Perfectionist (album)

Last updated

Perfectionist
NK Perfectionist.png
Studio album by
Natalia Kills
Released1 April 2011 (2011-04-01)
Studio
Genre
Length50:21
Label
Producer
Natalia Kills chronology
Womannequin
(2008)		Perfectionist
(2011)		 Trouble
(2013)
Singles from Perfectionist
  1. "Mirrors"
    Released: 10 August 2010
  2. "Wonderland"
    Released: 12 April 2011
  3. "Free"
    Released: 24 June 2011
  4. "Kill My Boyfriend"
    Released: 10 January 2012

Perfectionist is the debut studio album by English singer Teddy Sinclair, under the name Natalia Kills. It was released on 1 April 2011 by will.i.am Music Group, Cherrytree Records, KonLive and Interscope Records. Despite having started out as an actress, Sinclair later became a rap artist and released a single in 2005; however, her label went bankrupt. Songwriting remained her principal activity until 2008, when she was signed by will.i.am and started recording the album.

Contents

Sinclair worked with musicians including Fernando Garibay, Jeff Bhasker, and Martin Kierszenbaum, and created a concept album based on perfectionism. Its lyrical content contains references to love, sex, and money, complemented by a sonority rooted in electropop and synth-pop. Perfectionist received mixed reviews from music critics, who asserted that the singer's visual projects were superior to her music. The album performed moderately on international record charts, reaching the top 50 in select European countries. In the United Kingdom and United States, the set attained chiefly low positions; in the latter, it had sold 14,000 copies as of September 2013.

The album spawned four singles—"Mirrors", "Wonderland", "Free" and "Kill My Boyfriend"—which were generally successful in Europe and were accompanied by music videos. "Mirrors" managed to peak within the top five of the US Hot Dance Club Songs. In association with Guillaume Doubet, Kills produced a web series titled Love, Kills xx in order to promote the album, based on her secret thoughts and desires. Consisting of 10 episodes, it features Sinclair seeking revenge and hurting men.

Background

will.i.am, the album's co-executive producer, signed Kills in November 2008 Will.i.am in 2012.jpg
will.i.am, the album's co-executive producer, signed Kills in November 2008

Kills was introduced to singing and dancing at the age of 3, and until she was 12, she studied in the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. Kills initially pursued an acting career, appearing in some TV series including All About Me and The Archers; however, in her hometown of Leeds, she developed an interest in hip hop music. She subsequently entered various rap battles, for which she started writing lyrics, and in 2003, Kills won a BBC Radio 1-sponsored "MC Battle". From there on, she began writing songs for artists and film soundtracks. [1] Kills released her first single on 21 February 2005, titled "Don't Play Nice", under the moniker Verbalicious and with label All Around the World; it peaked at number 11 on the UK Singles Chart. [2] She was also recording for her debut studio album, then-scheduled for an Easter 2006 release. [1] However, the label entered bankruptcy, causing her record deal to be dissolved and the album shelved. [3] [4] Kills continued to work in the music industry, mainly as a songwriter with the alias of Verbz. In 2007, she relocated to Los Angeles; [5] the next year, she lent guest vocals to French artist M. Pokora's song "They Talk Shit About Me", and changed her stage name to Natalia Cappuccini, under which she self-released an extended play (EP) titled Womannequin. [6] [7]

One of Kills' demos, "Shopaholic", was remixed by the Remix Artist Collective. After it was posted in American blogger Perez Hilton's blog, Kills' MySpace received a high number of views, and she reached the top of the social network's unsigned artists chart. [3] While shopping, she was noticed by a man due to her clothing, and gave him her website address; he subsequently introduced her to a DJ, who took Kills to the American musician will.i.am's house. In November 2008, she signed a contract with the latter's record label, then an imprint of Interscope. [8]

Recording

Kid Cudi co-wrote "Free" Global Dance Fest 2011 @ Red Rocks.jpg
Kid Cudi co-wrote "Free"

Kills started to prepare material for Perfectionist after establishing her record deal with will.i.am, who served as an executive producer for the album. [5] During the recording sessions, Kills prominently worked with producers Jeff Bhasker, Fernando Garibay, the album's second executive producer Martin Kierszenbaum, and Theron "The-Ron" Feemster. Akon and Giorgio Tuinfort co-produced "Mirrors" in collaboration with Kierszenbaum. Bhasker was responsible for the entire album's songwriting and engineering, and mixed "Zombie". Feemster and Tuinfort provided instrumentation, along with Zach Kasik, Carlos Keery-Fisher and Robert Horn. More artists including Robert Horn and Tony Ugyal were commissioned for engineering. [3] [9]

Most of Perfectionist's songs were recorded at Cherrytree Recording Studios or Enormous Studios; the latter served as the recording location for songs produced by Bhasker. "Break You Hard" and "Superficial" were produced at the American Dream, while "Wonderland" was produced at that studio and at The Hive. Kills recorded "Love Is a Suicide" and "Broke" at Paradise Studios, "Mirrors" at Chalice Recording Studios, and "If I Was God" at The Boom Boom Room. [3]

Kills described working with will.i.am, "[...] it's almost difficult having a normal conversation with him because he's firing out ideas all the time. [...] His entire life revolves around creativity, and that's something I could really relate to." [10] Kierszenbaum praised Kills' work ethic during the recording sessions, stating that she would focus simultaneously on the melodic and lyrical structure of song, as well as its soundscape. He went on to say that she "influenced the timbre of the sound" and assisted the production as if "she's making a movie." [3]

Composition

I'm sure everyone relates [to the idea of achieving perfection], but emotionally, I may be subject to the darker grasps of it—obsession, doubt, desperation.

—Kills to Elle [11]

Perfectionist is a concept album which focusses on how perfectionism influences Kills. "All the songs revolve around my ambition, celebrations, frustration and disappointments of being a perfectionist", she stated. "I think we're all perfectionists – we're all looking for the best to fulfil our ideologies and dreams." [12] Kills was also inspired by "women's obsession" with fashion in general. [11] She described the album's sound as "dark pop" due to its "opinionated" and "confrontational" lyrics which, according to her, differ from mainstream music. [12] [13] The lyrical content is occasionally comical and uses metaphors frequently. [14]

Perfectionist is an electropop and synth-pop album, characterised by "driving rhythm sections and edgy minor-key melodies". [3] [15] Its opening track, "Perfection", runs for thirty seconds and sees a "robotic-sounding" therapist listing Kills' flaws. [16] "Wonderland", which fantasises about romance and a relationship's "perfect ending", includes synthesizer arrangements and choir sections; [3] [14] [16] the line "Take me to wonderland" is repeated throughout the song. [17] A track including a bassline, piano, club beats and synths, "Free" samples "Wuthering Heights" by Kate Bush. It was written by Kills when she worked as a waitress, and discusses "bailing on a budget". [3] [14] [18] "Break You Hard" is an industrial pop song with "hypnotic rhythms", which talks about "breaking a lover", while "Zombie" incorporates electronic organs and "mumbling bass" in an electronic R&B sound. [14] [16] [17]

"Love Is a Suicide" follows, detailing the "self-destruction" that comes with love, as Kills sings, "It's so surgical, how you dissect every mistake I make, you’re like an animal, you bite me hard". [3] [17] "Disco–pop" track "Mirrors" references sadomasochist sexual practices, while portraying Kills with a dominatrix-like persona; it contains electric guitars, and a bassline which Robert Copsey from Digital Spy compared to that of Eurythmics' "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)". The song's chorus features Kills singing in a falsetto note. [16] [19] Writing for Consequence of Sound, Alex Young opined that the song discusses "the duplicity of identity, hubris, and objectification". [3] [20] "Not in Love" is styled in electronica and influenced by acid house. AllMusic writer Jon O'Brien wrote that it "provides a welcome respite from the album's constant floor-filling leanings". [16]

On "Acid Annie", Kills plots a revenge on an ex-boyfriend, while on the synthpop track "Superficial", she confronts her "consumptive impulses" and appreciation of "finer things." [3] [14] [16] "Broke" sees Kills talking about money; "Nothing Lasts Forever" is a duet with Bhasker, who performs under the alias of Billy Kraven. It was noted by O'Connor for its prominent use of Auto-Tune. [16] [17] Perfectionist closes with "If I Was God", in which Kills asks her partner if he would love her if she were poor. [3] For musicOMH, Blair Kelly likened its chorus' melody to that of Bush's "Running Up That Hill". [17]

Release and promotion

The cover art for Perfectionist, which depicts Kills sitting on an exam chair, with a red cross covering her eyes, was unveiled by Cherrytree on 11 March 2011. [21] In Austria, Germany and Switzerland, the album was released by Universal Music as a CD and digital download on 1 April, [22] [23] [24] while in Poland it was issued on 14 April. [25] The US release proceeded on 16 August, [26] as well as for Canada. [27] That day, Kills performed songs from the album at the New York City-based building Atlas, accompanied by a keyboardist. [28] On 19 September, it was released in the United Kingdom. [29]

Singles and music videos

"Zombie" was selected as Perfectionist's first promotional single, and was released on 21 December 2009. [30] Its music video, which features Kills being tortured in a laboratory, was released on 16 March of the following year. [31] The song was used in the sixth episode of the first season of the Syfy reality television series Face Off , aired 2 March 2011. [32] Despite not having been included in the album, "Activate My Heart" was released as its second promotional single on 13 April 2010, while an accompanying visual was uploaded on 17 December. [33] [34]

"Mirrors" was digitally released as the album's lead single on 10 August 2010, while a CD single was issued six months later in Germany. [35] [36] An accompanying music video was released on 1 December 2010, featuring Kills being dragged into a mirror and subsequently exploring the concepts of vanity, control and sex. [37] The song charted. "Wonderland" followed as the second single from Perfectionist, and was available for purchase on 25 April 2011. [38] It only charted in Austria and Germany, respectively at number 55 and 45. [39] [40] Doubet was commissioned to direct its music video, which sees Kills being forced into a mansion, being fed a cooked heart and ultimately climbing up a table, leading to chaos and violence inside the house. [41]

Selected as the album's third single, a remix of "Free" with guest vocals from will.i.am, was released on 24 June 2011, with an accompanying visual being released ten days later. [42] [43] It obtained top 20 positions in Germany and Austria. [39] [40] A video for "Kill My Boyfriend" was released on 10 January 2012. It was filmed in France, and depicts Kills attempting to murder her boyfriend by drowning him in a tub of milk. [44] [45] Despite not having been released as a single, it peaked at number 19 on the Flanders Ultratip chart. [46]

Love, Kills xx

To promote the album, a web series titled Love, Kills xx was written, produced and directed by Kills and Guillaume Doubet. The episodes feature the former as their protagonist; Akon, Far East Movement and Colette Carr appear as guests. According to Kills, the series are mostly devoid of dialogue in order to center on "emotion and action". She also said that the visuals were an "expression" of her secret thoughts, regrets and desires. Each episode contains an instrumental of a song from Perfectionist, and most videos contain narration from Kills. [47]

Far East Movement appear on the third episode of "Love, Kills xx" 2011 MuchMusic Video Awards - Far East Movement.jpg
Far East Movement appear on the third episode of "Love, Kills xx"

The first episode starts with Kills furiously walking with a revolver in direction of a blonde man; she later ties him up on a bed, as he screams and tries to resist. Kills calls a friend whose name is not revealed, and asks him for help. [48] During the second episode, Kills assassinates another man and takes his photograph; [49] the next episode, she is arrested by a group—played by Far East Movement—who threaten her. She manages to strangle the leader of the group, and later leaves a message for her anonymous friend, warning him that her face is being distributed on wanted posters. [50]

The fourth episode begins with Kills and a man involving in sexual activity. By the morning, the latter wakes up while Kills is asleep, and steals her passport and revolver. Kills is surprised to see that he has left and gets angry after realizing that she was robbed. [51] During the 1970s exploitation film-inspired fifth episode, a victim of Kills denounces her to a detective, revealing that she left him in a desert. [52] [53] In the following episode, Kills runs over the man who robbed her two episodes earlier, with her convertible, and retrieves her passport. [54] As the seventh webisode begins, Kills argues with her new boyfriend, who slaps her. Kills meets with him a week later, telling him that she's not angry, however she hits him with a baseball bat. [55]

In the eighth episode, set in a hotel, Kills wins a checkers game between her and a man—played by Akon—who carries a black box; she exits the hotel carrying the box. [56] The box, which contains a list of men names, is opened by Kills during the penultimate episode. She takes the list and crosses the name "Jeremy" off it. The camera shifts to a field where Kills makes a man jump from a cliff, by playing a game of "cold, warm and hot" with him. [57] The last episode sees Kills and a friend of hers—interpreted by Carr—burning the car of the latter's boyfriend. [58]

Tour

To further promote the album, Kills went on a 58-date promotional tour, starting from 24 June 2011 and concluding on 22 November 2011.

Tour dates

DateCityCountryVenue
Europe [59] [60] [61] [62]
24 June 2011 A ParisFrance Stade de France
25 June 2011 A
26 June 2011 B LondonEnglandDance Village
28 June 2011 A Düsseldorf Germany Esprit Arena
1 July 2011 C LondonEngland Hyde Park
3 July 2011 D Birmingham O2 Academy Birmingham
11 July 2011 D Manchester O2 Apollo Manchester
13 July 2011 D London HMV Hammersmith Apollo
North America [63] [64]
13 August 2011New York CityUnited States Webster Hall
17 August 2011 Miami Mansion
19 August 2011 Atlanta Masquerade Music Park
21 August 2011 E Rosemont Allstate Arena
23 August 2011 E Saint Paul Xcel Energy Center
26 August 2011 San Diego Hard Rock Hotel
28 August 2011 Hollywood Sunset Junction
1 September 2011 E Guadalajara Mexico Telmex Auditorium
3 September 2011 E Mexico City Palacio de los Deportes
5 September 2011 E Monterrey Arena Monterrey
Europe [63] [65]
12 September 2011GermanyBerlinLido
13 September 2011 Cologne Luxor
14 September 2011 Hamburg Knust
16 September 2011Austria Vienna Szene Vienna
17 September 2011Germany Munich Backstage Werk
20 September 2011Switzerland Zürich Plaza
South America [66]
25 September 2011 E São Paulo BrazilChacára do Jockey
27 September 2011 E Buenos Aires Argentina Estadio G.E.B.A.
North America [67]
12 October 2011 F Ft. Lauderdale United StatesCulture Room
13 October 2011 F Orlando Firestone Live
14 October 2011 F Pensacola DeLuna Festival
16 October 2011 F Anaheim House of Blues
18 October 2011 F Salt Lake City In The Venue
19 October 2011 F Denver The Gothic Theater
21 October 2011 F Minneapolis Fine Line Music Cafè
22 October 2011 F Chicago The Vic Theater
23 October 2011 F Cincinnati The Mad Hatter
24 October 2011 F Cleveland The Beachland
26 October 2011 F Toronto Canada The Opera House
27 October 2011 F Montreal Club Soda
29 October 2011 F Quebec City Imperial
30 October 2011 F Boston United StatesRoyale
1 November 2011 F Philadelphia Union Transfer
2 November 2011 F Brooklyn Music Hall of Williamsburg
4 November 2011 F New York City Webster Hall
5 November 2011 F Washington, D.C. Black Cat
7 November 2011 F Atlanta The Masquerade
9 November 2011 F Houston Fitzgerald's
10 November 2011 F Dallas Granada Theater
11 November 2011 F Austin La Zona Rosa
12 November 2011 F El Paso Tricky Falls
13 November 2011 F Tempe Marquee Theater
15 November 2011 F Pomona Glass House
16 November 2011 F Los Angeles The Wiltern
17 November 2011 F San Diego SOMA
18 November 2011 F Ventura Ventura Theater
19 November 2011 F San Francisco The Warfield
21 November 2011 F Seattle Neptune
22 November 2011 F Vancouver Canada Commodore Ballroom

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [16]
AltSounds 54% [68]
Canoe.ca 3/5 [69]
Consequence of Sound D [20]
Digital Spy Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [14]
musicOMH Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [17]

Upon release, Perfectionist received mixed reviews from music critics. Jon O'Brien from AllMusic summarised it as "formulaic and gimmicky", and observed that the music was secondary to Kills' attempts of establishing a mature image. [16] AltSounds staff member Jack Stevin deemed it "disappointing" and unfocused, writing that Kills was not in control of the album and that she had an "air of pretension around" her. Stevin additionally said that Kills was stronger as a "visual artist". [68] Darryl Sterdan of Canoe.ca rated Perfectionist with three out of five points. Comparing it to the music of Lady Gaga, Kesha and Robyn, he opined, "Guess that's why it's not called Innovator." [69] Writing for Consequence of Sound, Alex Young noted that Kills expressed herself better as a musician through music videos, and surmised that "not all the songs on Perfectionist hit their mark". [20] Digital Spy's Lewis Corner described it as "finely tailored" and "exciting", and gave it four stars out of five. [14] musicOMH writer Blair Kelly characterised the album as imperfect, "uninspired, unoriginal and obvious" while negatively comparing it to the works of American singer Lady Gaga. [17]

In Europe, the album achieved moderate chart success. On the chart issue dated 1 October 2011, it entered the UK Albums Chart at number 129. [70] In Austria and Canada, the album respectively reached number 35 and 36, while on the German and Swiss charts, it peaked at numbers 50 and 94. [71] [72] [73] Perfectionist managed to top the US Heatseekers Albums chart and reach number six on the Dance/Electronic Albums chart, despite entering the main Billboard 200 chart at number 134. [74] [75] [76] By August 2013, it had sold 14,000 copies in the United States. [77] In Canada, the album reached number 36. [72] Kills credited the success of the album and its singles with changing her life, commenting, "I had nowhere to live, [...] got on a plane to LA and then two years later I had sold over 800,000 singles. I wrote 14 songs and that's what happened? [...] I would never have thought this. I would have probably thought I was dead by now." [15]

Kills discussed Perfectionist during 2013 interviews. She revealed that after having lived a deplorable life in London, her ambitions and dreams influenced the album's lyrics. "I was not as aware of... how I was", she stated. "I almost had a bit of fear where everybody wants to be loved, everybody wants to be understood in a way that's not full of judgment or blame. So I put all of myself into the album and then [kept] bits out." [77] That year, Corner hailed Perfectionist as "one of the most underrated pop collections in recent memory", and Idolator's Sam Lansky opined that although it had "killer" choruses, the album suffered from excessive similarities to other artists. [15] [78]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Perfection" Natalia Kills Martin "Cherry Cherry Boom Boom" Kierszenbaum 0:32
2."Wonderland"
Feemster3:31
3."Free"
  • Bhasker
  • Dion "No I.D." Wilson [a]
3:57
4."Break You Hard"
  • Kills
  • Feemster
Feemster4:22
5."Zombie"
  • Kills
  • Bhasker
Bhasker3:19
6."Love Is a Suicide"
Garibay3:57
7."Mirrors"
  • Akon
  • Tuinfort
  • Kierszenbaum
3:16
8."Not in Love"
  • Kills
  • Kierszenbaum
Kierszenbaum3:23
9."Acid Annie"
  • Kills
  • Kierszenbaum
Kierszenbaum3:37
10."Superficial"
  • Kills
  • Feemster
Feemster3:17
11."Broke"
  • Kills
  • Garibay
  • Warren
4:08
12."Heaven"
  • Kills
  • Bhasker
Bhasker4:49
13."Nothing Lasts Forever" (featuring Billy Kraven)
  • Kills
  • Bhasker
Bhasker3:30
14."If I Was God"
  • Kills
  • Feemster
Feemster4:43
German iTunes Store bonus tracks [79]
No.TitleLength
15."Mirrors" (Live at The Cherrytree House)3:45
16."Zombie" (Kleerup Remix)4:02
17."Mirrors" (Tonka Dynamix Remix)5:41
18."Mirrors" (Live at The Cherrytree House) (video)3:47
US and Canadian edition [26] [27]
No.TitleLength
1."Wonderland"3:31
2."Free" (featuring will.i.am)4:28
3."Break You Hard"4:22
4."Zombie"3:19
5."Love Is a Suicide"3:57
6."Mirrors"3:16
7."Acid Annie"3:37
8."Superficial"3:17
9."Broke"4:08
10."If I Was God"4:43
US and Canadian iTunes Store bonus track [80] [81]
No.TitleLength
11."Free"3:57
US and Canadian iTunes Store deluxe edition [82] [83] / UK edition [29] [84]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Perfection"  0:32
2."Wonderland"  3:31
3."Free" (featuring will.i.am)  4:28
4."Kill My Boyfriend"
  • Caldera
  • Carret
  • Kills
  • Tony Ugyal
3:31
5."Break You Hard"  4:22
6."Zombie"  3:19
7."Love Is a Suicide"  3:57
8."Mirrors"  3:16
9."Not in Love"  3:23
10."Acid Annie"  3:37
11."Superficial"  3:17
12."Broke"  4:08
13."Heaven"  4:49
14."Nothing Lasts Forever" (featuring Billy Kraven)  3:30
15."If I Was God"  4:43
iTunes Store bonus track
No.TitleLength
16."Free"3:57

Notes

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Perfectionist. [9]

Musicians

  • Natalia Kills – vocals
  • Dr. Orton – voice (track 1)
  • Robert Horn – guitars (track 2)
  • "The-Ron" Feemster – guitars (track 2); all other instruments (tracks 2, 4, 10, 14); background vocals (tracks 2, 10, 14)
  • Carlos Keery-Fisher – guitars (tracks 4, 10)
  • Zach Kasik – guitars (track 4)
  • Giorgio Tuinfort – all instruments (track 7)
  • Martin "Cherry Cherry Boom Boom" Kierszenbaum – all instruments (tracks 7–9); background vocals (track 8)
  • Heather Kierszenbaum – 911 operator (track 9)
  • Jeff Bhasker – vocals (track 13)
  • Christopher Simila – background vocals (track 14)
  • Kristle Simila – background vocals (track 14)

Technical

  • Martin "Cherry Cherry Boom Boom" Kierszenbaum – production (tracks 1, 7–9); recording (track 1); vocal production (track 11); executive production
  • Robert Orton – mixing (tracks 1–4, 6–14); vocal production (track 11)
  • "The-Ron" Feemster – production (tracks 2, 4, 10, 14)
  • Zach Kasik – recording (tracks 2, 4, 10, 14)
  • Robert Horn – recording (track 2)
  • Jeff Bhasker – production, recording (tracks 3, 5, 12, 13); mixing (track 5)
  • Dion "No I.D." Wilson – co-production (track 3)
  • Anthony Kilhoffer – recording (tracks 3, 13)
  • Fernando Garibay – production, recording (tracks 6, 11)
  • Akon – production (track 7)
  • Giorgio Tuinfort – production (track 7)
  • Mark "Exit" Goodchild – recording (track 7)
  • Tony Ugyal – recording (tracks 7–9, 11); vocal production (track 11)
  • Gene Grimaldi – mastering
  • will.i.am – executive production

Artwork

Charts

Chart (2011)Peak
position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) [71] 35
Canadian Albums ( Billboard ) [72] 36
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [85] 50
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [73] 94
UK Albums (OCC) [70] 129
US Billboard 200 [76] 134
US Top Dance/Electronic Albums (Billboard) [75] 6
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard) [74] 1

Release history

RegionDateFormat(s)EditionLabelRef.
Austria1 April 2011Standard Universal [22]
FranceDigital download [86]
Germany
  • CD
  • digital download
 [23]
Switzerland [24]
Poland13 May 2011CD [25]
Australia9 August 2011 [87]
Canada16 August 2011 [27]
Digital download
  • Standard
  • deluxe
 [80] [82]
United StatesCDStandard [26]
Digital download
  • Standard
  • deluxe
 [81] [83]
United Kingdom19 September 2011
  • CD
  • digital download
Standard Polydor [29] [84]

Notes

  1. ↑ Tracks 1 and 7–9
  2. ↑ Tracks 2, 4 and 10
  3. ↑ Track 2
  4. ↑ Tracks 3, 5, 12 and 13
  5. ↑ Tracks 6 and 11
  6. 1 2 Track 7
  7. ↑ Track 14

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"Mirrors" is a song by the English recording artist Natalia Kills from her debut studio album, Perfectionist (2011). It was released by Cherrytree Records on 10 August 2010 as the lead single from the album. The track was written and produced by Akon, Giorgio Tuinfort and Martin "Cherry Cherry Boom Boom" Kierszenbaum, with additional writing from Kills. Described as a "disco pop" song, "Mirrors" contains references to various themes including sexual sadomasochism and arrogance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wonderland (Natalia Kills song)</span> 2011 single by Natalia Kills

"Wonderland" is a song by English singer Natalia Kills from her debut studio album, Perfectionist (2011). Written by Kills, Michael Warren and "The-Ron" Feemster, and produced by Feemster, the song was released as the album's second single on 12 April 2011. It was featured in the 2011 romantic fantasy film Beastly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Free (Natalia Kills song)</span> 2011 single by Natalia Kills featuring will.i.am

"Free" is a song by English recording artist Natalia Kills from her debut studio album, Perfectionist. Written by Kills, Jeff Bhasker, Kid Cudi and No I.D., produced by Bhasker. Lyrically, the song discusses materialism, consumerism, and obsessions with glamour and wealth. It was released digitally in Europe and the US as the album's third single in June 2011. The song was released as the second single in the UK on 11 September 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Teddy Sinclair discography</span>

English singer Teddy Sinclair has released two studio albums, one extended play (EP), and ten singles as an artist, as well as eight as a featured artist. She began her musical career by releasing a standalone single, entitled "Don't Play Nice", under the alias of Verbalicious, with label All Around the World. Although the song reached number eleven in the United Kingdom, the label went bankrupt shortly after the song's release. In 2008, Sinclair collaborated with French recording artist M. Pokora in the song "They Talk Shit About Me", as Verse. Sinclair later changed her stage name to Natalia Cappuccini and released the extended play Wommanequin independently.

<i>Dirty Bass</i> 2012 studio album by Far East Movement

Dirty Bass is the fourth studio album by American hip hop group Far East Movement, released through Cherrytree Records and Interscope Records on June 12, 2012. Despite having two top 40 hit singles, the album received mixed success worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Goldie Boutilier</span> Musical artist

Goldie Boutilier, is a Canadian singer, songwriter, model and DJ.

"A Simple Motion" is a song by Russian recording group t.A.T.u., taken from their re-release of their debut English studio album 200 km/h in the Wrong Lane (2002). The song was written by Mars Lasar, Ivan Shapovalov, Martin Kierszenbaum, Valery Polienko, while the production was handled by Trevor Horn.

<i>Trouble</i> (Natalia Kills album) 2013 studio album by Natalia Kills

Trouble is the second studio album by English singer Teddy Sinclair under the name Natalia Kills. It was released on 3 September 2013 by Cherrytree Records through will.i.am Music Group and Interscope. Recording for the album started in early 2012 and took place in Los Angeles and New York. During that time, Sinclair was accompanied by producers including Jeff Bhasker, who served as Trouble's executive producer and handled the production, instrumentation and songwriting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saturday Night (Natalia Kills song)</span> Natalia Kills single

"Saturday Night" is a song recorded by English singer-songwriter Natalia Kills for her second studio album, Trouble (2013). It was exclusively released to online media retailers as the album's second single on 28 June 2013, following the release of the promotional single "Controversy" and the album's lead single "Problem". Written by American record producer Jeff Bhasker and Kills, the song faces the themes of "squandered youth and disenchantment", and talks about moving on while going through a difficult time. Musically, it is a new wave-tinged, synth-based song.

"Outta Time" is a song recorded by English singer-songwriter Natalia Kills for her second studio album, Trouble (2013). Musically, it is a retro pop soul-tinged song that recalls Phil Spector's catalog, complete with guitar riffs and supporting vocals while its lyrics tell a sad love story. It was unveiled on August 26, 2013 through a newsletter, and was later released on September 3, 2013 on iTunes as the album's second promotional single.

"Trouble" is a song recorded by English singer and songwriter Natalia Kills for her second studio album of the same name (2013), appearing on it as its closing track. The song's lyrics were written about bad behavior and trouble, while musically, "Trouble" is a midtempo '90s-esque pop rock number that emulates arena rock. The overall sound of the song was praised by contemporary music critics, who also highlighted its placement on the album track listing.

"Holy Water" is a song recorded by American singer and songwriter Madonna for her thirteenth studio album, Rebel Heart (2015). The song was written by Madonna, Martin Kierszenbaum, Natalia Keery-Fisher, Mike Dean, Kanye West and Tommy Brown. It was produced by Madonna, Dean and West, with Charlie Heat serving as co-producer. The demo of "Holy Water" leaked on to the internet in late December 2014 and the final version leaked in February 2015, a month prior to the album's release. "Holy Water" is an electronica and technopop song, and it features minimalist bass stutter, ricocheting synths and "martial beats" in its instrumentation.

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