V (Vanessa Hudgens album)

V is the debut studio album by American singer Vanessa Hudgens, first released on September 26, 2006, via Hollywood Records. The album has been given mostly positive reviews. V debuted in the United States at twenty-four, selling 34,000 copies in its first week. The album has spawned two singles, lead "Come Back to Me" and follow-up "Say OK". In February 2007, the album was certified Gold by RIAA.[2] As of April 2008, the album has sold 570,000 copies in the United States.[3] Hudgens supported the album with serving as an opening act for The Cheetah Girls' The Party's Just Begun Tour and also on the High School Musical: The Concert tour. The album was voted as the seventh best album of 2007 by the readers of Billboard.[4]

V
Studio album by
ReleasedSeptember 26, 2006 (2006-09-26)
Genre
Length38:28[1]
LabelHollywood
Producer
Vanessa Hudgens chronology
V
(2006)
Identified
(2008)
Singles from V
  1. "Come Back to Me"
    Released: September 12, 2006
  2. "Say OK"
    Released: March 27, 2007

Writing and development

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Hudgens performing "Come Back to Me" during High School Musical: The Concert

After participating in High School Musical, Hollywood Records made a proposal for Vanessa to start a solo music career. The album was produced in two months as the record company insisted that the album was to be recorded and produced quickly.[5]

"I did it my way. My single "Come Back to Me" is kind of pop and R&B, but the rest of the album brings a bit of pop rock, electronic music, and some ballads. It is a mixture of everything," said Vanessa, who at first thought of making a purely dance album.[6]

Hudgens stated the title of the album stands for Vanessa, but also for variety, because the album is a mix of genres and styles.[7]

She also recorded three covers. "Whatever Will Be", which was originally released by Tammin Sursok the year before, "Afraid", which was initially recorded by Melissa Schuman and intended for her unreleased album "Stereotyped", and "Let Go" which was originally sung by Raffish.

Release

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Singles

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"Come Back to Me" was released as V's lead single on September 12, 2006. It peaked at number 55 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Hudgens's highest-charting single as a solo artist.[8] Internationally, the track was a moderate commercial success, peaking at number 12 in France[8] and peaking at top 40 in Australia as well as peaking at number 6 in New Zealand.[9] The song received generally positive reviews from critics.[10] The accompanying music video featured Hudgens dancing and socializing with her friends, including her sister, Stella Hudgens, and Alexa Nikolas.

"Say OK" was released as the second single from album on January 12, 2007, and was sent to US mainstream radio two months later, on March 27, 2007. The track was comparatively less commercially successful than the album's previous single, peaking at number 61 on the Billboard Hot 100.[11] There are two versions of music video, the first version takes place on the High School Musical: The Concert Tour in Seattle, Washington. While the second officially released version, featuring Zac Efron, has gathered over 180 million views on YouTube.

"Let's Dance" was released as a promo single only in the United States. The song was released digitally on September 25, 2007.[12] The live version of the song recorded during the High School Musical tour was used for promotion. The song was also used on Dancing with the Stars on US network ABC. The song failed to enter the Billboard Hot 100.

Promotion

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Hudgens during "High School Musical: The Concert"

There were different editions issued, each containing thirteen or fourteen tracks with varying bonus tracks. A twelve-track version was then released internationally on November 28, 2006. The CD was then released on January 17, 2007, in Japan (sixteen tracks) and on March 17, 2007, in Australia (twelve tracks).

The album was re-released again in a limited Deluxe edition format, released in Japan, Malaysia, and Taiwan.[13] The song "Let's Dance" was included in a Wii game, called We Cheer 2.[14]

Hudgens promoted the album when opening for the Cheetah Girls during their The Party's Just Begun Tour. She also promoted her album on the High School Musical: The Concert tour, regularly singing "Say OK".[15] Hudgens performed "Come Back to Me", "Say OK" and "Let's Dance" in the concert. She also performed various songs off the album on her Identified Summer Tour which also promoted her second studio album Identified.

Reception

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Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [16]
Digital Spy     
MSN Music      [17]
Rolling Stone     

Upon its release, V received generally positive reviews from most music critics. Mentioned in Identified review,[18] Heather Phares praised the album "was her first step toward a less overtly Disney-affiliated career: released by the studio's Hollywood label, it used Christina Aguilera's soulful pop as a template; even if its songs were a bit faceless, they had surprisingly sophisticated production values." She noted that Hudgens "sings about love, dancing, and hanging with her girls" and repeated again in Identified, "the production outclasses the songs and the singing".

Nate Cavalieri of Rhapsody Music said: "This collection of pop and sugary R&B keeps the messages squeaky clean, even with hints that she is willing to break your shyness. The singles are well built and the best are "Come Back to Me" dancing to "Let's Dance" and a dedication surprisingly emotive long-distance, "Afraid".[19]

Common Sense Media's Tony Whittum said: "The first album Hudgens is well positioned to win the approval of the teen market. Her 12 relatively simple, romantic and sweet pop songs about boys, hanging out with friends, dancing, female power and tribulations of a very young life are delivered with the latest plain, recycled, computer programmed beats and hip-hop." He further added, "Hudgens is strong, stable and comfortable in the medium, as when she is singing a dance song "Let's Dance" and pop rock "Never Underestimate a Girl." Otherwise, your voice can range from the diminutive and shy the strident edge. With her voice and her musical talent mature, it would be nice to see Hudgens take more risks and produce something more original. Then, as their audience matures, they will not leave it behind".[20]

The album was nominated as #7 on "Album of The Year" by Billboard Readers' Choice.[21]

Chart performance

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V debuted on the US Billboard 200 in early October 2006 at number twenty-four on the chart, with 34,000 copies sold in its first week.[22] The album dropped off the Billboard 200 after thirty-two weeks on the chart. On February 27, 2007, the album was certified gold in the US for shipments to retailers of 500,000 copies.[2] The album was certified platinum in Argentina for sales of 8,000 copies, under DVD category.[23] As of April 2008, the album has sold 570,000 copies in the US.[3]

Track listing

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V – Standard edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Come Back to Me"Antonina Armato, Tim James, Peter Beckett, J.C. CrowleyArmato, James2:47
2."Let Go"Andrew Bojanic, Elizabeth Hooper, Ivy LevanWizards of Oz2:48
3."Say OK"Arnthor Birgisson, Savan KotechaArnthor3:41
4."Never Underestimate a Girl"Matthew Gerrard, Robbie NevilGerrard, Nevil3:01
5."Let's Dance"Gerrard, Jonas Jeberg, Bridget BenenateGerrard, Jay Jay2:52
6."Drive"Leah Haywood, David NorlandNorland, Daniel James, Haywood3:25
7."Afraid"D. James, Haywood, Bradley SpalterD. James, Haywood3:17
8."Promise"D. James, Haywood, Shelly PeikenD. James, Haywood3:16
9."Whatever Will Be"Kotecha, Carl Falk, Jake SchulzeKent Larsson, AJ Junior3:47
10."Rather Be with You"Bojanic, Hooper, LevanWizards of Oz3:33
11."Psychic"Johnny VieiraVieira3:01
12."Lose Your Love"VieiraVieira3:01
Total length:38:28
V – Asian deluxe edition (bonus tracks)[24]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
13."Too Emotional"Armato, T. James, ScappaArmato, T. James2:50
14."Drip Drop"Alex CantrallCantrall3:37
15."Don't Talk"Armato, T. James, ScappaArmato, T. James2:37
16."Make You Mine"Gerrard, Kara DioGuardiGerrard3:38
17."Come Back to Me" (Chris Cox Remix Radio Mix)Armato, T. JamesArmato, T. James, Beckett, Crowley4:23
18."Come Back to Me" (Chris Cox Remix Club Mix)Armato, T. JamesArmato, T. James, Beckett, Crowley9:26
Total length:65:04
V – Asian deluxe edition (bonus DVD)
No.TitleLength
1."Come Back to Me" (music video)2:49
2."Say OK" (Music video)3:39
3."Come Back to Me" (music video; live version)2:56
4."Say OK" (Music video; live version)3:28
5."Vanessa Hudgens Interview"3:08
Total length:16:00

Notes

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  • The tracks "Let Go", "Afraid" and "Whatever Will Be" are covers of songs originally performed by Raffish, Melissa Schuman, and Tammin Sursok respectively.
  • Due to the large amount of editions released for this album that contain slight differences from each other throughout releases, only the Asian deluxe edition has been listed aside from the standard edition, due to the release encompassing all of the bonus tracks and included videos released from all available editions.
  • In total, V has 8 editions, the standard edition, the digital store edition with a bonus video,[25] the Best Buy edition,[26] the Target edition,[27] the Walmart limited edition with a bonus download for "Drip Drop", the international digital special edition,[28] the Japan standard edition, and the Asian deluxe edition.[24]

Personnel

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Charts

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Certifications and sales

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Certifications and sales for V
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Argentina (CAPIF)[23] Platinum 8,000^
Brazil 10,000[note 1]
United States (RIAA)[2] Gold 570,000[note 2]

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

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Release history and formats for V
Region Date Label
United States September 26, 2006 Hollywood
Brazil October 30, 2006 Universal Music
Italy December 1, 2006 EMI
United Kingdom December 4, 2006 Angel
Japan[41] January 17, 2007 Avex Music Creative
Germany[42] February 9, 2007 EMI
Asia (deluxe)[24] August 22, 2007 EMI, Avex Music Creative

Notes

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  1. ^ As of May 2007.[40]
  2. ^ As of April 2008.[3]

References

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  1. ^ "V: Vanessa Hudgens". Amazon. Retrieved 2012-06-05.
  2. ^ a b c "American album certifications – Vanessa Hudgens – V". Recording Industry Association of America. February 27, 2007. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c "Interest In Cyrus' Music Continues Amid Photo Scandal". Billboard. April 30, 2008. Archived from the original on September 28, 2017. Retrieved September 28, 2017.
  4. ^ "2007:Year in Music". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 21, 2008. Retrieved 2009-04-23. by Billboard
  5. ^ Vanessa Hudgens - Biography
  6. ^ "Vanessa Hudgens - Jovem Pan FM". Jovempanfm.virgula.uol.com.br. Archived from the original on 2012-05-06. Retrieved 2012-03-13.
  7. ^ Chapman, Madison M. (November 7, 2006). "Vanessa Hudgens Goes Solo". Time for Kids. Time Inc. Archived from the original on 2010-03-08. Retrieved 2008-07-12.
  8. ^ a b ""Come back to me", in various singles charts, on Acharts.com". Acharts.us. 2006-01-25. Retrieved 2012-06-05.
  9. ^ Steffen Hung. ""Come back to me", in various singles charts, on". Lescharts.com. Retrieved 2012-06-05.
  10. ^ "Review". Amazon. Retrieved 2012-06-05.
  11. ^ The single is massive hit on Brazil. Say OK - Vanessa Hudgens
  12. ^ "iTunes - Music - Let's Dance (Live) - Single by Vanessa Hudgens". Itunes.apple.com. 2007-09-25. Retrieved 2012-03-13.
  13. ^ amazon.jp. "V Deluxe Edition". Amazon. Retrieved 2012-06-05.
  14. ^ "Namco Bandai Games Announces Full Roster of Songs for We Cheer 2". Archived from the original on June 27, 2009. Retrieved July 29, 2009.
  15. ^ Disney. "High School Musical The Concert". Disney. Archived from the original on 2008-07-21. Retrieved 2008-07-20.
  16. ^ "V - Vanessa Hudgens : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. 2006-09-26. Retrieved 2012-06-05.
  17. ^ "V by Vanessa Hudgens on MSN Music". Music.msn.com. 2006-09-26. Archived from the original on 2012-06-09. Retrieved 2012-06-05.
  18. ^ Phares, Heather (2008-06-24). "Identified - Vanessa Hudgens : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-06-05.
  19. ^ Ncavalieri (2006-09-26). "V : Vanessa Hudgens". Rhapsody. Retrieved 2012-03-13.
  20. ^ "Kids Music - Music Reviews". Common Sense Media. Archived from the original on 2012-07-30. Retrieved 2012-03-13.
  21. ^ Billboard. "Billboard Best Album Readers' Choice". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2008-06-21. Retrieved 2008-07-24.
  22. ^ Hasty, Katie (October 4, 2006). "Ludacris Scores Third No. 1 With 'Release Therapy'". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved 2008-07-24.
  23. ^ a b "Discos de Oro y Platino" (in Spanish). Argentine Chamber of Phonograms and Videograms Producers. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved October 16, 2008.
  24. ^ a b c "Amazon.co.jp: ブイ デラックス・エディション(DVD付): ヴァネッサ・ハジェンズ: 音楽". Amazon.co.jp. 2010-05-06. Retrieved 2010-06-05.
  25. ^ "Vanessa Hudgens: V (Amazon Digital MP3 Album Edition)". amazon.com. Retrieved 13 Sep 2024.
  26. ^ "V ( 1 Bonus Track) by Vanessa Hudgens for sale online".
  27. ^ "V". Amazon.
  28. ^ "V". Spotify.
  29. ^ "Argentine Albums Chart (February 25 - March 03, 2007)". CAPIF. allcharts.org. Archived from the original on 20 March 2007. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  30. ^ "Albums: Top 100 (For The Week Ending 19 October, 2006)". Jam!. Sun Media. October 15, 2006. Archived from the original on October 25, 2006. Retrieved December 4, 2013.
  31. ^ "Lescharts.com – Vanessa Hudgens – V". Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 October 2009.
  32. ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Vanessa Hudgens". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 25, 2023.
  33. ^ "Italiancharts.com – Vanessa Hudgens – V". Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 October 2009.
  34. ^ "ヴァネッサ・ハジェンズ-リリース-ORICON STYLE ミュージック". Oricon (in Japanese). June 25, 2008. Archived from the original on August 24, 2017. Retrieved December 4, 2013.
  35. ^ "Charts.nz – Vanessa Hudgens – V". Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 October 2009.
  36. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  37. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  38. ^ "Vanessa Hudgens Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 29 November 2011.
  39. ^ "Top Billboard 200 – Issue Date: 2007". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on 23 September 2011. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
  40. ^ Lichote, Leonardo (May 3, 2007). "Na onda de 'High School musical', CDs da Disney ignoram crise, e cantores fazem show no Brasil" (in Portuguese). Grupo Globo. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
  41. ^ "V". Billboard Japan. Retrieved 2015-02-27.
  42. ^ "V: Vanessa Hudgens: Amazon.de: Musik". Amazon.de. 2009-09-09. Retrieved 2012-06-05.