Sparks Fly sold 36,000 copies in its first week and peaked at number 8 on the Billboard 200 chart in the United States.[4] "Kissin U" was released as the sole single from the album in March 2010, peaking at number 54 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Sparks Fly received mixed reviews from music critics, with some complimenting Cosgrove's vocal ability and likening it to that of Miley Cyrus, while others were unimpressed with the album and criticized the production and lyrical content, calling it predictable and unoriginal. Cosgrove promoted the album mainly through live performances, including a concert segment on Today as well as the Dancing Crazy Tour in 2011, where she promoted both Sparks Fly and her follow-up extended play High Maintenance.
Background and development
Cosgrove's musical career first began with her recording the theme song of the Nickelodeon television series iCarly called "Leave It All to Me", on which Cosgrove starred as the title character on the show. The song features her former Drake & Josh castmate Drake Bell, and was written by Michael Corcoran, one of Bell's band members. Following the success of iCarly, Columbia Records released a soundtrack album of the show on June 10, 2008. The soundtrack album included four songs recorded by Cosgrove that were "Leave It All to Me", "Stay My Baby", "About You Now" and "Headphones On". Cosgrove stated, "Before that, I didn't see myself making an album, but when I spent time in the studio doing the theme song and saw how much fun it was, I wanted to go back."[5]
In July 2008, Cosgrove officially announced plans for a solo album, stating that the album was "different" from her contributions to the iCarly soundtrack, with her "co-writing and getting really into it,"[6] and saying that "[I'm] playing a character on iCarly, but this shows more of myself. Some people might think I'm just another actress putting out an album, but I wanted to prove that I'm more than that."[5] The album took two years to make, with Columbia Records' marketing manager Chris Poppe stating in May 2010 that "Miranda started working on [the album] at 14, and she's 16 now. The difference between those two ages is huge, and the songs have had to grow along with her."[5]
On February 5, 2009, Cosgrove released her debut solo recording; the five-song EPAbout You Now exclusively onto the iTunes Store. The EP included the title track "About You Now", a remix of it, a remix of "Stay My Baby", "F.Y.I." and "Party Girl".
In February 2010, Cosgrove announced the album's first single would be titled "Kissin U", which was first heard by the public live in an interview with Ryan Seacrest. The album's title Sparks Fly comes from the first two words of "Kissin U". The track list, including the four deluxe edition bonus tracks, was announced on Tommy2.net on March 12, 2010,[7] and the artwork was later revealed on March 19, 2010.[8] The song "Daydream" was co-written and originally recorded by Avril Lavigne, co-written by Chantal Kreviazuk and produced by Raine Maida, and was planned for Lavigne's second studio album Under My Skin. The song "Disgusting" was co-written and originally recorded by Kesha, co-written by Pebe Sebert and Sheppard Solomon and Tom Meredith, who produced it with HitmanKTI, and was planned for Kesha's debut studio album Animal. Both songs were unreleased and eventually recorded by Cosgrove. The song "Shakespeare" is a cover, co-written and originally recorded by Susan Cagle, co-written by Jason Brett Levine and was released as a single on Cagle's debut self-recorded album The Subway Recordings. The song was produced by John Shanks and HitmanKTI for this album. The song "Adored" was co-written by Cosgrove and the Matrix, who produced it and was a free digital download two years before the album's official release, first as a rough mix and later as a fully mastered version. The song "Charlie" was co-written by Nicole Morier and Greg Kurstin who produced it and was released as a bonus track exclusively on the iTunes deluxe edition of the album.
Composition
Cosgrove has stated that in the album she was trying to find her own style, so the album experiments with several different kinds of music.[9] In an interview, Cosgrove stated that she tried to put a little bit of her own flare into each and every song on the album.[10] Cosgrove described the album's lead single "Kissin U", as "kind of a really happy, sweet song".[11] The songs on the album generally deal with love and relationships. Cosgrove has stated that this was unintentional, but she realized this after she had already picked all of the songs on the album.[10]
In their review of the album, Portrait Magazine stated the album would target teenagers, saying,
The verdict on Miranda's musical effort is, like her album, a little confusing. I don't think she's quite at the point of being on mainstream radio; she's got a little bit of work to do before that. But her bubblegum tracks are good enough to be played on children's radio stations, like Radio Disney, for example. Her current sound, the mixture of club beats and the sugary sweet pop, will probably hit well with the younger end of her audience. I just don't know if anyone over the age of thirteen is going to want to listen to her album all that often. Tracks like “Disgusting” will probably land well with older teens, but when they can listen to its writer on the radio already, I don't see the need for them to buy this album.[12]
An essentially pop album, Sparks Fly exhibits others elements and multi-tracked harmonies. "Kissin U", "Shakespeare", "Disgusting" and "Charlie" features a catchy pop tune and "Adored", "What Are You Waiting For?" and "Hey You" featured the popballad. Other harmonies included the electropop tracks "BAM", "Oh Oh", "There Will Be Tears" and "Brand New You", the R&B track "Beautiful Mess" and the pop rock-driven "Daydream".[3] "BAM" was produced by Antonina Armato (who has worked with Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez), Tim James and Rodney Jerkins (who has worked with Britney Spears, Brandy, Janet Jackson and Destiny's Child). "Daydream" was written by Avril Lavigne. "Kissin U" and "Oh Oh" was produced by Dr. Luke and Max Martin, respectively, the biggest producers of the time.[3]
Teenink also praised the lyrical content and friendly nature of the music, stating, "Any girl would love this album because it is upbeat and describes the way most girls feel when they are in love. Sparks Fly is a wonderful CD because it is upbeat, and has music that is very easy to relate to. Love may hurt and break your heart, but this album is sure to put a smile on your face." They later went on to say, "The album Sparks Fly has a good musical beat and positive lyrics. The song BAM is fast-paced and is an easy song to relate to. [...] This song is saying that once you find the one person that you love everything else doesn't matter, because the only thing that's important is being with the one that you love."[13]
Promotion
To promote the album, Cosgrove performed the single "Kissin U" live at the Kids Choice Awards pre-show.[14]Nickelodeon also aired a television special titled 7 Secrets: Miranda Cosgrove, which aired on April 24, 2010. The half-hour show revealed things about Cosgrove, such as how she got her start in the business, to some of her most embarrassing moments.[15] The days following the album's release, Cosgrove did several album signings and appearances, including a stop at a Toys-R-Us in New York City.[16] Cosgrove embarked on a radio promotional tour, and has made appearances at radio concerts in the summer of 2010. On September 6, 2010, she performed "Kissin U", "BAM" which was written and produced by Rock Mafia and Darkchild, and "About You Now" which is a cover, co-written by Cathy Dennis and Dr. Luke who produced it and was originally recorded by the Sugababes and released as a single on their fifth studio album Change, on Today.[17] On a special episode of iCarly, season 4: episode 5 titled "iDo", Cosgrove performed the song "Shakespeare" at a wedding (in character as Carly Shay). The song is performed when the bride has second thoughts about the wedding due to her love for Carly's older brother, Spencer (played by Jerry Trainor). The song is sung by Carly to remind the couple about how in love they are.[18][19][20]
Cosgrove headlined her own tour, titled Dancing Crazy Tour which is named after Cosgrove's single "Dancing Crazy" co-written by Avril Lavigne with Max Martin and Shellback, who produced it and was released on Cosgrove's second EPHigh Maintenance which was released on March 15, 2011. The tour began on January 24, 2011, and ended on August 10, 2011, due to Cosgrove having a broken ankle from a tour bus collision. Cosgrove resumed touring the following year. The tour featured dates in House of Blues locations such as ones located in Houston, Texas, and Anaheim, California. She also performed at several theatres on the tour including locations in cities such as Atlanta, GA, Tampa, FL and Orlando FL.[21][22][23] Cosgrove opened up the tour on its first show by saying,
"I used to always think I was just going to be an actress, but now I'm leaning towards music and singing too. In the beginning, I didn't really think about my sound too much. I was just trying to figure out the kind of music that was really me and my thing. But my songs are about the experiences I've been through, and when I'm singing them, I try to put myself into it, so hopefully my music just reflects me."[24]
Accompanying Cosgrove on the tour was Greyson Chance, who rose to fame when a video of him singing "Paparazzi" by Lady Gaga emerged on popular video sharing website YouTube. Chance performed several of his own original songs, as well as covers from famous artists.[25] The tour was financially successful. The second show on the tour, which took place in Minneapolis, sold about 54% of its tickets. The shows total gross revenue was $37,256.[26] The fourth show of the tour, which took place in Rosemont, Illinois, was much more successful, selling 90% of the available tickets. The total gross revenue for the show was $118,435.[26]
Singles
"Kissin U" is the album's lead and only single. Along with being the lead single from this album, it and "Adored" were the only two songs that Cosgrove co-wrote for it. Lyrically, the track talks of the feeling Cosgrove gets as she's kissing her boyfriend. The lyrics as well as the melody were received positively by several music critics. The song was released onto iTunes on March 22, 2010.[27] The single debuted at 87 on the Billboard Hot 100, after hitting the digital tracks chart the previous week. The song eventually peaked at 54. It is also her first single to chart outside of the United States, entering the charts in Germany and Austria, among others. The music video was directed by Alan Ferguson, and features Cosgrove and her love interest as they flirt doing daily things. The video also features scenes of Cosgrove singing and walking down the beach.
"Daydream" and "Disgusting" were released exclusively on iTunes in Japan as promotional singles.[28][29]
The album was met with a generally mixed reception from critics. Stephen Thomas Erlewine, who reviewed the album for AllMusic, gave the album a negative review, stating that "Miranda winds up buried underneath the weight of production on Sparks Fly — it often comes across like a cross of Miley Cyrus and Kesha's full-frontal assault." Erlewine also stated that "Sparks Fly is bedecked in modern electronic rhythms and icy hooks, yet the glassy surface sheen flies in the face of the natural charm Cosgrove displays on iCarly and its accompanying soundtrack."[32] However, Jeff Giles of Popdose gave the album a more positive review, stating "...Sparks Fly is a perfectly bite-sized chunk of perfectly bite-sized pop - In other words, songs about boys and girls, written by men and women, and performed by some of the sharpest studio vets in the business."[33] Greg Victor of Parcbench also gave the album, as well as Cosgrove herself, a positive review, stating "It is brilliantly produced and won’t let you down if you are looking for some fun, new, uncomplicated music." He also commented on Cosgrove as an artist, saying "She is a fresh voice that stands out in an over-crowded field of pop princesses." The review ended with Victor awarding the album three out of four stars.[34] Sparklingstar.net also gave the album a positive review, and stated that "Sparks Fly has that classic pop album sound and songs, if you are a fan of Miley Cyrus and Britney Spears you will be fan of Miranda, one thing I must say is that her voice sounds great throughout the entire CD, and she took it to find songs that fit her voice."[35]
Commonsensemedia.org gave the album a mixed review, saying "Formulaic at best, painfully predictable at its worst, Sparks Fly could only be appealing to the youngest of ears, not jaded by hundreds of similarly sounding releases. Miranda Cosgrove does bring a unique sincerity to this bubblegum love-in, and despite the forgettable accompanying pop instrumentals, her message comes through loud and clear. With a dash of spunky attitude she saves the CD from completely drowning in a sea of sweetness."[36] Starletinc.com was also mixed in their review, saying that "This is a first attempt by Miranda as recording artist and she did quite alright. It still lacks a little bit of identity but that isn’t anything shocking for a sixteen year old, especially when they’re main trade is actress rather than recording artist [...] While it all isn’t anything special it’s still enjoyable enough to listen to." The review ended with them awarding Sparks Fly three out of five stars.[37]
Erin Clendaniel of Billboard said in her review of the album, "Full of saccharin-sweet pop riffs and head-bobbing beats that one would expect from a Nickelodeon TV actress, iCarly star Miranda Cosgrove's debut album, Sparks Fly, delivers the total tween package. Production from the Matrix and Espionage, among others, enhances Cosgrove's pretty standard delivery, but some of her lyrics are strangely vague. Over an electropop melody on the song "Disgusting" (co-penned by Kesha), Cosgrove sings, 'It's disgusting how you change me from a bandit to a baby.' And the piano-based ballad 'Hey You' briefly alludes to the Greek myth of Icarus and Daedalus, while 'Shakespeare' name-drops Jeff Buckley (who died in 1997 when Cosgrove was only 4 years old). Elsewhere, paired with upbeat guitars and drum machines on the girl-power anthem 'There Will Be Tears,' the singer happily belts out about being 'the one that got away.' Parents will likely tire of it quickly, but Sparks Fly will surely be stuck on repeat in minivans across the country.[38]
Commercial performance
Sparks Fly sold 36,000 copies in its first week, earning it the eight position on the Billboard 200 on the issue dated May 5, 2010.[39] The album spent one week inside the top 10, before falling out the next week. Sparks Fly spent five weeks inside the Top 50, before quickly sliding down. The album has also become successful in foreign countries as well. In Mexico, the album debuted at number 84. The following week, the album fell twelve spots to 96. The album has currently sold a total of 3,000 copies there.[40] The album was also successful on the music charts in Austria, where it managed to peak inside the Top 50 of the albums chart, entering at number 46.[41] The album also spent one week on the German album charts, debuting and peaking at number 96.[42] On the Swiss album's chart, the album peaked inside of the Top 40, debuting at number 35 on the chart.[43]
Miranda Taylor Cosgrove is an American actress and singer. She is best known for playing Megan Parker on the sitcom Drake & Josh (2004–2007) and Carly Shay on the sitcom iCarly (2007–2012) and its revival run (2021–2023), the latter of which she executive produced. She also voices Margo in the animated film series Despicable Me (2010–present). The highest-paid child actor of 2012, her accolades include four Kids' Choice Awards, two Young Artist Awards, and a nomination for a Daytime Emmy Award.
Miranda Leigh Lambert is an American country singer, songwriter and guitarist. Born in Longview, Texas, she started out in early 2001 when she released her self-titled debut album independently. In 2003, she finished in third place on the television program Nashville Star, a singing competition which aired on the USA Network. Outside her solo career, she is a member of the Pistol Annies, a group she formed in 2011 alongside Ashley Monroe and Angaleena Presley. Lambert has been honored by the Grammy Awards, the Academy of Country Music Awards and the Country Music Association Awards. Lambert has been honored with more Academy of Country Music Awards than any artist in history and was named by the Chicago Tribune as the "greatest country music artist of all time" in 2019.
Michael Rizzo, is an American DJ, record producer and remixer from New York City, active since the early 1990s. He is well known for working with various artists such as Jennifer Green and Sun, all of whom scored hits on both Billboard's Hot Dance Club Play and Hot Dance Airplay charts.
Brooke Allison Adams, also known as Brooke Allison, is an American singer from Fort Worth, Texas, USA, who had a minor hit in 2001 with "The Kiss-Off (Goodbye)". Beginning in 2009, she was a part of the girl group BG5, who later disbanded and reformed as YLA.
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is the second studio album by American country music artist, Miranda Lambert, released May 1, 2007, by Columbia Nashville. It was produced by Frank Liddell and Mike Wrucke.
"About You Now" is a song by British girl group Sugababes from their fifth studio album, Change (2007). Written and produced by Dr. Luke along with Cathy Dennis and Steven Wolf, it was released on 24 September 2007 by Island Records as the lead single from the album, the first to feature Amelle Berrabah on all tracks. An uptempo pop track that combines heavy elements of pop rock and dance-pop, it infuses light electronic sounds. Lyrically, "About You Now" finds the protagonist thinking deeply over her relationship with her love interest from whom she parted.
Espionage is a New York–based Norwegian songwriting and music production team consisting of Espen Lind and Amund Bjørklund. It is signed to Stellar Songs and EMI Music Publishing. Their breakthrough came in 2006 as co-writers of Beyoncé's worldwide smash "Irreplaceable", which was number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for 10 consecutive weeks and the best selling single in the US in 2007. They are probably best known as the producers and cowriters behind several of Train's major hits after 2009, including "Drive By" and their comeback single "Hey, Soul Sister", which is among the 20 highest selling singles of all time in the US. Espionage has received numerous BMI Awards.
"Leave It All to Me" is the debut single by American actress and singer Miranda Cosgrove, featuring Drake Bell, from the Nickelodeon show iCarly's soundtrack album of the same name (2008). The song was written by Michael Corcoran, one of Bell's band members. It was released as the lead single from the album on December 18, 2007, by Nickelodeon Records and distributed by Sony BMG Music Entertainment, standing as Cosgrove's debut release. A remix by Billboard was released on the soundtrack album iCarly: iSoundtrack II on January 24, 2012.
"Stay My Baby" is a song written by Max Martin, Tommy Tysper and Savan Kotecha as the second single from Amy Diamond's third studio album Music in Motion (2007). Produced by Martin and Tysper, the song was written for Diamond by special request from her management and released November 21, 2007. It reached number 4 on the Swedish Singles Top 60 chart. The song instrumental was included on the re-release of the album: Music in Motion/Gold Edition (2008).
About You Now is the debut extended play by American actress and singer Miranda Cosgrove, released by Columbia Records and Epic Records, in partnership with Nickelodeon Records to the iTunes Store on February 3, 2009. The EP was used to promote Cosgrove's song of the same name, released in the final quarter of 2008. Aside from featuring remixes of previous songs of Cosgrove's, the album also featured two tracks, "FYI" and "Party Girl". "About You Now" is a cover of the Sugababes hit single. It became Cosgrove's second song to chart on Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at number 47, her highest peak to date. Cosgrove promoted the song and the accompanying album mainly through interviews and performances, including at the 2008 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
"Battlefield" is a song by the American singer Jordin Sparks, taken from her sophomore studio album of the same name. It was written by Louis Biancaniello, Ryan Tedder, Sam Watters and Wayne Wilkins, while production of the song was helmed by Tedder and The Runaways. "Battlefield" was released digitally in the United States on May 8, 2009, as the album's lead single. "Battlefield" is a mid-tempo ballad which draws from the genres of pop, R&B, pop rock and soft rock. The song's lyrics revolve around "a tumultuous relationship where neither side wants to compromise." The song's lyrical theme received comparisons to Pat Benatar's "Love Is a Battlefield" (1983), and its production was compared to Benatar's "We Belong" (1984).
"Kissin U" is a song by American recording artist Miranda Cosgrove, released as the sole single from her debut studio album, Sparks Fly. Cosgrove co-wrote the song with Claude Kelly and Dr. Luke; the latter also co-produced it with Ammo. It was released on digital download format on March 22, 2010, and to mainstream radio on May 11, 2010.
Warrior is the second studio album by American singer and songwriter Kesha, released on November 30, 2012, by Kemosabe and RCA Records. Its music incorporates a wide range of genres, including pop, EDM, rock, punk, rap, country, and folk. Kesha described the album as more personal than her previous material in addition to mentioning it was her attempt at reviving the rock genre, calling it a "cock pop" record. Its theme is said to be magic.
BTR is the debut studio album by pop boy band Big Time Rush. Released on October 11, 2010, the track listing for the album was announced on September 1, 2010. The album was preceded by the release of several singles from the TV show soundtrack. On December 3, 2009, the band released their eponymous song as the album's promotional single. The first single, "Til I Forget About You", was released on September 21, 2010. On October 11, 2010, "Boyfriend", which features vocals from rapper Snoop Dogg, was the second official single from the album and has become the band's biggest hit to date, charting on the Billboard Hot 100 as well as reaching the Top 40 of the Pop Songs music chart in the US. Despite not being released as a single, the song "Big Night" charted on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number seventy-nine.
American singer Miranda Cosgrove has released one studio album, two extended plays, four singles, and eight promotional singles. Cosgrove's debut as a recording artist began with the iCarly theme song "Leave It All to Me". The song features Drake Bell was released as a single in 2007 and peaked at number 100 on the Billboard Hot 100.
"Sparks Fly" is a song written and recorded by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift for her third studio album Speak Now (2010). Swift had written the song before she released her self-titled debut album in 2006, but she only included it on her third album after receiving fan requests to release the song. Produced by Swift and Nathan Chapman, "Sparks Fly" is an uptempo pop rock track combining elements of arena rock and country with a production incorporating dynamic electric guitars and subtle fiddles. The lyrics are about a temptation to resist a dangerous love affair.
The Dancing Crazy Tour was the debut solo tour by American entertainer Miranda Cosgrove. Visiting North America, it supported her debut studio album, Sparks Fly. The tour began in Missouri and traveled throughout the United States and ended in Ohio. Cosgrove continued the tour into the summer to promote her second EP, High Maintenance. Dubbed the Dancing Crazy Summer Tour, the singer traveled the United States and Canada and performed at music festivals and state fairs.
"Dancing Crazy" is a song by American singer Miranda Cosgrove from her second extended play High Maintenance (2011). It was released as the lead single from the extended play on December 21, 2010, by Columbia Records. The song was written by Shellback, Max Martin, and Avril Lavigne, whilst production was helmed by Martin and Shellback. According to Cosgrove, the song is about friendship and having fun.
High Maintenance is the second extended play by American actress and singer Miranda Cosgrove. It was released on March 15, 2011 by Columbia and Epic Records. The EP was preceded by the release of its lead single, "Dancing Crazy", which was co-written by Avril Lavigne and produced by Max Martin and Shellback. The single peaked at number 100 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States. Musically, High Maintenance mainly incorporates the pop genre with electropop influences.
"High Maintenance" is a song by American pop singer Miranda Cosgrove from her second extended play of the same name in 2011. The song features additional vocals by Rivers Cuomo from Weezer. The song was written by Cuomo, Josh Alexander and Billy Steinberg, and peaked on the Slovakia chart IFPI at number seventy-nine.
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