So Good is the second studio album by Swedish singer and songwriter Zara Larsson. It was released on 17 March 2017 by TEN Music Group and Epic Records. The album was Larsson's first album in nearly three years, following her debut studio album 1 (2014), and her first album to be released internationally. Recording sessions with a handful of producers for the album began in 2015 and concluded in early 2017.
The album's launch date was pushed back multiple times before it was ultimately released in March 2017. So Good was supported by seven singles; "Lush Life", "Never Forget You" with MNEK, "Ain't My Fault", "I Would Like", "So Good" featuring Ty Dolla $ign, "Don't Let Me Be Yours" and "Only You". "Lush Life", "Never Forget You" and "Ain't My Fault" all charted on the US Billboard Hot 100. To further promote the album, Larsson made several television appearances as well as live performances, embarking on the So Good World Tour from October 2017 to March 2018.
So Good received generally positive reviews from music critics upon its release, who complimented the album's production and Larsson's vocal performance. It debuted and peaked at number 26 on the US Billboard 200 and charted at number one in Sweden, number two in Norway and number seven on the UK albums chart. The album also charted within the top-ten in Ireland, Australia, the Netherlands, Finland, Denmark and New Zealand, as well as reaching the top 20 in fifteen other countries.
Background and recording
In a late 2015 interview with Idolator, Larsson confirmed that she worked with American producer Dr. Luke on So Good, however, his work did not appear on the final cut of the album.[1] During an interview with Billboard in 2016, Larsson confirmed that she collaborated with members of Max Martin's production circle on the project, clarifying that while she did not work with Martin himself, she recorded with his "really good" team. She highlighted her repeated collaborations with MNEK and expressed particular enthusiasm for the Monsters & Strangerz, whom she said she "love[s] [...] so much". Larsson also cited contributors such as R. City and Justin Tranter, characterising the sessions as being surrounded by "super talented people", many of whom, she noted wryly, had recently written chart-topping material and therefore "had something to brag about".[2]
In Entertainment Weekly, Larsson explained that decisions regarding producers, specific tracks, and even the album title were still unresolved, describing them as "the last thing" she intended to finalise. She admitted that she did not actively seek out well-known producers, saying she was "so bad at that" and cared less about a collaborator's résumé than their personal chemistry, emphasising she prioritised a "nice vibe" over past chart success. While many of the producers she worked with had major pop credentials, she was often drawn to "the next big thing".[3] During an interview with Digital Spy, she confirmed that each song on the album was written and produced by a different production team.[4] In November 2016, she revealed that the album had been finished, saying the album contains "too many good songs" while it was "hard to pick out the final cuts".[5]
Release
After several delays, Larsson released the cover artwork of the album alongside the title via her social media in February 2017.[6][7]So Good was made available for pre-order that day; marking as the first album to be released internationally.[8][9] At the same time, the release date of 17 March 2017 was confirmed,[6] and Larsson revealed that Nigerian singer Wizkid would appear as a featured artist on a "dance-friendly" track.[7] She also announced the So Good World Tour to support the album, which included Waterfront Hall on 15 October 2016 and Cliffs Pavilion on 28 October.[10]
Composition
So Good is a pop album,[11] including several ballads,[12] "polished R&B-influenced pop gems"[13] and tropical house.[14][15] In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Larsson reiterated her broad definition of pop music and described the genre as encompassing artists ranging from the Weeknd and Taylor Swift to Beyoncé and Rihanna. According to her, the album reflects this expansive view, combining "very soulful songs", "electric dance songs", and "pure pop"; alongside darker material influenced by trap, resulting in what she characterised as "a good mix of everything".[3]
Individual tracks on So Good were noted for drawing on distinct stylistic influences, including a fusion of Swedish pop and Afropop on "Sundown",[16] golden-era R&B pop filtered through modern production in "So Good",[17] exuberant pop balladry on "Funeral",[12] an attempt at intimate synth-pop on "I Can't Fall in Love Without You",[18] and bittersweet dance-pop on the MNEK collaboration "Never Forget You".[19]
Title and cover artwork
Larsson was closely involved in the album's visual direction, though the process was marked by frequent last-minute changes. She described herself as indecisive and recalled moments of abruptly halting the design process when something was "not what [she] wanted", ultimately choosing an image she felt was stronger than earlier options. The album cover photograph was taken from an existing magazine photoshoot, which she selected simply because she "liked the picture".[6] About the album's title, she stated that she was easy to name it as So Good because the album was literally "so good".[20]
"Lush Life" was released as the lead single of So Good on 4 June 2015 in Sweden,[21] and on 9 June internationally.[a] Three music videos were released for the song; the first was directed by Måns Nyman,[25] while the second and third were both directed by Mary Clerté.[26] It was an international success, peaking within the top 10 in several countries including the United Kingdom,[27] Australia,[28] Germany,[29] and Spain.[30] On 22 July, "Never Forget You" featuring MNEK was released digitally in the United Kingdom.[31] Its music video, directed by Richard Paris Wilson, was released on 17 September 2015.[32] The song peaked within the top 10 in several countries, including the United Kingdom,[33] Sweden,[34] Denmark,[35] and Finland.[36] The single also became both Larsson and MNEK's first US entry,[37] managing to peak at number 13 in May 2016 on the Hot 100.[38] The single was certified 4× Platinum in Sweden and 5× Platinum in the US.[39][40]
On 2 September 2016, "Ain't My Fault" was released as the third single from the album.[41] Its official music video, directed by Emil Nava, was premiered via Larsson's Vevo account on 30 September.[42] It reached the top 20 in Australia,[43] United Kingdom,[44] Finland[45] and Denmark[46] among others, peaking at number one in Sweden.[47] On 11 November, "I Would Like" was released as the fourth single.[48][49] Larsson performed the song on the thirteenth series of The X Factor UK on 4 December.[50] The song reached the top 10 in several countries, including the United Kingdom and Ireland.[51][52]
On 27 January 2017, the title track, "So Good" featuring Ty Dolla $ign, was released as the fifth single from the album.[53] Larsson co-wrote the song with Charlie Puth, and its music video, directed by Sarah McColgan, premiered on 3 February on Larsson's Vevo channel.[54] The singers performed the song in The Ellen DeGeneres Show on 7 February and in The Wendy Williams Show on 23 March.[55][56] It reached number seven in Sweden,[57] where it was certified Gold.[39] On 17 March, "Symphony" by Clean Bandit featuring Larsson, was released as a bonus track from the album,[58] as well as the second single from their second album, What Is Love? (2018).[59][60] The music video, directed by Clean Bandit members, Grace Chatto and Jack Patterson, premiered the same day.[59] They gave the first live performance of the song on The Voice UK on 18 March.[61] The song reached the top 10 of countries like Australia, Finland,[62] Germany,[63] and Ireland[64] as well as reached the number one position in Norway,[65] the United Kingdom,[66] Scotland,[67] and Sweden,[68] becoming Larsson's fifth number one in her home country.[69] It also gave Larsson her first number one single in the UK.[70]
On 12 May, "Don't Let Me Be Yours", co-written with Ed Sheeran,[71] was released as the sixth single alongside the music video.[72] It reached the top 40 in her home country of Sweden during the week of her album's debut on the chart.[73] On 11 August, "Only You" was released as the seventh and final single from the album; along with remixes from Canadian singer Olivier Dion and German singer Nena commissioned.[74] The song reached number 5 in Sweden.[75]
So Good was met with generally positive reviews from music critics upon its release. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album received an average score of 76, based on four reviews.[77]
Harriet Gibsone of The Observer gave the album a three-star rating out of five, describing the album as "sugar-soaked postmodern pop", saying Larsson is like a "Rihanna-doting teen gatecrashing a tropical house party, gun fingers blazing, and her sugar-soaked songs are imbued with honesty". Gibsone also mentioned how, at a time when pop looks to the future, So Good is in danger of dying quickly.[14] Nick Levine from NME gave the album four stars out of five, saying how the "big hits you know are obviously brilliant", but describing some of the "ballads towards the end" as "dull".[20]
The Times offered a mixed assessment, highlighting the album's "dry, clean" production for its restrained, almost arid beauty and noting Larsson's technically assured vocal delivery. However, they argued that the record lacks a strong defining character and criticised weaker moments, such as "horrible" cod-Jamaican dancehall track "Sundown".[15]
12"Sverigetopplistan – Sveriges Officiella Topplista" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Enter "Zara Larsson" into the search box and press "Sök" to see the search results. Look for "Never Forget You" or "So Good" (as applicable) and press "Visa" to see selected chart positions and certification awards. Retrieved 14 April 2017.
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