Cinderella's Eyes
Cinderella's Eyes | |
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Singles from Cinderella's Eyes | |
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Cinderella's Eyes is the debut studio album by English recording artist Nicola Roberts. It was released on 23 September 2011 by Polydor Records. As a member of the British girl group Girls Aloud, Roberts drew inspiration from her time with the group. Her experience with Girls Aloud's formation found her being labelled "ugly" by the media, and the constant negative attention and subsequent personal problems resulted in her struggling with her confidence. She started recording for the album in 2010 and co-wrote all of the original tracks on the album, working closely with producers Dimitri Tikovoï, Maya von Doll (from electro group Sohodolls) and Diplo on the album, as well as Canadian electropop band Dragonette. The concept of the album derived from fairy tales, focusing mostly upon "Cinderella" after titling the album Cinderella's Eyes. The album artwork features Roberts next to a collection of vintage artefacts wearing a modern interpretation of the Cinderella glass slipper, co-produced by shoe designer Atalanta Weller.
The album was characterised by electropop themes and autobiographical lyrics. The album opens with "Beat of My Drum", an electropop dance track which features chants, something that is presented throughout the album. Her use of rap is included on tracks such as "I", "Take a Bite" and "Sticks and Stones". The latter track was written about her lack of confidence during her times with Girls Aloud, and discusses the times she was labelled "ugly" by the media. Roberts wrote the track to highlight the subject of bullying and to make others in the same position feel less alone. The album was inspired by Robyn and Kate Bush, both of whom have received comparisons to songs within the album.
Cinderella's Eyes was received well by music critics, who praised the
Background and inspiration
"I think I have a lot of music inside of me, so I want to push myself with writing. I don't really get much time to practice and I know this makes perfect, which frustrates me. [...] I know that I have a lot more to give in writing and singing than I've already given, and I know that when I get this out of my system I will be happy because it's not just something i enjoy – it's the making of me. The way I feel about it has increased as I've got older, as I've grown into what I like and what I actually love doing. I definitely want to develop this more."
Roberts discussing her ambition to write solo music material.[1]
Nicola Roberts is one fifth of the band Girls Aloud. During her time with the girl group, she struggled with loneliness, due to living away from home in London, busy schedule, and media criticism of her image, eventually describing her time in the band as a "blur".[2] She became exhausted and found herself with two personalities, one being a "normal" girl and another to deal with the celebrity lifestyle, with which she was uncomfortable.[2] Roberts claimed that the hardest aspect of being with the group was the media attention – which would constantly pick out flaws with her image. She said she "just had to harden myself to it, actually, inside, I was dying".[2] The album was inspired by her time performing with Girls Aloud – "It would have been stupid for me to make an album that meant nothing."[2] For Roberts, the album was about making a risky record, where there wasn't a guaranteed commercial success, explaining to The Guardian: "It's taken every last bit of confidence just to release this record, or maybe I've just brainwashed myself into feeling more confident. I don't know if it's good, or if I've just told myself it's good."[2] On 6 May 2011 via her official website, Roberts confirmed that she had been developing a studio album ready for release, she said;
I'm writing this and I feel so excited and nervous all at the same time. Everytime I think about what I'm about to do I get the biggest butterflies [...] For over a year, I've been in the studio writing my own songs and working towards making my own record. The time has come where I have to come out of my safe bubble that is the studio and share my music with you... butterflies just got worse [...] I've had the incredible opportunity to work with some of my favourite artists, DJs and producers on my album. I have had the most amazing time and I have learnt so much. It was important that my record was personal to me. I wanted to be able to look back on the album and know that I have honestly put 100% of myself into it. I've written songs and stories that I have wanted to write for a long time. I really hope that you're able to relate to my music, because that really is what it's all about.. So here goes, I'm taking a big leap, but it's going to be the best fun ever.[3]
Artwork
The album artwork premiered on 22 August 2011, and features Roberts next to a collection of vintage artefacts wearing a modern interpretation of Cinderella's glass slippers. The album artwork was shot at Master Shipwright's House in London, which Roberts described as "run-down reality with a hint of fairytale".[4] The concept of the artwork was to relate to the different sounds of the album, which Roberts described as "red" and "blue" tracks, claiming she wanted "to be on parallel with the art and clothes".[5] The emerging detailing in electro music, as Roberts described it was something she wanted present in the artwork, whilst talking to Rolling Stone she said "I wanted that rhythm to be present in the imagery, the way I pictured it. There's a lot going on with the sounds on this record; it was important to me that the visual side was equally eclectic, so that it came full circle. This is a full package.[5] For the album photograph shoot, Roberts worked alongside shoe designer Atalanta Weller to produce the shoes for the album.[6] The "21st century" Cinderella style glass slippers were produced for the album campaign, Roberts explained about the shoes and fashion in relation to the record saying; "that will play a big part in the campaign for the record [...] the crystals represent a massive part in the theme of the album".[6] The shoe, a wedge, is in Weller's signature style and, whilst talking to Vogue, Weller called her intrigue at working with Roberts due to them being an unlikely pairing.[7] Weller called Roberts' style "incredible" and "extremely distinctive, luxurious and original":
A collaboration is like a good conversation, Nicola came to my studio a couple of times and I went to hers; we initially chatted about her music, the forthcoming album and how this related to her vision for the shoes. I went away and started designing my response to this. After our first meeting I was excited by her ideas and collaborating with people who have a strong vision is really fantastic. Nicola considers everything she does really carefully and has a totally clear view of what she wants to achieve. While the shoes are just a small part of this, I knew it would be interesting and fun to work together.[7]
Development
"I want to get back into the studio, maybe work with an up-and-coming artist, too. I would to spend six months in the studio learning as much as I can about writing and producing, working with some really cool people and just learning solidly and having fun. I want to develop vocally and musically so that I know what kind of music I want to sing. I have so much music inside of me that I haven't been able to get out. To me, music and writing is like my diary."
Roberts discussing what how she wanted to develop her debut album.[8]
Roberts co-wrote every song on the album, with the exception of
Whilst discussing the record with Rolling Stone she discussed her selection of producers for the record, with a goal to create "a unique record" becoming the basis of her selection.
Composition
"It's electronically lead [
ballad but not a slushy one, and hopefully people will be able to relate to the lyrics. There's the Dragonette track which has a dancey, Robyn-esque production, and then there's the hard and dramatic Metronomysounds on the song 'I'. My favourite changes all the time, but at the moment it's a song called 'Take a Bite', which is really cheeky, upbeat and rough around the edges."
Roberts discussing the concept and the content of the album.[12]
The album opens with the track "Beat of My Drum" and the track has been compared to artists
The sixth track, "I", has been described as a "moody-electro" and a "dark pop" track.
The lyrics are quite personal. I like rap music, and rappers use real-life language and don’t hold back in what they talk about. My lyrics aren’t generic pop lyrics just there because they rhyme. I’ve tried to write things as I’d say them, so it sounds more like me. There’s a song called "Sticks And Stones", which is about when I was 17 and I thought I’d won the jackpot when I got in the band [Girls Aloud], and then things not turning out as I might have expected. The middle eight on that song is very honest and truthful.[23]
Critical reception
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Express.co.uk | [28] |
Financial Times | [21] |
The Guardian | [29] |
NME | (7/10)[19] |
The Telegraph | [30] |
Virgin Media | [31] |
I've been looking at my album reviews today and, honestly, I could cry. It's a bit of a shocker. Someone tweeted me all of the mark-ups – the stars that the various papers had given it – and when you see them all collected like that, 4 out of 5 and 5 out of 5, it was just like: 'Oh my fucking god! That's incredible.' I could cry. It’s quite amazing. And now the album's out there and I just have to hope that people like it. That's all I can ask for.
—Roberts discussing the acclaimed reviews for the album.[32]
The album received praise from music critics upon its release. Ludovic Hunter-Tilney of the
Emily Mackay of
Release and promotion
The lead single was released with the "
Singles
"Beat of My Drum" was the first single released from the album, and was produced by French producer Dimitri Tikovoï with additional production by Diplo[37] and was released on 5 June 2011 in the United Kingdom.[38] The track has been compared to those of artists M.I.A. and Daphne and Celeste. Produced by Major Lazer, it features Roberts performing both singing and rap vocals.[15] The track received acclaim from critics,[23] but commercially it performed weakly, peaking at number 27 in the United Kingdom.[39] A music video, directed by Wendy Morgan, was recorded in Los Angeles.[40] The second single, "Lucky Day", was released on 16 September 2011[41] and was produced by Canadian electropop band Dragonette.[42] Inspired by the 1940s era, Roberts wanted to produce a "more downbeat dance record".[42] The dance-pop track lyrically talks of a relationship where the man is not succumbing to Roberts advances, but "winning" him over in the end of the song; however, she stated the lyrics could be interpreted into any lucky situation.[17] It garnered generally positive reviews from critics, who responded positively to the pop elements and the production by Dragonette.[43][44] A music video, directed by Stephen Agnes, was released and was recorded in the East Village of New York City, featuring Roberts performing in a floral dress. "Yo-Yo" was released as the third single from the album on 6 January 2012.[45] The song garnered generally positive reviews being labelled "radio friendly".[46]
Track listing
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | " The Arcade | 3:16 | ||
12. | "Sticks and Stones" |
| Tikovoi | 3:55 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
13. | "Through Nicola's Eyes" (video) | |
14. | "Beat of My Drum" (music video) | |
15. | "Lucky Day" (music video) |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
13. | "Lucky Day" (Engine Room Sessions) |
| Traxstarz | 3:21 |
14. | "Yo-Yo" (Engine Room Sessions) |
| Tikovoi | 3:32 |
15. | "I" (Engine Room Sessions) |
| Metronomy | 3:43 |
16. | "Sticks and Stones" (Engine Room Sessions) |
| Tikovoi | 4:15 |
| 3:48 | |||
6. | "Pipe Dreams" |
|
| 4:00 |
---|---|---|---|---|
7. | "So Damn Right" |
| Kurtz | 3:11 |
8. | "Tomorrow" |
| Stannard | 3:58 |
9. | "Disco, Blisters & a Comedown" |
|
| 3:04 |
10. | "Fix Me" |
| Tikovoi | 3:07 |
* additional production.
Charts
Chart (2011) | Peak position |
---|---|
Irish Albums (IRMA)[49] | 48 |
Scottish Albums (OCC)[50] | 21 |
UK Albums (OCC)[51] | 17 |
Release history
Region | Date | Format | Edition | Label | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ireland | 23 September 2011 |
|
Standard | Polydor Records | [52] |
Brazil | Digital download | [53] | |||
United Kingdom |
|
[54] | |||
Worldwide | 29 May 2020 |
|
|||
Various | TBC | LP | CD | Behind Cinderella's Eyes | Plastic Pop Records | [36] |
|
Standard |
References
- ^ Girls Aloud 2009, p. 217
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Nicholson, Rebecca (4 June 2011). "Nicola Roberts: Diplo and Metronomy dance to the bang of my drum". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 August 2011.
- ^ Roberts, Nicola (6 May 2011). "Are You In?". Polydor Records. Archived from the original on 12 August 2011. Retrieved 13 August 2011.
- Polydor. 26 August 2011. Archived from the originalon 28 August 2011. Retrieved 26 August 2011.
- ^ a b Nika, Colleen (11 October 2011). "Nicola Roberts, One-Fifth of Britain's Biggest Girl Group, Talks Solo Record and Style Ambitions". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 12 October 2011. Retrieved 12 October 2011.
- ^ a b Corner, Lewis (20 May 2011). "Nicola Roberts designs shoe for 'Cinderella's Eyes'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 11 August 2011.
- ^ a b Milligan, Lauren (20 May 2011). "Going Solo". Vogue. Retrieved 11 August 2011.
- ^ Girls Aloud 2009, p. 336
- ^ Viacom. 22 August 2011. Retrieved 11 August 2011.
- ^ a b c d Nika, Colleen (11 October 2011). "Nicola Roberts, One-Fifth of Britain's Biggest Girl Group, Talks Solo Record and Style Ambitions". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 12 October 2011. Retrieved 19 November 2011.
- ^ a b "Dragonette Makes Strong Coffee – Nicola Roberts reveals all to Love Machine". Love Machine. Archived from the original on 10 August 2011. Retrieved 29 August 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f Copsey, Robert (18 June 2011). "Nicola Roberts interview: "I begged for Kate Bush"". Digital Spy. Retrieved 11 August 2011.
- ^ a b c Copsey, Robert (1 August 2011). "Nicola Roberts confirms 'Lucky Day' single release". Digital Spy. Retrieved 11 August 2011.
- ^ a b c Moynihan, David (21 June 2011). "Nicola Roberts collaborator: 'New songs are wild cards'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 11 August 2011.
- ^ a b c d Chipping, Tim (20 May 2011). "Nicola Roberts 'Cinderella's Eyes' 3 track-sampler. UK Pop has a new Queen". Holy Moly. Retrieved 24 September 2011.
- ^ a b St Asaph, Katherine (10 August 2011). "The Singles Bar: Nicola Roberts, Lucky Day". Pop Dust. Retrieved 12 August 2011.
- ^ a b Roberts, Nicola (14 July 2011). "Maybe It's My Lucky Day". Polydor Records. Archived from the original on 12 August 2011. Retrieved 12 August 2011.
- ^ a b c Copsey, Robert (24 September 2011). "Cinderella's Eyes – Album Review". Digital Spy. Retrieved 21 September 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f Mackay, Emily (14 September 2011). "First Listen – Nicola Roberts, 'Cinderella' s Eyes'". NME. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
- ^ "Interview: Nicola Roberts". Female First. 12 September 2011. Retrieved 26 September 2011.
- ^ a b c d e Hunter-Tilney, Ludovic (24 September 2011). "Nicola Roberts: Cinderella's Eyes". Financial Times. Retrieved 21 September 2011.
- ^ Roberts, Nicola (21 September 2011). "Guest Blog: Nicola Roberts – Lucky Day 3 – Sticks and Stones". Holy Moly. Archived from the original on 24 September 2011. Retrieved 24 September 2011.
- ^ a b Williams, Andrew (26 June 2011). "Nicola Roberts: I thought I'd won the jackpot when I got in Girls Aloud". Metro. Retrieved 11 August 2011.
- ^ O'Brien, Jon. "Cinderella's Eyes – Nicola Roberts". AllMusic. Retrieved 9 November 2011.
- ^ Cragg, Michael. "Nicola Roberts Cinderella's Eyes review". BBC. Retrieved 17 November 2011.
- ^ a b Nellis, Krystina. "Nicola Roberts – Cinderella's Eyes". Album review. Archived from the original on 25 September 2011. Retrieved 26 September 2011.
- ^ a b Pearson, Rick. "Nicola Roberts – Cinderella's Eyes". Album review. Archived from the original on 24 September 2011. Retrieved 25 September 2011.
- ^ Gage, Simon (23 September 2011). "CD Review – Nicola Roberts: Cinderella's Eyes (Polydor)". Daily Express. Retrieved 25 September 2011.
- ^ a b Hoby, Hermione (25 September 2011). "Nicola Roberts: Cinderella's Eyes – review". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 September 2011.
- ^ a b Lanchno, James (22 September 2011). "Nicola Roberts: Cinderella's Eyes, CD review". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 24 September 2011.
- ^ a b Horton, Matthew. "Cinderella's Eyes – Nicola Roberts". Album review. Retrieved 26 September 2011.
- ^ Roberts, Nicola (26 September 2011). "Guest Blog: Nicola Roberts – Lucky Day 5 – G-A-Y and Hair". Holy Moly. Archived from the original on 29 September 2011. Retrieved 26 September 2011.
- ^ a b Montgomery, Hugh (2 October 2011). "Album: Nicola Roberts, Cinderella's Eyes (Polydor)". The Independent. Retrieved 5 October 2011.
- ^ "Cinderella's Eyes – pre-order, artwork and tracklisting revealed". Polydor Records. 22 August 2011. Archived from the original on 23 August 2011. Retrieved 11 August 2011.
- ^ Roberts, Nicola [@NicolaRoberts] (26 October 2021). "Cinderella's Eye's 10th anniversary! To mark her birthday, I'm so happy to be releasing this on vinyl finally! It's hard to believe it's been 10 years! You can pre order the vinyl at the stroke of midnight on Thursday. But there's still more to the story..." (Tweet). Retrieved 4 November 2021 – via Twitter.
- ^ a b c "Behind Cinderella's Eyes (Deluxe)". Plastic Pop Records. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
- ^ Stern, Bradley (3 June 2011). "Nicola Roberts – Beat of My Drum (Single review)". MuuMuse. Retrieved 11 August 2011.
- ^ "Beat of my Drum Single". Apple Inc. Retrieved 11 August 2011.
- ^ "The Official Charts Company". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 11 August 2011.
- ^ Roberts, Nicola (25 May 2011). "Beat of LA". Polydor Records. Archived from the original on 14 August 2011. Retrieved 11 August 2011.
- ^ "EP by Nicola Roberts 'Lucky Day'". iTunes Store. Retrieved 14 September 2010.
- ^ a b Love, Charles-Spencer (2 August 2011). "Nicola Roberts confirms 'Lucky Day' single release". Digital Spy. Retrieved 11 August 2011.
- ^ "Song of the Day 'Lucky Day'". Popjustice. Retrieved 14 August 2011.
- ^ Lambden, Dan. "Track Review: Nicola Roberts 'Lucky Day'". SoSoGay. Archived from the original on 29 September 2011. Retrieved 14 September 2011.
- ^ "Nicola Roberts 'Yo-Yo' EP". iTunes Store. January 2011. Retrieved 16 January 2012.
- ^ Copsey, Robert (8 November 2012). "Nicola Roberts: 'Yo-Yo' review". Digital Spy. Retrieved 16 January 2012.
- ^ "Cinderella's Eyes Nicola Roberts". Apple Inc. January 2011. Retrieved 26 September 2011.
- ^ "Cinderella's Eyes - Album by Nicola Roberts". Spotify. January 2011. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
- Chart-Track. IRMA.
- ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
- ^ "{{{artist}}} | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart.
- ^ "Nicola Roberts Cinderella's Eyes". Apple. Retrieved 24 September 2011.
- ^ "Cinderella's Eyes de Nicola Roberts". iTunes Store. Apple Inc. 23 September 2011. Retrieved 20 June 2012.
- ^ "Nicola Roberts Cinderella's Eyes". Apple. Retrieved 24 September 2011.
Works cited
- Dreams That Glitter. Transworld Publishers Limited. 2009. ISBN 978-0-552-15760-5.