Selfocracy

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Selfocracy
Sony
Producer
Loïc Nottet chronology
Selfocracy
(2017) 		Candy
(2019)
Loïc Nottet studio album chronology
Selfocracy
(2017) 		Sillygomania
(2020)
Singles from Selfocracy
  1. "Million Eyes"
    Released: 27 October 2016
  2. "Mud Blood"
    Released: 17 March 2017

Selfocracy is the debut studio album by Belgian singer

hip hop, experimental music and pop rock, Selfocracy features Nottet lyrically expressing his vision of modern society and addresses topics including toleration, harassment, stereotypes, narcissism, egocentrism and egoism. The singer himself described Selfocracy as a concept album
and cited the mirror as a symbol for the entire record.

Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique (SNEP) in France. For promotion, two singles preceded the album—"Million Eyes" (2016) and "Mud Blood" (2017)—which were successful in the aforementioned territories. Nottet also launched his Selfocracy Tour
, which ran from 2017 to 2018 and visited the United Kingdom, Russia, Luxembourg, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Germany.

Background and release

Belgian singer

sounds, and then reach out to professional producers to "put the nail polish" in accordance to his vision. During an interview, the singer stated that this process took him a year and a half.[2][4][5] The first song to be composed for Selfocracy was "Mud Blood".[6] The album was originally planned to be called The Reign of Selfocracy, but its title was shortened "at the last minute".[7] Nottet detailed:[8]

"To find the title of the album, I put together all its songs and realized that they were mostly a call for

Latin
, I knew that 'cratia' means power. I then looked for a word in English that meant 'myself' and I got to "selfcracy". And then a friend of mine who is British told me that if I had been British, too, I would have added an 'o' because it sounds better. And that's why I chose Selfocracy."

Prior to its official premiere, excerpts of Selfocracy had been

Sony Music Entertainment.[3][11][13] Nottet originally envisioned the album's accompanying cover artwork to solely consist of symbols but—due to the disagreement of Sony Music Entertainment—it ended featuring a shot of him.[9] Unveiled on 1 March 2017 through social media, the artwork portrays Nottet in a dark setting, lying on the ground in front of a mirror and looking off in the far distance.[14]

Music and lyrics

Selfocracy has been classified as an

French and gave them to a British friend to translate.[19]

Sia singing into a microphone against a black background, wearing a white dress.
Music critics identified Australian singer Sia as an influence on the songs "Million Eyes" and "Mirror".[23][24] Nottet himself also stated that she was one of his favorite acts during interviews.[2][23]

The album opens with its title track, a "symphonic ballad",

Pure Charts associated the lyrics of "Dirty" with the bullying Nottet was exposed to during his childhood.[24]

The fifth track on Selfocracy, "Million Eyes", has been described as an

avant garde-influenced instrumental section.[25][26] Towards the track's end electric guitars are introduced, prompting a critic to compare their use to that of Imagine Dragons.[17] Other inspirations for the song identified by a Newsmonkey editor are Rihanna and Lady Gaga.[18] On "Poison", Nottet executes several "completely controlled" vocal trills,[25] while lyrically detailing on criticism from individuals which causes his "conscience [to be] poisoned".[26]

"Cure", the eighth song on Selfocracy, has been described as a piano-driven "love letter" to music, which Nottet himself considered a therapy.[17][18] The track is followed by "Wolves" with British singer Raphaella, featuring them performing a combination of singing and howling.[25] Its instrumentation contains "light" percussion.[17] Critics labelled "Hungry Heart" a pop song and noticed the inclusion of several guitar riffs.[24][25] In an interview, Nottet stated that the recording lyrically represents a love song between a human and its reflection.[20] Recording artist Landsbert-Noon speaks for a second and last time on "Peculiar and Beautiful" over a "dramatic" background.[3][18] He content-wise references Selfocracy's opening title track,[25] and advises listeners to "reflect again on [their] excessive use of mirrors".[18] Lyrics include: "Be you/Simply you/ That'll be enough/Believe me".[25] Closing Selfocracy, the "dramatic" "Mirror" includes "subtle links" to other songs from the album. In the lyrics, Nottet encourages the listener to "break that glass" and not let reflections overrule them.[17][25] Goncalves of Pure Charts compared the track to the work of Sia.[24]

Critical reception

Music critics had positive reviews for Selfocracy. Kosmala of Mademoizelle stated: "[The album] touches by its sincerity, and impresses with the vocal capacities of Nottet which manage to create a separate and captivating atmosphere."

Virgin Radio praised the songs' production and Nottet's maturity, while picking "Poision" as the highlight from Selfocracy.[17] Le Parisien's Éric Bureau thought that the "maturity" and "darkness" of the writing on the album was reminiscent to that of Marina Kaye,[22] while Newsmonkey found that Nottet's love of horror films reflected on the album's material.[18]

Christophe Segard of website Aficia gave Selfocracy four-and-a-half points out of five, and wrote: "Dark, intense, tortured, raw... [...] 12 titles perfectly produced, an authentic album [that shows] maturity [and] great darkness, but which does not cause addiction."[39] In another article, Segard listed the album track "Poison" in his 2017 in 10 Tracks list.[40] Giving the album ten out of ten points and picking "Mud Blood" as its best track, Antranig Shokayan of Wiwibloggs concluded: "It is difficult to find a weak link as each song stands on its own and they come together to form a perfect collection".[26] Melty ranked the album at number three in their Best Pop Albums of the Year list, following Number 1 Angel by Charli XCX and Melodrama by Lorde.[41] Jonathan Currinn of website CelebMix labelled Selfocracy as one of his favorite albums of 2017, and praised Nottet's vocal delivery as well as the contributions of the featuring artists. Currinn concluded: "Every single track on this album is complete and impressive. They're all uniquely catchy and show Nottet’s versatility. [...] This is a faultless debut album".[25]

Promotion and commercial performance

Nottet singing into a microphone against a blue-green background, wearing all-black clothing.
Nottet performing in Belgium in April 2017 during his Selfocracy Tour

Selfocracy was aided by two singles—"Million Eyes" and "Mud Blood"—released on 27 October 2016 and 17 March 2017, respectively.

Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique (SNEP), respectively.[49][50] "Mud Blood" achieved minor success in Wallonia.[51] For further promotion, Nottet also launched his Selfocracy Tour, which ran for over one year from 22 April 2017 to 2 August 2018.[34] The singer predominantly performed in France and Belgium, alongside venues in the United Kingdom, Russia, Luxembourg, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Germany.[34][52]

The album experienced commercial success on its release. In Belgium, it debuted at number one in Wallonia and at number three in

Romandie region.[61]

Track listing

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Selfocracy.[3]

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Selfocracy"
  • Nottet
  • Nottet
3:06
2."Mud Blood"
  • Amy Morrey
  • Nottet
  • Alexandre Germys
3:04
3."Team8"
  • Morrey
  • Nottet
3:23
4."Dirty" (featuring Lil Trip)
  • Yannis Borrey
  • Morrey
  • Nottet
3:40
5."Million Eyes"
  • Morrey
  • Nottet
  • Cox
4:13
6."Whisperers"
  • Morrey
  • Nottet
  • Germys
3:05
7."Poison" (featuring Shogun)
  • Morrey
  • Nottet
  • Shogun
  • Germys
6:39
8."Cure"
  • Morrey
  • Nottet
  • Germys
4:13
9."Wolves" (featuring Raphaella)
  • Morrey
  • Nottet
  • ICO
3:18
10."Hungry Heart"
  • Morrey
  • Nottet
  • Germys
3:12
11."Peculiar and Beautiful"
  • Nottet
  • Nottet
2:00
12."Mirror"
  • Morrey
  • Nottet
  • Germys
5:08

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Selfocracy.[3]

  • Atanas Babaleski – Pro Tools engineer
  • Isabelle Baleanu-Perisson – executive producer
  • Jean-François Berger – keyboards
  • Vincent Blaviel – A&R
  • Nick Built – backing vocals
  • Lionel Capouillez – mixing
  • Gauthier Carbonneaux – mixing
  • Charlie RG – keyboards
  • Eric Chevet – mastering
  • Luuk Cox – synthesizers, bass
  • Zeb Daemen – photography
  • Michel "Chelle" Dierickx – recording
  • Jean-Pierre Dréau – A&R
  • Han van Eijk – backing vocals
  • F.A.M.E.'S. Project – choir vocals
  • Allan François – guitar
  • Alexandre Germys – synthesizers
  • Lo van Gorp – backing vocals
  • Mélody Grillot – executive producer
  • Alex "Cores" Hayes – recording
  • Georgii Hristovski – sound engineer
  • Dan Lacksman – mixing
  • Blaise Landsbert-Noon – speaking voice
  • Paul Edouard Laurendeau – recording
  • Ken Lewis – mixing
  • Lil Trip – featured artist, vocals
  • Dan Lacksman – recording
  • Loïc Nottet – vocals, synthesizers, additional programming
  • Oddefellow – programming
  • Jody Pijper – backing vocals
  • Raphaella – featured artist, vocals
  • Pim Roos – backing vocals
  • Dian Senders – backing vocals
  • Shogun – featured artist, vocals
  • SoFly and Nius – programming
  • Sébastien Wery – piano

Charts

Certifications and sales

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Belgium (BEA)[56] Platinum 30,000‡
France (
SNEP)[59]
 Gold 25,000[58]

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region Date Format Label
Various[11] 31 March 2017 Digital download Sony
France[3] CD
Various[13] 15 September 2017 Vinyl

References

  1. ^ a b c Raïo, Stéphanie (29 March 2017). "Loic Nottet: "Mon album est très cinématographique"" [Loic Nottet: "My album is very cinematographic"] (in French). Le Figaro Magazine. Archived from the original on 2017-06-10. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
  2. ^ a b c van Dievort, Charles (31 March 2017). "Loïc Nottet sur son nouvel album: "Chaque titre dévoile une nouvelle de mes facettes"" [Loïc Nottet on his new album: "Each title is a new facette of mine"]. La Libre Belgique (in French). Archived from the original on 2017-06-11. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
  3. ^
    Sony Music Entertainment (Barcode: 88985420302). 2017.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link
    )
  4. ^ "Découvrez et remportez le premier album de Loïc Nottet toute la journée sur DH Radio" [Discover and win the debut album of Loïc Nottet all day long]. La Dernière Heure (in French). 29 March 2017. Archived from the original on 2017-06-14. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
  5. ^ Manseau, Chloe (24 April 2017). "Loic Nottet, Selfocracy certifié disque de platine" [Loic Nottet, Selfocracy was certified Platinum]. TF1. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
  6. ^ Olives, Ludivine. "L'interview "première fois" de Loïc Nottet" [The "first time" interview of Loïc Nottet]. Cosmopolitan (in French). Archived from the original on 2017-09-16. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
  7. ^ "Loïc Nottet lève le voile sur ses démons à travers "Mud Blood"" [Loïc Nottet shows his demons in "Mud Blood"] (in French). Aficia. 17 March 2017. Archived from the original on 2017-08-10. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
  8. Virgin Radio. 28 March 2017. Archived
    from the original on 2017-07-07. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
  9. ^ a b "Toute voix dehors, Loïc Nottet livre son premier album" [Any voice out, Loïc Nottet releases his debut album]. Le Vif/L'Express (in French). 30 March 2018. Archived from the original on 2017-10-18. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
  10. LCI. Archived
    from the original on 2017-10-22. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
  11. ^ a b c "Selfocracy by Loïc Nottet on Apple Music". iTunes Store. 31 March 2018. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
  12. ^ a b Senkishev, Georgi (26 January 2017). "Belgium: Loïc Nottet's new album release date". EscToday. Archived from the original on 2018-08-25. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
  13. ^
    Sony Music Entertainment (Barcode: 88985465011). 2017.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link
    )
  14. ^ "Loïc Nottet dévoile la cover de son album!" [Loïc Nottet unveils the cover for his album!] (in French). NRJ. Archived from the original on 2017-08-27. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
  15. ^ a b c d e Kosmala, Lucie (31 March 2017). "Entre pop énergique et atmosphère captivante, découvre "Selfocracy", l'album de Loïc Nottet" [Between energetic pop and a captivant atmosphere, discover "Selfocracy", the album of Loïc Nottet] (in French). Madmoizelle. Archived from the original on 2017-11-09. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
  16. ^ a b c d e Valais, Lucie (31 March 2017). "Loïc Nottet présente "Selfocracy", un premier album puissant et ténébreux" [Loïc Nottet presents "Selfocracy", a powerful and dark debut album] (in French). RTL2. Archived from the original on 2017-09-14. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
  17. ^
    Virgin Radio. 31 March 2018. Archived
    from the original on 2017-04-04. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
  18. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "On a écouté le premier album de Loïc Nottet: "Selfocracy" est un vrai chef d'œuvre musical, presque cinématographique" [We listened to Loïc Nottet's first album: "Selfocracy" is a true musical masterpiece, almost cinematographic] (in French). Newsmonkey. 31 March 2017. Archived from the original on 2017-06-18. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
  19. ^ a b "Loïc Nottet: "La société d'aujourd'hui se regarde trop dans le miroir"" [Loïc Nottet: "Today's society looks at themselves in the mirror too much"] (in French). Metro. 4 April 2017. Archived from the original on 2017-06-27. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
  20. ^ a b c "Loïc Nottet interview – FaceCulture". YouTube. 27 July 2017. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
  21. ^ Outerson, Michael (31 March 2017). "Loïc Nottet releases his debut album "Selfocracy"". EuroVisionary. Archived from the original on 2017-07-07. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
  22. ^ a b Bureau, Éric (31 March 2017). "Dr. Loïc et Mr. Nottet" [Dr. Loïc and Mr. Nottet]. Le Parisien (in French). Retrieved 31 August 2018.
  23. ^ a b c d Outerson, Michael (27 October 2016). "Loïc Nottet returns with A Million Eyes". EuroVisionary. Archived from the original on 2017-07-07. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
  24. ^
    Pure Charts. Archived
    from the original on 2018-08-04. Retrieved 2018-09-03.
  25. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Currinn, Jonathan (2017). "Track By Track Album Review: Loïc Nottet – Selfocracy". CelebMix. Archived from the original on 2017-10-13. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
  26. ^ a b c d e Shokayan, Antranig (4 April 2017). "Rhythm inside: Loïc Nottet releases debut album "Selfocracy"". Wiwibloggs. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
  27. ^ a b Myers, Owen (21 July 2017). "Synth-Pop Artist Loïc Nottet Dances Through His Demons In "Mud Blood"". The Fader. Archived from the original on 2017-08-24. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  28. ^ Lee Adams, William (22 July 2017). "Belgium's Loïc Nottet dances with an evil version of himself in "Mud Blood" music video". Wiwibloggs. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
  29. ^ "Loïc Nottet balance son tout nouveau titre" [Loïc Nottet releases his new single] (in French). NRJ. Archived from the original on 2017-03-24. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
  30. ^ a b Lorfèvre, Luc (27 October 2016). "Million Eyes, le nouveau clip de Loïc Nottet, est sorti" [Million Eyes, the new music video of Loïc Nottes, has been released]. Moustique (in French). Archived from the original on 2016-11-01. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
  31. ^ Halpin, Chris (27 October 2016). "Loïc Nottet ends the waiting with release of new single 'Million Eyes'". Wiwibloggs. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
  32. ^ Dussein, Dominique (27 October 2016). "Le retour de Loïc Nottet avec sa nouvelle chanson "Million Eyes"" [The return of Loïc Nottet with his new single "Million Eyes"] (in French). RTBF. Archived from the original on 2016-10-28. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
  33. Pure Charts. Archived
    from the original on 2018-02-25. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
  34. ^ a b c "Loïc Nottet: son message touchant à ses fans" [Loïc Nottet: the touching message to his fans] (in French). RTBF. 6 August 2018. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
  35. Pure Charts. Archived
    from the original on 2018-08-04. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
  36. ^ "Découvrez le nouveau single de Loïc Nottet" [Discover the new single of Loïc Nottet]. La Libre Belgique (in French). 27 October 2016. Archived from the original on 2016-11-02. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
  37. ^ "Loïc Nottet signe son comeback avec le clip 'Million Eyes'" [Loïc Nottet makes his comeback with the music video for 'Million Eyes']. Cosmopolitan (in French). 28 October 2016. Archived from the original on 2017-07-08. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
  38. ^ Bellery, Steven (29 March 2017). "Loïc Nottet sort un album cinématographique, Roch Voisine la joue pop" [Loïc Nottet releases a cinematographic album, while Roch Voisine chooses pop] (in French). RTL. Archived from the original on 2017-06-08. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
  39. ^ Segard, Christophe (8 April 2017). "'Selfocracy': Loïc Nottet livre un premier album intense et sombre" ['Selfocracy': Loïc Nottet presents an intense and sombre debut album] (in French). Aficia. Archived from the original on 2018-01-09. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
  40. ^ Segard, Christophe (29 December 2017). "2017 en 10 titres par Christophe Segard avec Loic Nottet, Hurts, Milky Chance…" [2017 in 10 Tracks with Christophe Segard, including Loic Nottet, Hurts, Milky Chance...] (in French). Aficia. Archived from the original on 2018-08-07. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
  41. ^ Rajona, Wyzman (20 December 2017). "Taylor Swift, Loïc Nottet, Lorde... Les meilleurs albums pop de l'année" [Taylor Swift, Loïc Nottet, Lorde... The best pop albums of the year] (in French). Melty. Archived from the original on 2017-12-24. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
  42. ^ "Million Eyes – Single by Loïc Nottet on iTunes". iTunes Store. 27 October 2016. Archived from the original on 2017-09-06. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
  43. Amazon
    . 17 March 2017. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  44. ^ For live performances of "Million Eyes":
  45. ^ For live performances of "Mud Blood":
  46. ^ Olivier, Jade (28 October 2016). "Loïc Nottet danse toujours aussi bien et le prouve dans son nouveau clip" [Loïc Nottet always dances well, and proves that in his new music video] (in French). Télé Loisirs. Archived from the original on 2016-11-06. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
  47. ^ "Ultratop.be – Loïc Nottet – Million Eyes" (in French). Ultratop 50. Archived from the original on 2018-01-15. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
  48. ^ "Lescharts.com – Loïc Nottet – Million Eyes" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
  49. ^ "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – singles 2017". Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
  50. Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique
    . Retrieved 2 September 2018.
  51. ^ "Ultratop.be – Loïc Nottet – Mud Blood" (in French). Ultratop 50. Archived from the original on 2018-09-02. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
  52. ^ For tour dates:
  53. ^ a b c "Ultratop.be – Loïc Nottet – Selfocracy" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
  54. ^ a b "Ultratop.be – Loïc Nottet – Selfocracy" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
  55. ^
    Ultratop. Archived
    from the original on 2017-12-22. Retrieved 21 December 2017.
  56. ^ a b "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – albums 2017". Ultratop. Hung Medien.
  57. ^ "Ventes de la semaine 14 : Lacrim est numéro un, Loïc Nottet fait sensation et Jamiroquai opère un retour brillant" [Sales of week 14: Lacrim is number one, Loïc Nottet makes a sensational debut and Jamiroquai achieved a great comeback] (in French). Aficia. 7 April 2017. Archived from the original on 2018-03-01. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
  58. ^
    Pure Charts. Archived
    from the original on 2017-12-24. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
  59. ^
    Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique
    . Retrieved 9 January 2019.
  60. ^ a b "Swisscharts.com – Loïc Nottet – Selfocracy". Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
  61. ^
    Romandie Chart
    . Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 September 2018.
  62. ^ "Lescharts.com – Loïc Nottet – Selfocracy". Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
  63. Ultratop. Archived
    from the original on 2017-12-22. Retrieved 21 December 2017.
  64. ^ "Top Albums annuel (physique, téléchargement et streaming)" (in French). SNEP. Archived from the original on 2018-08-15. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
  65. ^ "Rapports Annuels 2018". Ultratop. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
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