Poundcake (album)

Last updated

Poundcake
Poundcake by Alaska Thunderfuck.jpg
Studio album by
Alaska Thunderfuck
ReleasedOctober 14, 2016 (2016-10-14)
Length40:47
Label Producer Entertainment Group
Producer
Alaska Thunderfuck chronology
Anus
(2015)		Poundcake
(2016)		 Amethyst Journey
(2018)

Poundcake is the second studio album by American drag performer and recording artist Alaska Thunderfuck, released by Producer Entertainment Group on October 14, 2016. The album features RuPaul's Drag Race contestants Adore Delano, Gia Gunn, and Miss Fame, and drag performer Jackie Beat.

Contents

"Puppet" was released as the lead single, and an accompanying music video was directed by Santiago Felipe. Music videos were also created for "The T", which features Adore Delano and other Drag Race competitors Coco Montrese, Katya, Tatianna, and Trixie Mattel, "Stun", which features appearances by Gia Gunn, Courtney Act, and Mariah Paris Balenciaga, as well as "Come to Brazil". Alaska sold dolls of Lil' Poundcake, the character she co-created on the show's fifth season, which served as an inspiration for the album, and toured with a rock music show called Poundcake World Tour. In the United States, the album peaked at number four on Billboard 's Dance/Electronic Albums chart, number three on the Heatseekers Albums chart, and number 28 on the Independent Albums chart.

Composition

The album's title and the song "Puppet" refer to the "foul-mouthed" puppet Lil' Poundcake, a "deranged and angry" beauty pageant "competitor from hell" created by Alaska and Lineysha Sparx on the fifth season (episode "Draggle Rock") of RuPaul's Drag Race; [1] [2] Alaska later dressed like Lil' Poundcake on the second season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars and sold plush dolls of the character. [3] [4]

Adore Delano.jpg
Gia Gunn at West Hollywood Pride by dvsross (cropped).jpg
MJK31642 Miss Fame (Berlinale 2017).jpg
Fellow RuPaul's Drag Race contestants Adore Delano (left), Gia Gunn (center), and Miss Fame (right) are each featured on one of the album's tracks.

Fellow Drag Race contestants Adore Delano, Gia Gunn, and Miss Fame are featured on "The T", "Stun", and "Chicken", respectively. "The T" has been described as a diss track, [1] [5] and features Alaska performing freestyle rap with "some interesting facts about her past relationships, as well as ad-libbing by Adore Delano". [6] According to Gay Star News, "the song addresses a lot of the dirty deets that went down in this past season like Adore Delano's unexpected exit, as well as Alaska's other personal issues such as sobriety, her ex aka drag queen Sharon Needles who's the winner of RPDR Season 4, and her friendship with drag star Willam". [7] "Let's Do Drag" features Hey Qween! 's Lady Red Couture. [8] The song "Race Chaser" inspired Alaska's podcast with Drag Race queen Willam Belli. [5] Jeremy Mikush is featured on the a cappella closing track "It Is What It Is". Mikush had previously worked with Alaska on "Nails" and "Your Makeup Is Terrible" for her debut album Anus (2015), and the duo released their debut studio album Amethyst Journey as Alaska and Jeremy in 2018. [9]

Release and promotion

Coco Montrese (cropped).jpg
Katya Zamolodchikova 3.jpg
Capital Pride Festival DC 2018 (42580856784) (cropped).jpg
Rupaul Dragcon 2018-103 (41175949055) (cropped).jpg
The music video for "The T" features appearances by fellow RuPaul's Drag Race contestants Coco Montrese (top left), Katya (top right), Tatianna (bottom left), and Trixie Mattel (bottom right).

Poundcake was released by Producer Entertainment Group on October 14, 2016. The album was promoted by a music video for the lead single "Puppet", which was released in mid-September. [8] The music video, directed by Santiago Felipe, shows Lil' Poundcake "pulling a Wall Street heist with her cohorts and spitting some hilariously foul lyrics"; according to Billboard magazine's Patrick Crowley, "After losing a beauty pageant of sorts, a crazed Gertrude Poundcakenstein goes on a crime spree. Joined by her sidekicks, Juicy Liu and Chocolate Puddin, she robs a bank and wreaks havoc on Lower Manhattan." [3] Adam Salandra of Logo TV's NewNowNext wrote, "When the puppet with daddy issues loses a beauty pageant to Baby Thunder Thighs in the video, she also loses her mind, transforming into an evil version of Lil' Poundcake before our very eyes. With a freshly painted mug and revenge on her mind, she sets out on a crime spree with tragic results." [8] The video references fellow queen Roxxxy Andrews and features cameos by pornographic film actors Rocco Steele and Boomer Banks. [3] Alaska's friend Nick Laughlin choreographed the video. [1] "Let's Do Drag" was released at the same time as "Puppet". [8]

The music video for "The T" premiered on October 13 and features Drag Race queens Adore Delano, [1] Coco Montrese, Katya, Tatianna, and Trixie Mattel, [7] in a final scene reminiscent of Leonardo da Vinci's 15th-century mural painting The Last Supper . [6] Denver-based Geek Myth Productions directed the video. [10]

Alaska released a music video for "Stun" featuring Gia Gunn and Drag Race queens Courtney Act and Mariah Paris Balenciaga in February 2017. In the video, Alaska and Gia Gunn recreate RuPaul's looks from season 6 and carry large purses as a reference to Bob the Drag Queen. Glenn Garner of Out said of the video: "Sporting their tightest clubbing dresses in the back of a limo, they all pop champagne and play with PayPal. Alaska and Gia eventually adjourn to the streets, where they have a dance-off and hang out in dumpsters with garbage men. There's also the return of a certain hula hoop purse that we'd hoped we'd never see again." [11] NewNowNext's Christopher Rudolph wrote, "Whether they're giving banjee realness in a colorful alley or going full glamazon with Courtney Act in the back of a limo, these girls have never looked better." [12]

In May, Alaska released a commercial for her Lil' Poundcake doll, featuring Drag Race contestants Jiggly Caliente and Raja. [13] Alaska also supported the album with her Poundcake World Tour, a rock music show featuring Jackie Beat as an opening act. [10] In November, a music video for "Come to Brazil" was released; the video was filmed in Brazil and sees Alaska "taking in everything the country has to offer like soccer, colorful outfits and beautiful boys". [14]

Reception

Poundcake debuted in the top five of Billboard's Dance/Electronic Albums and Heatseekers Albums charts. [15] [16] Daisy Jones of Vice said the album "will leave you gagging". [17] Darian Lusk of The New York Observer included "Come to Brazil" in his list of "The Best Songs of 2017 by 'RuPaul’s Drag Race' Contestants". He wrote:

The message of this song is actually pretty straight forward: you should go to Brazil... this Shakira send-up is a winner, with funny spoken word verses and an anthemic chorus that would definitely sound great live. On top of that, this video is a blast, showcasing some iconic outfits from arguably the most famous queen of Drag Race. I love that Alaska can cater to her Latin American fans while putting out universally accessible pop. [18]

Billboard's Patrick Crowley described "The T" as "tea-spilling" and "Minaj-esque". [1] The magazine included "Puppet" in a 2019 list of the "20 Best Songs from 'RuPaul's Drag Race' Queens", saying: "A deliriously upbeat, catchy hook pairs well with the unrepentantly filthy (and hysterical) lyrics on this standout track ... She has a number of excellent songs, but the Lil' Poundcake-inspired 'Puppet' is undeniable." [19]

Track listing

Track listing adapted from AllMusic. [20]

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."The T" (featuring Adore Delano) Tomas Costanza, Paul Coultrup, Ashley Levy, Alaska Thunderfuck3:24
2."Let's Do Drag" (featuring Lady Red Couture)Costanza, Coultrup, Levy, Alaska Thunderfuck2:52
3."Slaytina"Costanza, Coultrup, Levy, Alaska Thunderfuck4:00
4."Stun" (featuring Gia Gunn)Costanza, Coultrup, Levy, Alaska Thunderfuck3:07
5."Puppet"Costanza, Coultrup, Levy, Alaska Thunderfuck3:12
6."O, Brasil..."Jeremy Mark Mikush, Alaska Thunderfuck0:41
7."Come to Brazil"Alaska Thunderfuck3:40
8."Diamond in the Rough"Costanza, Coultrup, Levy, Alaska Thunderfuck3:38
9."High"Costanza, Coultrup, Levy, Alaska Thunderfuck3:18
10."Chicken" (featuring Miss Fame)Costanza, Coultrup, Levy, Alaska Thunderfuck3:03
11."Race Chaser"Costanza, Coultrup, Levy, Alaska Thunderfuck3:46
12."I Invented That" (featuring Jackie Beat)Costanza, Coultrup, Levy, Alaska Thunderfuck3:10
13."It Is What It Is" (featuring Nick Laughlin and Jeremy Mark Mikush)Costanza, Coultrup, Levy, Alaska Thunderfuck2:48
Total length:40:39

Personnel

American record producer Tomas Costanza worked on writing, audio mixing and producing Poundcake. TomasCostanza.jpg
American record producer Tomas Costanza worked on writing, audio mixing and producing Poundcake.

Credits adapted from AllMusic. [21]

Charts

Weekly chart performance for Poundcake
Chart (2016)Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [22] 200
UK Independent Albums Breakers (OCC) [23] 10
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard) [24] 3
US Independent Albums (Billboard) [25] 28
US Top Dance/Electronic Albums (Billboard) [26] 4

Related Research Articles

<i>Beauty Marked</i> 2015 studio album by Miss Fame

Beauty Marked is the debut studio album by American drag queen Miss Fame, released on June 9, 2015, by Sidecar Records. Musically, the album is compiled of pop and dance music, with electronic elements, and features appearances from fellow Drag Race contestants, season five runner-up Alaska Thunderfuck, and season seven winner Violet Chachki.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sharon Needles</span> American drag queen and recording artist

Sharon Needles is the stage name of Aaron Robert Coady, an American drag performer and recording artist. A self-described "stupid genius, reviled sweetheart, and PBR princess", Needles rose to international attention on the fourth season of the Logo reality competition series RuPaul's Drag Race, where she quickly became a fan favorite and was subsequently crowned "America's Next Drag Superstar" in April 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alaska Thunderfuck</span> American drag performer and recording artist

Justin Andrew Honard, best known by the stage name Alaska Thunderfuck 5000 or mononymously as Alaska, is an American drag queen and singer from Erie, Pennsylvania. She is best known as the runner-up on the fifth season of RuPaul's Drag Race and the winner of the second season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laganja Estranja</span> American drag queen

Jay Evan Jackson, known professionally as Laganja Estranja, is an American choreographer and drag queen based in Los Angeles. Laganja competed on the sixth season of RuPaul's Drag Race, finishing in eighth place. She came out as transgender in 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adore Delano</span> American drag performer and recording artist

Dani Noriega, better known under the stage name Adore Delano, is an American drag queen, singer-songwriter, and television personality. She appeared as a contestant on the sixth and seventh season of American Idol in 2008 and later competed as Adore Delano on the sixth season of RuPaul's Drag Race, placing in the final three. She then went on to compete on the second season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars, placing ninth after voluntarily leaving the competition. She has recorded and released three studio albums: Till Death Do Us Party (2014), After Party (2016), Whatever (2017), and one EP Dirty Laundry (2021).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tatianna</span> American drag queen, musician, and reality television personality

Joseph Michael "Joey" Santolini, better known by his stage name Tatianna, is an American drag queen, musician, and reality television personality from Washington, D.C. He is best known for competing on the second season of RuPaul's Drag Race and later the second season of RuPaul's Drag Race: All Stars. She released her debut album, T1, in 2018.

<i>RuPauls Drag Race</i> season 6 Season of television series

The sixth season of RuPaul's Drag Race began airing February 24, 2014. Like the fifth season, the season featured 14 contestants competing for the title of "America's Next Drag Superstar". For the first time in the show's history, the season premiere was split into two episodes; the fourteen queens were split into two groups and the seven queens in each group competed against each other before being united as one group for the third episode.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miss Fame</span> American model, makeup artist, and drag queen

Miss Fame is the stage name of Kurtis Frank Dam-Mikkelsen, a gender fluid American model, makeup artist, drag queen, recording artist and reality television personality best known as a contestant on season 7 of RuPaul's Drag Race. After appearing on the show, Dam-Mikkelsen as Miss Fame launched a music career, releasing their debut single, "Rubber Doll" on April 28, 2015. Their debut album, Beauty Marked, was released on June 9, 2015. Miss Fame appeared in numerous fashion publications.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trixie Mattel</span> American drag queen and musician (born 1989)

Brian Michael Firkus, better known by the stage name Trixie Mattel, is an American drag queen, television personality, and singer-songwriter originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She is known for her exaggerated, high-camp, 1960s-influenced style, distinctive eye makeup, and her blend of comedy, acoustic pop and folk-country music; Mattel sings and plays guitar and the autoharp. In 2015, she competed on the seventh season of the drag reality television competition RuPaul's Drag Race, placing sixth. In 2018, she went on to win the third season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gia Gunn</span> American drag performer (born 1990)

Gia Gunn is the stage name of American drag performer Gia Keitaro Ichikawa. She is known for competing on the sixth season of RuPaul's Drag Race, the second season of The Switch Drag Race, and RuPaul's Drag Race: All Stars season four.

<i>Anus</i> (album) 2015 studio album by Alaska Thunderfuck

Anus is the debut studio album by American drag performer Alaska Thunderfuck, the stage name of Justin Honard. It was released on June 23, 2015, through Sidecar Records and Producer Entertainment Group. After signing a recording contract with Producer Entertainment Group in 2013, Alaska Thunderfuck began planning the album that same year and work continued into 2015. She enlisted a variety of producers for the album, which also features guest vocals from fellow RuPaul's Drag Race contestants: season four's Willam, and season six's Courtney Act and Laganja Estranja.

<i>RuPauls Drag Race All Stars</i> season 2 Season of television series

The second season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars premiered on the Logo network on a new night; Thursday, August 25, 2016. Returning judges included RuPaul, Michelle Visage, with Carson Kressley joining the panel, while the space previously occupied by Ross Mathews was filled by Todrick Hall. Cast members were announced on June 17, 2016. This season featured ten All-Star contestants, selected from the show's second season through to its seventh season, who competed to be inducted into the "Drag Race Hall of Fame".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adore Delano discography</span>

The discography of American drag performer and singer Adore Delano consists of three studio albums, one extended play, thirteen singles, one promotional single, and eleven music videos.

<i>Christmas Queens</i> 2015 compilation album by various artists

Christmas Queens is a Christmas album featuring classic covers and original songs by several of the contestants and fan favorites from the TV series RuPaul's Drag Race. The album was released on November 13, 2015.

<i>After Party</i> (album) 2016 studio album by Adore Delano

After Party is the second studio album from American singer-songwriter and drag queen, Adore Delano. The album was released through Sidecar Records and Producer Entertainment Group on March 11, 2016. It was made available to pre-order on February 18, 2016. The album's lead single, "Dynamite" was released on February 26, 2016 with the song's music video premiering the same day.

<i>Vagina</i> (album) 2019 studio album by Alaska Thunderfuck

Vagina is the third studio album by American drag performer Alaska Thunderfuck, released by Producer Entertainment Group on May 24, 2019. The album's surprise release was announced by Alaska in a television advertisement which aired during the eleventh season of RuPaul's Drag Race. The album's songs were then heavily promoted in her appearance at RuPaul's DragCon LA and during the debut of her new drag pageant. The song "Cellulite" features rapper Big Dipper, and music producers Jodie Harsh and Ellis Miah each contributed to a track. The album reached a peak position of number two on Billboard's Comedy Albums chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The AAA Girls</span> American drag queen supergroup

The American Apparel Ad Girls, commonly abbreviated as The AAA Girls, are a drag queen supergroup composed of Alaska Thunderfuck 5000, Courtney Act, and Willam Belli. On July 7, 2017 they released their debut extended play Access All Areas.

Battle of the Seasons was a drag tour featuring RuPaul's Drag Race contestants produced by Producer Entertainment Group and Sidecar Management, in collaboration with Logo TV and World of Wonder.

Producer Entertainment Group (PEG), also affiliated with Producer Entertainment Group Records (PEGR), is an American talent management firm and production company based in Burbank, California. The group manages LGBTQ+ talent across the globe, including past competitors from the Drag Race franchise.

Lineysha Sparx is the stage name of Andy Trinidad, an Afro–Puerto Rican drag performer who competed on the fifth season of RuPaul's Drag Race.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "'RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars' Winner Alaska Takes Us Behind the Scenes of Her 'Puppet' Video". Billboard . October 14, 2016. Archived from the original on March 27, 2019. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  2. ↑ Elbaz, Yael (2019). "Hieeee Israel! RuPaul's Drag Race Winner Alaska Thunderfuck Took Tel Aviv by Storm". Haaretz . Archived from the original on October 7, 2019. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 Crowley, Patrick (September 16, 2020). "'RuPaul's Drag Race' All-Star Alaska Drops New Music Video for 'Puppet'". Billboard . Archived from the original on March 29, 2019. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  4. ↑ Lil' Poundcake doll:
  5. 1 2 Katz, Evan Ross (May 30, 2019). "How Alaska Thunderfuck Is Creating Safe Spaces for Queens, Femmes, and Everyone". MTV News. Archived from the original on December 14, 2019. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  6. 1 2 Megarry, Daniel (October 14, 2016). "Alaska and Adore Delano spill all The T in new music video". Gay Times . Archived from the original on March 8, 2017. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  7. 1 2 "WATCH: 'All Stars' Season 2 winner Alaska spills all 'The T' in new music video". Gay Star News . October 17, 2016. Archived from the original on July 30, 2019. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Salandra, Adam (September 16, 2016). "Lil' Poundcake Goes on a Crime Spree in Alaska's New Music Video, "Puppet"". NewNowNext. Logo TV. Archived from the original on December 5, 2019. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  9. ↑ Bote, Joshua (August 10, 2018). "Alaska Unveils New Musical Duo Alaska and Jeremy & Album 'Amethyst Journey'". Billboard . Archived from the original on July 6, 2019. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  10. 1 2 Garcia, Keith (May 17, 2017). "A Storm's Brewing: Alaska Thunderfuck Croons About Makeup and, Um, Anuses". Westword . Archived from the original on October 19, 2018. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  11. ↑ "Alaska Thunderf**k & Gia Gunn Teach Us How to 'Stun'". Out . February 24, 2017. Archived from the original on April 4, 2017. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  12. ↑ Rudolph, Christopher. "Watch Alaska and Gia Gunn "Stun" In Fierce New Music Video". NewNowNext. Logo TV. Archived from the original on November 13, 2017. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  13. ↑ "Watch Alaska, Raja & Jiggly's Commercial for Lil' Poundcake Talking Doll: Exclusive". Billboard . May 19, 2017. Archived from the original on November 20, 2017. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  14. ↑ Rudolph, Christopher. "Alaska Wants You to 'Come to Brazil' In Her Vibrant New Music Video". NewNowNext. Logo TV. Archived from the original on November 21, 2019. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  15. ↑ Youtt, Henry (July 11, 2018). "'RuPaul's Drag Race' Queens Who Landed Entries on the Billboard Charts". Billboard . Archived from the original on July 18, 2018. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  16. ↑ Longo, Joseph (July 6, 2018). "How drag queens are paving their own way in the music industry". Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on July 26, 2018. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  17. ↑ Jones, Daisy (November 16, 2016). "This Month's Best Music, Reviewed by Alaska Thunderfuck". Vice . Archived from the original on July 27, 2019. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  18. ↑ Lusk, Darian (December 28, 2017). "The Best Songs of 2017 by 'RuPaul's Drag Race' Contestants". The New York Observer . Archived from the original on November 24, 2018. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  19. ↑ "20 Best Songs From 'RuPaul's Drag Race' Queens". Billboard . June 26, 2019. Archived from the original on November 2, 2017. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  20. ↑ "Alaska Thunderfuck: Poundcake". AllMusic. Archived from the original on June 3, 2020. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  21. ↑ "Aaska Thunderfuck: Poundcake: Credits". AllMusic. Archived from the original on June 3, 2020. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  22. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Alaska Thunderfuck – Poundcake" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 2021-03-24.
  23. ↑ "Official Independent Album Breakers Chart Top 20". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  24. ↑ "Alaska Thunderfuck Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 2019-03-27.
  25. ↑ "Alaska Thunderfuck Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 2019-03-27.
  26. ↑ "Alaska Thunderfuck Chart History (Top Dance/Electronic Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 2019-03-27.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.