Ctrl

Deskripsi album

Ctrl (pronounced "control") is the debut studio album by American singer and songwriter SZA. It was released on June 9, 2017, by Top Dawg Entertainment and RCA Records. Following the release of debut extended play Z (2014), SZA began writing for other artists and working on her debut, however her debut project was met with various setbacks. SZA followed an analog process and contributed heavily to the album's lyrics. Recording continued until 2017 by which SZA had created two hundred songs. During the recording process SZA opted for a freestyle method, relying on moments in the studio. As creative director, SZA contributed to most of the album's lyrics and collaborated with producers including Craig Balmoris, Frank Dukes, Carter Lang, Scum and ThankGod4Cody to achieve her desired sound. The efforts resulted in a primarily neo-soul and R&B album, with elements of hip-hop, electronic, indie and soul. The album was released to acclaim from music critics. It debuted at number three on the US Billboard 200, moving 60,000 equivalent-album units in its first full-tracking week. It generated the singles "Drew Barrymore", "Love Galore", and "The Weekend". As of October 2017, the album has been certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America for accumulating over 500,000 in album-equivalent units and pure sales. The album and its songs were nominated for four Grammy Awards, while SZA was nominated for Best New Artist. Background After meeting members of Top Dawg Entertainment during the CMJ 2011, a friend attending the show with her foisted early SZA songs onto TDE president Terrence "Punch" Henderson, who liked the material and stayed in touch. Two years later, in June 2013, Top Dawg Entertainment announced they were planning to sign two more artists. On July 14, it was revealed Top Dawg had signed an upcoming female singer named SZA to the label, through this deal SZA released Z (2014). Following the release of Z (2014), SZA began working on her debut and writing for other musicians including Beyoncé and Nicki Minaj, and Anti's opening track "Consideration" for Rihanna, which she featured on. However the debut album faced various setbacks, initially promised at the end of 2015, then at the start of 2016. In October 2016, she criticized her label for her album delays and stated she would be quitting. SZA revealed that her debut would be similar to S and would include trap influences with more aggressive lyrics, she also announced that she began working with James Fauntleroy, Hit-Boy, and long time collaborator Felix Snow. Speaking on the conception of the album, SZA stated that she had spent four years just doing music, I’ve been burying friends, burying family members, burying weight, the way I feel about myself, the way I feel about God, the way I process information. The album was also inspired by SZA’s view of control in her life. Speaking on this she stated "Ctrl is a concept, I’ve lacked control my whole life and I think I’ve craved it my whole life." Writing and recording The albums sessions began in 2014 and took place at the TDE Red Room in Carson, California. The albums recording process was described as being analog and featured the unplugging and re-plugging of wires in order to create the desired sound. During the album's studio sessions, SZA and the album's producers would go into the studio, and filter through the recorded songs and beats to decide if the songs were good or worth experimenting with in order to make better. SZA would search songs that were in the top forty charts during various years including the 40's and 80's, she would then listen to their style, beats and synths to gain some inspiration. Throughout the album's recording process, record producer Rick Rubin helped SZA's creative process. "I had this mentality that 'more is more' -- more reverb, more background ," stating "I played him a bunch of songs, and he would tell me, 'The more you take away from any piece, the more room you create for everything else to be beautiful and grow.' I never felt that before, the editing urge. Once you strip everything down, you're forced to say something." The album was recorded in Carson, California. SZA contributed heavily to the album's lyrics co-writing all fourteen tracks. SZA would freestyle the songs in a hope to "let the moments happen in the studio." Initially she tried to record phone notes and write down ideas in journals in order to help her write. SZA's record label TDE confiscated her hard drive during the albums recording, because SZA could not decide on the songs she wanted on the finished album, from the 150 - 200 she recorded. She also detailed how her anxiety issues affected her songwriting process: "I freestyle everything, all the way down. And I listen back and think, what’s shitty? And if something’s too shitty and I can’t put my finger on it, and I think, wow this sucks to me, then I get way frustrated, and usually scrap the song." When recording the album, SZ…