TY.O

TY.O
Studio album by Taio Cruz
Released 2 December 2011
Recorded 2010–2011
Genre Pop, R&B, dance
Length 39:07
Label Island
Producer Taio Cruz, Dr. Luke, Cirkut, Steve Angello, Rami Yacoub, Carl Falk, RedOne, Jimmy Joker, Klas Åhlund, Sebastian Ingrosso, Rami, Rob Swire, Jason Gilbert, David Guetta, Giorgio Tuinfort, Frédéric Riesterer
Taio Cruz chronology
Rokstarr
(2009)
TY.O
(2011)
Singles from TY.O
  1. "Hangover"
    Released: 4 October 2011 (2011-10-04)
  2. "Troublemaker"
    Released: 9 December 2011 (2011-12-09)
  3. "There She Goes"
    Released: 25 March 2012 (2012-03-25)

TY.O is third studio album by English singer-songwriter Taio Cruz. It was first released in Germany on December 2, 2011 via Island Records.

Contents

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Background

Cruz began recording the album in late 2010, where he rumoured that he would be exploring other musical genres for the album, including Dubstep and Rock Anthems.[1] In March 2011, Cruz premiered an all-new song, entitled "Telling the World", which was written by Cruz and Alan Kasiyre for the Rio soundtrack. The track was not featured on any of Cruz's prior studio albums.[2] On May 23, 2011, Cruz recieved his first billboard award in the United States, and announced live on stage that his third album would be released in the fourth quarter of 2011, and would be entitled Black and Leather.[3] In June 2011, Cruz released a collaborative single, "Little Bad Girl", with French DJ David Guetta and rapper Ludacris. The song was a worldwide smash, topping singles charts across the world.[4] During July and August 2011, a series of unreleased songs, recorded during the album sessions, were leaked to YouTube. Tracks such as "Excited", "Just Want To Know", "Imma Go", "Replaceable", "Celebrate" (featuring David Guetta) and "Positive" were leaked, amongst other, unofficial demos.[5] It was also rumoured that Taio's collaborative singles, "Second Chance", featuring Tinchy Stryder, and "Cryin' Over You", with Nightcrawlers, were expected for inclusion, however, in an interview, Cruz promised a "fun" and "energetic" album, and claimed that due to the leak, none of the tracks posted on YouTube would be included on the album. Cruz claimed, "It's a shame really, because one person has spoilt it for all the fans. They could have had an album packed with 17, 18 tracks, and now, they're only getting eleven because of one stupid act of tomfooolery."[6] During the interview, Cruz also claimed that the title of the album had been changed, and the album was now entitled Troublemaker, after one of the tracks included on the album. On October 4, 2010, the single "Hangover" was officially released in Germany and the United States, and it was rumoured that a solo version of the song, that features on the physical release, would be included as a bonus track on the album. However, this rumoured were later quashed.[7] On October 7, the single "Troublemaker" premiered, under the working title of "Troublemaker (Believe In Me Now)".[8] Around this time, the album was made available for pre-order, and as such, the album's final title, TY.O, was revealed. Cruz made the decision to name the album TY.O after he expressed his annoyance at people constantly pronuncing his name wrong via his Twitter account. The album was first released in Germany on December 2, 2011, followed a week later by the second single, "Troublemaker".

Critical reception

Dave Rosin of Allmusic gave the album the following review: "British star Taio Cruz is back with his third album, TY.O, which in just the space of eleven tracks, has tried to create one of the most sensational albums of the year. Cruz has now established himself as one of the world’s most sought after writers and producers, as well as a genuine international superstar artist in his own right. The scorching lead single from the album, "Hangover", features the vocal talent of Flo-Rida, whilst the second single, “Troublemaker”, is an amazing solo effort. "Troublemaker" is a fantastic song from start to finish - it will make you want to dance. It’s catchy rhythm is able to give a hint what the whole album really offers it's listeners. The song, produced by Dr. Luke, is based on a trip to the world’s greatest party island. Other artist collaborations include Pitbull on “There She Goes”, as well as Ludacris and David Guetta on “Little Bad Girl”."[9]

Singles

Track listing

No. Title Writer(s) Producer(s) Length
1. "Hangover" (featuring Flo Rida) Taio Cruz, Lukasz Gottwald, Henry Walter Dr. Luke, Cirkut 4:03
2. "Troublemaker"   Cruz, Steve Angello, Rami Yacoub, Carl Falk Carl Falk, Rami Yacoub, Steve Angello, Cruz 3:40
3. "There She Goes" (featuring Pitbull) Cruz, RedOne, Armando Perez, Jimmy Joker, AJ Junior, Bilal Hajji RedOne, Jimmy Joker 3:46
4. "Shotcaller"   Cruz, Klas Ă…hlund, Sebastian Ingrosso, Angello Klas Ă…hlund, Sebastian Ingrosso, Steve Angello, Cruz 3:24
5. "Make It Last Forever"   Cruz, Gottwald, Ammar Malik, Walter Dr. Luke, Cirkut 3:48
6. "World in Our Hands"   Cruz, Michel Zitron, Yacoub, Falk, Iain James Carl Falk, Rami Yacoub, Cruz 3:20
7. "Tattoo"   Cruz, Gottwald, Walter Dr. Luke, Cirkut 3:12
8. "Play"   Cruz, Rob Swire Cruz, Rob Swire 3:15
9. "You're Beautiful"   Cruz, Jason Gilbert Cruz, Jason Gilbert 3:19
10. "Telling the World" (TY.O version) Cruz, Alan Kasirye Cruz 4:08
11. "Little Bad Girl" (David Guetta featuring Taio Cruz and Ludacris) Cruz, Christopher Bridges, David Guetta, Giorgio Tuinfort, Frédéric Riesterer David Guetta, Giorgio Tuinfort, Frédéric Riesterer 3:13

Charts

Chart (2011)↓ Peak
position↓
Austrian Albums Chart[10] 51
Swiss Albums Chart[11] 29

Release history

Region Date Format Label
Germany[12] 2 December 2011 CD, Digital download Island Records
Ireland[13] 2 January 2012
United Kingdom[14] 26 March 2012

References