Villains (Emma Blackery album)

Last updated

Villains
Villains (Emma Blackery album) cover.jpg
Studio album by
Released31 August 2018
Genre Electropop
Length39:30
Label RWG
Producer
  • Hutch
  • Toby Scott
Emma Blackery chronology
Magnetised
(2017)
Villains
(2018)
Girl in a Box
(2021)
Singles from Villains
  1. "Dirt"
    Released: 16 March 2018
  2. "Agenda"
    Released: 4 May 2018
  3. "Icarus"
    Released: 22 June 2018
  4. "Take Me Out"
    Released: 10 August 2018

Villains is the debut studio album by English YouTuber and musician Emma Blackery. It was released on 31 August 2018 by RWG Records. After releasing independently five extended plays and gaining attention from Apple Inc.'s reveal of the iPhone X when one of her songs was used in the reveal, Blackery began writing for her debut album in September 2017. Villains is an electropop record whose recurring theme is Blackery's distrust within her social circle. She documented its recording process on her YouTube channel. Blackery worked with producers Peter Hutchings and Toby Scott among others.

Contents

Villains garnered a positive response from music critics, who complimented its sound. Commercially, the album peaked within the top thirty in Scotland and the United Kingdom and the top twenty on Billboard 's Heatseekers Albums chart. The album was preceded by four singles"Dirt", "Agenda", "Icarus" and "Take Me Out"the first of which reached number 47 on the Official Charts Company's (OCC) Official Singles Sales chart. To promote the album, Blackery did live signings for it at HMV stores in the United Kingdom and also embarked on a European supporting tour in October 2018.

Background and release

Blackery (born 1991) played in local bands since she was 18 until she decided to pursue a solo career in 2012, when she also opened her YouTube channel. She posted a variety of things such as original songs and comedy skits. [1] Prior to releasing her debut album, Blackery released independently five extended plays; Human Behaviour (2012), Distance (2013), Perfect (2013), Sucks to Be You (2015) and Magnetised (2017). [1] [2] The cover artwork of Magnetised, as well as its song of the same, were used during Apple Inc.'s reveal of the iPhone X in September 2017. [3] Following the event, Blackery's manager stated that she gained attention from certain media as well as "renewed interest" from record labels he talked to previously. [1] In the same month, she revealed that she began working on her debut album. [1] [3]

Blackery was set to embark on the Emma Blackery European Tour in March 2018, however it was postponed due to delays regarding the album's recording. [4] On 22 May, Blackery unveiled the album's title alongside its cover artwork, track listing and release date (31 August) on her Twitter account. [5] During the summer of the same year, Blackery documented the recording process of the album on her YouTube channel. [6] Villains was released on 31 August 2018 through RWG Records for digital download and streaming. [7] On the same day it was issued for CD, cassette and vinyl. [8] The vinyl release of the record contains dedications to certain individuals. [9] Blackery told The Echo that she "toyed with the idea of releasing the album years ago". [10] On 31 August 2020, an acoustic reworking of the album was released. [11]

Music and lyrics

Villains is an electropop album. [12] Leigh Sanders of Express & Star opined that Blackery "help[s] carry the mantra" of power pop with it while Sussex Express considered the record to be "a continuation of [Blackery's] departure from her earlier pop-rock sound, moving towards a pop-synth ambience straight out of the 1980s". [13] [14] Regarding the album's title, Blackery stated that it is "meant to be over the top, the people I'd fallen out with, they were villains, they were enemies now. It represents all that". [15] In an August 2018 interview with HMV, Blackery declared that the she "wanted to channel all [her] emotions into [the album]" and that "every song handles the idea of friends dropping you or twisting things that you've said, especially in the public eye". She clarified that Villains is "very extreme, it goes from extreme anger to extreme introspection and in the end, not liking the person you're becoming". [15] She co-wrote every track on the album, and also collaborated with producers Toby Scott and Peter Hutchings. [9] [15]

The record begins with "Villains Pt. 1" in which "the fake friends and jealous onlookers" are placed "as the eponymous villains", as stated by Sussex Express. [14] Blackery wrote it in 2016 on a beatmaking application on her phone. [15] "Dirt" is about Twitter "drama" between Blackery and a former friend of hers. [14] Blackery stated that "everyone" claimed she was trying to be like Taylor Swift as she started writing the song two weeks before Swift released "Look What You Made Me Do" (2017). [16] "Agenda" is about self-love and confidence. [14] Sanders stated that the song contains "echoes of Daphne & Celeste". [13] He further declared that the chorus of "Fake Friends" has "big synths" and "invasive percussion". [13] In "Icarus", Blackery details her flaws and regrets of public experiences. [16] She asserted that "Take Me Out" covers "feelings of paranoia and isolation" after being betrayed by someone. [14] "Third Eye" begins with a "dancefloor intro" according to Sanders, who likened it to Stardust's "Music Sounds Better with You" (1998). [13] Blackery considers "Burn the Witch" to be "Dirt"'s sister track since "it tells the story of finally overcoming the hurt [she] felt, and making one final purge of negativity". [14] In "Villains Pt. 2", she ponders over her own part in her downfall, with Sussex Express calling it "an interesting counterpoint to the similarly named opening track". [13] [14] Blackery has stated that the aforementioned track is "the most personal song [she has] ever written" as it discusses the topic of mental health and "things [she has] gone through" as well as "mistakes [she has] made". [16]

Reception

Villains garnered a positive response from music critics. Sanders gave the record a 6/10 rating, calling it "a mixture of sounds from our pop worlds past" and "a solid welcoming", further adding that Blackery "[is] not here to make music-by-numbers". [13] Sussex Express favourably compared the opening track to Lorde, "Dirt" to Tove Styrke and Dua Lipa and "Agenda" to Paramore's After Laughter (2017). [14] The Argus affirmed that Blackery speaking "so honestly and openly about her struggles over the last year", made the album to be "gritty, hard-hitting, pop-fuelled". [16] Midweek predictions suggested that the album would debut at number 15 on the UK Albums Chart, however it instead debuted with 3,098 copies and peaked at number 24. [17] [18] [19] It further achieved peak positions of 18 and 21 on Billboard 's Heatseekers Albums chart and in Scotland, respectively. [20] [21]

Singles and promotion

"Dirt" served as the lead single off Villains, being released on 16 March 2018. [22] It peaked at number 47 on the Official Singles Sales chart published by the Official Charts Company (OCC). [23] "Agenda" and "Icarus" followed as the next singles in May and June, respectively. [24] [25] The fourth and last single off the album was "Take Me Out", which was issued on 10 August 2018. [26] During the first week of September, Blackery performed live and signed copies of Villains at various HMV stores in the United Kingdom. [27]

Europe Villains Tour

Europe Villains Tour
Tour by Emma Blackery
Villains Tor 2018. Poster.webp
Associated albumVillains
Start date4 October 2018
End date25 October 2018
No. of shows15
Emma Blackery concert chronology
  • Emma Blackery
    (2016)
  • Europe Villains Tour
    (2018)
  • Girl in a Box Tour
    (2021)

The Europe Villains Tour was the supporting concert tour for the album. Blackery announced it on her Twitter account on 23 April 2018, being titled Europe Album Tour at the time. [28] It began at Oslo's Parkteatret on 4 October, followed by performances in other countries. The tour finished on 25 October, at London's KOKO.

List of concerts, showing date, city, country, venue, and opening act(s) [29]
Date
(2018)
CityCountryVenueOpening act(s)
4 October Oslo Norway Parkteatret Lilly Ahlberg
6 October [lower-alpha 1] Stockholm SwedenKlubben Fryshuset
7 October Copenhagen DenmarkBeta
9 October Amsterdam Netherlands Sugarfactory
10 October Hamburg GermanyNochtspeicher
12 October Berlin Musik & Frieden
13 October Vienna AustriaB72
14 October Munich GermanyFreierwerk
16 October Cologne Luxor
17 October Frankfurt Zoom
20 October Manchester United Kingdom Manchester Academy 2 Lilly Ahlberg
Dusky Grey
21 October Birmingham O2 Institute
22 October Glasgow The Garage
24 October Cardiff Tramshed
25 October London KOKO

Track listing

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Villains. [9]

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Villains Pt. 1" Emma Blackery 3:37
2."Dirt"
  • Blackery
  • Toby Scott
Scott3:18
3."Agenda"
  • Blackery
  • Scott
Scott3:16
4."Fake Friends"
  • Blackery
  • Scott
Scott3:36
5."Icarus"
  • Blackery
  • Scott
Scott3:36
6."Take Me Out"
  • Blackery
  • Scott
Scott3:06
7."Petty"
  • Blackery
  • Scott
Scott2:48
8."Third Eye"
  • Blackery
  • Maxwell Cooke
  • Hutch
  • Cooke [a]
4:24
9."What I Felt with You"
  • Blackery
  • Scott
Scott3:52
10."Burn the Witch"
  • Blackery
  • Scott
Scott3:11
11."Villains Pt. 2"
  • Blackery
  • Peter Hutchings
Hutch4:47
Total length:39:30

Notes

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Villains. [9]

Charts

Chart performance for Villains
Charts (2018)Peak
position
Scottish Albums (OCC) [21] 21
UK Albums (OCC) [19] 24
UK Independent Albums (OCC) [30] 6
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard) [20] 18

Release history

Release dates and formats for Villains
RegionDateLabelFormat(s)Ref.
Various31 August 2018RWG [7]
N/A [8]

Notes

  1. The concert on 6 October 2018, in Stockholm, Sweden at Klubben Fryshuset, was originally set to take place at Bar Brooklyn, but was changed for unknown reasons. [28] [29]

Related Research Articles

<i>Fantasy Ride</i> 2009 studio album by Ciara

Fantasy Ride is the third studio album by American singer Ciara, first released on May 3, 2009, by Jive Records, LaFace Records and Sony Music Entertainment. The album was recorded between 2007 and 2009. Ciara was executive producer on the album along with co-executive Mark Pitts and, Ciara worked with several record producers, including Blac Elvis, Benny Blanco, Blade, Jasper Cameron, The Clutch, Darkchild, Danja, Dr. Luke, Jason Nevins, Jim Beanz, Los da Maestro, Ne-Yo, Osinachi Nwaneri, Polow da Don, The-Dream, Tricky Stewart, Justin Timberlake, T-Pain. The album featured several guest vocalists, including Justin Timberlake, Ludacris, Chris Brown, Young Jeezy, The-Dream, Missy Elliott.

<i>Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams</i> 2008 studio album by Solange

Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams is the second studio album by American R&B singer and songwriter Solange. It was released on August 26, 2008, by Geffen Records. Solange was heavily influenced by the "Motown Sound" of the 1960s and 1970s prior to the album's recording, prompting her to work with several like-minded producers and songwriters such as Jack Splash, CeeLo Green, Mark Ronson, and Lamont Dozier, formerly of Motown's Holland–Dozier–Holland. The production also incorporated elements of downbeat and electronic music that Solange had familiarized herself with on previous trips to Europe, while the songwriting explored themes of independence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jessie James Decker</span> American country pop singer (born 1988)

Jessica Rose James Decker is an American country pop singer. At age 15, after auditioning for and being rejected by most of the country labels in Nashville, Tennessee, Decker began working with Carla Wallace of Big Yellow Dog Music. One of her songs attracted the attention of Mercury Records, which offered her a recording contract. She released her debut album, Jessie James, in 2009. A few years later in 2013, she starred with her husband Eric Decker, a wide receiver in the National Football League, in the E! reality show Eric & Jessie: Game On.

<i>Echo</i> (Leona Lewis album) 2009 studio album by Leona Lewis

Echo is the second studio album by English singer Leona Lewis. It was released on 9 November 2009 including 16 November in the United Kingdom, and 17 November 2009 in the United States. Its worldwide release was through Sony Music. The album charted across the globe, including the US, UK, Canada, across Europe, Mexico, Australia and New Zealand, with commercial success.

<i>Lungs</i> (album) 2009 studio album by Florence and the Machine

Lungs is the debut studio album by English indie rock band Florence and the Machine, released on 3 July 2009 by Island Records. After working on various projects, Florence Welch formed a band which included Robert Ackroyd, Chris Hayden, Mark Saunders, Tom Monger, and former collaborator Isabella Summers. The album features production from James Ford, Paul Epworth, Stephen Mackey, Eg White and Charlie Hugall, with additional production by band member Isabella Summers. The album has been reissued several times: an expanded version titled Between Two Lungs (2010), a digital EP subtitled The B-Sides (2011), and a Tenth Anniversary Edition (2019).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BT discography</span> American electronic musician discography

The discography of the American electronic musician BT consists of 13 studio albums, 4 compilation albums, 5 extended plays, 39 singles, 28 music videos, and 16 soundtracks.

<i>Stronger with Each Tear</i> 2009 studio album by Mary J. Blige

Stronger with Each Tear is the ninth studio album from American R&B and soul singer-songwriter Mary J. Blige. The album was released in the US on December 21, 2009, under Blige's own imprint, Matriarch Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zoë Badwi</span> Australian singer-songwriter

Zoë Badwi is an Australian singer and songwriter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emma Hewitt</span> Australian singer (born 1976)

Emma Louise Hewitt is an Australian singer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jamie McDell</span> Musical artist

Jamie McDell is a New Zealand musician and singer-songwriter. She was discovered at the age of 16 by EMI Music New Zealand after sending them a demo tape of her acoustic original music. Prior to being signed by a major record label, McDell used various social media outlets to gain exposure, posting YouTube videos – including original songs and cover songs, Twitter and Facebook to get her music out to the masses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nina Nesbitt</span> Scottish singer, songwriter (born 11 July 1994)

Nina Nesbitt is a Scottish singer and songwriter. She has two top 40 singles, and is known for her single "Stay Out", which peaked at No. 21 on the UK Singles Chart in April 2013, and No. 11 on the Scottish Singles Chart

<i>Stages</i> (Melanie C album) 2012 studio album by Melanie C

Stages is the sixth studio album by English singer Melanie C, released on 7 September 2012 by Red Girl Records and Universal UK. A cover album, it features a collection of song covers from various musical theatre shows and films, which consequently makes it Chisholm's first studio album where she holds no writing credits whatsoever to any of the tracks. The album was supported by one single, a cover of "I Know Him So Well", featuring fellow English singer and Spice Girls member Emma Bunton.

Emma Louise Blackery is an English musician, singer, YouTube vlogger, record producer, and author. Active since 2012, Blackery has released EPs, singles, and Vevo music videos. She has toured with Busted, and headlined tours for her debut studio album Villains, released on her RWG Records label in 2018.

<i>5 Seconds of Summer</i> (album) 2014 studio album by 5 Seconds of Summer

5 Seconds of Summer is the debut studio album by Australian pop rock band 5 Seconds of Summer. It was released by Capitol Records on 27 June 2014 in Europe and on 22 July 2014 in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. The album was supported by four singles: "She Looks So Perfect", "Don't Stop", "Amnesia", and "Good Girls". Musically, the album is rooted in the pop-punk, pop-rock and power-pop genres. Before the album's release, the band was the opening act for One Direction in from 2013-2015 on three of their concert tours. To promote the album, 5 Seconds of Summer embarked on their first global headlining tour, entitled Rock Out with Your Socks Out Tour, between May and September 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alison Wonderland</span> Australian musician

Alexandra Margo Sholler, known professionally as Alison Wonderland, is an Australian electronic dance music producer, DJ, and singer. Her debut album, Run, was released on 20 March 2015, which peaked at No. 6 on the ARIA Albums Chart and was certified gold by ARIA. Her second album, Awake, debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Top Dance/Electronic Albums. She was listed at No. 96 on DJ Mag's Top 100 DJs in October 2018. She is also the highest billed female DJ in Coachella history. Outside of being well-known for her music, she is outspoken about her support for mental health and frequently shares her experiences with her fans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cupcakke</span> American rapper (born 1997)

Elizabeth Eden Harris, known professionally as Cupcakke, is an American rapper and singer from Chicago, Illinois. She is known for her hypersexualized, brazen, and often comical persona and music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sabrina Claudio</span> American singer and songwriter

Sabrina Claudio is an American singer and songwriter. In late 2016, Claudio uploaded several songs to SoundCloud, before compiling a select collection as part of her debut extended play, Confidently Lost, which was released independently in March 2017. Her single "Unravel Me" peaked at number 22 on the Billboard Twitter Emerging Artists chart, and her single "Belong to You" peaked at number two on the same chart and was certified Gold by the RIAA. Her debut mixtape, About Time was released on October 5, 2017. It peaked at number 13 on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">070 Shake</span> American singer

Danielle Balbuena, better known by her stage name 070 Shake, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. Aside from her solo career, she is also a member of the musical collective 070, who have released a mixtape together titled The 070 Project: Chapter 1 (2016). Shake released her solo debut EP, Glitter, in March 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slayyyter</span> American pop singer (born 1996)

Catherine Grace Garner, known professionally as Slayyyter, is an American pop singer and songwriter from Kirkwood, Missouri, currently based in Los Angeles. She started her career independently through SoundCloud. Her single "Mine" reached number 38 on the iTunes pop chart. The song was included on her self-titled debut mixtape which was released in 2019. Her debut studio album, Troubled Paradise, was released in June 2021 under Fader. Her second album, Starfucker, is set to be released on September 22, 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Rise (song)</span> 2019 song by Madonna

"I Rise" is a song by American singer-songwriter Madonna from her fourteenth studio album Madame X (2019). The song was written by the singer herself, alongside Starrah and Jason Evigan, while produced by Madonna and Evigan. It was released on May 3, 2019, by Interscope Records, as the first promotional single from the album, and later sent to Italian radio on October 4, 2019, as the album's third single, by the aforementioned label. The song is a mid tempo pop track which lyrically deals about self-empowerment and draws attention to gun violence in the United States, and contains a sample from a speech by American activist X González.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Kaufman, Gil (13 September 2017). "Unsigned British Singer Emma Blackery in 'Complete Shock' After Apple iPhone X Presentation Uses 'Magnetised' Single Artwork". Billboard . Archived from the original on 20 July 2022. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
  2. White, Jack (13 September 2017). "Meet Daye Jack, Sofi Tukker and Emma Blackery - the musicians behind the launch of Apple's iPhone X". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 3 April 2019. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  3. 1 2 Smith, Thomas (13 September 2017). "Who is Emma Blackery? Meet the surprise artist featured in Apple's iPhone keynote presentation". NME . Archived from the original on 20 November 2017. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
  4. Jefferies, Beth (12 February 2018). "Emma Blackery Postpones European Tour". TenEightyMagazine. Archived from the original on 15 February 2018. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  5. Blackery, Emma [@emmablackery] (22 May 2018). "Villains. August 31st" (Tweet). Retrieved 19 July 2022 via Twitter.
  6. Stokel-Walker, Chris (10 August 2018). "How Emma Blackery went from YouTube fame to IRL music career". Wired UK . Archived from the original on 29 March 2019. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  7. 1 2 Citations regarding the release of Villains in various countries:
  8. 1 2 Citations regarding the release of Villains for various formats:
  9. 1 2 3 4 Villains (Back cover). Emma Blackery. United Kingdom: RWG Records. 2018. 0192562599990.{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  10. Hough, Kirsty (12 September 2018). "Five minutes with Emma Blackery". The Echo . Archived from the original on 21 July 2022. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
  11. "Villains (Acoustic Anniversary Edition) by Emma Blackery on Apple Music". iTunes Store (US). 31 August 2020. Archived from the original on 21 July 2022. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
  12. Wilson, Rich. "Emma Blackery Biography". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 14 December 2020. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Sanders, Leigh (18 September 2018). "Emma Blackery, Villains – album review". Express & Star . Archived from the original on 3 April 2019. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Electropop-inspired debut from Brighton based YouTube star Emma Blackery". Sussex Express . 12 September 2018. Archived from the original on 19 July 2022. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  15. 1 2 3 4 "Emma Blackery Villains Interview". HMV. 31 August 2018. Archived from the original on 12 June 2022. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  16. 1 2 3 4 "Musician and Youtuber Emma Blackery opens up about debut album Villains". The Argus . 10 August 2018. Archived from the original on 19 July 2022. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  17. Homewood, Ben (3 September 2018). "Idles make strong start in albums chart". Music Week . Archived from the original on 12 August 2020. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  18. Jones, Alan (10 September 2018). "Re-revived: Eminem's surprise album goes straight to the top". Music Week. p. 39. ProQuest   2121529052.
  19. 1 2 "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  20. 1 2 "Emma Blackery Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  21. 1 2 "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  22. "Dirt – Single by Emma Blackery on Apple Music". iTunes Store (GB). 16 March 2018. Archived from the original on 19 July 2022. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  23. "Official Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 30 March 2019. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  24. "Agenda – Single by Emma Blackery on Apple Music". iTunes Store (GB). 4 May 2018. Archived from the original on 19 July 2022. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  25. "Icarus – Single by Emma Blackery on Apple Music". iTunes Store (GB). 22 June 2018. Archived from the original on 19 July 2022. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  26. "Emma Blackery – Take Me Out". Spotify . 10 August 2018. Archived from the original on 30 June 2020. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  27. "Emma Blackery live & album signings". HMV. Archived from the original on 8 September 2018. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  28. 1 2 Jefferies, Beth (28 April 2018). "Emma Blackery Announces New European Tour". TenEightyMagazine. Archived from the original on 26 September 2021. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  29. 1 2 "Emma Blackery". Myticket.co.uk. Archived from the original on 4 September 2018. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  30. "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 11 August 2022.