Victory is the debut studio album by Irish singer Cian Ducrot. It was released on 4 August 2023 through Polydor. The album was preceded by five singles: "All for You", "I'll Be Waiting", "Part of Me", "Heaven", "Everyone Who Falls in Love (Has Someone Else They're Thinking Of)".
| Victory | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 4 August 2023 | |||
| Recorded | 2022 | |||
| Length | 46:53 | |||
| Label | Polydor | |||
| Producer |
| |||
| Cian Ducrot chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Victory | ||||
| ||||
Background and singles
editThe album was recorded in Paris in 2022. Ducrot himself chose the place due to his mother's deep connection with the city.[1] Ducrot first released the self-written and self-produced lead single "All for You" in April 2022. The song quickly gained viral attention and prompted a duet version with Ella Henderson, released in August 2022.[2] The second single "I'll Be Waiting" achieved similar commercial success.[3] On June 2, he released the single "Heaven" which reflects on the relationship with his brother.[4]
Ducrot announced the album on 13 April 2023. In an accompanying Instagram post, Ducrot wrote: "This album represents that victory, the victory of self-belief, the victory of everyone around me who I love and who loved me back, the story of my brother, of my mother, of my grandparents, of my friends, and everyone who fought by our side every step of the way."[5]
The release date was initially slated for 21 July but was later moved to 4 August.
Critical reception
editIn a positive review, Lauren Murphy of The Irish Times opined that Ducrot "sets his stall firmly in the former camp" (referring to songwriters who 'wear their heart on their sleeve') with his debut album. Murphy called the record "impressively accomplished" and predicted ensuing "international success" for the artist.[6] Jen Long at Line of Best Fit described the album as a "culmination of everything he's worked towards and everything he's been through" with most of the songs stemming from "personal experiences". Long praised his "tender and diaristic" lyrics and vocals which "are placed at the forefront of the songs".[7]
Commercial performance
editVictory debuted at number-one on the UK Albums Chart, with combined sales of 15,668 units.[8]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Victory" |
|
| 3:11 |
| 2. | "I'll Be Waiting" |
|
| 2:52 |
| 3. | "Him" |
|
| 2:54 |
| 4. | "Heaven" |
| Mac | 3:52 |
| 5. | "How Do You Know" | Ducrot |
| 4:00 |
| 6. | "All for You" | Ducrot | Ducrot | 3:41 |
| 7. | "Step Dad" |
|
| 3:19 |
| 8. | "Mama" |
|
| 2:51 |
| 9. | "Hurt When You Hurt Me" |
|
| 4:01 |
| 10. | "Blame It on You" |
|
| 3:52 |
| 11. | "Endless Nights" |
|
| 3:11 |
| 12. | "Part of Me" |
|
| 3:22 |
| 13. | "Everyone Who Falls in Love (Has Someone Else They're Thinking Of)" |
|
| 2:36 |
| 14. | "Thank God You Stayed" |
| Marrone | 3:04 |
| Total length: | 46:53 | |||
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 15. | "Everyone Who Falls in Love (Has Someone Else They're Thinking Of)" (Choir version) | 2:365 |
| 16. | "Thank God You Stayed" (Choir version) | 2:56 |
| 17. | "I'll Be Waiting" (Choir version) | 2:56 |
| 18. | "Victory" (Choir version) | 3:00 |
| 19. | "Mama" (Strings version) | 2:52 |
| 20. | "How Do You Know" (Strings version) | 3:48 |
| 21. | "Him" (Strings version) | 2:50 |
| 22. | "Part of Me" (Strings version) | 3:26 |
Charts
edit| Chart (2023) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[9] | 10 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[10] | 117 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[11] | 3 |
| French Albums (SNEP)[12] | 88 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[13] | 48 |
| Irish Albums (OCC)[14] | 1 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC)[15] | 1 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[16] | 22 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[17] | 1 |
References
edit- ^ Power, Ed (27 July 2023). "Cian Ducrot: Cork singer aims for Victory with debut album". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
- ^ Griffiths, George (28 April 2022). "Cian Ducrot on breakthrough hit All For You: "It's taken a lot of work to get to this point"". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
- ^ Schube, Will (13 April 2023). "Cian Ducrot To Be Crowned The Winner On Debut Album 'Victory'". UDiscoverMusic. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
- ^ "Cian Ducrot's New Single 'Heaven' from Debut Album 'Victory' – Watch the Music Video Here!". IMDb. 3 June 2023. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
- ^ Roszko, Charlotte (4 August 2023). "Cian Ducrot releases debut album 'Victory'". Planet Radio. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
- ^ Murphy, Lauren (4 August 2023). "Cian Ducrot: Victory – Accomplished debut turns personal trauma into musical gold". The Irish Times. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
- ^ Long, Jen (2 August 2023). "How Cian Ducrot shaped his own success". Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
- ^ "Polydor targets global impact for Cian Ducrot's debut album following UK No.1". Music Week. 11 August 2023. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Cian Ducrot – Victory" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Cian Ducrot – Victory" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Cian Ducrot – Victory" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
- ^ "Lescharts.com – Cian Ducrot – Victory". Hung Medien. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Cian Ducrot – Victory" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
- ^ "Official Irish Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
- ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
- ^ "Swisscharts.com – Cian Ducrot – Victory". Hung Medien. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 11 August 2023.