Heaven & Hell (Ava Max album)
Heaven & Hell is the upcoming debut studio album by American singer Ava Max. It is set to be released on September 18, 2020, through Atlantic Records.
Heaven & Hell | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | September 18, 2020 | |||
Label | Atlantic | |||
Producer | ||||
Ava Max chronology | ||||
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Singles from Heaven & Hell | ||||
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Background
In April 2019, Max announced that she would release her debut studio album that same year. In an interview with Billboard, she stated that "there are some other tracks on there that are like wild cards, and there are a few that I'm being vulnerable in".[1] She recorded over a hundred songs for the album, which she spent several months on deciding what to include. Heaven & Hell was initially completed in early 2019, but was delayed in order to improve the tracklist by adding more songs and removing one.[2] In December 2019, Max hinted that the album would be released in the upcoming months. She confirmed that it was in the process of being finalized,[3] but was subsequently delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic.[2] Max announced the release date of Heaven & Hell on July 29, 2020, which was accompanied by the release of the song "Who's Laughing Now" the next day.[4]
Production and album artwork
Max insisted on wanting an upbeat energy to the album so that it would be cohesive, reasoning that she does not want every song to sound the same. She described some songs as "very strong and empowering", while others "are a little bit more emotional", despite refusing to include a ballad.[2][5] Heaven & Hell is split into two sides; Side A: Heaven, and Side B: Hell. The former consists of songs which serve as anthems, while the latter consists of having "an angel and devil on your shoulder" and needing to navigate in different directions.[2] The album's cover art portrays Max's asymmetric hair in two different colors.[6]
Singles
Max released "Sweet but Psycho" as the first single of Heaven & Hell on August 17, 2018.[7] The song became her breakthrough single, ultimately reaching number one in 22 countries and charting at number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States.[8][9] She then released "So Am I" on March 7, 2019,[10] which peaked at number one on the Polish Airplay Top 100 and reached the top 10 in 14 countries.[11][12] "Torn" was released on August 19, 2019,[13] where it reached the top 10 in Latvia, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia.[14] "Salt" was released on December 12, 2019, after receiving high streaming numbers on SoundCloud despite containing no prior marketing or promotion.[2] It topped the Polish Airplay Top 100 and charted within the top 10 in Austria, Finland, Germany, Norway, Russia, Ukraine, and Switzerland.[15][16] With the exception of "Sweet but Psycho", the previously released songs were revealed to be initially scrapped from the album,[17] but were later included on the tracklist.[2] "Kings & Queens" was released on March 12, 2020, which served as the fifth single for the album.[17] It charted in the top 20 in Austria, Finland, Germany, Norway, Switzerland and the UK.[18] "Who's Laughing Now" was released along with a music video on July 30, 2020.[19]
Track listing
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Heaven" | |||
2. | "Kings & Queens" |
| 2:42 | |
3. | "Naked" |
| ||
4. | "Tattoo" |
| ||
5. | "OMG What's Happening" | |||
6. | "Call Me Tonight" | |||
7. | "Born to the Night" | |||
8. | "Torn" |
| Cirkut | 3:18 |
9. | "Take You To Hell" |
| ||
10. | "Who's Laughing Now" |
|
| 3:00 |
11. | "Belladonna" | |||
12. | "Wild Thing" | |||
13. | "So Am I" |
| Cirkut | 3:04 |
14. | "Salt" |
| Cirkut | 3:00 |
15. | "Sweet but Psycho" |
| Cirkut | 3:07 |
Notes
- ^[A] Charlie Puth is credited under the fictitious name of Martin Sue for the song "So Am I".
- "Kings & Queens" contains portions of the song "If You Were a Woman (And I Was a Man)" (1986), written by Desmond Child, and performed by Bonnie Tyler.[22]
References
- Caulfield, Keith (April 2, 2019). "Ava Max Talks 'Mind-Blowing' Rise of 'Sweet but Psycho,' Debut Album Plans & Why 'No One's Better' Than Beyonce". Billboard. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
- Wang, Steffanee (July 30, 2020). "Ava Max On "Who's Laughing Now" & Getting Revenge On Those Who Doubted Her". Nylon. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
- Newsdesk (December 9, 2019). "Ava Max's debut album is 'pretty much finished'". Music-News.com. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
- Celebretainment (July 31, 2020). "Ava Max to drop debut album in September". Martinsville Bulletin. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
- "Ava Max's debut album is 'pretty much finished'". MSN. December 9, 2019. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
- Wass, Mike (July 29, 2020). "Ava Max Unveils Cover Of Debut Album 'Heaven & Hell'". Idolator. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
- Atkinson, Katie (April 2, 2019). "Ava Max Talks 'Mind-Blowing' Rise of 'Sweet but Psycho,' Debut Album Plans & Why 'No One's Better' Than Beyonce". Billboard. Archived from the original on April 3, 2019. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
- "Ava Max - Sweet but Psycho". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
- Trust, Gary (May 28, 2019). "Lil Nas X's 'Old Town Road' Rules Billboard Hot 100 for Eighth Week, Ava Max's 'Sweet but Psycho' Hits Top 10". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 28, 2019. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
- Wass, Mike (March 4, 2019). "Another Smash? Ava Max Announces New Single 'So Am I'". Idolator. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
- "Listy bestsellerów, wyróżnienia :: Związek Producentów Audio-Video". Polish Airplay Top 100. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
- "Ava Max - So Am I". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
- "Ava Max Unleashes New Disco-Tinged Single 'Torn'". BroadwayWorld. August 19, 2019. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
- "Ava Max - Torn". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
- "Listy bestsellerów, wyróżnienia :: Związek Producentów Audio-Video". Polish Airplay Top 100. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
- "Ava Max - Salt". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
- Rothman, Madeline (March 12, 2020). "Ava Max Breaks Down 'Kings & Queens,' Her Empowering Call To Arms". MTV News. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
- "Ava Max - Kings & Queens". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
- Mamo, Heran (July 30, 2020). "Ava Max Seeks Sweet But Psychotic Revenge in 'Who's Laughing Now' Music Video". Billboard. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
- http://archive.is/wip/iit3c
- https://www.ascap.com/repertory#ace/search/writer/henry%20walter/title/naked
- Chinikidiadi, Andrew (March 17, 2020). "Ava Max Reigns With Her Feminist Anthem "Kings & Queens"". Soundigest. Retrieved August 10, 2020.