Stardust (Lena album)

Last updated

Stardust
Lena Stardust Album Cover.jpg
Studio album by
Lena
Released12 October 2012 (2012-10-12)
Length39:42
Label Universal Music
Producer
  • Swen Meyer
  • Sonny Boy Gustafsson [1]
Lena chronology
Good News
(2011)		Stardust
(2012)		 Crystal Sky
(2015)
Singles from Stardust
  1. "Stardust"
    Released: 21 September 2012
  2. "Neon (Lonely People)"
    Released: 15 March 2013
  3. "Mr. Arrow Key"
    Released: 17 May 2013

Stardust is the third studio album by German singer Lena Meyer-Landrut. It was released by Universal Music on 12 October 2012. Recording for the album took place in Stockholm, London, and Hamburg. A departure from her previous work on her debut album My Cassette Player (2010) and follow-up Good News (2011), both of which had been chiefly produced by former mentor, entertainer Stefan Raab, the singer worked with Swen Meyer and Sonny Boy Gustafsson on the majority of Stardust.

Contents

The album earned largely mixed to positive reviews from music critics who felt that Stardust improved on Meyer-Landrut's artistic development and called it more authentic than previous releases. In Germany, the album peaked at number two on the German Albums Chart and was eventually certified Gold by the Bundesverband Musikindustrie (BVMI). Lead single "Stardust" reached number two on the German Singles Chart. In support of the album, Meyer-Landrut embarked on her No One Can Catch Us Tour in 2013.

Background

Stardust marked Meyer-Landrut's first album without contribution from former mentor, entertainer Stefan Raab. Principal songwriting began in late summer 2011 and during that process Lena made travels to Stockholm, London, and Hamburg. [2] Throughout the sessions, she collaborated with musicians like Matthew Benbrook, [3] Pauline Taylor, [3] Johnny McDaid, [4] James Flannigan, [4] and Sonny Boy Gustafsson, [1] who produced five of the songs. [5] Stardust was also partly produced by Swen Meyer in Hamburg. [1] Production on the album was finished in July 2012. Four titles were written in collaboration with Miss Li of which the song "ASAP" is a duet with the Swedish singer-songwriter. [6]

Meyer-Landrut participated on nine songs as co-author. "Better News" and "I'm Black" were composed in collaboration with Ian Dench. The idea to "Don't Panic" was inspired by a fire alert in London. "Mr Arrow Key" is about a guide for the things of life. "Pink Elephant" covers the story of a girl who is clumsy like an elephant. "Goosebumps" is a song about homesickness. "To the Moon" is a love song which took Lena, her co-writer Alexander Schroer and producer Swen Meyer seven months to find suitable lyrics for a certain melody. "Neon (Lonely People)" describes the feeling of loneliness despite the fact that someone is among people. Additionally there is a hidden track called "Lille katt" performed in Swedish previously known from the Swedish-German children's television series Emil i Lönneberga. The iTunes version features a cover version of the title "Moonlight", previously performed by American singer Mayaeni in 2010.

Promotion

The album's lead single, "Stardust" was released on 21 September 2012, while the music video to this song was first shown on 7 September 2012. It charted at number two on the German Singles Chart. [6] On 20 September 2012, Lena previewed the album to a larger audience at the Reeperbahn Festival in the music venue Schmidt's Tivoli in Hamburg. [6] From 5 to 7 October 2012 iTunes pre-released three songs to promote the album. "To the Moon" was the first download, followed by "ASAP" on 6 October and "Pink Elephant" on 7 October. [7]

On April, Meyer-Landrut was touring the Germany, while promoting her album. The tour was called 'No One Can Catch Us', and it's the lyrics from her latest's album lead single Stardust . The tour started on 2 April, in Stuttgart, and ended on 21 April, in Offenbach. Also, Lena was streaming her last show on internet for her fans, who couldn't come to one of her shows. The tour was made of 13 shows in different German cities like Berlin, Hamburg, Hannover and more. Lena also wanted to make a show in Vienna, Austria, but later, the show was cancelled for unknown reasons. [8]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
CDStarts.de7/10 [9]
Focus 6/10 [10]
HitcheckerStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [11]
Laut.de Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [12]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [13]

Overall, Stardust received generally mixed to positive reviews from music critics. Andreas Borcholte from Der Spiegel felt that while a musical reinvention "does not take place here, Stardust is an album full of pleasing radio pop like its two predecessors [...] Lena tackles her emancipation as a songwriter with small but noticeable steps. You can tell by the fact that she no longer hides behind mannerisms like her exalted English accent as much as she used to." [14] Süddeutsche Zeitung critic Hans Hoff noted a "lot of swinging titles" on the album, "all a bit tricky and with a lot of lyrics per bar. Just Lena style. Not smooth pop, more playful descriptions of the condition of a 21-year-old who wants to perform in a relaxed manner after all the stress of the ESC years." [15] Matthias Reichel, writing for CDStarts.de, called the album "good work" and noted: "If you allow her a little patience for the artistic development that is already moving in the right direction on Stardust, everyone will be satisfied." [9]

Several reviewers pointed out that former mentor Stefan Raab was not asked to participate in the production. [13] [16] [14] Münchner Merkur critic Jörg Heinrich found that the sound of the album was "much more casual, fresher, more international than Raab's clinically pure TV Total soul." He described Stardust as "colorful pop." [17] The German issue of Rolling Stone magazine gave Stardust three out of five stars and wrote that "this time you actually have the feeling that this is really Lena, and not Stefan Raab's idea of Lena." [13] Neue Presse gave four out of five stars and stated: "No Raab anymore, no more under his wing. Lena spread her 'pop' wings." [16] Kai Butterweck from Laut.de rated the album three out of five stars and wrote that "if you look at it from a sporting point of view, you could say that eleven completely capable team players have gathered around extravagant playmaker Stardust who ultimately guarantee a coherent team appearance – promising basic requirements that not every ambitious professional team can offer." [12] Maximilian Kloes, writing for Focus , called Stardust a "typical Lena album: a few hits, a little filler, strong approaches, flat lyrics." [10]

Chart performance

Stardust debuted and peaked at number two on the German Albums Chart in the week of 26 October 2012 . [18] It became her third consecutive to reach the top two of the chart and would spend 22 weeks inside the top 100. [18] It was eventually ranked 55th on the chart's 2012 year-end listing. [18] In 2013, Stardust was certified Gold by the Bundesverband Musikindustrie (BVMI) for shipment figures in excess of 100,000 copies. [19]

Track listing

Stardust track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Stardust"
Swen Meyer3:30
2."Mr. Arrow Key"
Gustafsson3:34
3."Pink Elephant"
  • John Gordon
  • Ginger Mackenzie
  • Mathias Ramson
Gustafsson3:35
4."Neon (Lonely People)"
Meyer3:31
5."Better News"
Meyer3:02
6."Day to Stay"
  • Meyer-Landrut
  • Carlsson
  • Gustafsson
Gustafsson3:56
7."To the Moon"
  • Meyer-Landrut
  • Alexander Schroer
Meyer3:24
8."Bliss Bliss"
Meyer3:11
9."ASAP" (featuring Miss Li)
  • Meyer-Landrut
  • Carlsson
  • Gustafsson
Gustafsson2:48
10."I'm Black"
  • Meyer-Landrut
  • Dench
  • Sutton
Meyer3:05
11."Goosebumps"
  • Meyer-Landrut
  • Carlsson
  • Gustafsson
Gustafsson3:39
12."Don't Panic"
Meyer2:27
13."Lille katt" (CD only hidden track)
Gustafsson1:29
Total length:39:42
iTunes edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
13."Moonlight"
Gustafsson3:42

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for Stardust
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Germany (BVMI) [19] Gold100,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Stardust release history
RegionDateFormatsLabelRef.
Various12 October 2012 Universal Music [23]

Notes

Related Research Articles

Germany participated in and won the Eurovision Song Contest 2010 with the song "Satellite" written by Julie Frost and John Gordon. The song was performed by Lena. The German entry for the 2010 contest in Oslo, Norway was selected through the national final Unser Star für Oslo, organised by the German broadcaster ARD in collaboration with Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR) and private broadcaster ProSieben. The national final featured 20 competing artists and consisted of five heats, a quarter-final, a semi-final and a final held in February and March 2010. Contestants were selected to advance in the competition via public televote. Two contestants qualified to compete in the final where the winner was selected over two rounds of voting. "Satellite" performed by Lena was selected as the German entry for Oslo after placing among the top two during the first round of voting and ultimately gaining the most votes in the second round.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lena Meyer-Landrut</span> German singer

Lena Johanna Therese Meyer-Landrut, also known by the mononym Lena, is a German singer. She rose to fame after representing Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest 2010 in Oslo, winning the event with the song "Satellite". Both "Satellite" and her debut album My Cassette Player (2010) debuted at number one in Germany and became platinum sellers. With her three entries from the German national final Unser Star für Oslo, Meyer-Landrut set an all-time chart record in her home country by debuting with three songs in the top five of the German Singles Chart. She represented Germany for the second consecutive time in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 in Düsseldorf with the song "Taken by a Stranger", finishing in tenth place.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Satellite (Lena Meyer-Landrut song)</span> 2010 song by Lena Meyer-Landrut

"Satellite" is a song written by American songwriter Julie Frost, and Danish songwriter John Gordon. It is best known as Germany's winning entry at the Eurovision Song Contest 2010, performed by German singer Lena Meyer-Landrut.

<i>My Cassette Player</i> 2010 studio album by Lena

My Cassette Player is the debut studio album of German singer Lena Meyer-Landrut. It was released by Universal Music Germany on 7 May 2010 in German-speaking Europe. After winning Unser Song für Oslo, the German final for the Eurovision Song Contest 2010, Meyer-Landrut began work on her debut album, with entertainer Stefan Raab producing and co-writing most of the material. Several song which she had recorded during the national finals, including winning entry "Satellite," were also included.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Love Me (Lena Meyer-Landrut song)</span> 2010 song by Lena

"Love Me" is a song by German singer Lena Meyer-Landrut, co-written by her and entertainer Stefan Raab. It was one of three songs performed by Meyer-Landrut in the final of Unser Star für Oslo, the national pre-selection programme for Germany's entry to the Eurovision Song Contest 2010. However, the audience chose "Satellite" to be her designated song for the contest in Oslo. "Love Me" was made available for digital download on 13 March 2010 and is also featured on Meyer-Landrut's maxi single "Satellite". The song subsequently charted in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, reaching peak positions of No. 4, #28 and No. 39 respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jennifer Braun</span> German singer

Jennifer Braun is a German singer. She was runner-up at the talent show Unser Star für Oslo, Germany's national pre-selection show for the Eurovision Song Contest 2010. Her first music single was "I Care for You".

'"Bee" is a song recorded by German singers Lena Meyer-Landrut and Jennifer Braun, composed by American-Israeli songwriter Rosi Golan, American singer-songwriter Mayaeni Strauss and Norwegian songwriter Per Kristian Ottestad. Both Braun and Meyer-Landrut released their versions of the song, but Meyer-Landrut's version outperformed Braun's, reaching number three in the German singles chart while Braun's version peaked at No. 21.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lena Meyer-Landrut discography</span>

The discography of German singer Lena Meyer-Landrut consists of five studio albums, three extended plays, nineteen singles, three promotional singles, one video album and nineteen music videos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julie Frost</span> American musician

Julie Frost is an American songwriter, singer, guitarist and record producer. She is the recipient of Golden Globe and Eurovision Song Contest awards for songs written, as well as a Parent's Choice Award for album production and performance. She is also the founder of the non-profit "Songs For Elephants", with the mission to help mobilize the music and entertainment industry in support of the world's elephants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Touch a New Day</span> 2010 single by Lena

"Touch a New Day" is a song by German singer Lena Meyer-Landrut. It was written and produced by entertainer Stefan Raab for her debut album My Cassette Player (2010). The song was released on 3 August 2010 as the album's second and final single, following Meyer-Landrut's victory at the Eurovision Song Contest 2010.

<i>Good News</i> (Lena album) 2011 studio album by Lena

Good News is the second studio album released by German singer Lena Meyer-Landrut. It was released by Universal Music on 8 February 2011 in German-speaking Europe, following her win of the Eurovision Song Contest in 2010. The album includes all songs Meyer-Landrut performed during the televised preselection process for the song that she would perform at the 2011 contest to defend her title. Recorded within five weeks only, she reteamed with mentor, entertainer Stefan Raab, to work on the majority of the album.

The discography of the Eurovision Song Contest winners includes all the winning singles of the annual competition held since 1956. As of 2023, 70 songs have won the competition, including four entries which were declared joint winners in 1969.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stardust (Lena Meyer-Landrut song)</span> 2012 single by Lena

"Stardust" is a song recorded by German singer Lena Meyer-Landrut. It was written by Rosi Golan and Tim Myers and produced by Swen Meyer for her same-titled third studio album (2012). Built upon a percussion-heavy melody, the song was released by Universal Music Germany on 21 September 2012 as the album's lead single. Meyer-Landrut described "Stardust" as "Michael Jackson meets The Kelly Family."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neon (Lonely People)</span> 2013 single by Lena

"Neon (Lonely People)" is the sixth single by German recording artist Lena Meyer-Landrut. It was released on 15 March 2013. The single version is a faster remix of the version which was previously published on the album Stardust on 12 October 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mr. Arrow Key</span> 2013 single by Lena

"Mr. Arrow Key" is a song by German recording artist Lena Meyer-Landrut. It was written by Meyer-Landrut, Linda "Miss Li" Carlsson and Sonny Boy Gustafsson for her third studio album Stardust (2012), while production was helmed by the latter. "Mr. Arrow Key" was released as the album's third and final single and reached the top fifty of the German Singles Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Traffic Lights (Lena Meyer-Landrut song)</span> 2015 single by Lena

"Traffic Lights" is a song by German recording artist Lena Meyer-Landrut. It was written by Hayley Aitken, Alexander James and Harry Sommerdahl and produced by production teams Beatgees and Biffco for her fourth studio album, Crystal Sky (2015). The song was released by Universal Music Germany as the album's lead single on 1 May 2015. The remix EP followed on 12 June 2015.

<i>Crystal Sky</i> 2015 studio album by Lena

Crystal Sky is the fourth studio album by German singer Lena Meyer-Landrut. It was released by We Love Music and Universal Music on 15 May 2015. Taking her work further into the electro pop genre, Meyer-Landrut worked with a variety of new collaborators on the album, including production teams Biffco and Beatgees, who would contribute a more electronic, bass-heavy, experimental and danceable sound to the album, along with club sounds, dubstep elements and computer-generated retro effects.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wild & Free (song)</span> 2015 single by Lena

"Wild & Free" is a song by German recording artist Lena Meyer-Landrut. It was written by Meyer-Landrut, Sarah Connor, Tim Myers, and production team Beatgees, and produced by the latter along with Myers for the soundtrack of the motion picture Fack ju Göhte 2 (2015). The song was released on 11 September 2015 as a digital single and later included on the deluxe version of Lena's Crystal Sky album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thank You (Lena Meyer-Landrut song)</span> 2018 single by Lena

"Thank You" is a song performed by German singer Lena Meyer-Landrut. The song was released as a digital download on 16 November 2018 as the lead single from her fifth studio album Only Love, L (2019). The song peaked at number 40 on the German Singles Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don't Lie to Me (Lena Meyer-Landrut song)</span> 2019 single by Lena

"Don't Lie to Me" is a song performed by German singer Lena Meyer-Landrut. It was released as a digital download on 15 March 2019 as the second single from her fifth studio album Only Love, L (2019). The song peaked at number 30 on the German Singles Chart.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Lena: Neues Album "Stardust" im Oktober". Musikmarkt.de. Archived from the original on 11 February 2013. Retrieved 16 August 2012.
  2. ↑ Several Twitter announcements by Lena
  3. 1 2 ASCAP entry for Benbrook and Taylor
  4. 1 2 ASCAP entry for McDaid and Flannigan
  5. ↑ Dallach, Christoph (27 August 2012): Nordisch nobel. Schwedische Komponisten sind ungefähr so erfolgreich wie Ikea. Aber können sie auch Lena Meyer-Landrut wieder in die Charts bringen? Archived 12 November 2012 at the Wayback Machine In: Spiegel-Online (in German)
  6. 1 2 3 eurovision.de: Lena beim Reeperbahn Festival Archived 20 September 2012 at the Wayback Machine (in German)
  7. ↑ Songs vorab von Lena
  8. ↑ "Lena's concert in Offenbach". 21 April 2013.[ permanent dead link ]
  9. 1 2 Reichel, Matthias. "Lena Meyer-Landrut – Stardust". CDstarts.de. Archived from the original on 24 May 2015. Retrieved 22 October 2012.
  10. 1 2 Kloes, Maximilian (19 November 2012). "Plattenkritik: "Stardust" von Lena – Der schwere Schatten schlechter Mädchenlieder". Focus . Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  11. ↑ "hitchecker.de". hitchecker.de. Archived from the original on 19 October 2012. Retrieved 22 October 2012.
  12. 1 2 Butterweck, Kai (12 October 2012). ""Stardust" von Lena". Laut.de (in German). Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  13. 1 2 3 Fuß, Bettina. "Lena: Stardust" (in German). Rollingstone.de . Retrieved 22 October 2012.
  14. 1 2 Borcholte, Andreas (12 October 2012). "Neues Lena-Album: Jetzt geht's zur Sache, Showgirl!". Der Spiegel (in German). Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  15. ↑ Hoff, Hans (1 August 2012). "Neues Album: Stardust – Lena bleibt im All". Süddeutsche Zeitung (in German). Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  16. 1 2 "Vom Satelliten zum Sternenstaub: Lenas schlitternder Pop-Swing ist wieder da" (in German). Neue Presse. 10 October 2012. p. 24.
  17. ↑ Heinrich, Jörg (12 October 2012). "Lena: Neue CD ist zweiter Sieg nach Oslo". Münchner Merkur (in German). Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  18. 1 2 3 4 "Offiziellecharts.de – Lena – Stardust" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  19. 1 2 "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Lena; 'Stardust')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie . Retrieved 16 June 2016.
  20. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Lena – Stardust" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  21. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Lena – Stardust". Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  22. ↑ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts (2012)" . Retrieved 8 April 2017.
  23. 1 2 "Lena - 'Stardust' - Album". Amazon (DE). Retrieved 31 August 2012.
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