''Clarity'' is the debut mixtape by German singer

Kim Petras Kim Petras (born 27 August 1992) is a German singer and songwriter based in Los Angeles, California. Between 2016 and 2020, she released music as an independent artist under her own imprint, BunHead Records, before signing with Amigo and Republ ...

, released on 28 June 2019. Nine of its twelve tracks were released beforehand, beginning in April 2019. It was produced by

Made in China Made in China, Product of China or sometimes Made in PRC is a country of origin label affixed to products manufactured in the People's Republic of China. The ''Made in China'' label is the most recognizable label in the world today, due t ...

, Aaron Joseph, Brandon Hamlin, Jussifer, Oliver and Ben Billions. Musically, it contains elements of

synth-pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s ...

bubblegum pop Bubblegum (also called bubblegum pop) is pop music in a catchy and upbeat style that is considered disposable, contrived, or marketed for children and adolescents. The term also refers to a rock and pop subgenre, originating in the United States i ...

, hip hop,

contemporary R&B Contemporary R&B (or simply R&B) is a popular music genre that combines rhythm and blues with elements of pop, soul, funk, hip hop, and electronic music. The genre features a distinctive record production style, drum machine-backed rhythm ...

glam rock Glam rock is a style of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1970s and was performed by musicians who wore outrageous costumes, makeup, and hairstyles, particularly platform shoes and glitter. Glam artists drew on diver ...

and

emo pop Emo pop (also known as emo pop punk and pop-emo) is a fusion genre combining emo with the melodies of pop punk and/or pop music. Emo pop features a music style with more concise songs and hook-filled choruses. Emo pop began in the 1990s with ban ...

. Petras stated that this project is her "personal journey over the last two years", and it has received widespread critical acclaim. The first song that was released from ''Clarity'' was "Broken", on 25 April 2019 written by Petras herself and co-writer Anthony Medina. Petras later released one song every week to streaming services after that for ten weeks. Petras confirmed on

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that the tenth song that was released from ''Clarity'', "Icy", was the actual lead single. To promote the album, Petras embarked on the Clarity Tour starting with North America and then Europe. Although it was originally promoted as her debut album, Petras has described ''Clarity'' as a "project".

Background and composition

Petras has said the project is "about finding myself. It started with 'Broken' and will end with 'Clarity' because it reflects my personal journey over the last two years." Nine of the songs were released in advance, including the "breakup anthem" "Broken", "

downtempo Downtempo (or downbeat) is a broad label for electronic music that features an atmospheric sound and slower beats than would typically be found in dance music. Closely related to ambient music but with greater emphasis on rhythm, the style may ...

" song " All I Do Is Cry", the " hookup anthem" "Do Me", and the "bouncy banger" "Personal Hell". The album contains elements of

, hip hop,

and

Critical reception

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, the album received a score of 83 out of 100, indicating "universal acclaim". ''

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'' called the project "sturdy pop songcraft" and compared it favorably to

Robyn Robin Miriam Carlsson (born 12 June 1979), known as Robyn (), is a Swedish pop singer, songwriter, record producer, and DJ. She arrived on the music scene with her 1995 debut album, ''Robyn Is Here'', which produced two Billboard Hot 100, ''Bil ...

's 1995 album '' Robyn Is Here'', also making a comparison between Petras' career trajectory and that of

Lorde Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O'Connor (born 7 November 1996), known professionally as Lorde ( ), is a New Zealand singer-songwriter. Taking inspiration from aristocracy for her stage name, she is known for her unconventional musical styles and i ...

. Comparing the record to the early 2000s pop hits of

Britney Spears Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the " Princess of Pop", she is credited with influencing the revival of teen pop during the late 1990s and early 2000s. After appearing in stage productio ...

and

Christina Aguilera Christina María Aguilera (; ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and television personality. Known for her four-octave vocal range and ability to sustain high notes, she has been referred to as the " Voice of ...

, ''

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'' gave the album 4 out of 5 stars and praised its

power-pop Power pop (also typeset as powerpop) is a form of pop rock based on the early music of bands such as the Who, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Byrds. It typically incorporates melodic hooks, vocal harmonies, an energetic performance, and ch ...

sound. It also wrote that Petras' "addictively crafted bubblegum pop" makes her "sound like a superstar from a parallel universe", and praised her musical experimentation. Writing for ''

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'', Chris DeVille identified the main theme of the album as "looking for release through sex and

materialism Materialism is a form of philosophical monism which holds matter to be the fundamental substance in nature, and all things, including mental states and consciousness, are results of material interactions. According to philosophical materiali ...

". DeVille noted that it marks a shift in Petras' content from "sparkling pop sound into a mistier, sadder, more hip-hop-adjacent territory" and praised it as "an impressive collection". Tyler Mazaheri of ''Flaunt'' favored the album's nontraditional single-a-week promotion and praised the project for its "catchy choruses layered over danceable beats", adding that "the album is sure to pack all the bops udiences willbe hearing in the club for the unforeseeable future." In his review of the single "Icy", Michael Love Michael of ''

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'' proclaimed "Kim Petras just might have released one of this year's most compelling pop collections."

Promotion

Kim Petras Aaron Joseph Clarity Tour 2019

Prior to the release of ''Clarity'', Petras began embarking on her 24-stop promotional tour, The Broken Tour. Through May and June, Petras appeared on a number of magazine covers including ones for ''Galore'', ''The Gay Times'', ''Flaunt'', ''Notion'', and ''AtKode''.

Singles

Petras released the first song from ''Clarity'', "Broken", on 25 April 2019. Petras released one song every week to streaming services after that for ten weeks in preparation for her debut concert tour

Broken Tour The Broken Tour was the debut concert tour by German recording artist Kim Petras in support of her debut mixtape ''Clarity (mixtape), Clarity'' (2019). The tour was announced by Petras via her social media accounts on April 30, 2019. It started on ...

. Petras later confirmed on

that the tenth song to be released from the album, "Icy", was the actual lead single. "All I Do Is Cry", which was released as the fifth promotional single on 23 May 2019, was re-released on streaming services with a changed date to 2021 under the Amigo and

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record labels. It is unclear whether the song was re-released as the second single.

Track listing

Charts

References

{{Authority control 2019 debut albums Albums produced by Dr. Luke Kim Petras albums Electropop albums Bubblegum pop albums