''Fortune'' is the fifth studio album by American singer
Chris Brown
Christopher Maurice Brown (born May 5, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. According to '' Billboard'', Brown is one of the most successful R&B singers of his generation, having often been referred to by many contempo ...
. It was released on July 3, 2012, through
RCA Records
RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also A ...
. Production was handled by Brown himself and several record producers, including
the Underdogs,
Polow da Don
Jamal Fincher Jones (born October 15, 1977, or 1978), professionally known as Polow da Don, is an American record producer and rapper.
Jones has produced a variety of singles for a multitude of artists including "Anaconda" by Nicki Minaj (2014 ...
,
Brian Kennedy,
the Runners,
the Messengers,
H-Money
Harmony David Samuels (born 16 May 1980), also known as H-Money, is an English record producer, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter. He has produced a multitude of hits for artists such as Brandy, Jennifer Lopez, Mary J. Blige, Ariana Grande, ...
,
Danja and
Benny Benassi
Marco "Benny" Benassi (; born 13 July 1967) is an Italian DJ, record producer and remixer. He is widely seen as a pioneer of electro house, a genre brought into the mainstream by his 2002 summer club hit " Satisfaction".
He started his career ...
. The album also features several guest appearances, including
Big Sean
Sean Michael Leonard Anderson (born March 25, 1988), known professionally as Big Sean, is an American rapper. Anderson began his music career in 2007 and gained popularity in 2010 with his third mixtape '' Finally Famous Vol. 3: Big''. He then s ...
,
Wiz Khalifa
Cameron Jibril Thomaz (born September 8, 1987), better known by his stage name Wiz Khalifa, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and actor. He released his debut album, ''Show and Prove'', in 2006 and signed to Warner Bros. Records in 200 ...
,
Nas
Nas (born 1973) is the stage name of American rapper Nasir Jones.
Nas, NaS, or NAS may also refer to:
Aviation
* Nasair, a low-cost airline carrier and subsidiary based in Eritrea
* National Air Services, an airline in Saudi Arabia
** Nas Air ( ...
,
and
Kevin McCall
Kevin Lamar McCall Jr. (born July 25, 1985) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known for his association with fellow singer Chris Brown. McCall signed to Brown in a joint venture with RCA Records in 2012. He was fe ...
.
Originally scheduled for release six months after the release of Brown's fourth studio album ''
F.A.M.E.'' on March 22, 2011, ''Fortune'' was pushed back several times before it was finally given a release date in July 2012. The album's aesthetics feature a heavy usage of
blue
Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between violet and cyan on the spectrum of visible light. The eye perceives blue when obs ...
, suggesting a futuristic mood, that detaches itself from the graffiti imagery of Brown's precedent two albums. The music consists of
R&B and
pop, containing elements of
electronic music
Electronic music is a genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means ( electroac ...
, while the lyrical content concentrates on
sexual adventures,
narcissism
Narcissism is a self-centered personality style characterized as having an excessive interest in one's physical appearance or image and an excessive preoccupation with one's own needs, often at the expense of others.
Narcissism exists on a co ...
,
clubbing and
romantic love
Romance or romantic love is a feeling of love for, or a Interpersonal attraction, strong attraction towards another person, and the Courtship, courtship behaviors undertaken by an individual to express those overall feelings and resultant emot ...
. The album was generally panned by
music critics
Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...
for its lyrical content, and was tied for the third worst reviewed album of the year, according to review aggregator Metacritic. Despite the negative reception, it was nominated for
Best Urban Contemporary Album at the
55th Grammy Awards
The 55th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 10, 2013, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles honoring the best in music for the recording year beginning October 1, 2011 through September 30, 2012. The show was broadcast on CBS at 8 p.m. E ...
.
''Fortune'' had international chart success, debuting at number one on the US
''Billboard'' 200, selling 135,000 copies in its first week and becoming Brown's second number one album in the US, as well as his fifth consecutive top ten album. The album also debuted at number one in the UK, the Netherlands, and New Zealand, while fellow top ten positions were attained on charts in Switzerland, Scotland, Japan, Ireland, France, Canada and Australia.
Preceding the release of ''Fortune'' was the
lead single
A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date.
Release s ...
"
Turn Up the Music", which reached number ten on the US
''Billboard'' Hot 100, and number one on the
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
. "
Sweet Love" and "
Till I Die" were released as the second and third singles, respectively. "
Don't Wake Me Up" was released as the fourth single and reached the top ten in several countries. "
Don't Judge Me
"Don't Judge Me" is a song by American recording artist Chris Brown on his fifth studio album, ''Fortune (Chris Brown album), Fortune'' (2012). It was written by Brown and produced by The Messengers (producers), The Messengers. The song was sent ...
" was released as the fifth and final single. To promote the album, Brown made several award show and televised appearances across America.
Background and recording
Originally, Brown wanted his fourth studio album ''
F.A.M.E.'' to be a
double-disc
A double album (or double record) is an audio album that spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold, typically either records or compact disc. A double album is usually, though not always, released as such because the recording i ...
consistent of 25-30 tracks, but the label was contrary to that. Right before the release of ''F.A.M.E.'' Brown decided to follow his intentions in an acceptable way for the label, working on a sequel of ''F.A.M.E.'' called ''Fortune'', that would've been a whole new album that contained new material and even some tracks that didn't make the cut for ''F.A.M.E.'', releasing it six months after the previous album.
The artist later decided to take more time to work on the album, developing it as a project of its own, with its own concept and sound being different than the one of its precedent album.
Work for ''Fortune'' began in mid-2011, with
Kevin McCall
Kevin Lamar McCall Jr. (born July 25, 1985) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known for his association with fellow singer Chris Brown. McCall signed to Brown in a joint venture with RCA Records in 2012. He was fe ...
revealing that he had been collaborating "heavily" with Brown for an upcoming album.
Later in September 2011, producer
David Banner
Lavell William Crump (born April 11, 1974), better known by his stage name David Banner, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor.
Born in Brookhaven, Mississippi, Banner's family moved to Jackson, Mississippi, where he was raised. Ban ...
explained that the idea of the album was to create mostly material that reflected a more club-oriented style that would "change the way people look at R&B".
On January 7, 2012, Brown tweeted that there were only two weeks left of recording sessions for the album: "Last two weeks of me finishing ''Fortune''! I'm excited for all the fans to hear my real music".
The tweet was soon followed up by another from Brown, with him tweeting: "Dub step records on my album sounding crazy!!!!".
However, the tweet was later removed, suggesting that Brown gave away too much details about ''Fortune'', and its working continued for some months.
Brown later told
MTV
MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
in June 2012 that with the album he wanted to "give different textures, expressing mostly fun and sex appeal, but also giving pieces of maturity at the same time, transitioning from the positivity of ''F.A.M.E.'' to the self confidence of this album". He also said that musically he wanted to create "a
videogame
Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This feedb ...
-inspired, futuristic and electronic atmosphere" through "different textures", showcasing his R&B roots, along with hip-hop and pop flavors.
In addition to recording, it was revealed in January 2012 that Brown was in the studio working on the album with
Asher Roth
Asher Paul Roth (born August 11, 1985) is an American rapper. He is best known for his debut single " I Love College". Roth released his debut studio album ''Asleep in the Bread Aisle'', on April 20, 2009, by Universal Motown, SRC, and School B ...
,
Nas
Nas (born 1973) is the stage name of American rapper Nasir Jones.
Nas, NaS, or NAS may also refer to:
Aviation
* Nasair, a low-cost airline carrier and subsidiary based in Eritrea
* National Air Services, an airline in Saudi Arabia
** Nas Air ( ...
,
Wiz Khalifa
Cameron Jibril Thomaz (born September 8, 1987), better known by his stage name Wiz Khalifa, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and actor. He released his debut album, ''Show and Prove'', in 2006 and signed to Warner Bros. Records in 200 ...
,
will.i.am
William James Adams Jr. (born March 15, 1975), known professionally as will.i.am (pronounced "Will-I-am"), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. He is the founding and lead member of the musical group Black Eyed Peas.
...
, and
Kid Sister
Melissa Young (born July 3, 1980), known professionally as Kid Sister, is an American rapper based in Chicago, Illinois. She is known for her single " Pro Nails", which features Kanye West, and for her work as a member of the British music colle ...
. In an interview with
MTV News
MTV News is the news production division of MTV. The service is available in the US with localized versions on MTV's global network. In February 2016, MTV Networks confirmed it would refresh the MTV News brand in 2016, to compete with the likes ...
, producer
Harvey Mason, Jr.
Harvey Jay Mason Jr. (born June 3, 1968) is an American record producer, songwriter, movie producer and current CEO of The Recording Academy. He has written and produced songs for artists including Aretha Franklin, Michael Jackson, Deniece Wil ...
, half of production duo
the Underdogs, who co-produced "
Turn Up the Music", spoke more about the album, saying "The ''Fortune'' record is ''
F.A.M.E'' to the next level. He's really being innovative with some of the music, taking pieces of other genres and integrating them into
pop and R&B, which I think is really cool. Vocally, he sounds amazing; he's really, really coming into his own as a singer, as you'll hear in the song "Free Run" we did together".
Producer Damon Thomas, the other half of the duo, added "The only way I can describe Chris and what he's doin' with this record that he's making is that he's this generation's Michael
ackson
Tulia Ackson (born 23 November 1976) is the Speaker of the National Assembly of Tanzania, in office since 2022. She was appointed as a Member of Parliament by President John Magufuli.
Early life
Ackson was born on 23 November 1976 in Bul ...
.
On February 29, 2012, Brown tweeted "I hope this album will inspire all my fans to live life to the fullest".
During a radio interview with Atlanta's
Hot 107.9 in March 2012, rapper
2 Chainz
Tauheed K. Epps (born September 12, 1977), known professionally as 2 Chainz (or Tity Boi), is an American rapper. Born and raised in College Park, Georgia, he initially gained recognition as one-half of the Southern hip hop duo Playaz Circle, al ...
revealed that he will be appearing as a guest vocalist on ''Fortune'', however the track he was featured on did not make the final track listing.
In May 2012, producer
William Orbit
William Mark Wainwright (born 15 December 1956),"William Orbit." ''Contemporary Musicians''. Vol. 30. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale, 2000. Retrieved via ''Biography in Context'' database, 7 May 2017. Available onlinvia ''Encyclopedia.com'' known ...
stated that the track "
Don't Wake Me Up" that he produced for
Madonna
Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...
's album ''
MDNA'' (2012) was given to Brown for ''Fortune'', despite Madonna wanted it, because "he knew exactly what he had to do with that song".
Music and lyrics
Primarily, ''Fortune'' is an R&B and pop album.
The album also includes elements of
club music, such as
EDM
EDM or E-DM may refer to:
Music
* Electronic dance music
* Early Day Miners, American band
Science and technology
* Electric dipole moment
* Electrical discharge machining
* Electronic distance measurement
*Entry, Descent, and landing demonstrat ...
and
dubstep
Dubstep is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in South London in the early 2000s. The style emerged as a UK garage offshoot that blended 2-step rhythms and sparse dub production, as well as incorporating elements of broken be ...
.
After the
dance-pop
Dance-pop is a popular music subgenre that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit radio. Developing from a ...
opener "
Turn Up the Music", the album opens up with
synth-rap infused songs like "
Bassline
Bassline (also known as a bass line or bass part) is the term used in many styles of music, such as blues, jazz, funk, Dub music, dub and electronic music, electronic, traditional music, traditional, or classical music for the low-pitched Part ( ...
", "
Till I Die" and "Mirage". It continues for the rest of the album alternating R&B tunes like "2012", "Sweet Love" and "Strip", with pop tracks like "Stuck on Stupid", "4 Years Old" and "Party Hard".
The
electronic
Electronic may refer to:
*Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor
* ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal
*Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device
*Electronic co ...
features of the album can be heard in the
autotune
Auto-Tune (or autotune) is an audio processor introduced in 1996 by American company Antares Audio Technologies. Auto-Tune uses a proprietary device to measure and alter pitch in vocal and instrumental music recording and performances.
Auto-Tu ...
vocal editing of different tracks, but mainly appear throughout its production, varying from the straight
house
A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...
elements of "Turn Up the Music", the mixture of electro
synthesizer
A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and ...
s with pure R&B on "Wait for You" and "Sweet Love", the
electropop
Electropop is a hybrid music genre combining elements of electronic and pop genres. Writer Hollin Jones has described it as a variant of synth-pop with heavy emphasis on its electronic sound. The genre was developed in the 1980s and saw a re ...
production of "Remember My Name", the heavy
EDM
EDM or E-DM may refer to:
Music
* Electronic dance music
* Early Day Miners, American band
Science and technology
* Electric dipole moment
* Electrical discharge machining
* Electronic distance measurement
*Entry, Descent, and landing demonstrat ...
aspects on "Don't Wake Me Up" and on the
dancehall
Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially, dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2004) "The Rou ...
-infused "Trumpet Lights", to the
dubstep
Dubstep is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in South London in the early 2000s. The style emerged as a UK garage offshoot that blended 2-step rhythms and sparse dub production, as well as incorporating elements of broken be ...
instrumentation of "Key 2 Your Heart" and "Bassline".
Lyrically, ''Fortune'' includes several songs about sexual encounters, most notably "2012", "Tell Somebody", "Biggest Fan" and "
Sweet Love".
The character that Brown portrays for the majority of the album is a narcissistic one, that brags about his own favorite qualities of himself, as well as his lifestyle, emphasizing how these things ensure him the attraction of women.
Romantic adventures are spoke by Brown throughout the album on tracks like "Free Run" and "Stuck on Stupid", where he sets aside his
braggadocio, to open up about his love for another.
Other episodes of
vulnerability
Vulnerability refers to "the quality or state of being exposed to the possibility of being attacked or harmed, either physically or emotionally."
A window of vulnerability (WOV) is a time frame within which defensive measures are diminished, com ...
on the album are "4 Years Old", where he reflects on how his richness and fame can't compare to the thought of love, and "
Don't Wake Me Up", that finds Brown clinging on to a past love, which he can now only experience while he’s asleep.
As well as explicit sex, vanity and genuine love, the lyrical content of ''Fortune'' also focuses on clubbing,
main theme of songs like "Turn Up the Music", "Trumpet Lights" and "Till I Die".
Artwork
The album's official cover (standard version) was revealed on February 29, 2012.
The cover art was shot in January of the same year by the photography team Steven Gomillion and Dennis Leupold.
On the album cover, a light shines down on Brown, who poses against a blue backdrop, dressed in a blue "sleek, slim-fitting suit with a skinny tie and thick black framed glasses",
while the word "Fortune" appears behind him in different languages.
Brown and his art director Courtney Walter came up with the idea of using
hieroglyph
A hieroglyph ( Greek for "sacred carvings") was a character of the ancient Egyptian writing system. Logographic scripts that are pictographic in form in a way reminiscent of ancient Egyptian are also sometimes called "hieroglyphs". In Neoplatoni ...
ics for the album's title.
In an interview by telephone with Erik Parker of CBS Local, Gomillion said Brown "knew before the last album came out what this one would look like. He thinks so far ahead".
Regarding the use of the color blue, Gomillion said "The funny thing about that blue is it basically just happened. It matched the suit and it gives a kind of futuristic vibe. You'll see blue throughout the
lbumpackaging".
Sarah Brotherton of MTV News wrote that the cover shows "a more mature, sleek side" to Brown. Becky Bain of
Idolator
An idolator is a practitioner of idolatry.
Idolater or Idolator may also refer to: Books
*''Os Idólatras'', 1968 Portuguese novel by Maria Judite de Carvalho Music
* Idolator (website), an American music blog
* ''Idolator'' (album), third album ...
noted that Brown "seems to have finally dropped his beloved graffiti imagery and is going for a futuristic vibe". A reviewer for ''Rap-Up'' described it as a "slick cover".
Alex Loinaz of ''
E! Online
E! (an initialism for Entertainment Television) is an American basic cable channel which primarily focuses on pop culture, celebrity focused reality shows, and movies, owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of NBCUniversa ...
'' compared Brown's look to that of actors
Keanu Reeves
Keanu Charles Reeves ( ; born September 2, 1964) is a Canadian actor. Born in Beirut and raised in Toronto, Reeves began acting in theatre productions and in television films before making his feature film debut in '' Youngblood'' (1986). ...
in ''
The Matrix
''The Matrix'' is a 1999 science fiction action film written and directed by the Wachowskis. It is the first installment in ''The Matrix'' film series, starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, and Joe Pantolia ...
'' films, and
Colin Firth
Colin Andrew Firth (born 10 September 1960) is an English actor and producer. He was identified in the mid-1980s with the " Brit Pack" of rising young British actors, undertaking a challenging series of roles, including leading roles in '' A M ...
in ''
A Single Man
''A Single Man'' is a 2009 American period romantic drama film based on the 1964 novel of the same name by Christopher Isherwood. The directorial debut of fashion designer Tom Ford, the film stars Colin Firth, who was nominated for the Academy ...
'' (2009).
Release
In January 2011, Brown told fans on Twitter that he was planning on releasing his then studio album, ''F.A.M.E.'' (2011), as a
double disc
A double album (or double record) is an audio album that spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold, typically either records or compact disc. A double album is usually, though not always, released as such because the recording i ...
because he recorded too many songs for one disc and therefore planned on releasing a second disc titled, ''Fortune''.
However, during a listening party for ''F.A.M.E.'' on March 14, 2011, Brown announced that he would be releasing the ''Fortune'' disc in six months. He later decided to prolong its working, consequently postponing its release. In May 2011 the songs "Fools With You" and "Treading Waters" leaked on the internet, with Brown revealing his intention to put those tracks on the album, by tweeting: "Another song from ''Fortune'' was leaked! I'm not leaking the records! Hope y'all like it!".
In July another track that was supposed to be on the record, titled "Open Road (I Love Her)", was leaked, with the singer later tweeting: "If the whole song doesn’t leak then it’s going on ''Fortune''! I have so many songs that I’ve recorded in my opinion that are sick. I just really hope people appreciate the diversity on ''Fortune''".
On August 23, 2011,
RCA Music Group
RCA Music Group was an umbrella group of labels distributed by Sony Music Entertainment that existed between March 2004 and 2009, and for a short period of time between July 2011 and October 2011 as all RCA Music Group labels were merged with RCA ...
announced it was disbanding
Jive Records
Jive Records was an American independent record label founded by Clive Calder in 1981 as a subsidiary to the Zomba Group. In the US, the label had offices in New York City and Chicago. Jive was best known for its successes with hip hop, R&B, an ...
along with
Arista Records
Arista Records () is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. The label was previously handled by BMG Entertainmen ...
and
J Records
J Records was an American record label owned and operated by Bertelsmann Music Group until it was transferred to Sony Music Entertainment when they acquired all of BMG’s record labels in late 2008. It was distributed through the RCA Music Gro ...
. With the shutdown, ''Fortune'' is now being released on the
RCA Records
RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also A ...
brand. During an interview with ''Rap-Up'' magazine in September 2011, Kevin McCall revealed that the album was being pushed back for an early 2012 release.
Then two months later, Jive Records France announced via Twitter that the album would be released in March 2012. On October 27, 2011, Brown announced via his official
Twitter
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
account that "Strip" and "Biggest Fan" would serve as the two
lead single
A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date.
Release s ...
s from ''Fortune''. However, "Biggest Fan" was not released as a single, and following the online premiere of "
Turn Up the Music" on January 26, 2012, several websites, including
MTV News
MTV News is the news production division of MTV. The service is available in the US with localized versions on MTV's global network. In February 2016, MTV Networks confirmed it would refresh the MTV News brand in 2016, to compete with the likes ...
and ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' magazine, reported that this would be the lead single from the album, while "Strip" served as a
buzz single
A promotional recording, or promo, or plug copy, is an audio or video recording distributed free, usually in order to promote a recording that is or soon will be commercially available. Promos are normally sent directly to broadcasters, such as ...
. In February 2012 the initial tracklist of the album was announced. On March 1, 2012, RCA Records confirmed that ''Fortune'' would be released in the US on May 8, 2012, as both standard and deluxe editions.
A delay was announced in April.
The track listing for both the standard and deluxe editions of ''Fortune'' was revealed on May 29, 2012.
The album was set to feature fourteen tracks on the standard edition, with an additional five tracks on the deluxe edition.
On July 3, 2012, ''Fortune'' was released through RCA Records.
Promotion
![Chris Brown 5, 2012](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6a/Chris_Brown_5%2C_2012.jpg)
On November 18, 2011, "
Strip
Strip or Stripping may refer to:
Places
* Aouzou Strip, a strip of land following the northern border of Chad that had been claimed and occupied by Libya
* Caprivi Strip, narrow strip of land extending from the Okavango Region of Namibia to ...
", featuring Kevin McCall, was released as a
buzz single
A promotional recording, or promo, or plug copy, is an audio or video recording distributed free, usually in order to promote a recording that is or soon will be commercially available. Promos are normally sent directly to broadcasters, such as ...
for the album. The song achieved moderate success, reaching number 37 on the US
''Billboard'' Hot 100,
and number three on the US
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...
chart.
In January 2012, Brown released the first promotional photo for ''Fortune'', which showed him posing against a white backdrop, dressed in a full-length fur coat, black hoodie and jeans. At the
54th Grammy Awards, held at the
Staples Center
Crypto.com Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Downtown Los Angeles. Adjacent to the L.A. Live development, it is located next to the Los Angeles Convention Center complex along Figueroa Street. The arena opened on October 17, 1999; it was ...
in Los Angeles, California on February 12, 2012, Brown performed a medley of "
Turn Up the Music" and "
Beautiful People".
The performance featured Brown dressed in a white and gray varsity jacket, white pants and sparkling sneakers, performing heavily choreographed routines with several dancers, atop a collection of blocks.
On February 26, 2012, he performed a truncated version of "Turn Up the Music" during the halftime show of the
2012 NBA All-Star Game in
Orlando
Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures rele ...
, Florida.
On March 2, 2012, Brown released the first episode of his ''Fortune''
web series
A web series (also known as a web show) is a series of scripted or non-scripted online videos, generally in episodic form, released on the Internet, which first emerged in the late 1990s and became more prominent in the early 2000s. A single i ...
, showing him backstage at the 2012
Lo Nuestro Awards
The Lo Nuestro Awards or Premios Lo Nuestro ( Spanish for "Our Thing") is a Spanish-language awards show honoring the best of Latin music, presented by Univision, a Spanish-language television network based in the United States. The awards began i ...
where he performed "
International Love" with
Pitbull
Pit bull is a term used in the United States for a type of dog descended from bulldogs and terriers, while in other countries such as the United Kingdom the term is used as an abbreviation of the American Pit Bull Terrier breed. The term was f ...
, playing in a celebrity basketball game during NBA All-Star Weekend in Orlando with rappers
Common
Common may refer to:
Places
* Common, a townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland
* Boston Common, a central public park in Boston, Massachusetts
* Cambridge Common, common land area in Cambridge, Massachusetts
* Clapham Common, originally com ...
,
50 Cent
Curtis James Jackson III (born July 6, 1975), known professionally as 50 Cent, is an American rapper, actor, and businessman. Born in the South Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, Jackson began pursuing a musical career in 2000, when he produced ...
,
T.I., and singer
R. Kelly
Robert Sylvester Kelly (born January 8, 1967) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and sex offender convicted of racketeering and multiple sex offenses.
During his recording career, Kelly sold over 75 million records worldwi ...
, as well as partying and dancing at the club.
In April 2012, Brown appeared in Australia as one of the performing acts for the urban music festival,
Supafest
Supafest was an annual music festival held in Australia during April, created by Paper Chase Touring and Entertainment PTY LTD. It started in 2010, spreading out to in five major capital cities (Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney), t ...
. His
set list
A set list, or setlist, is typically a handwritten or printed document created as an ordered list of songs, jokes, stories and other elements an artist intends to present during a specific performance.
A setlist can be made of nearly any materi ...
was composed of 12 songs: "Turn Up the Music", "
Till I Die", "
Run It!
"Run It!" is the debut single by American recording artist Chris Brown. It was produced by Scott Storch and written by Sean Garrett alongside guest artist Juelz Santana. The song appeared on his debut studio album, '' Chris Brown'', and was r ...
", "
Deuces", "
Yeah 3x
"Yeah 3x" (pronounced "Yeah three times", "Yeah Yeah Yeah", or “Yeah three-x”); sometimes stylized as "Yeah 3X") is a song by American singer Chris Brown, which features American producer DJ Frank E as an uncredited featured artist, and wa ...
", "
Look at Me Now", "Beautiful People", "
She Ain't You
"She Ain't You" is a song by American recording artist Chris Brown. The Tempo, mid-tempo Contemporary R&B, R&B record was written by Brown, Jean Baptiste Kouame, Jean Baptiste, Ryan Buendia, Kevin McCall and Jason Boyd, and was produced by Free ...
", "
Wet the Bed", "
My Last
"My Last" is the lead single by American rapper Big Sean featuring American singer Chris Brown, from the former's debut album '' Finally Famous''. The song is produced by No I.D. ", "
Body 2 Body
"Body 2 Body" is the third official single from rapper Ace Hood from his third album Blood, Sweat & Tears. The hip hop song features R&B singer Chris Brown and was released July 26, 2011.
Critical reception
David Jeffries praised the track: "Co ...
" and "
Birthday Cake
A birthday cake is a cake eaten as part of a birthday celebration. Birthday cakes are often layer cakes with frosting served with small lit candles on top representing the celebrant's age. Variations include cupcakes, cake pops, pastries, and ...
". On May 8, 2012, Brown appeared on
''Dancing with the Stars'' (US) to perform "Turn Up the Music".
For the performance, Brown and his dancers wore suits.
He later performed the song at the
2012 Billboard Music Awards, held at the
MGM Grand Garden Arena
The MGM Grand Garden Arena (originally known as the MGM Grand Garden Special Events Center) is a 17,000-seat multi-purpose arena located within the MGM Grand Las Vegas on the Las Vegas Strip.
Sporting events
From its opening on December 18, 1993 ...
in
Paradise, Nevada
Paradise is an unincorporated town and census-designated place (CDP) in Clark County, Nevada, United States, adjacent to the city of Las Vegas. It was formed on December 8, 1950. Its population was 191,238 at the 2020 census, making it the fif ...
on May 20, 2012.
The performance featured projected images on the stage backdrop and
BMX bike
A BMX bike is an off-road sport bicycle used for racing or stunt riding. BMX mean''s bicycle'' ''motocross''.
Construction
Though originally denoting a bicycle intended for BMX racing, the term "BMX bike" is now used as a generic term to e ...
stunt troupes racing around the stage, as Brown performed choreographed routines while
lip synching
Lip sync or lip synch (pronounced , the same as the word ''sink'', short for lip synchronization) is a technical term for matching a speaking or singing person's lip movements with sung or spoken vocals.
Audio for lip syncing is generated th ...
.
His performance was met with a mixed response from celebrities, most notably
Joe Jonas
Joseph Adam Jonas (born August 15, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He rose to fame as a member of the pop rock band the Jonas Brothers, alongside his brothers Kevin Jonas, Kevin and Nick Jonas, Nick. The group released their ...
,
Pink
Pink is the color of a namesake flower that is a pale tint of red. It was first used as a color name in the late 17th century. According to surveys in Europe and the United States, pink is the color most often associated with charm, politeness, ...
, and
Carey Hart
Carey Jason Phillip Hart (born July 17, 1975) is an American off-road truck racer, former professional freestyle motocross competitor, and former motorcycle racer. He is known for being the first motorcyclist to perform a back flip on ...
, who all criticized the singer for lip synching.
On June 8, 2012, Brown appeared on
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...
's ''
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 ...
'' show and performed "Turn Up the Music", "Don't Wake Me Up", "Yeah 3x" and "Forever", as part of the program's "Summer Concert Series".
At the
2012 BET Awards
The 12th BET Awards were held at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California on July 1, 2012. The awards recognize Americans in music, acting, sports, and other fields of entertainment over the past year. Actor Samuel L. Jackson hosted the ev ...
on July 1, 2012, he performed a medley of "Turn Up the Music" and "Don't Wake Me Up", and appeared shirtless for the performance with half his body spray painted in grey.
Brown performed acrobatic moves with six backup dancers "under triangle-shaped beams" as green and red flashing lights appeared throughout the stage.
Brown embarked on his
Carpe Diem Tour
The Carpe Diem Tour was a headlining concert tour by American recording artist Chris Brown, in support of his fifth studio album '' Fortune''. The tour included shows in Europe, Africa, Asia, and Trinidad. It began on November 14, 2012 in Denmar ...
in November 2012 to further promote ''Fortune''. The tour included 13 shows in Europe, five shows in Africa, and one show in Asia; this amounted to a total of 19 shows worldwide. Brown began the tour on November 14, 2012 with a show in Denmark, and ended it on December 27, 2012.
Advertising
On June 19, the R&B singer premiered his
commercial
Commercial may refer to:
* a dose of advertising conveyed through media (such as - for example - radio or television)
** Radio advertisement
** Television advertisement
* (adjective for:) commerce, a system of voluntary exchange of products and s ...
for the project. The ad features a young
Asian
Asian may refer to:
* Items from or related to the continent of Asia:
** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia
** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia
** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
kid who walks into an abandoned warehouse and is confronted by shadowy figures. The mysterious shadows are after the glowing cube that's glowing inside his backpack. The kid doesn't want them to have it so he defends himself against his attackers with a couple of acrobatic break-dancing moves. He then runs into a secret room where the glowing cube flies into the wall and unlocks a secret code, which reveals Chris Brown, himself. The singer appears out of the wall and then absolves into the ''Fortune''
CD, which the amazed kid holds in hands.
Singles
"Turn Up the Music" was released to
contemporary hit radio
Contemporary hit radio (also known as CHR, contemporary hits, hit list, current hits, hit music, top 40, or pop radio) is a radio format that is common in many countries that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by ...
in the US on February 7, 2012 as the album's
lead single
A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date.
Release s ...
.
Music critics
Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...
gave "Turn Up the Music" positive reviews; they praised its production and compared the song to Brown's previous singles "
Forever
Forever or 4ever may refer to:
Film and television Films
* ''Forever'' (1921 film), an American silent film by George Fitzmaurice
* ''Forever'' (1978 film), an American made-for-television romantic drama
* ''Forever'' (1992 film), an American ...
" (2008) and "Yeah 3x" (2010). "Turn Up the Music" peaked at number 10 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, becoming Brown's eleventh top ten single on the chart. It also reached the top ten in Australia and New Zealand, and peaked at number one in the UK, becoming Brown's first UK number one single.
"Sweet Love" was sent to US
urban contemporary
Urban contemporary music, also known as urban music, hip hop, urban pop, or just simply urban, is a music radio format. The term was coined by New York radio DJ Frankie Crocker in the early to mid-1970s as a synonym for Black music. Urban contem ...
radio on April 10, 2012 as the second single from the album.
The song reached number 89 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart,
and number 25 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
"Till I Die", featuring rappers
Big Sean
Sean Michael Leonard Anderson (born March 25, 1988), known professionally as Big Sean, is an American rapper. Anderson began his music career in 2007 and gained popularity in 2010 with his third mixtape '' Finally Famous Vol. 3: Big''. He then s ...
and Wiz Khalifa, was released to US
rhythmic contemporary
Rhythmic contemporary, also known as Rhythmic Top 40, Rhythmic CHR or rhythmic crossover, is a primarily American music-radio format that includes a mix of EDM, upbeat rhythmic pop, hip hop and upbeat R&B hits. Rhythmic contemporary never uses ...
radio on May 1, 2012 as the third single from ''Fortune''. "Till I Die" received positive reviews from music critics, most of whom praised the production. It peaked at number 17 on the US
Rap Songs
Hot Rap Songs (formerly known as Hot Rap Tracks and Hot Rap Singles) is a chart released weekly by '' Billboard'' in the United States. It lists the 25 most popular hip-hop/rap songs, calculated weekly by airplay on rhythmic and urban radio stat ...
chart, and at number 14 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
"
Don't Wake Me Up" was sent to US contemporary hit radio on June 12, 2012 as the album's fourth single. "Don't Wake Me Up" received positive reviews from music critics, who generally praised its production. It reached the top ten in Australia, Austria, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, Norway and the UK.
In the US, "Don't Wake Me Up" peaked at number 10 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, becoming Brown's twelfth top ten single on the chart, and his second top ten single from ''Fortune'', following "Turn Up the Music".
"
Don't Judge Me
"Don't Judge Me" is a song by American recording artist Chris Brown on his fifth studio album, ''Fortune (Chris Brown album), Fortune'' (2012). It was written by Brown and produced by The Messengers (producers), The Messengers. The song was sent ...
" was sent to US urban contemporary radio on August 14, 2012, as the album's fifth single.
The song peaked at number 21 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart,
and at number 67 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart.
Critical reception
''Fortune'' was met with generally negative reviews from music critics. At
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
, the album received an
average
In ordinary language, an average is a single number taken as representative of a list of numbers, usually the sum of the numbers divided by how many numbers are in the list (the arithmetic mean). For example, the average of the numbers 2, 3, 4, 7, ...
score of 38, based on 14 reviews.
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 ...
's Andy Kellman criticized the album's lyrical content as "shameless" and found "few dimensions" in its music, calling it "an album of unapologetic swashbuckling" that is "saved... from being a disaster" by some of its production.
Kyle Anderson of ''
Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...
'' found the songwriting perfunctory and commented that the album "furthers the uncomfortable and frustrating disconnect between Brown's hotheaded personal life and his oddly edgeless musical persona".
Jon Caramanica of ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' criticized Brown's "brazenness" and stated, "Listening to Mr. Brown at the deepest level balances aesthetic pleasures, when they happen, with superegolike self-protection against aligning oneself too closely with someone who's done such heinous things".
Hermione Hoby of ''
The Observer
''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the w ...
'' panned the album's songs as "ugly stuff".
Jesse Fairfax of ''
HipHopDX
''HipHopDX'' is an online magazine of hip hop music criticism and news. The website's current president and publisher is Sharath Cherian and the Head Of Content is Jerry L. Barrow. ''HipHopDX'' is the flagship publication of Cheri Media Group.
...
'' found ''Fortune'' to be "a good album of grandiose self-assured posturing", but he said that it's "kind of below to what Brown could bring to the table".
Evan Rytlewski of ''
The A.V. Club
''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...
'' criticized Brown's "no apologies mantra" but ended up saying that "The truth is in the eye of the beholder, and with easily accessible albums like ''Fortune'', there will continue to be a lot of eyes on Chris Brown".
James Reed of ''
The Boston Globe
''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...
'' complimented "Don't Wake Me Up" as "a thumping club cut that's irresistible on an otherwise forgettable album".
Barry Walters of ''
Spin
Spin or spinning most often refers to:
* Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning
* Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis
* Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...
'' commented that, apart from "Don't Wake Me Up", ''Fortune'' "makes it easy for Chris Brown's haters and harder on his many fans", writing that "there's more than the usual number of midtempo ballads that once again mix sex-fantasy titillation with his defensiveness".
''
Chicago Tribune
The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...
'' writer
Greg Kot
Greg Kot (born March 3, 1957) is an American music journalist and author. From 1990 until 2020, Kot was the rock music critic at the ''Chicago Tribune'', where he covered popular music and reported on music-related social, political and busines ...
called the album "a pure-pop candy cane, meant to be enjoyed, consumed and forgotten", commenting that "its mixture of smut, vulnerability, menace and dancefloor celebration".
In a mixed review, Randall Roberts of the ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...
'' likened the album's trendy musical style to a product's
shelf life
Shelf life is the length of time that a commodity may be stored without becoming unfit for use, consumption, or sale. In other words, it might refer to whether a commodity should no longer be on a pantry shelf (unfit for use), or no longer on a ...
and attributed it to "Brown's reflex of curbing his creative impulses at nearly every turn, with a few killer exceptions, and showing a conservatism unbecoming such a self-styled renegade".
Accolades
''Fortune'' garnered a nomination for Favorite Soul/R&B Album at the
2012 American Music Awards, but lost to
Rihanna
Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, actress, and businesswoman. Born in Saint Michael and raised in Bridgetown, Barbados, Rihanna auditioned for American record producer Evan Rogers who invited her to the ...
's ''
Talk That Talk
''Talk That Talk'' is the sixth studio album by Barbadian singer Rihanna, released on November 18, 2011, by Def Jam Recordings and SRP Records. It was recorded while traveling for the Loud Tour between February and November 2011, and was origin ...
''. The album was nominated for World's Best Album at the 2012
World Music Awards
The World Music Awards is an international award show founded in 1989 under the patronage of Albert II, Prince of Monaco and co-founder/executive producer John Martinotti. The event is based in Monte Carlo. Awards are presented to the world's ...
. It earned a nomination for
Best Urban Contemporary Album at the
2013 Grammy Awards
The 55th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 10, 2013, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles honoring the best in music for the recording year beginning October 1, 2011 through September 30, 2012. The show was broadcast on CBS at 8 p.m. E ...
, though ultimately lost to
Frank Ocean
Christopher Francis "Frank" Ocean (born Christopher Edwin Breaux; October 28, 1987), is an American singer, songwriter, and rapper. His works are noted by music critics for featuring avant-garde styles and introspective, elliptical lyrics. Ocean ...
's ''
Channel Orange
''Channel Orange'' (stylized as ''channel ORANGE'') is the debut studio album by American R&B singer-songwriter Frank Ocean. It was released on July 10, 2012, by Def Jam Recordings. After releasing his mixtape '' Nostalgia, Ultra'' the previous ...
.'' At the
2013 ''Billboard'' Music Awards, ''Fortune'' was nominated for Top R&B Album.
Commercial performance
The album entered at number one on the US
''Billboard'' 200, with first-week sales of 135,000 copies, giving Brown his second chart-topping album in the US.
However, the first-week sales of ''Fortune'' were less than those of Brown's previous studio album ''F.A.M.E.'', which sold 270,000 copies and was also a chart topper.
In its second week on the chart, ''Fortune'' experienced a 67% sales decrease, selling 45,000 copies, and the album descended three places to number four. The following week, the album fell out of the top ten, falling a further nine places to number 13, selling 26,600 copies in its third week.
As of September 2012, ''Fortune'' has sold 303,600 copies in the US. It ranked as the 77th best-selling album of 2012 in the country.
On March 25, 2016, the album was certified
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 ...
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 combined album sales and album-equivalent units of over one million in the US.
''Fortune'' made its debut on the
Irish Albums Chart
The Irish Albums Chart is the Irish music industry standard albums popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA). The charts were previously compiled on behalf of IRMA by Chart-Track, and have been compiled by the ...
at number four on July 5, 2012, marking Brown's third top-ten album in that country.
In the Netherlands, the album debuted 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 ...
at number one on July 7, 2012, giving Brown his first chart-topping album in the country.
''Fortune'' debuted at number one on the
UK Albums Chart
The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts C ...
for the issue date of July 14, 2012, selling 29,980 copies in its first week, and giving Brown his first UK number-one album. This stood as the first time that an R&B album reached number one in both the UK and US since
Beyoncé
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...
's fourth solo studio album ''
4'' did so in 2011.
The album was ultimately certified gold by
British Phonographic Industry
British Phonographic Industry (BPI) is the British recorded music industry's Trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards, the Classic BRIT Awards, National Album Day, is home to the Mercury Prize, and co-owns the Official Charts Company with th ...
(BPI) on January 17, 2014 for combined album sales and album-equivalent units of over 100,000 in the UK.
''Fortune'' debuted at number 9 on the
Japanese Albums Chart
, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan and Western music. It started as, which was founded by Sōkō Koike in ...
, selling 9,922 copies for the week ending July 16, 2012.
The album also debuted at number six on the
Canadian Albums Chart
The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocea ...
and number 10 on the
Swiss Albums Chart
The Swiss Hitparade (german: link=no, Schweizer Hitparade) is Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the ...
respectively.
On the
French Albums Chart
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with France ...
, ''Fortune'' entered at number eight, selling 6,434 copies in its first week; this debut made it stand as Brown's first album to enter the top ten on the chart.
The album peaked at number two on the
ARIA Albums Chart
The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...
, giving Brown his highest charting album in Australia and was ultimately certified gold by the
Australian Recording Industry Association
The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) is a trade association representing the Australian recording industry which was established in the 1970s by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing th ...
(ARIA) in 2019 for exceeding 35,000 shipped copies.
In New Zealand, ''Fortune'' debuted at number one on the
New Zealand Albums Chart
The Official New Zealand Music Chart ( mi, Te Papa Tātai Waiata Matua o Aotearoa) is the weekly New Zealand top 40 singles and albums charts, issued weekly by Recorded Music NZ (formerly Recording Industry Association of New Zealand). The Music ...
, becoming Brown's first number-one album in the country.
On the
Scottish Albums Chart
The Scottish Albums Chart is a chart compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC) which is based on how physical and digital sales towards the UK Albums Chart fare in Scotland. The official singles chart for Scotland, the Scottish Singles Chart, ...
, the album reached number two.
''Fortune'' debuted at number 13 on both the
Danish Albums Chart
Hitlisten, also known as Tracklisten, is a Danish top 40 record chart that is updated every Thursday midnight on the website hitlisten.nu. The weekly Danish singles chart Track Top-40 combines the 40 best-selling tracks from legal music downloads ...
and
German Albums Chart
The GfK Entertainment charts are the official music charts in Germany and are gathered and published by GfK Entertainment (formerly Media Control and Media Control GfK International), a subsidiary of GfK, on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindust ...
.
Track listing
Credits adapted from liner notes.
Notes
* signifies a co-producer
* The UK and Ireland deluxe edition is a
double disc album.
* "Turn Up the Music" contains background vocals by Michael Jimenez
* "Don't Judge Me", "Biggest Fan", "Stuck on Stupid", "Do It Again" and "Calypso" contains background vocals by
* "2012" contains background vocals by
Adonis
In Greek mythology, Adonis, ; derived from the Canaanite word ''ʼadōn'', meaning "lord". R. S. P. Beekes, ''Etymological Dictionary of Greek'', Brill, 2009, p. 23. was the mortal lover of the goddess Aphrodite.
One day, Adonis was gored by ...
, Georgia Reign, and
Kevin McCall
Kevin Lamar McCall Jr. (born July 25, 1985) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known for his association with fellow singer Chris Brown. McCall signed to Brown in a joint venture with RCA Records in 2012. He was fe ...
* "Party Hard / Cadillac (Interlude)" contains background vocals by
Dewain Whitmore Jr.
Dewain Whitmore Jr. is an American Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter, and vocal producer based in Los Angeles, California. Signed to Disney Music Publishing, he has worked with numerous popular acts, including Chris Brown, Nick Jonas, DNC ...
* "Wait for You" contains background vocals by Courtney Harrell
* "Key 2 Your Heart" contains background vocals by Kevin McCall
Sample credits
*"Party Hard / Cadillac (Interlude)" contains a portion of "
Computer Love", written by Shirley Murdock, Larry Troutman and Roger Troutman.
Personnel
Credits for ''Fortune'' adapted from liner notes.
*Adonis – producer
*Alle Benassi – producer
*Benny Benassi – producer
*Boi-1da – producer
*Delbert Bowers – assistant
*Chris Brown – creative director, executive producer, producer
*Kweli Calderon – grooming
*Dan Cohen – engineer
*Tom Coyne – mastering
*Greg Curtis – keyboards
*Danja – producer
*Alex Delicata – electric guitar, guitar arrangements
*Alex Dilliplane – assistant
*Iain Findlay – assistant
*Andre Frappier – guitar
*Free School – producer
*Fuego – producer
*Chris Galland – assistant
*Doug Geikie – assistant
*
Serban Ghenea
Șerban Ghenea (born October 13, 1969) is a Grammy award-winning Romanian-Canadian audio engineer and mixer.
Early life and education
Ghenea was born in Bucharest, Romania in 1969. In 1976 he moved to Montreal with his family. He later attended ...
– mixing
*Steven Gomillion – photography
*John Hanes – mixing engineer
*Jerome "J Roc" Harmon – producer
*Trehy Harris – assistant
*Andrew Hey – engineer
*Tommy Hitz – producer
*Is – guitar
*Dayvi Jae – producer
*Jaycen Joshua – mixing
*Michael "Mike J" Jiminez – background vocals
*Dante Jones – producer
*Brian Kennedy – producer
*Dennis Leupold – photography
*Lonnie-Smoek-Stinson – grooming
*
Manny Marroquin
Manny Marroquin (born September 21, 1971) is an American mixing engineer.Daley, Dan (May 2005).Manny Marroquin. ''Sound on Sound''. Retrieved February 10, 2007 He has received ten Grammy awards for his professional audio work.
Life and career
M ...
– mixing
*Kevin McCall – background vocals, producer
*The Messengers – producer
*The Monarch – producer
*William Orbit – producer
*Jason "JP" Perry – producer
*Polow da Don – producer
*Georgia Reign – background vocals
*The Runners – producer
*Jacqueln S. – photography model
*Sajata S. – photography model
*Harmony "H Money" Samuels – producer
*Phil Seaford – assistant engineer
*
Adonis Shropshire
Adonis Shropshire, or Adonis for short, is an American songwriter and record producer.
He has written and or produced singles including: Mariah Carey's "I Stay In Love", Usher Raymond's " My Boo", P. Diddy's "I Need a Girl (Part One)", " I Need ...
– background vocals
*Bradford Smith – assistant
*Brian Springer – engineer
*Amber Streeter – background vocals
*Sviatlana – photography model
*Team Breezy – art direction, creative director, design, executive producer, management, stylist
*Tha Bizness – producer
*David Thomas – stylist
*The Underdogs – producer
*Jeff "Supa Jeff" Villanueva – pro-tools
*Courtney Walter – art direction, creative director, design
*
Pop & Oak
Pop & Oak is a songwriting and production duo consisting of Andrew "Pop" Wansel and Warren "Oak" Felder. Wansel is the son of Dexter Wansel, staff songwriter, producer and session musician of Gamble and Huff's Philadelphia International Records ...
– producer team
*Dewaine Whitmore, Jr. – background vocals
*Siraaj Amnesia James – arranger
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
See also
*
List of ''Billboard'' 200 number-one albums of 2012
*
List of ''Billboard'' number-one R&B albums of 2012
*
List of number-one albums from the 2010s (New Zealand)
This is the Recorded Music NZ list of number-one albums in New Zealand during the 2010s decade. Adele's 2011 album ''21'' charted at number one for a total of 38 weeks, and was the top-selling album in both 2011 and 2012. New Zealand vocal trio ...
*
List of UK Albums Chart number ones of the 2010s
The UK Albums Chart is a weekly record chart based on album sales from Friday to Thursday in the United Kingdom; , there had been 266 number-one albums during the 2010s, by 76 artists. The Official Charts Company (OCC) defines an "album" as be ...
*
List of UK R&B Albums Chart number ones of 2012
References
External links
*
*
Fortune' at
Discogs
Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the la ...
(list of releases)
{{Authority control
2012 albums
Chris Brown albums
Albums produced by Boi-1da
Albums produced by Brian Kennedy (record producer)
Albums produced by Dallas Austin
Albums produced by Danja (record producer)
Albums produced by Free School
Albums produced by Polow da Don
Albums produced by Tha Bizness
Albums produced by the Messengers (producers)
Albums produced by the Runners
Albums produced by the Underdogs (production team)
Albums produced by William Orbit
RCA Records albums
Albums produced by Harmony Samuels