, [18] [14] [19] a style that has been variously referred to as "bubblegum bass" and as the previously mentioned "hyper-pop". [20] [21] [22] [23] Kitty Empire of The Guardian described the album's music as "acrylic,outre,influencer club-pop," which "aggressively foregrounds its own artifice." [24] Variety 's Jem Aswad characterised the production as "a shape-shifting mesh of shimmering synthesizers,driving bass,hard beats,swarms of voices and crashing mechanical sounds." [14] Although it is characterised as a formal album,critics have noted that how i'm feeling now is closer in style to her 2017 mixtapes Number 1 Angel and Pop 2 ,as it is looser and more experimental than her self-titled album. [14] [25] Charli XCX herself has described the album as "Pop 2's frantic emo younger sister." [26] Writing for Paste ,Austin Jones felt:"Though the glitchy sound art and experimental edges of Pop 2 are missed,Charli deftly revives the techniques of the '90s Eurotrance scene that proved formative for her musical development." [27]
On April 10,Charli uploaded additional song samples for the album dubbed "claws","enemy","7 years",and "detonate". She then asked through Twitter which of those four songs she should release,and announced that "claws" won and will be released next week. The song was released on April 23. On the same day (April 10th),she released a new episode of her radio show,The Candy Shop,in which she played two new demos,the first being "Breathe Out," and the other being an unnamed demo called "KM TM Demo" with production by Sega Bodega,the song is speculated to be called "Asleep". On April 15,she uploaded a picture of different music plans,such as writing over a Palmistry beat (working title as "where u at",ended up being "i finally understand"),a Sega Bodega beat,an A.G. Cook one,as well as a Dylan Brady and Nico one. Nömak was also on the list but erased out.
On 7 April 2020,Charli shared snippets of a song called "forever" on social media. On 9 April 2020,she announced that "forever" would be released as the lead single off the album at 11:30 PM PST and premiere on the BBC Radio 1 with Annie Mac podcast. The official artwork for "forever" was created by American artist Seth Bogart. Two additional artworks were also released for "forever",by French artist Regards Coupables and American singer-songwriter Caroline Polachek,respectively. [28] [29] The official music video for "forever",featuring clips sent in from fans,was released on 17 April 2020. [30] On 11 April 2020 she announced that she had chosen the next single,to be titled either "claws" or "i like". [31] On 14 April 2020 she announced that she had settled on "claws" as the song title. [32] The official music video for "claws" was remotely directed and edited by Charlotte Rutherford,and featured Aitchison's boyfriend Huck Kwong. It premiered on 1 May 2020. [33] On 2 May 2020,Charli unveiled that she would release a third single before the album release titled "i finally understand" the following week. [34] It premiered on 7 May 2020. [35] On the day of the album's release,"enemy" was released as a promotional single from the album. [36]
In August 2021,Charli announced three special shows,branded the 'How I'm Feeling Now Tour'. The singer visited Los Angeles on 27 September 2021,at The Masonic Lodge;New York City on 1 October 2021,at La Poisson Rouge;and her home of London on 24 October 2021,at Lafayette. [37]
Aggregate scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AnyDecentMusic? | 7.9/10 [38] |
Metacritic | 82/100 [39] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [13] |
Clash | 9/10 [40] |
Crack | 8/10 [41] |
The Daily Telegraph | [42] |
DIY | [43] |
The Guardian | [24] |
The Independent | [25] |
NME | [19] |
Pitchfork | 7.7/10 [44] |
The Times | [45] |
how i'm feeling now received critical acclaim. At Metacritic,which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications,the album received an average score of 82,based on 16 reviews. [39]
Neil McCormick gave the album a perfect 5-star rating in his review for The Daily Telegraph ,opining that it "has a directness,immediacy and intimacy that has eluded her before," [42] while The Fader 's Salvatore Maicki called it "indisputably cohesive and honest" in its exploration of emotional extremes. [46] Hannah Mylrea of NME called it a "glorious,experimental collection" and praised Aitchison's "knack for a killer pop hook" despite the "crunching production." [19] Similarly, Clash journalist Megan Warrender commended her "futuristic,unpredictable sound and penchant for an irresistible pop hook" as well as her display of "tenderness and vulnerability." [40] Tom Hull gave the album a B-plus and said that recording at home due to quarantine "doesn't allow her the usual kitchen sink pop production,but she cranks the synths up loud enough it doesn't matter." [47]
Critics have linked the album title's and track listing's all-lowercase stylization to the collaborative and low-budget conditions that surrounded the album's creation,with Alex Szeptycki of The Arts Fuse noting that the typography contributed to a sense of the album's "DIY homeyness", [48] and Heather Phares of AllMusic writing that the use of lowercase "captures the frozen-in-time yet fleeting feel of quarantine life". [49] Likening Charli XCX's use of lowercase to that of Ariana Grande,Lana del Rey,and Taylor Swift,Kitty Grady of Vice calls lowercase type a "shorthand for authenticity and vulnerability" on the Internet that allows artists to "connect with and be authentic to their audiences". [50]
The album was shortlisted for the Mercury Prize in 2020,losing to Michael Kiwanuka's Kiwanuka . [51] [52]
Retrospectively,in April 2022,Clash's Ruby Carter characterized the album as a "relic of an era",a "masterpiece of vulnerability" and a "sign of the times". [53]
Publication | List | Rank | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
Billboard | Billboard's 50 Best Albums of 2020 –Mid-Year | — | |
Consequence of Sound | Top 50 Albums of 2020 | 18 | |
Crack | The Top 50 Albums of 2020 | 9 | [56] |
Exclaim! | 33 Best Albums of 2020 So Far | 22 | |
Gigwise | The Gigwise 51 Best Albums of 2020 | 30 | |
Gorilla vs. Bear | Gorilla vs. Bear's Albums of 2020 | 24 | |
The Guardian | The 50 Best Albums of 2020 | 33 | |
The Line of Best Fit | The Best Albums of 2020 Ranked | 3 | |
NME | The 50 Best Albums of 2020 | 24 | |
NPR | The 50 Best Albums of 2020 | 50 | |
Paste | Paste's 25 Best Albums of 2020 –Mid-Year | 20 | |
Pitchfork | The 50 Best Albums of 2020 | 48 | |
The Quietus | Quietus Albums Of The Year 2020 | 71 | |
Rolling Stone | Rolling Stone's 50 Best Albums of 2020 –Mid-Year | — | |
Sputnikmusic | Top 50 Albums of 2020 | 1 | |
Stereogum | Stereogum's 50 Best Albums of 2020 –Mid-Year | 8 | |
The 50 Best Albums of 2020 | 19 | ||
Uproxx | The Best Albums of 2020 So Far | 14 | |
The Best Albums of 2020 | 28 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "pink diamond" | 2:04 | ||
2. | "forever" |
|
| 4:03 |
3. | "claws" |
| Brady | 2:29 |
4. | "7 years" |
|
| 3:15 |
5. | "detonate" |
|
| 3:39 |
6. | "enemy" |
| Burton | 3:43 |
7. | "i finally understand" |
|
| 2:31 |
8. | "c2.0" |
| Cook | 3:40 |
9. | "party 4 u" |
| Cook | 4:56 |
10. | "anthems" |
|
| 2:51 |
11. | "visions" |
|
| 3:49 |
Total length: | 37:00 |
Notes
Musicians
Technical
Chart (2020) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australian Albums (ARIA) [73] | 37 |
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [74] | 106 |
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [75] | 100 |
Irish Albums (OCC) [76] | 27 |
Japan Download Albums ( Billboard Japan ) [77] | 82 |
Lithuanian Albums (AGATA) [78] | 64 |
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) [79] | 40 |
Norwegian Vinyl Albums (VG-lista) [80] | 27 |
Scottish Albums (OCC) [81] | 8 |
UK Albums (OCC) [82] | 33 |
US Billboard 200 [83] | 111 |
Chart (2024) | Peak position |
---|---|
Croatian International Albums (HDU) [84] | 40 |
Greek Albums (IFPI) [85] | 33 |
Region | Date | Format | Label |
---|---|---|---|
Various | 15 May 2020 | ||
18 September 2020 |
Charlotte Emma Aitchison, known professionally as Charli XCX, is an English singer and songwriter. Born in Cambridge and raised in Start Hill, Essex, Charli XCX began posting songs on Myspace in 2008 before entering the London rave scene. She signed a recording contract with Asylum Records in 2010, releasing a series of singles and mixtapes throughout 2011 and 2012. She later featured on "I Love It" with Swedish duo Icona Pop, with the song becoming her first number-one in the UK and receiving global success. Her debut studio album, True Romance (2013), was released to positive reviews but failed to meet commercial expectations.
"I Love It" is a song by Swedish synth-pop duo Icona Pop featuring vocals from British singer Charli XCX. It was released as a single in May 2012 as a digital download in Sweden, where it peaked at number two on the singles chart. The song was added to their debut studio album, Icona Pop, as well as their EP Iconic and their debut international album, This Is... Icona Pop. "I Love It" was written by Charli XCX, Patrik Berger, and Style of Eye, with production handled by the latter two.
True Romance is the debut studio album by English singer Charli XCX. It was released on 12 April 2013 by Asylum and Atlantic Records. Originally scheduled for release in April 2012, the album's release was delayed for a full year and had been in the making since early 2010 when Charli met with producer Ariel Rechtshaid in Los Angeles. To promote the album's release, Charli embarked on a three-day UK promotional tour in April 2013.
English singer Charli XCX has released six studio albums, five mixtapes, three extended plays, one live album, one soundtrack album, one remix album, two DJ mixes, 48 singles, and 13 promotional singles. In 2007, XCX began recording her debut album on a loan granted by her parents. Titled 14, after her age at the time, it received only a restricted public release. Two singles, "!Franchesckaar!" and double A-side "Emelline" / "Art Bitch", were released in late 2008 under Orgy Music. In June 2012, Charli XCX released her first mixtape, titled Heartbreaks and Earthquakes, a one-track file consisting of eight songs. A second mixtape, titled Super Ultra, was released in November of the same year. Charli XCX's major-label debut studio album, True Romance, was released in April 2013, and peaked at number 85 on the UK Albums Chart. While failing to appear on any main album charts internationally, the album reached number five on the Heatseekers Albums chart in the United States and number 11 on the ARIA Hitseekers chart in Australia. The album spawned five singles—"Stay Away", "Nuclear Seasons", "You're the One", "You " and "What I Like". In 2012, Charli XCX was featured on Icona Pop's song "I Love It", which peaked at number one in the UK and reached the top 10 in various countries including the US, Canada, Ireland and Germany.
Sucker is the second studio album by English singer Charli XCX, released on 15 December 2014 by Asylum and Atlantic Records. The album was met with positive reviews from critics, praising its throwback style, and ended up being included on many year-end lists for best albums of 2014. Sucker spawned the singles "Boom Clap", "Break the Rules", "Doing It" and "Famous".
Sophie Xeon, known mononymously as SOPHIE, was an English music producer, songwriter, and DJ. Her work is known for its brash take on pop music and is distinguished by experimental sound design, "sugary" synthesized textures, and incorporation of underground dance styles. It would help pioneer the 2010s hyperpop microgenre.
Alexander Guy Cook is an English music producer and the head of the now-closed UK record label PC Music. Cook released his first solo singles in 2014. He has also collaborated with PC Music artists such as Hannah Diamond, GFOTY, Finn Keane, Danny L Harle and Felicita. He formed the one-off project QT with musician Sophie and performance artist Hayden Dunham, producing the 2014 single "Hey QT".
Vroom Vroom is the second extended play (EP) by English singer Charli XCX, released on 26 February 2016 by Vroom Vroom Recordings. It features production work from English producer Sophie.
Number 1 Angel is the third mixtape by English singer Charli XCX, released on 10 March 2017 by Asylum Records. The mixtape contains ten tracks and was created in Los Angeles as a collaboration with producer A. G. Cook, the founder of PC Music. Several other producers associated with the label also contributed to the mixtape, including Sophie, who previously produced Charli XCX's extended play Vroom Vroom. Musically, it has been labeled as avant-pop and electropop.
Pop 2 is the fourth mixtape by English singer Charli XCX, released on 15 December 2017 by Asylum Records. Executively produced by A. G. Cook of PC Music, sessions for the mixtape began several months before its release and featured a wide variety of guest contributions. The mixtape was backed by its only single "Out of My Head" featuring Alma and Tove Lo, released exactly one week before its release.
Charli is the third studio album by English singer Charli XCX. It was released through Asylum and Atlantic Records UK on 13 September 2019. Charli was preceded by the singles "1999" with Troye Sivan, "Blame It on Your Love" featuring Lizzo, and "Gone" with Christine and the Queens. Charli was also promoted by the promotional singles "Cross You Out" featuring Sky Ferreira, "Warm" featuring Haim, "February 2017" featuring Clairo and Yaeji, and "2099" also featuring Sivan. Musically, it has been described as avant-pop, electropop, futurepop, and hyperpop.
"Gone" is a song by British singer Charli XCX and French singer Christine and the Queens. It was released on 17 July 2019 as the third single from Charli XCX's third studio album Charli. The music video was released alongside the track.
"Click" is a song by English singer Charli XCX featuring German singer Kim Petras and Estonian rave rapper Tommy Cash from Charli XCX's third studio album Charli (2019).
"Forever" is a song written and recorded by British singer Charli XCX from her fourth album, How I'm Feeling Now (2020). Charli XCX produced the song with A. G. Cook and BJ Burton, and it was released on 9 April 2020, by Atlantic as the lead single from the album. "Forever" is a pop, synth-pop, and psychedelic song that features dark wave and electronic influences.
"Claws" is a song by English singer-songwriter Charli XCX. It was released as the second single from her fourth studio album, How I'm Feeling Now, on 23 April 2020. Like the previous single, "Forever", the song has three official cover artworks, designed by Timothy Luke, Naked Cherry and Sara Cwynar. "Claws" was named one of the best songs of 2020 by NME and Rolling Stone.
"I Finally Understand" is a song by British singer Charli XCX, released on 7 May 2020 as the third single from her fourth studio album, How I'm Feeling Now. As with all previous singles from the album, three official covers were released for the song. The song was first announced on Charli XCX's Twitter on 2 May 2020.
English producer A. G. Cook has released three studio albums, one remix album, one mixtape, one extended play and 15 singles. In 2012, Cook released the classical style piano album Disklavier Concert 1, with fellow labelmate Danny L Harle, Spencer Noble and Tim Phillips, under the moniker "Dux Consort". In 2013, Cook released the album Lifestyle with labelmate Danny L Harle, under the moniker "Dux Content". He also released his debut EP Nu Jack Swung. Cook would not release a full-length solo project until 2020, where he released his two debut studio albums, 7G and Apple.
"Spinning" is a song by Filipino recording artist No Rome, English musician Charli XCX and band the 1975. The song was written by Andrew Wyatt, Charli XCX, No Rome and the 1975 members Matty Healy and George Daniel, while the production was handled by the latter three. It was released as a standalone single by Dirty Hit on 4 March 2021. Creation of the song began in 2018 when the producers developed its chorus, beat and production. Charli XCX received the song the following year, writing and recording her portion in one night. The singer later recorded vocals with Healy and Daniel in Sydney, while the song was completed remotely in early 2021.
Crash is the fifth studio album by English singer Charli XCX, released on 18 March 2022. It was her last album to be released under her record contract with Asylum Records. Charli announced the album title, release date, and artwork on 4 November 2021. Her website was also updated with information about the album's 2022 tour. The album was preceded by the four singles "Good Ones", "New Shapes" featuring Christine and the Queens and Caroline Polachek, "Beg for You" featuring Rina Sawayama, "Baby" and two promotional singles, "Every Rule" and "Used to Know Me", the latter released as the fifth single in April 2022.
Brat is the sixth studio album by English singer Charli XCX, released through Atlantic Records on 7 June 2024. It features production by Charli XCX, her longtime executive producer A. G. Cook, Finn Keane, Cirkut, her partner George Daniel, and others. The album draws influence from the 2000s English rave music scene, with a more aggressive club sound than her previous album, Crash (2022).
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