Singular: Act I

Singular: Act I is the third studio album by American singer Sabrina Carpenter. It was released on November 9, 2018, through Hollywood Records. The album is the follow-up to her 2016 studio album, Evolution. It is considered the first half of a two-piece project, later being supplemented by her fourth studio album Singular: Act II (2019). Carpenter began writing the album in 2016, shortly after the launch of Evolution but she only began to record the songs in 2017.[2] The album features eight songs, all of which she co-wrote.[3] The compact disc was exclusively released for sale at Target stores.[4] In support of both Singular: Act I and Act II, Carpenter embarked on the Singular Tour in March 2019.

Singular: Act I
Studio album by
Sabrina Carpenter
ReleasedNovember 9, 2018
Recorded2017–2018
Studio
GenreDance-pop[1]
Length25:01
LabelHollywood
Producer
Sabrina Carpenter chronology
Pandora Sessions
(2017)		 Singular: Act I
(2018)		 Singular: Act II
(2019)
Sabrina Carpenter studio album chronology
Evolution
(2016)		 Singular: Act I
(2018)		 Singular: Act II
(2019)
Singles from Singular: Act I
  1. "Almost Love"
    Released: June 6, 2018
  2. "Sue Me"
    Released: November 9, 2018

The lead single, "Almost Love", was released on June 6, 2018. "Sue Me" was impacted mainstream radio in January 2019 as the album's second official single. It was also supported by two promotional singles: "Paris" and "Bad Time", the former of which was released on October 24, 2018, along with the album's pre-order. The singles "Why" and "Alien" were included on the Japanese edition of the album.

The album received positive reviews from music critics, and commercially the album debuted at number 103 on the US Billboard 200.

Background

Carpenter began teasing the album in May 2018 with the release of the album's lead single "Almost Love".[5] On June 2, 2018, Carpenter released a trailer directed by Lauren Dunn,[6][7] which coincided with her performance of "Almost Love" at Wango Tango.[8] In the trailer, Carpenter announced that the album was called Singular and that it was scheduled for a winter 2018 release. One June 22, 2018, Carpenter revealed in an interview on the Zach Sang Show that her previous two singles "Why" and "Alien" would not appear on the album. On October 1, 2018, Carpenter performed "Almost Love" on The Late Late Show With James Corden.[9] During the performance, Carpenter ripped off a piece of the set wall revealing a part of the album cover art. Then at the end of the performance, Carpenter spray painted "11/9" on the wall indicating that the album was scheduled for release on November 9, 2018.[10] On October 15, 2018, Carpenter posted a teaser of a song off Singular later revealed to be "Hold Tight". On October 22, 2018, Carpenter formally announced the album and announced that it would be released in two "acts" with Act I being released on November 9, 2018, and Act II "coming soon".[11] She also released Act I's full cover art and track list that day.[12][13]

Composition

Musically, Singular: Act I is a dance-pop album,[1] and lyrically, it is about empowering tough, admirable behavior.[14] The album opens with lead single "Almost Love", which Mike Nied of Idolator described as an "edgy anthem".[15] The song contains "intermittent whistles and drums" and is about a relationship ready to take the next step.[16] "Paris" is "an ode to the city of love" that reminds the singer of a Los Angeles lover while in Paris. "Hold Tight" is a "slinky and vaguely retro R&B" song that is the album's sole collaboration. "Sue Me" is described as a "sassy kiss-off" that talks about the end of a relationship. Carpenter has also described the song as representing pure confidence.[17] "Prfct" is a song discussing the reality of love. The song's production puts Carpenter's vocals at the forefront.[16] "Bad Time" is a "synth-driven" song. Nied described "Mona Lisa" as "enticing" and containing "flirty and creative lines." The album's closing track, "Diamonds Are Forever" sees the singer recognizing her worth.[15] It contains soulful vocals from Carpenter.[18] Julian de Valliere of The Line of Best Fit called the song a "theatrical belter."[16]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Earmilk[19]
The Line of Best Fit[20]
Where Iz J?10/10[21]

Mike Nied of Idolator wrote that the album is an "eight-track collection is jam-packed with bop after bop." He called the album "lush with potential hits" and "another near-perfect work from one of the industry's brightest young stars."[15] Larisha Paul of EarMilk rated the album 9.0 out of ten, giving praise to Carpenter's vocals, writing that "her inarguable dynamic vocal performances that remain consistent in every track is what sets her apart from the rest."[18] Julian de Valliere, writing for The Line of Best Fit, rated the album 7.5 out of 10, stating that "it's certainly no small triumph that Singular: Act I stands so firmly by itself – and its creation marks an exciting new phase of an artist properly coming into her own."[16]

Singles

The lead single from the album, "Almost Love", was released on June 6, 2018. It reached number 21 on the US Mainstream Top 40 chart[22] and became Carpenter's second song to top the Dance Club Songs chart.[23] "Almost Love" was supplemented with a music video, which was released through Vevo and YouTube on July 13, 2018.[24] It was promoted by live performances at Wango Tango, Good Morning America and The Late Late Show with James Corden.[25][26][27]

"Sue Me" was confirmed as the album's second single.[4] It impacted mainstream radio on January 8, 2019.[28] It received a music video on November 16, 2018.[29] Carpenter promoted the single with live performances on The Today Show and Live with Kelly and Ryan.[17][30] The singles "Why" and "Alien" were included on the Japanese edition of the album, but were removed from the standard track listing.[31]

Promotional singles

The album was made available for pre-order and the first promotional single, titled "Paris", was released on October 24, 2018.[32] The second promotional single "Bad Time" was released on November 2, 2018.[33]

Promotion

Carpenter embarked on the Singular Tour, beginning in Orlando, Florida on March 2, 2019, in support of the album and its follow up Singular: Act II.

Track listing
Standard Edition[34]
No.TitleWriter(s)ProducersLength
1."Almost Love"
  • Stargate
  • Tim Blacksmith[a]
  • Danny D[a]
3:32
2."Paris"
3:38
3."Hold Tight" (featuring Uhmeer)
  • Carpenter
  • Mike Sabath
  • McLaughlin
Sabath2:55
4."Sue Me"
2:59
5."prfct"
Persuad2:46
6."Bad Time"
Görres[b]3:04
7."Mona Lisa"
  • James Abrahart
  • Carpenter
  • Campany
  • Jordan Johnson
  • Stefan Johnson
  • Marcus Lomax
  • Oliver Peterhof
  • German
  • The Monsters and the Strangerz
2:18
8."Diamonds Are Forever"
Carlsson[b]3:49
Total length:25:01
Japanese Edition bonus tracks[35]
No.TitleWriter(s)ProducersLength
9."Alien" (with Jonas Blue)
Jonas Blue2:55
10."Almost Love" (Stargate warehouse mix)
  • Carpenter
  • Jones
  • Campany
  • Eriksen
Stargate[e]3:20
11."Sue Me" (KC Lights remix)
  • Carpenter
  • Felder
  • Jones
  • Brown
  • Simmons
3:22
12."Alien" (with Jonas Blue - M-22 Remix)
  • Carpenter
  • Bennett
  • Blue
3:25
13."Why"
Jeberg2:51
Total length:39:55

Notes

  • ^[a] signifies an executive producer
  • ^[b] signifies an also vocal producer
  • ^[c] signifies a vocal producer
  • ^[d] signifies a co-producer
  • ^[e] signifies an also remixer
  • ^[f] signifies a remixer

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Singular: Act I.[36]

Recorded, engineered, mixed and mastered at

Vocals

Instrumentation
  • Nils-Petter Ankarblom – synthesizer strings (8)
  • David Bukovinszky – cello (8)
  • Mattias Bylund – synthesizer pad, strings (8)
  • Johan Carlsson – piano, guitar, synthesizer, tambourine (8)
  • Jason Evigan – instrumentation (2)
  • Oscar Görres – keyboard, bass, guitar, drums, percussion (6)
  • Mattias Johansson – violin (8)
  • The Monsters and the Strangerz – instrumentation (7)
  • Oliver "German" Peterhof – instrumentation (7)
  • Mikkel S. Eriksen – instrumentation, (1)

Production
  • Tim Blacksmith – executive production (1)
  • "Downtown" Trevor Brown – co-production (4)
  • Johan Carlsson – production, vocal production (8)
  • Danny D – executive production (1)
  • Jason Evigan – production, vocal production (2)
  • Warren "Oak" Felder – production (4)
  • Greg "G GOLT" Golterman – production coordination (7)
  • Oscar Görres – production, vocal production (6)
  • Christian "GJ" Johnson – production coordination (7)
  • Zaire Koalo – co-production (4)
  • Jeremy "JBOOGS" Levin – production coordination (7)
  • Brett McLaughlin – vocal production (2)
  • The Monsters and the Strangerz – production (7)
  • Rob Persaud – production (5)
  • Oliver "German" Peterhof – production (7)
  • Mike Sabath – production (3)
  • David "DSLIB" Silberstein – production coordination (7)
  • Stargate – production (1)
  • Gian Stone – vocal production (2)

Technical
  • Nils-Petter Ankarblom – string arrangement (8)
  • William Binderup – mix assistant (3)
  • Tim Brennan – assistant engineering (8)
  • John Bruington – assistant engineering (8)
  • Johan Carlsson – programming, engineering (8)
  • Eric J Dubowsky – mixing (1-2, 4)
  • Mikkel S. Eriksen – recording, programming, (1)
  • Jason Evigan – programming (2)
  • Warren "Oak" Felder – engineering, programming, (4)
  • Chris Gehringer – mastering (all tracks)
  • Serban Ghenea – mixing (6-8)
  • Oscar Görres – programming (6)
  • John Hanes – engineering (6-8)
  • Stefan Johnson – engineering (7)
  • Thomas Kang – assistant engineering (8)
  • Zaire Koalo – drum programming (4)
  • Erik Madrid – mixing (3)
  • The Monsters and the Strangerz – programming (7)
  • Rob Persaud – engineering, mixing (5)
  • Oliver "German" Peterhof – programming (7)
  • Keith "DaQuan" Sorrells – assistant engineering (4)
  • Gian Stone – engineering (2)
  • Thomas Warren – recording (1)
  • Tim Watt – mix assistant (1-2, 4)

Design
  • Amber Park – creative direction, design
  • Stijn van Hapert - design
  • Elsa Henneke – design
  • Amanda Charchian – photography

Charts
Chart (2018) Peak
position
Australian Digital Albums (ARIA)[37] 20
Dutch Albums (MegaCharts)[38] 198
France Downloads Albums (SNEP)[39] 84
UK Download Albums (OCC)[40] 48
US Billboard 200[41] 103

Release history
Region Date Format Label Ref.
Various November 9, 2018 Digital download Hollywood [42]
United States CD [43]
United Kingdom Polydor [44]
Japan December 11, 2018 Universal [35]
Various October 18, 2019 LP [45]
gollark: [picture of Meme Man in front of a generic hackertyper-looking terminal on a computer]sekurity
gollark: The least bad printers are probably laserjets with only USB, no weird "wireless printing" capability.
gollark: Utterly evil.
gollark: It's because printers are all evil.
gollark: Automated (via mineflayer) fish farming, I think.

References
  1. "Singular Act I by Sabrina Carpenter". Retrieved June 10, 2019. Somehow, in the midst of all that, she recorded a third album—the two-part project Singular—which begins here with a serving of saucy, confident dance-pop
  2. "Sabrina Carpenter Talks Almost Love, Singular & Marshmello". YouTube. June 22, 2018. Retrieved October 26, 2018.
  3. "Sabrina Carpenter reveals details of new album "Singular: Act 1"". ABC News Radio Online. Retrieved November 5, 2018.
  4. "Sabrina Carpenter announces 'Singular, Act I'". The Music Universe. Retrieved November 5, 2018.
  5. "Sabrina Carpenter on Instagram: '😈'". Retrieved May 18, 2019 – via Instagram.
  6. "Sabrina Carpenter on Instagram: 'i made an album. then i made this trailer. directed by @laurenelizadunn'". Retrieved May 18, 2019 – via Instagram.
  7. Sabrina Carpenter (June 2, 2018), Sabrina Carpenter - Singular Album Trailer, retrieved May 18, 2019
  8. "Sabrina Carpenter Performs New Single 'Almost Love' at Wango Tango". www.iheart.com. Retrieved May 18, 2019.
  9. "Sabrina Carpenter: Almost Love". October 2, 2018. Retrieved May 18, 2019.
  10. "Sabrina Carpenter Gets Super Messy During Theatrical 'Almost Love' Performance on 'Late Late Show': Watch". Billboard. Retrieved May 18, 2019.
  11. "Sabrina Carpenter on Instagram: 'Singular: Act 1 Out 11/9 Act 2 coming soon.'". Retrieved May 18, 2019 – via Instagram.
  12. "Sabrina Carpenter on Instagram: 'Singular: Act 1 Out 11/9 Act 2 coming soon.'". Retrieved May 18, 2019 – via Instagram.
  13. "Sabrina Carpenter on Instagram: 'pre-order starts wednesday. #SingularAct1'". Retrieved May 18, 2019 – via Instagram.
  14. Russell, Erica. "Sabrina Carpenter on Fan Theories, ASMR and How 'Singular Act II' Shows 'Vulnerable' Confidence". PopCrush. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  15. "Stream Sabrina Carpenter's Bop-Filled 'Singular Act 1". Idolator. November 9, 2018. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
  16. de Valliere, Julian (November 9, 2018). "Sabrina Carpenter comes into her own on Singular: Act I". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved November 18, 2018.
  17. Engelman, Nicole (November 9, 2018). "Sabrina Carpenter Reveals the Meaning Behind 'Sue Me' & Performs Her New Single on 'Live With Kelly & Ryan'". Billboard. Retrieved November 18, 2018.
  18. Paul, Larisha (November 14, 2018). "Album Review: Sabrina Carpenter is dynamic and demanding on 'Singular: Act I'". Earmilk. Retrieved November 18, 2018.
  19. /
  20. https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/reviews/albums/sabrina-carpenter-singular-act-i-album-review
  21. "A singularidade é grande, foi dividido em dois atos! [Sabrina Carpenter - Singular Act 1: review]". Where Iz J?. June 18, 2019. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
  22. "Sabrina Carpenter Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
  23. "Sabrina Carpenter Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
  24. "Almost Love (Official Video)". VEVO. Retrieved July 12, 2018.
  25. Sabrina Carpenter (June 18, 2018), Sabrina Carpenter - Almost Love - Live from Wango Tango 2018, retrieved November 24, 2018
  26. Carpenter, Sabrina (July 29, 2018). "performing on @GMA August 20thpic.twitter.com/T0pUA6QAg9". @sabrinaannlynn. Retrieved May 18, 2019.
  27. Bajgrowicz, Brooke (November 11, 2018). "Sabrina Carpenter Gets Super Messy During Theatrical 'Almost Love' Performance on 'Late Late Show': Watch". Billboard. Retrieved November 24, 2018.
  28. "Top 40/M Future Releases | Mainstream Hit Songs Being Released and Their Release Dates ..." November 20, 2018. Archived from the original on November 20, 2018. Retrieved November 22, 2018.
  29. "Sabrina Carpenter's 'Sue Me' Video Has Legally Blonde Written All Over It". MTV News. Retrieved November 18, 2018.
  30. TORYmax (November 9, 2018), Sabrina Carpenter sings "Sue Me" (TODAY), retrieved November 24, 2018
  31. "Sabrina Carpenter Announces New Project, 'Singular: Act 1'". Idolator. October 23, 2018. Retrieved November 23, 2018.
  32. "A History Of Sabrina Carpenter's Love Affair With Paris". MTV News. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
  33. "Sabrina Carpenter releases new track 'Bad Time'". CelebMix. November 4, 2018. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
  34. "Singular Act I by Sabrina Carpenter". iTunes. Retrieved October 26, 2018.
  35. "Singular Act I [Japan Edition] by Sabrina Carpenter". CDJapan. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
  36. Singular: Act I (CD booklet). Sabrina Carpenter. Hollywood Records. 2018.CS1 maint: others (link)
  37. "ARIA Australian Top 50 Digital Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. November 19, 2018. Retrieved November 17, 2018.
  38. "Sabrina Carpenter - Singular - Act I". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved November 24, 2018.
  39. "Le Top de la semaine : Top Singles Téléchargés – SNEP (Week 46, 2018)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved July 20, 2019.
  40. "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 23, 2018.
  41. "Sabrina Carpenter Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved November 20, 2018.
  42. Singular Act I by Sabrina Carpenter, retrieved July 17, 2019
  43. "Sabrina Carpenter Singular Act I (Target Exclusive)". intl.target.com. Retrieved July 17, 2019.
  44. "Singular: Act I". HMV. November 9, 2018. Retrieved July 16, 2019.
  45. "Singular Act 1". Amazon. October 11, 2019. Retrieved September 8, 2019.
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