Sucker | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 15 December 2014 | |||
Recorded | 2013–2014 | |||
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Length | 40:26 | |||
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Producer |
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Charli XCX chronology | ||||
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Alternative cover | ||||
Singles from Sucker | ||||
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Sucker is the second studio album by English singer Charli XCX,released on 15 December 2014 by Asylum and Atlantic Records. The album was met with positive reviews from critics,praising its throwback style,and ended up being included on many year-end lists for best albums of 2014. Sucker spawned the singles "Boom Clap","Break the Rules","Doing It" (featuring Rita Ora) and "Famous".
Charli XCX promoted the album through a series of public appearances and televised live performances,as well as appearing on the Jingle Ball Tour 2014. The album was supported by Charli XCX's Girl Power North America Tour,which lasted from September to October 2014. She was also the opening act for the European leg of Katy Perry's Prismatic World Tour in 2015.
In 2013,Charli XCX released her first major studio album, True Romance . The album received positive reviews by music critics,who praised its unique style. However,the album failed to chart on major markets. On 13 March 2014,she revealed to Complex that she had begun working on her second album with Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo and Rostam Batmanglij of Vampire Weekend. [9] The duo Stargate and John Hill were also confirmed as producers. [10] In an interview with DIY magazine,she stated that she wrote the record for girls and wants them to feel "a sense of empowerment". [11] Charli XCX explained in her tour diary with Replay Laserblast that the record's genre is still pop,but has "a very shouty,girl-power,girl-gang,Bow Wow Wow" feel to it at the same time. [12] She also said in an interview with Idolator that Sucker would be influenced by the Hives,Weezer,the Ramones and 1960s yé-yé music. [13]
On 7 January 2015,it was announced that the European release of the album would be pushed back yet again to 16 February 2015,featuring a revised track listing,including the new version of "Doing It" featuring Rita Ora,as well as the tracks "So Over You" and "Red Balloon". [14]
Charli XCX's first high-profile performance of "Boom Clap" was at the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards pre-show on 24 August. [15] She later sang "Boom Clap",followed by "Break the Rules",at the 2014 MTV Europe Music Awards,the American Music Awards of 2014,and on Saturday Night Live . [16] [17] [18] In support of the album,Charli XCX embarked on the Girl Power North America Tour in 2014. The tour kicked off in Orlando,Florida,on 26 September and concluded in San Francisco,California,on 25 October. [19] She also performed the tracks from Sucker as part of her set for the Jingle Ball Tour 2014,and supported Katy Perry on European dates of her Prismatic World Tour in February and March 2015. [20] Charli XCX further promoted the album by embarking on an eight-date UK tour in 2015,which began in Brighton on 24 March and ended in Birmingham on 2 April. [21]
Tour dates [21] | |||
---|---|---|---|
Date | City | Country | Venue |
United Kingdom | |||
24 March 2015 | Brighton | England | Concorde 2 |
25 March 2015 | London | O2 Shepherds Bush Empire | |
27 March 2015 | Glasgow | Scotland | QMU |
28 March 2015 | Sheffield | England | Plug |
30 March 2015 | Oxford | O2 Academy Oxford | |
31 March 2015 | Manchester | Academy 2 | |
1 April 2015 | Nottingham | Rescue Rooms | |
2 April 2015 | Birmingham | The Institute |
"Boom Clap", the first single released from Sucker, was released worldwide on 17 June 2014. It was originally part of the soundtrack album for The Fault in Our Stars . The song was a commercial success, peaking at number six on the UK Singles Chart and number eight on the Billboard Hot 100. The song has since sold more than one million copies in the United States, receiving platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America, [22] and has been certified silver by the British Phonographic Industry. There are two existing mixes of this song: the first and original one is heard on the film, the film's soundtrack, and the music video shot in Amsterdam; the second mix is heard on the music video shot in Japan and in this album.[ citation needed ]
"Break the Rules" was released as the second single from the album. The song and its accompanying music video were released on 25 August 2014. [23] The song was moderately successful, reaching number four in Germany, number six in Austria, number 10 in Australia and the top 40 in Belgium, France, Norway and in Charli XCX's native UK. Moreover, the song peaked at number 91 on the US Billboard Hot 100, her second consecutive entry on the chart.[ citation needed ]
"Doing It" was released on 3 February 2015 as the album's third single. The single version features English singer Rita Ora. Details of the collaboration first emerged when a setlist for BBC Radio 1 appeared on Twitter which featured the song. [24] It peaked at number eight on the UK Singles Chart.
"Famous" was released on 29 May 2015 as the fourth and final single from the album. [25] The music video was released on 23 March 2015. [26]
The tracks "London Queen" and "Gold Coins" premiered in advance of the album's release on 6 October and 17 November 2014, respectively. [27] [28] A music video for the song "Breaking Up" was released on 2 December 2014. [29]
In November 2014, the album's European bonus track "Red Balloon" was used in a trailer for the 2015 animated film Home . [30] The song was also included on the film's soundtrack, curated by Rihanna. [31]
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AnyDecentMusic? | 7.3/10 [32] |
Metacritic | 75/100 [33] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [34] |
The A.V. Club | B− [35] |
Billboard | [36] |
Entertainment Weekly | A− [3] |
The Guardian | [37] |
NME | 8/10 [38] |
Pitchfork | 7.6/10 [6] |
Rolling Stone | [39] |
Spin | 8/10 [40] |
USA Today | [41] |
Sucker received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, Sucker received an average score of 75, based on 25 reviews. [33] Will Hermes of Rolling Stone stated that "Sucker is no retro gesture: Charli runs the album's rock & roll guitars and attitude through enough distressed digital production and thumb type vernacular to make this the first fully updated iteration of punk pop in ages ... Like so many of the pop pleasures here, it's a sentiment that just never gets old." [39] Miles Raymer of Entertainment Weekly commented that "SUCKER is pop-punk, radically redefined and dragged, middle fingers waving, into the future." [3] Brian Mansfield of USA Today wrote, "On Sucker, XCX doesn't just tweak the ear-candy pop template, she blows it up, then pries the shiniest bits from the asphalt. It's still sweet once she's finished sticking it back together, but it's got a bit of crunch, too." [41] At AllMusic, Heather Phares opined that the album's "mix of youth and sophistication is more than a little volatile, and sometimes it feels like XCX is still figuring out what really works for her music ... Nevertheless, it succeeds as an introduction to Charli XCX the Pop Star while retaining her whip-smart songwriting and attitude." [34]
Dan Weiss of Spin expressed that "Sucker is just an exceptionally good pop album ... Those are rare enough as it is." [40] James Rainis of Slant Magazine viewed the album as "the sound of a long-incubating star emerging so fully formed on an international stage that it's difficult to figure that an artist gifted with so much sneering bravado was ever thought of as an underdog ... Someone needed to author the aural equivalent of the body shot, and Charli XCX has provided the platonic ideal of just that: a party album charged equally with punkish rebellion, hip-hop cool, and pop universality." [42] Jamieson Cox of Pitchfork felt that "Sucker isn't an endpoint for Charli ... and it's not her finest work, but it's plenty good enough to rope a cohort of new fans into what's promising to be one hell of a creative ride." [6] Jon Pareles, reviewing positively for The New York Times , emphasizes "Sucker is far more direct; it's smart, loud, cheeky, gimmick-loving pop, intent on making every song go bang ... The ambition and calculation on Sucker are overt but not a deal-breaker. It's a brittle, professional album full of sonic treats." [43]
In a 2024 cover story for Billboard , Charli told Kristin Robinson that "she considers 2014's Sucker, for instance, 'an attempt at what Olivia Rodrigo's Sour was able to do much better.'" [44]
The album was named the best pop album of the year by Rolling Stone, who said, "Charli XCX is the pop star 2014 was waiting for: a badass songwriting savant who's the most fun girl in any room she steps into. The 22-year-old artist came into her own with Sucker, a middle-finger-waving teenage riot packed into 13 punky gems. It's a dance party, a mosh pit and a feminist rally – Charli's definitely in charge." [45] Spin ranked it the sixth pop album of 2014, commenting that "Charli's second full-length shaves off the densely layered atmospherics and dreamy soundscapes." [46] Meanwhile, Jason Lipshutz from Billboard listed Sucker as the second best pop album of 2014. NME listed Sucker as the 32nd best album of 2015. [47]
Publication | Accolade | Year | Rank |
---|---|---|---|
NME | Albums of the Year 2015 | 2015 | 32 [48] |
Rolling Stone | 50 Best Albums of 2014 | 2014 | 6 [49] |
Sucker debuted at number 28 on the US Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 28,907 copies, making it Charli XCX's first album to enter the chart. [50] The album entered the UK Albums Chart at number 15, selling 5,622 copies in its first week. [51] The album's UK sales as of May 2020 stood at 46,667 units. [52]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Sucker" |
|
| 2:42 |
2. | "Break the Rules" |
|
| 3:23 |
3. | "London Queen" |
| J.L. Raisen | 2:51 |
4. | "Breaking Up" |
| 2:17 | |
5. | "Gold Coins" |
|
| 3:02 |
6. | "Boom Clap" |
|
| 2:49 |
7. | "Doing It" |
|
| 3:48 |
8. | "Body of My Own" |
|
| 2:45 |
9. | "Famous" |
| Kurstin | 3:52 |
10. | "Hanging Around" |
| J.L. Raisen | 3:18 |
11. | "Die Tonight" |
| P. Berger | 2:51 |
12. | "Caught in the Middle" |
| 3:01 | |
13. | "Need Ur Luv" |
| Rostam | 3:45 |
Total length: | 40:26 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
14. | "Money (That's What I Want)" | J.L. Raisen | 2:06 | |
15. | "Break the Rules" (Femme remix) |
|
| 3:52 |
Total length: | 46:24 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
7. | "Doing It" (featuring Rita Ora) |
|
| 3:48 |
8. | "Body of My Own" |
|
| 2:45 |
9. | "Famous" |
| Kurstin | 3:52 |
10. | "Hanging Around" |
| J.L. Raisen | 3:18 |
11. | "So Over You" |
|
| 3:08 |
12. | "Die Tonight" |
| P. Berger | 2:51 |
13. | "Caught in the Middle" |
|
| 3:01 |
14. | "Need Ur Luv" |
| Rostam | 3:45 |
15. | "Red Balloon" |
|
| 3:28 |
Total length: | 47:03 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
16. | "Break the Rules" (Japanese version) (ブレイク・ザ・ルールズ) |
|
| 3:23 |
17. | "Boom Clap" (Japanese version) (ブーム・クラップ) |
|
| 2:51 |
Total length: | 53:17 |
Credits adapted from the liner notes of the European edition of Sucker. [60]
Chart (2014–2015) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australian Albums (ARIA) [61] | 53 |
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) [62] | 44 |
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [63] | 61 |
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [64] | 47 |
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [65] | 65 |
French Albums (SNEP) [66] | 42 |
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [67] | 57 |
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ) [68] | 13 |
Irish Albums (IRMA) [69] | 17 |
Italian Albums (FIMI) [70] | 81 |
Japanese Albums (Oricon) [71] | 70 |
Mexican Albums (AMPROFON) [72] | 62 |
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE) [73] | 59 |
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [74] | 33 |
UK Albums (OCC) [75] | 15 |
US Billboard 200 [76] | 28 |
Region | Date | Format | Edition | Label | Ref(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
United States | 15 December 2014 | Standard | [77] [78] | ||
Canada | 16 December 2014 | CD | Warner | [79] | |
19 December 2014 | Digital download | [80] | |||
Australia |
| [54] [81] | |||
France | 9 February 2015 | [82] [83] | |||
Germany | 13 February 2015 | [84] [85] | |||
Ireland |
| [86] [87] | |||
Netherlands | Warner | [88] [89] | |||
United Kingdom | 16 February 2015 |
| [56] [90] | ||
Italy | 17 February 2015 | Warner | [91] [92] | ||
Japan | 18 February 2015 | [59] [93] | |||
United States | 10 March 2015 | Digital download | Reissue |
| [57] |
Canada | 31 March 2015 | LP | Standard | Warner | [94] |
United States |
| [95] | |||
Australia | 17 April 2015 | CD | Reissue | Warner | [58] |
Charlotte Emma Aitchison, known professionally as Charli XCX, is an English singer and songwriter. Born in Cambridge and raised in Start Hill, Essex, Charli XCX began posting songs on Myspace in 2008 before entering the London rave scene. She signed a recording contract with Asylum Records in 2010, releasing a series of singles and mixtapes throughout 2011 and 2012. She later featured on "I Love It" with Swedish duo Icona Pop, with the song becoming her first number-one in the UK and receiving global success. Her debut studio album, True Romance (2013), was released to positive reviews but failed to meet commercial expectations.
True Romance is the debut studio album by English singer Charli XCX. It was released on 12 April 2013 by Asylum and Atlantic Records. Originally scheduled for release in April 2012, the album's release was delayed for a full year and had been in the making since early 2010 when Charli met with producer Ariel Rechtshaid in Los Angeles. To promote the album's release, Charli embarked on a three-day UK promotional tour in April 2013.
English singer Charli XCX has released six studio albums, five mixtapes, three extended plays, one live album, one soundtrack album, one remix album, two DJ mixes, 48 singles, and 13 promotional singles. In 2007, XCX began recording her debut album on a loan granted by her parents. Titled 14, after her age at the time, it received only a restricted public release. Two singles, "!Franchesckaar!" and double A-side "Emelline" / "Art Bitch", were released in late 2008 under Orgy Music. In June 2012, Charli XCX released her first mixtape, titled Heartbreaks and Earthquakes, a one-track file consisting of eight songs. A second mixtape, titled Super Ultra, was released in November of the same year. Charli XCX's major-label debut studio album, True Romance, was released in April 2013, and peaked at number 85 on the UK Albums Chart. While failing to appear on any main album charts internationally, the album reached number five on the Heatseekers Albums chart in the United States and number 11 on the ARIA Hitseekers chart in Australia. The album spawned five singles—"Stay Away", "Nuclear Seasons", "You're the One", "You " and "What I Like". In 2012, Charli XCX was featured on Icona Pop's song "I Love It", which peaked at number one in the UK and reached the top 10 in various countries including the US, Canada, Ireland and Germany.
"SuperLove" is a song by English singer Charli XCX, released as a single on 2 December 2013. Although the song was originally announced as the lead single from Charli's then-untitled second major-label studio album, it ultimately was not included on 2014's Sucker. The single reached number 62 on the UK Singles Chart, becoming Charli's first solo entry on the chart.
"Fancy" is a song by Australian rapper Iggy Azalea featuring British singer Charli XCX, taken from the former's debut studio album, The New Classic (2014). It was released on 17 February 2014 by Def Jam Recordings as the fourth single from the album. "Fancy" was described as an electro-hop, electropop, and pop rap song. It was written by Azalea and XCX, composed and produced by production team the Invisible Men, alongside additional producers the Arcade. It was leaked under the title "Leave It" in December 2013.
"Boom Clap" is a song by English singer Charli XCX, released as the first single from the soundtrack album of The Fault in Our Stars (2014) and is also featured on her second studio album, Sucker. There are two existing mixes of this song: the first and original one is heard in the film, the film's soundtrack, and the music video shot in Amsterdam; the second mix is heard on the music video shot in Japan and in Sucker.
"Break the Rules" is a song by English singer Charli XCX from her second studio album, Sucker (2014). It was released on 19 August 2014 as the album's second single. In a 2020 interview with Red Bull, XCX stated that she regrets recording the track.
Sophie Xeon, known mononymously as SOPHIE, was an English music producer, songwriter, and DJ. Her work is known for its brash take on pop music and is distinguished by experimental sound design, "sugary" synthesized textures, and incorporation of underground dance styles. It would help pioneer the 2010s hyperpop microgenre.
Alexander Guy Cook is an English music producer and the head of the now-closed UK record label PC Music. Cook released his first solo singles in 2014. He has also collaborated with PC Music artists such as Hannah Diamond, GFOTY, Finn Keane, Danny L Harle and Felicita. He formed the one-off project QT with musician Sophie and performance artist Hayden Dunham, producing the 2014 single "Hey QT".
The Girl Power North America Tour was the debut headlining concert tour by English singer Charli XCX, in support of her second major-label studio album Sucker. The tour also features songs from her first album True Romance. Elliphant and FEMME were featured as opening acts.
"Doing It" is a song by English singer Charli XCX from her second studio album, Sucker (2014). An alternative version of the song featuring English singer Rita Ora was released on 3 February 2015 as the album's third single. The single peaked at number eight on the UK Singles Chart. "Doing It" was named "Best New Track" the week of its release by Pitchfork.
"Drop That Kitty" is a song by American singer Ty Dolla Sign featuring British singer Charli XCX and fellow American singer Tinashe, who all wrote the track with its producers Stargate and Cashmere Cat. It was released as digital download in the United States on February 17, 2015, originally intended as the first single from Free TC but was later scrapped. Sign raps the track's main verses, while XCX sings its chorus and Tinashe its bridge and pre-chorus hook. The lyrical content in the song serve as a four-step dance instructional and contain several sexual euphemisms and innuendos. It discusses a scenario of meeting someone attractive in a club and communicating basest desires to them, while extolling the virtues of physical flexibility.
Jonnali Mikaela Parmenius, better known by the stage name Noonie Bao, is a Swedish singer, songwriter and record producer. She has written songs for artists such as Don Diablo, Ava Max, Katy Perry, Zara Larsson, Charli XCX, Camila Cabello, Zedd, Avicii, Kygo, David Guetta, Clean Bandit, Alesso, Feed Me and Carly Rae Jepsen.
Vroom Vroom is the second extended play (EP) by English singer Charli XCX, released on 26 February 2016 by Vroom Vroom Recordings. It features production work from English producer Sophie.
Pop 2 is the fourth mixtape by English singer Charli XCX, released on 15 December 2017 by Asylum Records. Executively produced by A. G. Cook of PC Music, sessions for the mixtape began several months before its release and featured a wide variety of guest contributions. The mixtape was backed by its only single "Out of My Head" featuring Alma and Tove Lo, released exactly one week before its release.
"Blame It on Your Love" is a song by English singer Charli XCX featuring American singer and rapper Lizzo. It was released on 15 May 2019 as the second single from Charli XCX's third studio album, Charli, and soon after debuted on BBC Radio 1 as Annie Mac's "Hottest Record in the World". It is Charli XCX's first single since her 2018 collaboration with Troye Sivan, "1999". The single is a reworked version of "Track 10", the final track from Charli XCX's mixtape Pop 2 (2017). The music video was released on 13 June 2019.
Charli is the third studio album by English singer Charli XCX. It was released through Asylum and Atlantic Records UK on 13 September 2019. Charli was preceded by the singles "1999" with Troye Sivan, "Blame It on Your Love" featuring Lizzo, and "Gone" with Christine and the Queens. Charli was also promoted by the promotional singles "Cross You Out" featuring Sky Ferreira, "Warm" featuring Haim, "February 2017" featuring Clairo and Yaeji, and "2099" also featuring Sivan. Musically, it has been described as avant-pop, electropop, futurepop, and hyperpop.
how i'm feeling now is the fourth studio album by English singer Charli XCX, released on 15 May 2020. Released eight months after her previous LP, Charli (2019), the album was conceived in the span of six weeks during the COVID-19 lockdown in a "do it yourself" collaborative process with her fans. Charli XCX, A. G. Cook and BJ Burton served as the album's executive producers.
Crash is the fifth studio album by English singer Charli XCX, released on 18 March 2022. It was her last album to be released under her record contract with Asylum Records. Charli announced the album title, release date, and artwork on 4 November 2021. Her website was also updated with information about the album's 2022 tour. The album was preceded by the four singles "Good Ones", "New Shapes" featuring Christine and the Queens and Caroline Polachek, "Beg for You" featuring Rina Sawayama, "Baby" and two promotional singles, "Every Rule" and "Used to Know Me", the latter released as the fifth single in April 2022.
SUCKER remodels the punk-pop subgenre for another generation of disaffected pleasure-seekers.
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