Beautiful is the third studio album by Australian recording artist Jessica Mauboy, released on 4 October 2013 by Sony Music Australia. The album was recorded at several recording studios in Hollywood, Los Angeles and Sydney. Mauboy worked on Beautiful with a variety of producers and songwriters, including DNA, The Fliptones, Brian Kennedy, Harvey Mason, Jr., Adam Reily and The Underdogs. She co-wrote ten of the thirteen songs on the album's standard edition. The album explored a mixture of dance-oriented tracks with R&B and pop.[1]
Beautiful | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 4 October 2013 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 46:18 | |||
Label | Sony | |||
Producer |
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Jessica Mauboy chronology | ||||
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Alternative cover | ||||
![]() Platinum edition cover artwork | ||||
Singles from Beautiful | ||||
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Upon its release, Beautiful received positive reviews from critics, who praised its catchy production and honest lyrics. The album debuted at number three on the ARIA Albums Chart and became Mauboy's highest-charting album. It was certified platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association for shipments of more than 70,000 copies. Beautiful earned Mauboy two nominations at the 2014 ARIA Music Awards for Album of the Year and Best Female Artist. Mauboy promoted the album with television performances and instore appearances. She also embarked on her second headlining concert tour, entitled the To the End of the Earth Tour.
Beautiful produced five singles, including the top-ten hits "Pop a Bottle (Fill Me Up)" and "Never Be the Same", which were both certified platinum for sales exceeding 70,000 copies. The album was re-released as a platinum edition on 21 November 2014 and features five additional songs, including the fifth single "Can I Get a Moment?", which became Mauboy's eighth top-ten hit.
Background and development
editIn an interview with Spotlight Report, Mauboy admitted that after her work on the 2012 musical film The Sapphires and its soundtrack which features 1960s soul music, she struggled to find a direction for her third studio album. "This album was definitely quite frustrating and hard to put together ... It was a hard process after coming off the back of doing The Sapphires and having that beautiful soul, motown classic music. It really kind of left me not knowing what I wanted to do next because that [The Sapphires] was so good."[2] Mauboy further stated that not knowing which direction she wanted to go with helped. "I had all these stories and feelings. All I needed was to be in the studio and play a bit of piano and play some melodies to help me write."[2]
Mauboy told The Northern Star that Beautiful is "very diverse ... I'm taking it back to my first album where I had a bit of dance and twist of R&B."[3] Part of the album's musical direction was influenced by 1990s music, including dance artists such as Culture Beat and Corona.[3][4] "I'm such a big '90s fan and grew up with the '90s, and I love how artists had such big vocals and yet such simple bedding on the tracks – and they use such little effects."[4] Mauboy wrote half of Beautiful in Australia with DNA and Adam Reily, and also in Los Angeles.[2][5] She co-wrote ten of the thirteen songs on the album's standard edition.[6] Harvey Mason, Jr. served as the creative director for Beautiful and co-wrote and produced a number of songs.[6]
Release and promotion
editMauboy's exclusive interview with Melissa Doyle in Darwin was broadcast on Sunday Night on 15 September 2013.[7] On 26 September 2013, she co-hosted The Footy Show and performed a medley of "Inescapable", "To the End of the Earth" and "Saturday Night".[8] On 29 September 2013, Beautiful became available to stream online via Songl.com before its official release.[9] Mauboy performed "Pop a Bottle (Fill Me Up)" during the fifth season of The X Factor Australia on 30 September 2013.[10] The album was released both digitally and physically on 4 October 2013.[11][12] The following day, Mauboy performed and signed copies of Beautiful at Tumbalong Park, Darling Harbour in Sydney.[13] On 6 October 2013, she performed at the 2013 NRL Grand Final.[14] Mauboy performed songs from Beautiful and signed copies of the album during instore appearances at Westfield Kotara on 7 October 2013 and Westfield Fountain Gate on 10 October 2013.[15][16] She performed "Pop a Bottle (Fill Me Up)" at the 2013 ARIA Music Awards on 1 December 2013.[17]
The platinum edition of Beautiful was released on 21 November 2014 and features five bonus tracks, including the album's fifth single "Can I Get a Moment?".[18] Mauboy performed the song during the grand final live decider show of the sixth season of The X Factor Australia (20 October 2014),[19] on Sunrise (22 October 2014),[20] and at the 2014 ARIA Music Awards (26 November 2014).[21] She also performed and signed copies of the platinum edition during instore appearances at Westpoint Blacktown (23 November 2014),[22] Castle Towers (30 November 2014),[23] Watergardens Town Centre (7 December 2014)[24] and Westfield Parramatta (13 December 2014).[25]
Singles
edit"To the End of the Earth" was released as the lead single from Beautiful on 17 July 2013.[26] It peaked at number 21 on the ARIA Singles Chart and was certified gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association for sales exceeding 35,000 copies.[27][28] The second single "Pop a Bottle (Fill Me Up)", released on 27 September 2013,[29] debuted at number two and was certified platinum for selling over 70,000 copies.[27][28] The album's title track "Beautiful" was released as the third single on 22 November 2013,[30] and became Mauboy's lowest charting single at number 46.[27] The fourth single "Never Be the Same", released on 7 March 2014,[31] peaked at number six and was certified platinum.[27][32] "Can I Get a Moment?" was released as the fifth single from Beautiful on 17 October 2014.[33] It debuted at number five and was certified platinum.[27][32] "The Day Before I Met You" was released as the sixth single on 13 February 2015, and debuted at number 41.[27][34]
To the End of the Earth Tour
editIn July 2013, Mauboy announced the To the End of the Earth Tour, a national tour presented by Nescafé to celebrate its global 75th anniversary.[35] Tickets for the tour went on sale on 5 August.[35] There were 27 shows in metropolitan and regional Australia that ran from November 2013 to January 2014.[35]
Reception
editReview scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Renowned for Sound | [36] |
The Border Mail | ½[37] |
Tim Spencer of Q News viewed Beautiful as the type of album "you can easily wind down and dance to", and concluded that fans of Mauboy's previous efforts "will definitely be impressed with this record."[38] Renowned for Sound's Jana Angeles praised the album's "perfect balance" of pop and R&B, and further added, "what makes Beautiful such an impressive album by Mauboy is the fact that some of the tracks have honest lyrics and are clearly spoken from the heart."[36] Suzie Keen of In Daily wrote the album is "a no-brainer for fans of pure pop" and found the tracks to be "irresistibly catchy."[39] Entertainment Hive's Honey B called it "a stunningly honest CD with beautiful melodies."[40] Beautiful was nominated for "World's Best Album" at the 2014 World Music Awards,[41] and earned Mauboy two nominations at the 2014 ARIA Music Awards for Album of the Year and Best Female Artist.[42]
Commercial performance
editBeautiful debuted at number three on the ARIA Albums Chart issue dated 13 October 2013; it became Mauboy's third top-ten album and the highest-charting album of her career.[43] Due to the success of the album's fourth single "Never Be the Same", Beautiful jumped from number 42 to number 17 for the issue dated 21 April 2014.[44] The following week, Beautiful moved up to number four, making it a fourth week within the top ten for the album.[45] Following the release of the platinum edition in November 2014, Beautiful was certified platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association for shipments of 70,000 copies.[46]
Track listing
editNo. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Beautiful" |
| The Fliptones | 3:12 |
2. | "Kiss Me Hello" |
| The Fliptones | 3:06 |
3. | "Pop a Bottle (Fill Me Up)" |
| Marchetti | 3:44 |
4. | "I Believe" |
| Reily | 4:03 |
5. | "Never Be the Same" |
| DNA | 3:52 |
6. | "In Love Again" |
| Reily | 3:27 |
7. | "Honest" |
|
| 3:47 |
8. | "I'll Be There" |
|
| 3:54 |
9. | "Go (I Don't Need You)" |
| 3:24 | |
10. | "Heartbreak Party" |
| The Underdogs | 3:42 |
11. | "Barriers" |
| DNA | 3:49 |
12. | "To the End of the Earth" |
|
| 3:07 |
13. | "Kick Up Your Heels" (featuring Pitbull) |
|
| 3:11 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
14. | "Can I Get a Moment?" |
|
| 3:25 |
15. | "The Day Before I Met You" |
|
| 3:33 |
16. | "All Mine" |
| Paro | 3:24 |
17. | "Palace" |
| Schoorl | 3:14 |
18. | "Nothing to Lose" |
| DNA | 3:16 |
Notes
Credits
editAdapted from album liner.[6]
Recording locationsedit
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Mastering locationsedit
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Personnel
edit
|
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- Technical credits
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Charts
editWeekly charts
editChart (2013) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australian Albums (ARIA)[43] | 3 |
Year-end charts
editChart (2013) | Rank |
---|---|
Australian Albums Chart[48] | 61 |
Australian Artist Albums Chart[49] | 15 |
Chart (2014) | Rank |
---|---|
Australian Albums Chart[50] | 51 |
Australian Artist Albums Chart[51] | 21 |
Certifications
editRegion | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA)[46] | Platinum | 70,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Release history
editRegion | Date | Format | Edition(s) | Label | Catalogue |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Australia | 4 October 2013[11][12] | Standard | Sony Music Australia | 88883779062 | |
21 November 2014[52][18] | Platinum | 88843088302 |
References
edit- ^ Northover, Kylie (2 November 2013). "Lunch with... Jessica Mauboy". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 29 April 2015.
- ^ a b c Jorge (19 September 2013). "Interview: Australian Superstar Jessica Mauboy". Spotlight Report. Archived from the original on 1 October 2013.
- ^ a b Cronin, Seanna (29 July 2013). "Jessica Mauboy back to musical roots after acting haul". The Northern Star. Archived from the original on 17 October 2013.
- ^ a b Jolly, Nathan (12 August 2013). "Q 'n' A: Jessica Mauboy". The Music Network. Peer Group Media. Archived from the original on 14 August 2013.
- ^ Brandle, Lars (7 August 2013). "Jessica Mauboy Readies New Album, 'To the End of the Earth' Video Arrives". Billboard. Retrieved 1 October 2013.
- ^ a b c Beautiful (Platinum Edition) (CD). Jessica Mauboy. Sony Music Entertainment Australia. 2014.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ "Stories – Jessica Mauboy". Sunday Night. Yahoo!7. 15 September 2013. Archived from the original on 5 October 2013.
- ^ "Jess on The Footy Show". Jessica Mauboy Official Website. 25 September 2013. Archived from the original on 16 October 2013.
- ^ "Stream Jessica's album a week early!". Jessica Mauboy Official Website. 29 September 2013. Archived from the original on 7 October 2013.
- ^ "Top 7 Live Decider: Special Guests – Jason Derulo & Jessica Mauboy". The X Factor Australia. Yahoo!7. 27 September 2013. Retrieved 27 September 2013.
- ^ a b "Beautiful by Jessica Mauboy". iTunes Store (Australia). Retrieved 30 September 2013.
- ^ a b "Beautiful by Jessica Mauboy – CD". Sanity. Archived from the original on 20 February 2014. Retrieved 30 September 2013.
- ^ "Jess reveals 'Beautiful' Tracklisting!". Jessica Mauboy Official Website. 23 September 2013. Archived from the original on 16 October 2013.
- ^ Way, Peter (30 September 2013). "Travis Reardon fights Leukaemia to present premier's rings on NRL Grand Final day". Macarthur Chronicle Campbelltown. Archived from the original on 16 January 2014.
- ^ "Jessica Mauboy Live Performance". Westfield Kotara. Archived from the original on 4 October 2013.
- ^ "Jessica Mauboy Live". Westfield Fountain Gate. Archived from the original on 4 October 2013.
- ^ "27th ARIA Music Awards Winners List – Flume Dominates". Take 40 Australia. Authentic Entertainment. 1 December 2013. Archived from the original on 4 December 2013. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
- ^ a b "Beautiful: Platinum Edition by Jessica Mauboy – CD". Sanity. Archived from the original on 28 April 2015. Retrieved 20 October 2014.
- ^ "Marlisa takes out the X Factor Australia title for 2014! – Take 40". 25 October 2014. Archived from the original on 25 October 2014. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
- ^ Jessica Mauboy Live. Sunrise. Yahoo!7. 22 October 2014. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
- ^ "2014 ARIA Awards: the winners, performances, photos, videos and more". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
- ^ "The Veronicas and Jessica Mauboy Live on Four". Westpoint Blacktown. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
- ^ "Jessica Mauboy Live at the Towers". Castle Towers. Archived from the original on 9 December 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.
- ^ "See Jessica Mauboy live at Watergardens!". Watergardens Town Centre. Retrieved 7 December 2014.
- ^ "Jessica Mauboy Performance and Meet & Greet". Westfield Parramatta. Archived from the original on 14 December 2014. Retrieved 14 December 2014.
- ^ "To the End of the Earth – Single by Jessica Mauboy". iTunes Store (Australia). 17 July 2013. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f "Discography Jessica Mauboy". Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Archived from the original on 31 March 2014. Retrieved 30 September 2013.
- ^ a b "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2013 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on 4 February 2016. Retrieved 10 November 2013.
- ^ "Pop a Bottle (Fill Me Up) – Single by Jessica Mauboy". Get Music. Universal Music Australia. Archived from the original on 8 October 2013. Retrieved 3 October 2013.
- ^ "Beautiful – Single by Jessica Mauboy". iTunes Store (Australia). Retrieved 22 November 2013.
- ^ Ryan, Gavin (7 March 2014). "Elbow, Jason Singh Tops New Releases For W/C 7 March 2014". Noise11. Noise Network. Archived from the original on 7 March 2014.
- ^ a b "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2014 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on 17 April 2014. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
- ^ "Can I Get a Moment? – Single by Jessica Mauboy". iTunes Store (Australia). Archived from the original on 17 December 2014. Retrieved 20 October 2014.
- ^ "The Day Before I Met You (CD single) – Jessica Mauboy". JB Hi-Fi. Archived from the original on 13 February 2015. Retrieved 13 February 2015.
- ^ a b c "Jessica Mauboy Announces 'To the End of the Earth' Single & Tour". Jessica Mauboy Official Website. 11 July 2013. Archived from the original on 14 October 2013.
- ^ a b Angeles, Jana (9 October 2013). "Album Review: Jessica Mauboy – Beautiful". Renowned for Sound. Archived from the original on 8 March 2014.
- ^ Horne, Jamie (10 October 2013). "CD reviews". The Border Mail. Archived from the original on 8 March 2014.
- ^ Spencer, Tim (17 October 2013). "Review: Jessica Mauboy – Beautiful". Q News. Archived from the original on 13 April 2014.
- ^ Keen, Suzie (25 November 2013). "Jessica Mauboy's Beautiful". In Daily. Solstice Media. Archived from the original on 9 March 2014.
- ^ "Review – Beautiful, Jessica Mauboy". Entertainmenthive.com.au. Archived from the original on 8 March 2014.
- ^ "Nomination for World's Best Album". World Music Awards. Archived from the original on 5 February 2014.
- ^ Zuel, Bernard (7 October 2014). "Chet Faker and his beard are set to rule ARIAs". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 7 October 2014.
- ^ a b "Australiancharts.com – Jessica Mauboy – Beautiful". Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 October 2013.
- ^ Ryan, Gavin (20 April 2014). "Chet Faker, Russell Morris Dominate ARIA Album Chart". Noise11. Noise Network. Retrieved 1 May 2014.
- ^ Ryan, Gavin (26 April 2014). "Chet Faker Stays at No. 1 on ARIA Albums Chart". Noise11. Noise Network. Retrieved 1 May 2014.
- ^ a b "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2014 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 16 December 2014.
- ^ "Works Search". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 19 November 2014.
- ^ "ARIA Top 100 Albums 2013". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on 7 January 2014. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
- ^ "ARIA Top 50 Australian Artists Albums 2013". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
- ^ "ARIA Charts – End Of Year Charts – Top 100 Albums 2014". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
- ^ "ARIA Charts – End Of Year Charts – Top 50 Australian Artist Albums 2014". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
- ^ "Beautiful (Platinum Edition) by Jessica Mauboy". iTunes Store (Australia). 4 October 2013. Retrieved 20 October 2014.