- REDIRECT Template:Album 2Glory is the ninth studio album by Britney Spears, it was released on August 26, 2016. The album's release was made apparent by Spears on August 3, 2016, when she tweeted "My new album & the beginning of a new era. Available 8/26 on @AppleMusic", and pre-order became available on the same night on iTunes at Google Play.
Singles
The lead single, "Make Me..." was released on July 14, 2016 at midnight and premiered on B97 New Orleans radio. The news of the single's release was only a few hours before, with B97 announcing it would be playing the new single tonight. Spears announced the single only when it was fully released through her Twitter account, and it soon went #1 on the iTunes US charts.
Promotional singles
The first promotional single, Private Show, was released on August 4, 2016 as an instant download for anyone who pre-orders the album.
The second promotional single, Clumsy, was released on August 11, 2016.
The third and last promotional single, Do You Wanna Come Over?, was released on August 18, 2016.
Background
On September 9, 2014, during an interview with Extra at The Intimate Britney Spears Collection launch in New York City, Spears revealed she had slowly but steadily started working on a new album. When asked who she would like to collaborate with, Spears said she would like to do something with Katy Perry or Iggy Azalea. Rumors began to circulate that a collaboration between the two artists was already in the works, with Azalea saying she had done a "secret collaboration" with someone she had been interested in.
In December 2014, Azalea told Kiss 108 backstage at their Jingle Ball Tour 2014 that their collaborative song would premiere in 2015, "We have a song, which is going to be her first single, coming out next year." Asked how the collaboration came about, Azalea added, "She said she would like to work with me in an interview and they reached out. We recorded a few different things and then one of those just ended up being, I think, undeniably great. Hopefully I think everybody will get to hear it at the beginning of next year." In February 2015, Azalea tweeted there were "epic" ongoing plans for the song. For Spears's Billboard magazine cover story, published online on March 12, 2015, it was reported that despite Spears being back in the recording studio as back as in September 2014 working on a duet with Azalea, among other tracks, a proper full-length album would not be coming soon. Spears further explained, "I'm gonna do [a new album] slowly but surely. I'm gonna try to do my best to do an amazing album, but it's not my full priority right now". Azalea confirmed the title of the track the following week. Afterwards, in Spears's cover story with People magazine, it was announced that "Pretty Girls", the lead single, would be released on May 5.
A few months ago, Britney Spears tweeted a cryptic message that has many wondering whether her long-awaited ninth studio album will come soon, stating "JUST finished recording some vox. LOVE this song. It makes ME smile, and I hope it will make you smile too... #B9". Britney using the hashtag #B9 is MAJOR, since it was created by the Britney Army and, until now, hasn’t been acknowledged by team Britney. The fact that she’s using it means she’s preparing to release the album, or at very least, a new single.
On April 11, 2016, Britney released exclusive news that she will shoot the video for her new single, Make Me on the next Monday, and both will be released four weeks later when editing is completed. She says “The concept for the video is all set. A source close to Spears says "The single and the video will thrill fans because it’s all new, totally different and somewhat unexpected. It’s different; it’s a turn. She's gone from pretty straight-forward pop to a really interesting vibe with a lot of really cool stuff."
If all goes as planned, Britney’s new ninth studio album will follow one month after the single’s release. Britney has said: “I just know that the direction I’m going in is so good. It’s the best thing I’ve done in a long time.
Britney has also scrapped Pretty Girls as the lead single of the album, and left it as a summer standalone single.
The lead single, "Make Me..." was released on July 14, 2016 at midnight and premiered on B97 New Orleans radio. The news of the single's release was only a few hours before, with B97 announcing it would be playing the new single tonight. Spears announced the single only when it was fully released through her Twitter account, and it soon went #1 on the iTunes US charts.
On August 3, 2016, Britney announced the release date of her album through Twitter, saying "My new album & the beginning of a new era. Available 8/26 on @AppleMusic". Pre-order became available the same night, and as an instant thank-you for pre-ordering, fans received Spears's new promotional single, Private Show.
The album was released on August 26, 2016. The Japanese edition which features the track "Mood Ring" was released on September 14, 2016.
The album's second single, a new version of "Slumber Party" was released on November 18, 2016. It featured the singer Tinashe. An accompanying music video was released on the same day.
Track Listing
Standard Edition CD:
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Invitation" | Britney Spears, Julia Michaels, Justin Tranter & Nick Monson | Nick Monson & Mischke | 3:19 |
| 2. | "Make Me..." (ft. G-Eazy) | Britney Spears, Burns, Joe Janiak & G-Eazy | Burns & Mischke | 3:51 |
| 3. | "Private Show" | Britney Spears, Carla Marie Williams, Young Fyre & Simon Smith | Young Fyre & Mischke | 3:54 |
| 4. | "Man on the Moon" | Jason Evigan, Ilsey Juber, Phoebe Ryan, Sterling Fox & Marcus Lomax | Jason Evigan, Dan Book & Pat Thrall | 3:46 |
| 5. | "Just Luv Me" | Daniel Omelio, Cashmere Cat & Julia Michaels | Cashmere Cat, RoboPop & Mischke | 4:01 |
| 6. | "Clumsy" | Talay Riley, Warren "Oak" Felder & Alex Nice | Warren "Oak" Felder, Alex Nice & Mischke | 3:02 |
| 7. | "Do You Wanna Come Over?" | Mattias Larsson, Robin Fredriksson, Julia Michaels, Justin Tranter & Sandy Chila | Mattman & Robin | 3:22 |
| 8. | "Slumber Party" | Matias Larsson, Robin Frediksson, Julia Michaels & Justin Tranter | Mattman & Robin, Mischke | 3:34 |
| 9. | "Just Like Me" | Britney Spears, Julia Michaels, Justin Tranter & Nick Monson | Nick Monson & Mischke | 2:44 |
| 10. | "Love Me Down" | Evan Kidd Bogart, Andrew Goldstein, Jesse St. John & Jessica Karpov | Goldstein & Mischke | 3:18 |
| 11. | "Hard to Forget Ya" | Oscar Görres, Ian Kirkpatrick, Brittany Coney, Denisia Andrews & Edward Drewett | Oscar Görres, Ian Kirpatrick & Mischke | 3:30 |
| 12. | "What You Need" | Britney Spears, Carla Marie Williams, Young Fyre & Simon Smith | Young Fyre & Mischke | 3:07 |
Deluxe Edition Album Bonus Tracks:
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13. | "Better" | Britney Spears, Julia Michaels, Justin Tranter & Michael Tucker | BloodPop & Mischke | 3:10 |
| 14. | "Change Your Mind (No Seas Cortés)" | Matias Larsson, Robin Frediksson, Julia Michaels & Justin Tranter | Mattman & Robin, Mischke | 3:00 |
| 15. | "Liar" | Jason Evigan, Breyan Isaac, Danny Parker & Nash Overstreet | Jason Evigan | 3:16 |
| 16. | "If I'm Dancing" | Ian Kirpatrick, Simon Wilcox, Chantal Kreviazuk & Sterling Fox | Ian Kirpatrick & Mischke | 3:24 |
| 17. | "Coupure Électrique" | Britney Spears, Lance Eric Shipp, Nathalia Marshall & Rachael Kennedy | Lance Eric Shipp & Mischke | 2:22 |
Japanese Edition Album Bonus Tracks:
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18. | "Mood Ring" | Jon Asher, Melanie Fontana | DJ Mustard, Twice as Nice, Asher |
Fun facts
- Glory is Spears' second lowest selling album, right behind Britney Jean.
- Despite that, it was much better received than Britney Jean, both by critics and fans.
- It also charted slightly better, peaking at number three in the U.S., while Britney Jean peaked one position lower.
- G-Eazy and Tinashe who were featured on "Make Me..." and "Slumber Party" didn't record their vocals with Spears. They still met to film the music videos.
- Spears called herself "re-invented" in the Glory era.
- All of the songs from Glory (excluding "Make Me...") are under heavy copyright and can't be found on YouTube (they're either pitched up or down or snippets). They are, however, available to listen for free on Spotify, Deezer and SoundCloud.
- Before revealing Glory's official title, cover and tracklisting, there were numerous rumours about songs, collaborators, and the album's title. All of these rumours were proved to be fake.
- Spears called her song "Invitation" inspired by Selena Gomez' Revival album.
- On Most Requested Live with Romeo, Spears revealed that it was her son who chose the name of the album.
- The last song recorded for the album was "Love Me Down".
- Glory is Spears' first album to feature a song (two songs in fact) in a foreign language; "Change Your Mind (No Seas Cortés)" is sung partly in Spanish, and "Coupure Électrique" is sung entirely in French.
- "Coupure Électrique" means "power outage" or "blackout" in French, which is a reference to Spears' fifth studio album.
Digital booklet
Charts
Glory debuted at number three on the US Billboard 200, selling 111,000 equivalent-album units in its first week, with 88,000 coming from pure album sales. In the United Kingdom and Ireland, Glory debuted at number two and number one, respectively, becoming her highest charting album in those countries since Blackout. In Germany, the album debuted at number three, becoming her highest charting album there in 13 years, since the release of In the Zone. In Italy, the album debuted at number one, becoming Spears' first album to reach the top of the Italian album chart. In Japan, the album peaked at number 19 on the Billboard Japan Hot Albums chart. In South Korea, the album debuted at number 26 on the Gaon Album Chart and at number 3 on the international version of the same chart. The album also charted within the top ten of charts in 24 various international countries.
Critical reception
Glory received generally positive reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 71, which indicates "generally positive reviews", based on 14 reviews. Sal Cinquemani from Slant Magazine rated the album 3.5 out of 5 stars, and called the album's sound "daring and mature", but criticized "Private Show", calling it "the album's only bona-fide misfire." In a positive review, Maura Johnston from The Boston Globe described the album as one with "an unbridled energy" that "operates on its own terms." Neil McCormick from The Daily Telegraph praised the production on the album, and noted that "every track sounds like a single". In a mixed review of the album, Jon Parales from The New York Times claimed that the album was "one-dimensional", but noted her as sounding like she "has emphatically returned to the foreground." Mesfin Fekadu from Associated Press noted Spears "has taken note and jumped on the bandwagon [of R&B]" but claimed that the songs were not "authentically Britney." In contrast, Nolan Feeney from Entertainment Weekly characterized the songs on the album as sounding "like glimpses of the real Britney—her musical tastes, her voice—imperfections and all."