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Unlocked (Alexandra Stan album)

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Unlocked
Alexandra Stan is shown sporting a multi-coloured jacket while a neon light reflects on her.
Studio album by Alexandra Stan
Released 27 August 2014
Recorded 2013-14
Genre
Length 57:30
Language
Label
Producer
Alexandra Stan albums chronology
Cliché (Hush Hush)
(2013)Cliché (Hush Hush)2013		 Unlocked
(2014)		 Alesta
(2016)Alesta2016
Singles from Unlocked
  1. "Thanks for Leaving"
    Released: 28 April 2014
  2. "Cherry Pop"
    Released: 28 May 2014
  3. "Dance"
    Released: 18 July 2014
  4. "Give Me Your Everything"
    Released: 20 August 2014
  5. "Vanilla Chocolat"
    Released: 5 December 2014
  6. "We Wanna"
    Released: 8 June 2015

Unlocked is the second studio album recorded by Romanian recording artist Alexandra Stan. It was made available for digital download on 27 August 2014 through Victor Entertainment as a follow-up to her 2011 album, Saxobeats, and its reissue, Cliché (Hush Hush) (2013). Stan collaborated with several record producers on this album, including Andreas Schuller, Sebastian Jacome, Chrishan Prince, Erik Lidbom and Gabriel Huiban. She also took part at the FonoCamp 2013, the first international songwriting camp held in Romania, where she further worked on material featured on this album. Unlocked premiered following an alleged physical altercation with her former manager, Marcel Prodan, over compensation, which caused Stan's short career hiatus in 2013.

The music of Unlocked draws from the EDM and dance-pop styles of her previous material, while also incorporating different forms of instrumentation from her previous releases, such as Bhangra and Caucasian music in the songs "Kiss Me Goodbye" and "Give Me Your Everything", respectively. Lyrically, the album approaches themes that delve on issuance, retrieval and a new beginning, while also speaking on Stan's volatile relationship with her unidentified boyfriend. The record received generally positive reviews from music critics, many of whom praising its material for being "catchy" and "infectious". Unlocked also drew comparisons to the works of American singer Britney Spears, Barbadian recording artist Rihanna and Australian performer Sia.

Upon its release, Unlocked debuted and peaked at number 21 on the Japanese Oricon Albums Chart, selling 3,859 copies in its first week of release. As of September 2014, the album has sold more than 17,000 units, according to the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ). Six tracks from the album were released as singles, of which three ("Cherry Pop", "Dance" and "We Wanna") charted on the Japan Hot 100. "Dance" reached the top 10 in Turkey, while "We Wanna" reached the top thirty in Argentina, Poland and Turkey, and the top sixty in Italy, Romania and Slovakia. To promote Unlocked, Stan embarked on two tours throughout 2014, Cherry Pop Summer Tour and Unlocked Tour, in Russia, Mexico, Japan and Turkey.[2][3]

Background and development

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"From a professional point of view, the album Unlocked is a musical and artistic testimony to all what happened to me during the last year. I transposed all the feelings I had in the lyrics and music featured on the album. It's called Unlocked because it means that I feel now without limits, creative, free and open. I worked very hard on the record and sometimes it seemed hard to sing all the sad verses in some songs. Now, when I see the finished product, I'm very happy."

—Stan on talking about Unlocked on Adevărul.[4]

Shortly after releasing her debut album Saxobeats (2011) which featured her worldwide breakthrough single, "Mr. Saxobeat",[5] Stan started to work on new material for a new record with Marcel Prodan and Andrei Nemirschi, her long-time composers and managers.[6] "Lemonade", "Cliché (Hush Hush)" and "All My People" were subsequently released worldwide as singles through 2012 and 2013, and were intended for her then-untitled second studio album.[6] The album was intended for a September 2013 release, but following an alleged physical altercation with her former manager Prodan over compensation, the recording was delayed.[6] Following this, Stan accused him of physically attacking and blackmailing her.[7][8][9][10] After her recovery, Stan was sued by Prodan for using his songs in her live performances without his permission.[11] Stan won the copyright battle in June 2014.[12] Cliché (Hush Hush), Stan's last album under Prodan's label, Maan Records, was released in October 2013.[6] It was a re-issue of Saxobeats with the addition of the three songs intended for Stan's second studio album.[6] Cliché (Hush Hush) was only released in Japan; it failed to gain much success, although it did enter the top sixty on the Oricon Albums Chart.[13] In late 2013, Stan continued the work on her second studio album with a new team, including record producers and songwriters Alex Cotoi and Erik Lidbom.[6] She also switched from Prodan's label and signed a new deal with Fonogram Records.[14] "Thanks for Leaving", the first single from Unlocked, was released on 28 April 2014.[15] In the following four months, Stan released three more singles, "Cherry Pop", "Dance" and "Give Me Your Everything", under Roton and Fonogram Records.[16][17][18] Stan took part at the FonoCamp 2013, the first international songwriting camp in Romania, held in Azuga, where she further worked on Unlocked with fellow Romanian singers and producers.[19]

Recordings and artwork

Stan was involved in the writing process of all the songs featured on Unlocked, with the exception of "Thanks for Leaving", "Set Me Free" and "Trumpet Blows".[6] During interviews, she expressed that the lyrical content of "Thanks for Leaving" refers to her recovery following her violent incident with Prodan, making the song very personal to her.[6] The music of Unlocked drew influences by several geners and subgeners, including dance, techno, pop, rhythm and blues, EDM, Bhangra, Caucasian-flavoured music and German club music.[20][21][22] Lyrically, the album revolves around Stan's relationship with her love interest and approaches themes such as issuance, retrieval and a new beginning.[4][22] "Vanilla Chocolat" and "We Wanna" feature lyrics written in French and Spanish, respectively.[6] The official cover sleeve for Unlocked was a photograph by Dimitri Caceaune and shows Stan sporting a multicoloured jacket and standing in front of a neon light.[6] An alternative artwork for the Japanese edition of the album portrayed her in sepia, with only one of her eyes being visible, as the left one is covered by her hair.[6] During an interview, Stan expressed that "[Japanese people] are very obsessed with big eyes, so the photo sessions that [she had] prepared for the Japanese version of Unlocked feature [her] eyes being enlarged by make-up."[4]

Reception

Unlocked was compared to the works of Rihanna (left) and Britney Spears (right).

Unlocked opened the Japanese Oricon Albums Chart at number 21, selling 3,859 copies in its debut charting week.[23] It fell to number 39 after two weeks, bringing sales to 4,550 copies.[23] The album continued to fall down the Japanese Albums Chart over the following weeks, falling from number 39 to number 83.[23] However, it climbed five positions higher to number 78 on the week ending on 7 October 2014, selling 1,030 copies.[23] The record exited the Japanese Albums Chart after spending 17 non-consecutive weeks, bringing total sales to 17,045 copies.[23] Music website Pop Shock described Unlocked as a "good old-fashioned Europop" record. They praised its "infectious production, catchy absurd hooks and glossy vocals", and called the album's package and visuals "stunning". "Vanilla Chocolat" and "Holding Aces" were described as the best tracks of Unlocked; Pop Shock wrote that the latter one was good enough to be an X Factor, a reality television music competition, winner's single.[24] Robin Catling of website Everything Express wrote a mixed review for Unlocked, stating that it was clearly influenced by the works of American singer Britney Spears, Barbadian recording artist Rihanna and Australian singer Sia. "Dance" and "Little Lies" were compared to French disc jockey David Guetta and Spears' Britney Jean (2013) album, respectively. Everything Express suggested that "Thanks for Leaving" could score highly at a Eurovision Song Contest, an annual musical competition. The review concluded, "Unlocked has some highlights amongst the derivative, magpie-collected sparkle of pilfered pop, you might just find it difficult to remember by the end."[22]

Promotion

"Thanks For Leaving" was released on 28 April 2014 as the first single from Unlocked simultaneously with its accompanying music video.[15][27] The track peaked at number 42 on the Romanian Radio Airplay Chart,[28] and at number one on the Ukraine Pop 100.[29] On 28 May 2014, "Cherry Pop" was announced as the sophomore single from the record.[16] In order to promote it, an official music video shot by Khaled Mokhtar in Buftea, Romania was launched. The video shows Stan playing tennis against herself in a futuristic setting.[30] The track was successful in Japan, where it charted at number 64 on the Japan Hot 100.[31][32] The most successful track of the record on the Japan Hot 100, "Dance", premiered as the third release on 18 July 2014.[17][33] The music video for the song was again shot by Khaled Moktar.[34] The recording peaked at number 25 in Japan.[32] It also reached number seventy on the Austrian Singles Chart.[35] The album's fourth single, "Give Me Your Everything", was launched on 27 August 2014.[18] The accompanying controversial music video directed by Khaled Mokhtar portrays Stan chasing a man in a dark landscape.[36] Upon its release, the video aroused controversy for a scene in which Stan is wearing a white robe with masonic symbols inscribed on its back. Particularly, website Urban.ro named the clip "her most bizarre video ever".[37][38] "Vanilla Chocolat" was released on 24 December 2014 as the fifth song from Unlocked[39] and it includes vocal collaboration from Connect-R, a Romanian rapper.[6] The accompanying selfie video sees Stan singing and performing in various live shows, as well as shots of her and Connect-R at Roton Music.[40] A bonus single only made available for purchase on the German version of the record, "We Wanna", featured fellow Romanian recording artist, Inna, and American reggaeton performer Daddy Yankee.[41] The track reached the top thirty in Argentina,[42] Poland[43] and Turkey,[44] and the top sixty in Italy,[45] Romania[46] and Slovakia.[47]

Track listing

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Unlocked.[6]

Unlocked – International version[upper-alpha 1][53]
No. Title Writer(s) Producer(s) Length
1. "Little Lies"  
3:41
2. "Cherry Pop"  
  • Lidbom
  • Hällgren (add.)
 3:11
3. "Dance"  
  • Cotoi
  • Stan
  • Mika Moupondo
  • Lee Anna McCollum
  • Cosmin Basasteanu
  • Lidbom
  • Cotoi
  • Lidbom
 3:41
4. "Back to Light"  
  • Nazarine Henderson
  • McCollum
  • Stan
  • Anton Kuhl
  • Cotoi
  • Kuhl
  • Cotoi
 3:34
5. "Give Me Your Everything"  
  • Serban Cazan
  • Stan
  • McCollum
  • Henderson
  • Andrei Mihai
 Cazan 3:25
6. "Kiss Me Goodbye"  
  • Cotoi
  • Mika Moupondo
  • Stan
 Cotoi 3:18
7. "Vanilla Chocolat" (featuring Connect-R)
  • Cotoi
  • Stan
  • Stefan Mihalache
  • Mika Moupondo
  • Sava Constantin
 Cotoi 3:17
8. "Trumpet Blows"  
  • Gabriel Huiban
  • Karen Amanda Reifer
  • Kerrie Thomas-Armstrong
  • Thomas-Ray Armstrong
 Huiban 2:52
9. "Set Me Free" (featuring Grano)
  • Mika Moupondo
  • Cotoi
  • Radu
  • Cotoi
  • Radu
  • Moupondo
 3:55
10. "Celebrate"  
  • Stan
  • Radu
  • McCollum
  • Henderson
  • Cotoi
 Radu 3:27
11. "Happy"  
  • Victor Bourosu
  • Stan
  • McCollum
  • Henderson
 Bourosu 3:30
12. "Thanks for Leaving"  
  • Cotoi
  • Jacome
 3:36
13. "Holding Aces"  
3:23
14. "Unlocked"  
  • Cotoi
  • Bourosu
  • Stan
  • Mika Moupondo
  • Cotoi
  • Bourosu
 8:14
15. "Dance" (Grano Remix)
  • Cotoi
  • Stan
  • Mika Moupondo
  • McCollum
  • Basasteanu
 Cotoi 4:18
Total length:
 57:30
Sample credits[6]

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Unlocked.[6]

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Recording
Technical and songwriting credits
  • Grano – featured artist
  • Kerrie Thomas Amstrong – songwriter
  • Thomas Ray Amstrong – songwriter
  • Cosmin Basasteanu – songwriter
  • Victor Bourosu – songwriter, producer
  • Șerban Cazan – songwriter, producer
  • Kyle Coleman – songwriter, producer
  • Sava Constantin – songwriter
  • Alexandru Cotoi – songwriter, producer
  • Nermin Haraubasic – songwriter
  • Lukas Hällgren – songwriter, producer
  • Nazarine Henderson – songwriter
  • Karen Huiban – songwriter
  • Gabriel Huiban – songwriter, producer
  • Sebastian Jacome – songwriter, producer
  • Anton Kuhl – songwriter, producer
  • Claire Rodrigues Lee – songwriter
  • Erik Lidbom – songwriter, producer
  • Lee Anna McCollum – songwriter
  • Andrei Mihai – songwriter
  • Ștefan Mihalache – songwriter
  • Mika Moupondo – songwriter, producer
  • Chrishan Prince – songwriter, producer
  • Ionuț Adrian Radu – songwriter, producer
  • Amanda Reifer – songwriter
  • Alexandra Stan – songwriter
  • Ronny Svendsen – songwriter
  • Angelica Vasilcov – songwriter
  • Anne Judith Wik – songwriter

Charts and sales

Release history

Notes

  1. ↑ Different versions of Unlocked were released for the Japanese, Spanish and German markets, with them featuring modified tracklists, bonus tracks and remixes.[48][49][50][51][52]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ 6.00 6.01 6.02 6.03 6.04 6.05 6.06 6.07 6.08 6.09 6.10 6.11 6.12 6.13 6.14 6.15 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 23.3 23.4 23.5 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Note: Login or register, then search for アンロックド by アレクサンドラ・スタン, product code VICP-65252 in the アーティスト＆楽曲検索 (artist & song search).
  24. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  25. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  26. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  27. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  28. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  29. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  30. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  31. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  33. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  34. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  35. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  36. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  37. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  38. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  39. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  40. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  41. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  42. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  43. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  44. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  45. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  46. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  47. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Note: insert 201525 into search.
  48. ↑ 48.0 48.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  49. ↑ 49.0 49.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  50. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  51. ↑ 51.0 51.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  52. ↑ 52.0 52.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  53. ↑ 53.0 53.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  54. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  55. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  56. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  57. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  58. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  59. ↑ 59.0 59.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  60. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  61. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  62. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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