''Victoria Beckham'' (stylised as VB) is the debut and, to date, only

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records c ...

by English singer

Victoria Beckham Victoria Caroline Beckham (; born 17 April 1974) is an English fashion designer, singer, and television personality. She rose to prominence in the 1990s as a member of the girl group the Spice Girls, in which she was nicknamed Posh Spice. Wi ...

. It was released on 1 October 2001 by

Virgin Records Virgin Records is a record label owned by Universal Music Group. It originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman. It grew to be a world ...

. Beckham was the last member of the

Spice Girls The Spice Girls are a British girl group formed in 1994, consisting of Melanie Brown, also known as Mel B ("Scary Spice"); Melanie Chisholm, or Melanie C ("Sporty Spice"); Emma Bunton ("Baby Spice"); Geri Halliwell ("Ginger Spice"); and ...

to release a solo album. The album's lead single, " Not Such an Innocent Girl" was released on 17 September 2001. The second single, "

A Mind of Its Own "A Mind of Its Own" is a song by British singer-songwriter Victoria Beckham. It was released on 11 February 2002 as the second single from her debut self-titled solo album (2001). It peaked and debuted at number six on the UK Singles Chart and ...

" was released on 11 February 2002. "I Wish" was set to be the album's third single as it was being promoted, but following the announcement of Beckham's second pregnancy, the single was shelved and was never materialised. The album was a commercial failure internationally, reaching number ten in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

and number twenty on the Australian Hitseekers Albums Chart.

Release

Initially, the album was to be titled ''Innocent Girl'' and set to be released on 27 August 2001, but was released on 1 October. Beckham revealed that she felt she had "a lot to prove" with the album's release: "When I started recording this album, I had a lot to prove. I want to prove I can sing and dance and have a vision. I'm really baring my soul on this. I hope people like it. When I was with the other girls I never did a lot of the singing, so this is the first time that people are going to see me and what I am capable of". She added that she hoped the album would do well "and I can have a successful solo career". The album does not include the True Steppers hit "

Out of Your Mind "Out of Your Mind" is a song by UK garage duo True Steppers. It features Dane Bowers and Victoria Beckham, in her first appearance as a solo artist away from Spice Girls. The single was released on 14 August 2000 and reached number two on the ...

", on which Beckham features along with

Dane Bowers Dane Leon Bowers is a British singer, songwriter, DJ and producer. He was a part of pop boy band Another Level between 1997 and 2000 when he performed on seven Top 10 singles, before taking up solo projects with True Steppers and Victoria Beck ...

, but it spawned two singles, " Not Such an Innocent Girl" and "

" which both debuted and peaked at number six 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 ...

Singles

" Not Such an Innocent Girl" was released on 17 September 2001 as the lead single from the album. In the United Kingdom, the single faced competition in a hugely hyped chart battle with

Kylie Minogue Kylie Ann Minogue (; born 28 May 1968) is an Australian singer, songwriter and actress. She is the highest-selling female Australian artist of all time, having sold over 80 million records worldwide. She has been recognised for reinve ...

's single "

Can't Get You Out of My Head "Can't Get You Out of My Head" is a song that was recorded by Australian singer Kylie Minogue for her eighth studio album, ''Fever'' (2001). Parlophone Records released the song as the album's lead single on 8 September 2001. "Can't Get ...

". On the chart date of 29 September 2001, "Not Such an Innocent Girl" debuted at number six on the

with first week sales of 35,000 units, while "Can't Get You Out of My Head" debuted at number one with first week sales of 306,000 units. It has sold about 80,263 copies altogether, becoming the 163rd best seller of 2001. The music video has a futuristic theme and features two Victorias: one dressed in all-white with blonde hair ("the good girl"), and the other in all-black with jet black hair ("the bad girl"). The video culminates into a "dance-off" and motorcycle race between the two Victorias. "

" was released on 11 February 2002 as the second single from her debut self-titled solo album (2001). It peaked and debuted at number six on the

and sold 56,570 becoming the 173rd best seller of 2002. There is a

French 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 Franc ...

version of the song called "Mon cœur n'en fait qu'à sa tête" (an adaptation of the title into French, or "my heart does what it wants to do"). A third single, "I Wish", was promoted but never materialised. The single version was a remix featuring Robbie Craig, and was performed on TV on '' Friday Night's All Wright''. Following the announcement of Beckham's second pregnancy, the single was shelved. Beckham was dropped by Virgin Records along with fellow

Emma Bunton and

Melanie B Melanie Janine Brown (born 29 May 1975), commonly known as Melanie B or Mel B, is an English singer, songwriter, and television personality. She rose to fame in the 1990s as a member of the girl group Spice Girls, in which she was nicknamed Sc ...

, but a statement from her publicist denied reports, claiming: "No-one has been dropped. The Virgin deal has come to a natural end and both parties have decided not to continue."

Chart performance

''Victoria Beckham'' faced a chart battle during the album's release week with

's ''

Fever Fever, also referred to as pyrexia, is defined as having a temperature above the normal range due to an increase in the body's temperature set point. There is not a single agreed-upon upper limit for normal temperature with sources using val ...

''. Both singers had previously faced a battle in the singles' chart, when their singles were released on the same day. However, Beckham's album debuted at number ten 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 ...

on 13 October 2001, whilst Minogue's album topped the charts. ''Victoria Beckham'' charted for three weeks on the chart. As of January, 2020 the album has sold 54,000 copies overall in the United Kingdom. After ''Being Victoria Beckham'', an official documentary that aired in March 2002, the album re-entered the UK Albums Chart at number sixty-seven.

Critical reception

Upon its release, the album received mixed to negative reviews.

BBC Music BBC Music is responsible for the music played across the BBC. The current director of music is Bob Shennan, who is also the controller of BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 6 Music, and the BBC Asian Network. Officially it is a part of the BBC's Radio ...

described the album as "a mish-mash affair of gushy sentiment and wishy-washy RnB" whilst '' NME'' called the album "a new low in shameless pop slaggery".

Track listing

Credits adapted from the liner notes of ''Victoria Beckham''.

Charts

Certifications and sales

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Victoria Beckham (Album) 2001 debut albums Albums produced by the Underdogs (production team) Victoria Beckham albums Virgin Records albums