Paradise is the debut album by American singer Kaci Battaglia. It was first released in the United Kingdom on June 12,2001. In 2002,the album was re-released with the title I'm Not Anybody's Girl.
Selling nearly 10,000 copies in its first week,[failed verification] the album debuted at number 47 on the UK Albums Chart.[2] To date the album has sold nearly 100,000 copies in the UK,but only around 20,000 more internationally. It included several successful singles,including the title track and a cover of "I Think I Love You".
Background
At age 11,Battaglia independently released A Thousand Stars,an album that was produced by her mother,Donna. A portion of the proceeds from A Thousand Stars were donated to a housing project. Battaglia began looking for a recording contract when she was eleven years old,due to the success of her independent album.
She caught the eye of record producer Joel Diamond,who used his own money to record her. After Battaglia was turned down by over 20 record labels with the demo "Paradise",Mike Curb called Joel Diamond months after receiving the recording and told him that he wanted to sign Kaci to Curb Records.
Composition
Paradise is a teen-pop album with influences from dance-pop and Latin music. Many critics[who?] have noted the lack of originality in the music,comparing her to many other artists at the time,such as Mandy Moore and Britney Spears,noting similarities with Spears' debut album,...Baby One More Time. The album's lyrical content mainly deals with love and relationships,from the perspective of a teenage Battaglia. Like most teen pop albums released in the 1990s and early 2000s,the lyrics deal mainly with themes such as love,break-up,desire and joy.
Singles
"Paradise" was released as the album's lead single on February 26,2001.[1] The single became a major hit for Battaglia in the UK,peaking at number 11 on the UK Singles Chart and spending 29 non-consecutive weeks[failed verification] on the chart.[2]
"Tu Amor" was released as the first promotional single on September 23,2001,accompanied by a music video. Despite only being a promotional single,it became her second Top 40 hit in the UK,peaking at number 24.[2]
"I Think I Love You" was released as the official second and final single from the album,and became her biggest hit to date in the UK,peaking at number 10 on the official UK singles chart.[2]
"Intervention Divine" was another promotional single,released on January 2,2002. Unlike its three predecessors,it did not receive a music video. It became Battaglia's first single to fail to chart in the UK.
"I'm Not Anybody's Girl" was the album's final single,and the sole single promoting the re-release. It peaked at number 55 in the UK.[2]
Promotion
Following the release of "I Think I Love You",in 2002,Kaci appeared as the opening act for boy band O-Town on certain dates of their tour in the UK and US. During a stop on the tour in Tampa,Florida,Kaci made an appearance on WFLZ-FM on August 25,2001,where she gave an in-studio performance. During "ESPN's Super Bowl Halftime Show" in January 2002,the music video for her single "Paradise" was played for the audience on the big screen,which provided major promotion.
Pepsi sponsored a promotional tour on which Battaglia performed free concerts in shopping malls across ten states during the summer of 2002. On January 1,2003,Battaglia performed her single "I'm Not Anybody's Girl" at the Capital One Bowl Halftime Show.
Critical reception
The album has received positive reviews,mainly commenting on Battaglia's vocal abilities and the lyrical content of the album,with some critics even saying that the album's lyrics enlightened them on the feelings and emotions of teenagers. Other critics,however,found the album clichéd,and considered Battaglia similar to the majority of pop artists at the time.
Re-release
The album was re-released the following year as I'm Not Anybody's Girl,with two additional tracks:the new title track,which was released as a single,and a Spanish version of "Paradise".[3]
Despite attempts to promote the album,it failed to chart in the UK. However,the single "I'm Not Anybody's Girl" did have some success on the UK Singles Chart,peaking at number 55. It would be her last single to chart in that country,before Kaci broke out in the US.
I'm Not Anybody's Girl served as Kaci's debut album outside of the UK. After the single of the same name had some success on the US Pop stations,the album was expected to be a hit for Battaglia. However,the album failed to chart on the US Billboard 200,nor any other charts worldwide.
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