Heaven (Rebecca Ferguson album)
Heaven is the debut album by British singer-songwriter Rebecca Ferguson. The album was released on 5 December 2011. The lead single from Heaven, "Nothing's Real but Love" was released on 20 November. The album track "Fairytale (Let Me Live My Life This Way)" was released as a digital single on November 11.[1]
"Heaven" surpassed pre-orders of the debut albums of Cher Lloyd's Sticks + Stones by 571%, Matt Cardle's Letters by 181% and One Direction's Up All Night by 11%. The online retailer's head of music buying Paul Firth said: "Rebecca Ferguson's strong pre-order performance is a good indicator that she is set to follow in the footsteps of the very successful X Factor runner-ups in previous years by achieving stronger sales than the ultimate winner.[2].
Background
On 21 October 2011 Rebecca confirmed the title of her debut album, Heaven and would be released in the UK on 5 December 2011. She co-wrote the album with songwriters including Steve Booker (Duffy) and Eg White, who has previously worked with Adele, Duffy and James Morrison. Talking about the album she said:
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"I've loved writing and recording the album throughout this year so I'm really excited for everyone to hear it! I feel like I've learnt a lot about myself going through the writing process, putting my experiences on paper and into the tracks. It's a record I'm really proud of." [3] |
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In terms of what she mainly wanted to achieve with her debut album she told Blues & Soul:
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"The big thing for me was to make an album that really RESONATED with people - a record they could connect to and get something FROM. Like, say, when I was writing a song like "Teach Me How To Be Loved", I was hoping people would listen to it and think 'Oh, I'VE felt like that when I'VE split up from my boyfriend'... So yeah, lyrically I guess it's mostly just me putting down in writing things I've been through in the past and life lessons that I've learnt FROM that." [4] |
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She also revealed that her split from Zayn Malik inspired her debut album. She said that the breakup, along with her previous relationships, inspired her to co-write every song on the album. In an interview with Daily Star Sunday she said:
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"A lot of the songs are about past relationships. The theme is relationships in general, making them, breaking them, love and loss. Recording was hard. It wasn't a case of skipping to the studio and being happy. I got really emotional and sometimes I had really bad days. I poured out all my heart and soul into the album and would often cry. At the beginning they didn't know I could write so they were bringing songs in for me but I put my foot down and said if you want me to be a credible artist you have to let me write. Now I've co-written every single song on the album." [5] |
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On 16 November Rebecca revealed that she told label boss Simon Cowell that she wanted to write her debut album. She admitted that she refused to record material written for her as she wanted to create her own songs for new LP Heaven. She is quoted by The Sun as saying:
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"Syco have been really brilliant – as soon as I put my foot down they back off completely. I just wanted songs I'd written on the album. At first I was going into sessions with writers who'd pretty much got all of the songs done already. But I told management they needed to let me write it because otherwise no-one's going to think I'm a credible artist. Then they let me just go into sessions on my own – I couldn't believe it." [6] |
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Critical Reception
The album has received universal critical acclaim. The Telegraph gave the album 5 out of 5 stars. They said: There is nothing about this record I don’t like. After 12 years, reality TV has finally turned out someone who not only has the hallmarks of a real star, but is also an artist in her own right.[8] Digital Spy gave the album 5 stars out of 5 stars. They said: Fortunately, it would seem the best has been saved for last. She may have been branded "the shy one" on last year's show, but there's plenty of evidence here to suggest she won't take any crap (she insisted on co-writing each of the album's ten tracks)." [7] Trash Lounge gave the album 5 stars out of 5 stars. They said: "Heaven, despite its lack of potential “big hit singles”, is soulful, heartfelt and utterly breathtaking. She won’t achieve the sales figures managed by her more youth-friendly predecessors Olly Murs and JLS, but in terms of artistic ability Ferguson could be the best talent show discovery since… ever?"[10] The Independent gave a very positive review, claiming "By the law of averages, talent-show telly has to throw up at least one genuinely serviceable talent every ten years or so, and Rebecca Ferguson is surely that one."[16]
Chart performance
The album debuted at number nine on Irish Albums Chart.[17] In the United Kingdom, the album entered the UK Albums Chart at number three selling 128,458 copies. The album was kept off the top spot by the first week sales of Amy Winehouse's posthumous album Lioness: Hidden Treasures selling over 194,000 copies and Michael Bublé's album Christmas which sold 190,000.[18]Heaven became the second fastest-selling debut album of 2011 in United Kingdom. One Direction's debut album Up All Night being the fastest-selling album of the 2011, selling 138,631 copies in its opening week.[19] In the second week of release the album peaked at number seven,selling 96,000 copies. After two weeks of the album being released, the British Phonographic Industry awarded Ferguson with a Platinum certification.[20]
Singles
Album track "Fairytale (Let Me Live My Life This Way)" was released as a digital single on November 11.[1]
- The lead single from Heaven, "Nothing's Real But Love" was released on 20 November 2011 and the video released showed Ferguson performing the song live. On 23 November an official video of the single was released on her official website. Ferguson appeared on the eight series of The X Factor. She then performed the single the following night and also performed "Fairytale" on sister show The Xtra Factor. The single debuted,peaked on the UK Singles Chart at number 10. [21] The single has spend five consecutive weeks in the top 40.
- The second single to be released will be Too Good To Lose which was confirmed by Ferguson on her offical website on 3 January 2012.
Tracklist
| Writer(s) |
Producer(s) |
| 1. |
"Nothing's Real but Love" |
Rebecca Ferguson, Eg White |
White |
2:53 |
| 2. |
"Glitter & Gold" |
Ferguson, Alex Smith, Paul Barry |
Smith, Mark Taylor |
3:28 |
| 3. |
"Shoulder to Shoulder" |
Ferguson, White |
White |
3:12 |
| 4. |
"Fairytale (Let Me Live My Life This Way)" |
Ferguson, White |
White |
3.22 |
| 5. |
"Mr. Bright Eyes" |
Ferguson, Brian Higgins, Luke Fitton, Matt Gray, Toby Scott, Owen Parker |
Xenomania |
3:59 |
| 6. |
"Fighting Suspicions" |
Ferguson, White |
White |
4:14 |
| 7. |
"Teach Me How to Be Loved" |
Ferguson, Jonny Lattimer |
Lattimer |
3:49 |
| 8. |
"Run Free" |
Ferguson, Steve Booker |
Steve Booker |
3:12 |
| 9. |
"Diamond to Stone" |
Ferguson, Fraser T. Smith |
Smith |
3:38 |
| 10. |
"Too Good to Lose" |
Ferguson, White |
White |
3:44 |
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Total length:
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33:31 |
Charts and certifications
Release history
References
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| Studio albums |
Heaven
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| Singles |
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| Featured singles |
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| Tours |
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| Related articles |
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