''SweetSexySavage'' 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 American singer and songwriter

Kehlani Kehlani Ashley Parrish (born April 24, 1995) is an American singer, songwriter, and dancer. Kehlani is originally from Oakland, California, and achieved initial fame as a member of the teen group Poplyfe in 2011. In 2014, Kehlani released the ...

. The album was released on January 27, 2017, by

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...

. Kehlani started work on the album shortly after the release of their mixtape '' You Should Be Here'', with work proceeding into 2016. Kehlani described the album as having three elements; Sweet, Sexy and Savage, which are intended to be reflected in the album's lyrical content and production. Kehlani was the lead writer on all tracks aside from "Intro", which was written by Reyna Biddy. Production on the project was handled by

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 Recor ...

, Jahaan Sweet, Charlie Heat, among others, who worked to incorporate a variety of different sounds on the album. The album received mainly positive reviews from critics, generating a

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 ...

score of 76, which ranks as Kehlani's third-highest score after their mixtape ''You Should Be Here'' from 2015, and before their mixtape ''While We Wait'' from 2019. It debuted at number three on the US ''Billboard'' 200, moving 58,000

album-equivalent unit The album-equivalent unit, or album equivalent, is a measurement unit in music industry to define the consumption of music that equals the purchase of one album copy. This consumption includes streaming and song downloads in addition to traditi ...

s in its first tracking week. To promote the album, Kehlani embarked on the SweetSexySavage Tour.

Background and production

After wrapping up the North American leg of the You Should Be Here Tour, new recording sessions for the album started in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

around Halloween 2015. The album was announced to be arriving "soon" in mid 2016 by Kehlani on

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 ...

. Work continued into 2016 where Kehlani finished and since has passed it onto their label. The bulk of the album's production was handled by

, with Kehlani also working with many others, including their musical director and producer Jahaan Sweet, who they worked with on their mixtapes. The album was inspired by

TLC TLC may refer to: Arts and entertainment Television * ''TLC'' (TV series), a 2002 British situational comedy television series that aired on BBC2 * TLC (TV network), formerly the Learning Channel, an American cable TV network ** TLC (Asia), an A ...

's album, ''

CrazySexyCool ''CrazySexyCool'' is the second studio album by American girl group TLC, released on November 15, 1994, by LaFace and Arista Records. Following the group's record deal, they released their debut album '' Ooooooohhh... On the TLC Tip'' in 1992 ...

''. Kehlani also cited

Natasha Bedingfield Natasha Anne Bedingfield (born 26 November 1981) is a British singer and songwriter. Bedingfield released her debut album, '' Unwritten'', in 2004, which contained primarily up-tempo pop songs and was influenced by R&B music. It enjoyed intern ...

Colbie Caillat Colbie Marie Caillat (; born May 28, 1985) is an American singer-songwriter. She rose to fame through social networking website Myspace. At that time, she was the number one unsigned artist of her genre. After signing with Universal Republic ...

Gwen Stefani Gwen Renée Stefani (; born October 3, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, fashion designer and actress. She is a co-founder, lead vocalist, and the primary songwriter of the band No Doubt, whose singles include "Just a Girl", "Spiderwebs ...

, and

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, ...

as the biggest inspirations for the album. They stated that it was "more fun and aggressive" than their earlier work.

Singles

" Crzy" was released as 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 ...

from ''SweetSexySavage'' on July 15, 2016, and peaked at number eighty-five on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Kehlani performed the single on ''

Jimmy Kimmel Live! ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'' is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC. The nightly hour-long show debuted on January 26, 2003, at Hollywood Masonic Temple in Hollywood, Los ...

'' to promote the album's release. The second single, "

Distraction Distraction is the process of diverting the attention of an individual or group from a desired area of focus and thereby blocking or diminishing the reception of desired information. Distraction is caused by: the lack of ability to pay attentio ...

", was released on July 23, 2016, and also peaked at number eighty-five on the Hot 100. The song impacted rhythmic radios in mid-January and has peaked in the top 40 of the rhythmic radio charts. Its accompanying music video received over 2 million views in one day on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

. "Gangsta", which is featured in the DC film ''

Suicide Squad The Suicide Squad is an antihero/supervillain team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The first version of the Suicide Squad debuted in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #25 (September 1959) and the second and modern version, cre ...

'' was released on August 1, 2016, as the album's third single. The fourth single, "Keep On", was released on January 27, 2017.

Promotional singles

The first promotional single from the album, "Advice", was premiered on

Zane Lowe Alexander Zane Reid Lowe (born 7 August 1973) is a New Zealand radio DJ, live DJ, record producer, and television presenter. After an early career in music creation, production and DJing, he moved to the UK in 1997. He came to prominence thro ...

's Beats 1 show on December 1, 2016. Kehlani premiered the album's second promotional single "Undercover" on January 5, 2017, during Zane Lowe's Beats 1 show. "Do U Dirty" was released on January 12, 2017, as the album's third promotional single.

Release and promotion

Kehlani promoted the album using the initials 'SSS' before finally announcing the album's title on November 27, 2016, via Twitter. Kehlani revealed the album's cover on November 30, 2016. The album was made available to pre-order on iTunes on December 1, 2016, along with the promotional single "Advice". ''SweetSexySavage'' has 19 tracks on the deluxe version. On January 27, Kehlani promoted the album's release by performing "Crzy" on ''

''.

Tour

Kehlani announced that they would be going on a world tour in support of the album on December 2, 2016. Tickets went on sale on December 14, 2016, with concert dates in North America and Europe. The tour began on February 21, 2017, in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

Club Soda Club soda is a manufactured form of carbonated water, commonly used as a drink mixer. Sodium bicarbonate, potassium sulfate, potassium bicarbonate, potassium citrate, or sodium citrate is artificially added to replicate constituents commonly fo ...

, and is scheduled to conclude on November 19, 2017, in

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

at the Corona Capital Festival. A portion of the European leg was cancelled due to Kehlani having surgery on their stomach. The tour visited cities across North America, Europe, Oceania and Asia.

Critical reception

, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 76 out of 100 based on 17 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Shahzaib Hussain of '' Clash'' gave the album a 7 out of 10 and said, "The production can at times become repetitive, yet it's Kehlani's versatility as a songstress that elevates the more cookie cutter numbers." Nick Levine of ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' gave the album 4 stars out of 5 and commented that "the album is cohesive without feeling too samey." Ryan B. Patrick of ''

Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly Exclaim! print magazine publishes 7 ...

'' gave the album an 8 out of 10 and said, "by getting intensely personal, Kehlani adds a human side to the recordings that's multilayered and unapologetically self-determined." Andy Kellman 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 ...

gave the album 4.5 stars out of 5, commenting that "The lows and highs, grief and pleasure, and insecurity and pride are all put on vivid display, and Kehlani pours hemselfinto all of it without overselling a thought." Katherine St. Asaph of ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to ...

'' gave the album a 7.0 out of 10 and stated that "Refreshingly, ''SweetSexySavage'' is at its best when it's most exuberant, giddy in the face of haters and common sense alike." Barry Walters 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 ...

'' gave the album a grade of B, saying, "haunting highlights like 'Piece of Mind' and 'Everything Is Yours' prove that beneath ''SSS''s padding, there's a succinct, sassy, and sincere album waiting to be slimmed down to Kehlani's own soul-searching essence."

Accolades

Internet Fame and Memes

Forums on Internet have started criticizing the font used for the album, claiming the « S » are cursive « f », meaning the album is called « ''FweetFexyFavage'' �

Commercial performance

''SweetSexySavage'' debuted at number three on the US ''Billboard'' 200, moving 58,000

s with traditional album sales of 32,000 copies in its first week. This became Kehlani's first US top-ten debut on the chart. On June 29, 2018, the album was certified RIAA Certification, gold 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 sales and album-equivalent units of over 500,000 units in the United States.

Track listing

Notes * "Piece of Mind" features vocals from

Little Simz Simbiatu "Simbi" Abisola Abiola Ajikawo (born 23 February 1994), better known by her stage name Little Simz, is a British rapper, singer and actress. She rose to prominence with the independent release of her first three albums; ''A Curious Tale ...

. * signifies an additional producer * signifies a co-producer * signifies a vocal producer Sample credits * "Undercover" contains an interpolation of "

Don't Matter "Don't Matter" is a reggae fusion– R&B song by American singer Akon from his second studio album, ''Konvicted'' (2006). The song was released as the album's third single in January 2007. In April of that year, it became Akon's first solo U.S. n ...

", as performed by

Akon Aliaune Damala Badara Akon Thiam (; born April 16, 1973), known mononymously as Akon, is a Senegalese-American singer, record producer, and entrepreneur. He rose to prominence in 2004 following the release of " Locked Up" (featuring Styles P) ...

. * "Personal" contains a vocal sample from " Come Over", as performed by Aaliyah and

Tank A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and good battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful engin ...

. * "Not Used to It" contains an interpolation of "Waiting" by

Rhian Sheehan Rhian Sheehan is a New Zealand composer and producer born in Nelson and now based in Wellington. He is known for his fusing of orchestral chamber music and piano, with ambient electronic and post-rock cinematic atmospheres. He has also written m ...

featuring Lotus Harley. * "Too Much" contains an interpolation of " More Than a Woman", as performed by Aaliyah. * "In My Feelings" contains a sample of "

If It Isn't Love "If It Isn't Love" is a song by American contemporary R&B, R&B quintet New Edition, and the first single from their fifth studio album, ''Heart Break'' (1988). The song became the biggest hit from the aforementioned album, reaching the top ten of t ...

", as performed by

New Edition New Edition is an American R&B/Pop group from the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 1978 by Bobby Brown. Their name is taken to mean a 'new edition' of the Jackson 5. The group reached its height of popularity in the 19 ...

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

External links

* {{Authority control 2017 debut albums Kehlani albums Atlantic Records albums Albums produced by Oak Felder