''BTR'' is the debut
studio album
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...
by pop
boy band
A boy band is loosely defined as a vocal group consisting of young male singers, usually in their teenage years or in their twenties at the time of formation. Generally, boy bands perform Love song, love songs marketed towards girls and young ...
Big Time Rush
''Big Time Rush'' is an American musical sitcom television series created by Scott Fellows that originally aired on Nickelodeon from November 28, 2009, to July 25, 2013 and is currently available in Paramount+. It focuses on the Hollywood misa ...
. Released on October 11, 2010, the track listing for the album was announced on September 1, 2010. The album was preceded by the release of several singles from the TV show soundtrack. On December 3, 2009, the band released their eponymous song as the album's promotional single. The first single, "Til I Forget About You", was released on September 21, 2010. On October 11, 2010, "
Boyfriend
A boyfriend is a male friend or acquaintance, often specifying a regular male companion with whom a person is romantically or sexually involved.
A boyfriend can also be called an admirer, beau, suitor and sweetheart. The analogous female te ...
", which features vocals from rapper
Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg and briefly Snoop Lion), is an American rapper. His fame dates back to 1992 when he featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, " ...
, was the second official single from the album and has become the band's biggest hit to date, charting on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 as well as reaching the Top 40 of the
Pop Songs
Pop Airplay (also called Mainstream Top 40, Pop Songs, and Top 40/ CHR) is a 40-song music chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' Magazine that ranks the most popular songs of pop music being played on a panel of Top 40 radio stations in the Un ...
music chart in the US. Despite not being released as a single, the song "Big Night" charted on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, peaking at number seventy-nine.
Background
''BTR'' had been in the making since 2009, when the four members signed on for the show, ''
Big Time Rush
''Big Time Rush'' is an American musical sitcom television series created by Scott Fellows that originally aired on Nickelodeon from November 28, 2009, to July 25, 2013 and is currently available in Paramount+. It focuses on the Hollywood misa ...
''. The boys worked with composers and producers such as
Emanuel Kiriakou
Emanuel "Eman" Kiriakou (born August 16, 1966) is an American songwriter, producer, record executive, music publisher and multi-instrumentalist, based in Los Angeles. He recently co-wrote and produced " Take You Dancing" by Jason Derulo, and has ...
,
Lucas Secon
Lucas Secon, (born 3 November 1970) also known by the stage name Lucas, is a record producer, songwriter and rapper. He has written and produced for artists including the Pussycat Dolls, Alesso, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Kylie Minogu ...
,
Matthew Gerrard
Matthew Gerrard is a Canadian record producer and songwriter.
Biography
Gerrard grew up in Don Mills, a suburb of Toronto's north-east end. He attended George S. Henry Secondary School where he played trombone in band, later playing bass in a sc ...
,
Kevin Rudolf
Kevin Winston Rudolf (born February 17, 1980) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, rapper, and multi-instrumentalist from New York City, New York. He is best known for his 2008 single " Let It Rock".
Early life
Kevin Winston Rud ...
,
Edwin "Lil Eddie" Serrano, Jeremy Skaller, Robert Larow, Stuart Grekin,
Chris Rojas
Christopher Rojas (born 1982) is a multi-platinum composer, musician, songwriter, and record producer. He is also the co-founder of DigiTour Media.
Biography
Rojas grew up in Flushing, Queens and attended Hunter College High School from 1994–20 ...
,
The Messengers,
Eric Sanicola
Eric Sanicola (born May 6, 1981) is an American music producer and songwriter credited on numerous Gold and Platinum albums, including various ''Billboard'' magazine charting singles.
Career
Since the start of his career in 2003, he has wr ...
,
S*A*M and Sluggo
S*A*M and Sluggo was the American record production and songwriting team, composed of Sam Hollander and Dave "Sluggo" Katz.
Formed in 2005, the duo first collaborated on the popular theme song "Snakes on a Plane (Bring It)" by Cobra Starship, f ...
, Timothy Foxx, Jordan Delani and
Scott Fellows
Scott Fellows (born September 28, 1965) is an American television producer, writer, and director. He is known for creating the Nickelodeon shows ''Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide'' and ''Big Time Rush'' and the Cartoon Network (originall ...
(the creator of the group). While working on the album, the band released many of the songs as promotional singles onto iTunes, as well as debuted them on their television series. This provided great promotion for the band's music, and led to three hit songs, "Halfway There", "
Boyfriend
A boyfriend is a male friend or acquaintance, often specifying a regular male companion with whom a person is romantically or sexually involved.
A boyfriend can also be called an admirer, beau, suitor and sweetheart. The analogous female te ...
", "Big Night", to begin charting on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100.
As seen on their television series, the band worked with many well known celebrities, such as
Jordin Sparks
Jordin Sparks-Thomas (born December 22, 1989) is an American singer and actress. She rose to fame in 2007 after winning the sixth season of ''American Idol'' at age 17, becoming the youngest winner in the series' history. Her self-titled debu ...
, who recorded a song with the boys titled "Count On You". When asked about the collaboration, James stated
Jordin is an unbelievable singer. If you hear her sing in real life, she sounds just as good live every time. She absolutely deserves to be where she is. She's so talented, and she's a sweetheart too. We're on the same label. She wanted to get into acting, so we wrote an episode about her. She came on and was a great actress. The song is one of our first group ballads. It's a five-way ballad, but it turned out pretty cool. Usually, a duet has one person on each side. This has her voice one side and then there are our four voices on the other aughs It worked out though. It was such a pleasure to have Jordin on the song. She became a good friend of mine. She took me to the actual show before she was in it last time aughs She's so down-to-earth like that.
On September 1, the album track listing for the standard version was released online. Most of the band's songs featured on the TV Show were included on the album, which also served as the soundtrack to the First Season and part of the Second Season of the series. The songs "Any Kind of Guy", and "
Famous
Famous may refer to:
Companies
* Famous Brands, a South African restaurant franchisor
* Famous Footwear, an American retail store chain
* Famous Music, the music publishing division of Paramount Pictures
* Famous Studios, the animation division ...
", the latter of which is a cover of the
Play
Play most commonly refers to:
* Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment
* Play (theatre), a work of drama
Play may refer also to:
Computers and technology
* Google Play, a digital content service
* Play Framework, a Java framework
* Pla ...
song, were included on the international release of the album, along with the songs "This Is Our Someday", and "Stuck" (the last one exclusively to the UK and in some iTunes stores around the world). The previously recorded track which featured
Jordin Sparks
Jordin Sparks-Thomas (born December 22, 1989) is an American singer and actress. She rose to fame in 2007 after winning the sixth season of ''American Idol'' at age 17, becoming the youngest winner in the series' history. Her self-titled debu ...
was listed on the album, along with another duet with
R&B artist Cymphonique.
The second track on the album, "
Boyfriend
A boyfriend is a male friend or acquaintance, often specifying a regular male companion with whom a person is romantically or sexually involved.
A boyfriend can also be called an admirer, beau, suitor and sweetheart. The analogous female te ...
", was originally recorded and released as a solo song; however, upon being released as a single, two new versions of the song leaked onto the internet. The first version featured rapper
Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg and briefly Snoop Lion), is an American rapper. His fame dates back to 1992 when he featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, " ...
, who appeared in an episode of ''
Big Time Rush
''Big Time Rush'' is an American musical sitcom television series created by Scott Fellows that originally aired on Nickelodeon from November 28, 2009, to July 25, 2013 and is currently available in Paramount+. It focuses on the Hollywood misa ...
'' with the band. The second leaked version of the song featured the same artist and rapping duo
New Boyz
New Boyz was a hip-hop duo that consisted of rappers Earl "Ben J" Benjamin and Dominic "Legacy" Thomas. They debuted in the spring of 2009 with their viral hit "You're a Jerk" taken from their 2009 debut studio album '' Skinny Jeanz and a Mic''. ...
. It was initially unknown which of the two would be released as the official single; however, a reworked version which featured
Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg and briefly Snoop Lion), is an American rapper. His fame dates back to 1992 when he featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, " ...
served as the album's official second single and also a new edit of the song including just
New Boyz
New Boyz was a hip-hop duo that consisted of rappers Earl "Ben J" Benjamin and Dominic "Legacy" Thomas. They debuted in the spring of 2009 with their viral hit "You're a Jerk" taken from their 2009 debut studio album '' Skinny Jeanz and a Mic''. ...
as collaborating artists was released as a digital single on iTunes. Both official versions were later included on the international releases of the album.
Composition
The music found on the album is mainly
pop oriented, as well as
R&B. The music found on the album is child-appropriate, as it serves as not only their debut album, but the soundtrack to their self-titled series. Jessica Dawson of
Common Sense Media
Common Sense Media (CSM) is an organization that reviews and provides ratings for media and technology with the goal of providing information on their suitability for children. said of the songs on the album, "Not since 'N Sync or the Backstreet Boys has there been a boy band making such a sudden splash in the tweenage music world. Big Time Rush is a standout, not only because of their boyish charm and good looks, but because their music is a cool blend of synth-pop, hip hop, and boy-band harmonies. 'City is Ours' is already a digital hit, and 'Count On You' with Jordin Sparks is a catchy collaboration about earning your place in a relationship. With a hit TV show to showcase their music and their adorable personalities, Big Time Rush won't be in a hurry out of the spotlight. Parents need to know that this boy band is making tween hearts swoon with their hit Nickelodeon TV show, ''Big Time Rush''. In their debut album they sing about relationships, going out, and making the most of your life, but it's all clean and age-appropriate for young fans."
Critical reception
''BTR'' was met with generally positive reception from critics. Matt Collar of
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
praised the album, stating "The self-titled debut album from the Nickelodeon boy band Big Time Rush features many of the dance-pop tunes popularized on the band's TV show of the same name. Showcasing the talents of singers Kendall Schmidt, James Maslow , Carlos Pena, Jr., and Logan Henderson, ''BTR'' is a fairly accessible listen that falls somewhere between the soulful alt-rock of OneRepublic and the electro-influenced pop of Katy Perry. These are catchy, sweet, radio and club-friendly tracks that, while aimed at "tweens," should appeal to most any fan of well-crafted dance-pop. To these ends, you get the synth-driven leadoff track "Til I Forget About You," the head-bobbin' "Boyfriend", and the yearning club anthem "Nothing Even Matters", among other highlights."
Caroline Sullivan of
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
gave the album a more negative review. She stated, "What isn't fine is how horribly generic the music is." However, she complimented the song "
Boyfriend
A boyfriend is a male friend or acquaintance, often specifying a regular male companion with whom a person is romantically or sexually involved.
A boyfriend can also be called an admirer, beau, suitor and sweetheart. The analogous female te ...
" featuring
Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg and briefly Snoop Lion), is an American rapper. His fame dates back to 1992 when he featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, " ...
calling the track "wholesome-sounding."
Commercial performance
In the United States, ''BTR'' sold 67,000 copies in the first week, debuting at number 3 on the
''Billboard'' 200 and easily became one of the highest charting debut albums of the year in 2010.
The album stayed 57 weeks on the Billboard chart. As of 2012, the album has sold 700,000 copies. It also charted in Mexico, on the
Dutch Albums Chart
The Dutch Album Top 100 or Album Top 100 is a weekly hit list of music albums, compiled by Dutch Charts. List shows the 100 best-selling music albums of the moment in the Netherlands. The list has passed through various name changes and has expande ...
, in Austria, Switzerland, Germany, the UK, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Scottish album charts amongst others. The album received a
platinum
Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver".
Platinu ...
plaque by the
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
(RIAA) for sales and streaming of 1,000,000 units.
Promotion
To promote the album, Big Time Rush embarked on many promotional tours. Member James said of the tour, "Everybody can expect us to be playing 3–5 songs at every high school we're stopping at. Then we're going to be doing a signing. We're in between filming, and that's the crazy part. We're in the middle of the second season. It's going to a pretty fun month for us! I hope people are excited for us to come to their towns. This is going to be done by the end of the month with filming in between, but we absolutely be back on the road with a full set soon." In another attempt to promote the album, the band appeared on ''
Today
Today (archaically to-day) may refer to:
* Day of the present, the time that is perceived directly, often called ''now''
* Current era, present
* The current calendar date
Arts, entertainment, and media Films
* ''Today'' (1930 film), a 1930 A ...
'', where they performed their songs "Til I Forget About You" and "Big Night". The band also performed their latest single, "
Boyfriend
A boyfriend is a male friend or acquaintance, often specifying a regular male companion with whom a person is romantically or sexually involved.
A boyfriend can also be called an admirer, beau, suitor and sweetheart. The analogous female te ...
", at the
2011 Kids' Choice Awards
The 24th Annual Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards was held on April 2, 2011, at the Galen Center at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California, US's University Park neighborhood due to renovations disallowing use of tradition ...
. Rapper
Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg and briefly Snoop Lion), is an American rapper. His fame dates back to 1992 when he featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, " ...
, who is featured on the single, appeared at the awards show to perform along with the band.
Among these performances, the band also performed at the 2010
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is an annual parade in New York City presented by the U.S.-based department store chain Macy's. The Parade first took place in 1924, tying it for the second-oldest Thanksgiving parade in the United States with ...
. Also, the band recently announced yet another tour. However, this tour will be their first headlining tour, and will begin immediately after filming of the second season of ''
Big Time Rush
''Big Time Rush'' is an American musical sitcom television series created by Scott Fellows that originally aired on Nickelodeon from November 28, 2009, to July 25, 2013 and is currently available in Paramount+. It focuses on the Hollywood misa ...
'' is over.
Singles
"
Til I Forget About You
"Til I Forget About You" is the debut single by American pop group, Big Time Rush. It was released via iTunes on September 21, 2010, as the lead single of their debut album.
Background
Before the iTunes release it started popping off with this ...
" was officially released as lead single on September 21, 2010 but a week later, on September 29, 2010 the promotional single was finally released as physical CD Single in the U.S., making it the first ever official commercialized single. The tracklist included the album version, and the B-side song "
Famous
Famous may refer to:
Companies
* Famous Brands, a South African restaurant franchisor
* Famous Footwear, an American retail store chain
* Famous Music, the music publishing division of Paramount Pictures
* Famous Studios, the animation division ...
".
"
Boyfriend
A boyfriend is a male friend or acquaintance, often specifying a regular male companion with whom a person is romantically or sexually involved.
A boyfriend can also be called an admirer, beau, suitor and sweetheart. The analogous female te ...
" was released as second single for digital download as well as mainstream radio on February 15, 2011.
[FMQB.com](_blank)
Retrieved on 2011-02-04. The single version features
Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg and briefly Snoop Lion), is an American rapper. His fame dates back to 1992 when he featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, " ...
. However, the album version is done solely by the band. Another version of the song leaked, which featured vocals from rapping duo
New Boyz
New Boyz was a hip-hop duo that consisted of rappers Earl "Ben J" Benjamin and Dominic "Legacy" Thomas. They debuted in the spring of 2009 with their viral hit "You're a Jerk" taken from their 2009 debut studio album '' Skinny Jeanz and a Mic''. ...
. "Boyfriend" so far peaked at seventy-two on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, becoming their most successful song to date. "Boyfriend" made it to number thirty on the ''Billboard'' Pop Songs chart in April 2011.
The third and final single, "
Worldwide
Worldwide may refer to:
* Pertaining to the entire world
* Worldwide (rapper) (born 1986), American rapper
* Pitbull (rapper) (born 1981), also known as Mr. Worldwide, American rapper
* ''Worldwide'' (Audio Adrenaline album), 2003
* ''Worldwide' ...
", was only released over seas as both digital, and physical single. The tracklist included the album version, and a remix from the song "Till I Forget About You". Although it didn't debut on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 singles chart in the US, it peaked at number 81 on the German Top 100 singles chart on August 19, 2011.
Promotional singles
"Big Time Rush" was released on December 3, 2009, as the first promotional single to promote the airing of the new series. It became a minor digital hit, when digital downloads led to its debut at number sixteen on the
Bubbling Under Hot 100
Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (also known as Bubbling Under the Hot 100) is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. The chart lists the top songs that have not yet charted on the main ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Chart ...
singles chart and sold 215,000 copies in the US. "Any Kind of Guy", "Halfway There", "
Famous
Famous may refer to:
Companies
* Famous Brands, a South African restaurant franchisor
* Famous Footwear, an American retail store chain
* Famous Music, the music publishing division of Paramount Pictures
* Famous Studios, the animation division ...
" and "City Is Ours" were also released as promotional singles. "Big Time Rush" and "Any Kind of Guy" sold 215,000 and 94,000 copies respectively in the US as of 2010.
Other songs
"Big Night" wasn't released as single, but peaked 79 on ''Billboard'' Hot 100 during the week of the album's release due to over 46,000 downloaded copies sold.
The song debuted at seventy-nine on the chart, making it their second highest charting single to date, with "Boyfriend" being their highest (at number seventy-two on the chart).
Track listing
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
Release history
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Btr
2010 debut albums
Sony Music albums
Albums produced by Matthew Gerrard
Albums produced by S*A*M and Sluggo
Big Time Rush albums