So Good is the second studio album by Swedish singer and songwriter Zara Larsson. It was released on 17 March 2017 through TEN Music Group and Epic Records. The launch date of the album was postponed multiple times before its official release, and it marks her first album to be released internationally, following her debut studio album 1 (2014). So Good was primarily recorded at Windmark Recording in California, and its recording sessions with a handful of producers began in 2015 and concluded in 2016.
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, charting at number one in Sweden, number two in Norway and number seven on the United Kingdom. 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]
Artistic direction
Larsson suggested that So Good was less about adhering to a fixed style than following her instincts. The record's eclecticism reflects her wide-ranging listening habits, while collaborations, particularly with MNEK, naturally shaped its palette, resulting in material she characterised as "mysterious and a little sexy", while remaining firmly rooted in pop.[20] The diversity of dancers she worked with for the music videos was partly intentional, as she explained that it would be "boring if everybody would look like me onstage" and that representation matters, while those chosen were also "the best for the job".[21] She was closely involved in the album's visual direction, though the process was marked by frequent last-minute changes. 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".[22]
"Lush Life" was released as the lead single of So Good on 4 June 2015 in Sweden,[23] and on 9 June internationally.[a] Three music videos were released for the song; the first was directed by Måns Nyman,[27] while the second and third were both directed by Mary Clerté.[28] It was an international success, peaking within the top 10 in several countries including the United Kingdom,[29] Australia,[30] Germany,[31] and Spain.[32] On 22 July, "Never Forget You" featuring MNEK was released digitally in the United Kingdom.[33] Its music video, directed by Richard Paris Wilson, was released on 17 September 2015.[34] The song peaked within the top 10 in several countries, including the United Kingdom,[35] Sweden,[36] Denmark,[37] and Finland.[38] The single also became both Larsson and MNEK's first US entry,[39] managing to peak at number 13 in May 2016 on the Hot 100.[40] The single was certified 4× Platinum in Sweden and 5× Platinum in the US.[41][42]
On 2 September 2016, "Ain't My Fault" was released as the third single from the album.[43] Its official music video, directed by Emil Nava, was premiered via Larsson's Vevo account on 30 September.[44] It reached the top 20 in Australia,[45] United Kingdom,[46] Finland[47] and Denmark[48] among others, peaking at number one in Sweden.[49] On 11 November, "I Would Like" was released as the fourth single.[50][51] Larsson performed the song on the thirteenth series of The X Factor UK on 4 December.[52] The song reached the top 10 in several countries, including the United Kingdom and Ireland.[53][54]
On 27 January 2017, the title track, "So Good" featuring Ty Dolla $ign, was released as the fifth single from the album.[55] 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.[56] The singers performed the song in The Ellen DeGeneres Show on 7 February and in The Wendy Williams Show on 23 March.[57][58] It reached number seven in Sweden,[59] where it was certified Gold.[41] On 17 March, "Symphony" by Clean Bandit featuring Larsson, was released as a bonus track from the album,[60] as well as the second single from their second album, What Is Love? (2018).[61][62] The music video, directed by Clean Bandit members, Grace Chatto and Jack Patterson, premiered the same day.[61] They gave the first live performance of the song on The Voice UK on 18 March.[63] The song reached the top 10 of countries like Australia, Finland,[64] Germany,[65] and Ireland[66] as well as reached the number one position in Norway,[67] the United Kingdom,[68] Scotland,[69] and Sweden,[70] becoming Larsson's fifth number one in her home country.[71] It also gave Larsson her first number one single in the UK.[72]
On 12 May, "Don't Let Me Be Yours", co-written with Ed Sheeran,[73] was released as the sixth single alongside the music video.[74] It reached the top 40 in her home country of Sweden during the week of her album's debut on the chart.[75] 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.[76] The song reached number 5 in Sweden.[77]
So Good was met with generally positive reviews from music critics upon its release. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album received an average score of 76, based on four reviews.[79]
Harriet Gibsone of The Observer referred to So Good as "sugar-soaked postmodern pop", portraying Larsson as a "Rihanna-doting teen gatecrashing a tropical house party", while cautioning that the record risked fading quickly at a time when pop music was increasingly future-oriented.[14] Writing for Otago Daily Times, Shane Gilchrist highlighted the album's "sugary syrup" and R&B bounce, noting Larsson's fluency with backbeats ranging from the dancehall pulse of "Lush Life" to slower R&B cuts, but argued that the album's "steamy tropical fever" ultimately became oppressive.[83]The Times offered a more restrained assessment, praising the "dry, clean" production for its "arid beauty" and Larsson's technically assured vocals, though it criticised moments such as the "horrible" cod-Jamaican dancehall track "Sundown" as undermining the album's cohesion.[15]
Several critics felt that So Good relied heavily on its strongest singles. The Line of Best Fit writer John Bell observed that So Good had "played its best cards early", and argued that many of its highlights arrived before release and that, at fifteen tracks, the record proved "a little cocksure". While acknowledging Larsson's personality and "fun but hard-headed attitude", the review suggested that the album's pacing weakened its overall impact.[17] Nick Levine of NME awarded the album four stars and described the "big hits you know" as "obviously brilliant", while still finding some of the later ballads comparatively "dull".[22]
Neil Z. Young of AllMusic praised Larsson's confident delivery and commercial instincts, describing So Good as "fun and engaging" and citing its polished, R&B-influenced pop songs as among the stronger releases of 2017. He positioned Larsson alongside artists such as Rihanna, Sia, and Tove Lo, noting her "undeniable bounce" and modern pop sensibility.[13]
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