Sparks Fly
Encyclopedia
Sparks Fly is the debut studio album
by American
actress and pop
singer-songwriter
Miranda Cosgrove
. The plans for the album were first announced in July 2008, and the album was released by Columbia Records
on April 27, 2010 as a standard edition and a deluxe edition and Epic Records
in India
and Italy
. The album has been preceded by its lead single, "Kissin U" which was co-written by Cosgrove, Claude Kelly
and Dr. Luke
, who produced it with HitmanKTI, and was released on March 22, 2010. The album sold 36,000 copies in its first week, making its peak #8 on the Billboard 200
.
The album was met with a generally mixed to positive reception from fans and critics alike. Many fans and critics have stated they find similarities between Cosgrove and fellow singers Avril Lavigne
and Miley Cyrus
. Aside from its critical performance, Sparks Fly also has performed well commercially, charting in international countries such as Austria
and Germany
, among others. The album was promoted mainly through live performances, which included a mini-concert on The Today Show
. Cosgrove also promoted the album during her "Dancing Crazy Tour
", which began January 24, 2011 and ended August 10, 2011.
television series iCarly
called "Leave It All to Me
", on which Cosgrove stars as the title character on the show. The song features her former Drake and Josh cast mate Drake Bell
, and was written by Michael Corcoran
, one of Bell's band members. Following the success of iCarly, Columbia Records
released a soundtrack album of the show on June 10, 2008. The soundtrack album included four songs recorded by Cosgrove that were "Leave It All to Me
", "Stay My Baby
", "About You Now
" and "Headphones On". Cosgrove stated, "Before that, I didn't see myself making an album, but when I spent time in the studio doing the theme song and saw how much fun it was, I wanted to go back."
In July 2008, Cosgrove officially announced plans for a debut album, stating that the album was "different" from her contributions to the iCarly soundtrack, with her "co-writing and getting really into it," and saying that "[I'm] playing a character on iCarly, but this shows more of myself. Some people might think I'm just another actress putting out an album, but I wanted to prove that I'm more than that." The album took two years to make, with Columbia Records
' marketing manager Chris Poppe stating in May 2010 that "Miranda started working on [the album] at 14, and she's 16 now. The difference between those two ages is huge, and the songs have had to grow along with her."
On February 5, 2009, Cosgrove released her debut solo recording; the 5-song EP
About You Now
exclusively onto the iTunes
store. The EP included the title track "About You Now
", a remix
of it, a remix of "Stay My Baby
", "F.Y.I." and "Party Girl".
In February 2010, Cosgrove announced the album's first single would be titled "Kissin U", which debuted live in an interview with Ryan Seacrest
. The album's title Sparks Fly comes from the first two words of "Kissin U". The track list, including the four deluxe edition bonus tracks, was announced on Tommy2.net on March 12, 2010, and the artwork was later revealed on March 19, 2010. The song "Daydream" was co-written and originally recorded by Avril Lavigne
, co-written by Chantal Kreviazuk
and produced by Raine Maida
, and was planned for Lavigne's second studio album Under My Skin. The song "Disgusting" was co-written and originally recorded by Kesha
, co-written by Pebe Sebert and Sheppard Solomon
and Tom Meredith, who produced it with HitmanKTI, and was planned for Kesha's debut studio album Animal
. Both songs were unreleased and eventually recorded by Cosgrove. The song "Shakespeare" is a cover
, co-written and originally recorded by Susan Cagle
, co-written by Jason Brett Levine and was released as a single on Cagle's debut self-recorded album The Subway Recordings. The song was produced by John Shanks
and HitmanKTI for this album. The song "Adored" was co-written by Cosgrove and The Matrix, who produced it and was a free digital download
two years before the album's official release, first as a rough mix and later as a fully mastered version. The song "Charlie" was co-written by Nicole Morier
and Greg Kurstin
who produced it and was released as a bonus track exclusively on the iTunes
deluxe edition of the album.
, pop rock
, electropop, soft rock
and dance-pop
. Cosgrove has stated that in the album she was trying to find her own style, so the album experiments with several different kinds of music. In a recent interview, Cosgrove stated that she tried to put a little bit of her own flare into each and every song on the album. Cosgrove described the album's lead single "Kissin U", as "kind of a really happy, sweet song".
The songs on the album generally deal with love and relationships. Cosgrove has stated that this was not intentional, but she realized this after she had already picked all of the songs on the album.
In their review of the album, Portrait Magazine stated the album would target teenagers, saying "The verdict on Miranda's musical effort is, like her album, a little confusing. I don't think she's quite at the point of being on main stream radio; she's got a little bit of work to do before that. But her bubblegum
tracks are good enough to be played on children's radio stations, like Radio Disney
, for example. Her current sound, the mixture of club beats and the sugary sweet pop
, will probably hit well with the younger end of her audience. I just don't know if anyone over the age of thirteen is going to want to listen to her album all that often. Tracks like “Disgusting” will probably land well with older teens, but when they can listen to its writer on the radio already, I don't see the need for them to buy this album." During their review of the album, J!-ENT commented on the composition of a few songs from the album, saying "BAM features a catchy, pop
tune by Antonina Armato
(who has worked with Miley Cyrus
, David Archuleta
and Selena Gomez & the Scene
), Tim James
and Rodney Jerkins
(who has worked with Britney Spears
, Brandy
, Janet Jackson
, Destiny’s Child). Also, included in “Sparks Fly” is “Daydream” written by Avril Lavigne
and the song definitely has an Avril musical feel to it but Cosgrove definitely does a great job with the vocals. Other tracks include the catchy, pop
track “Disgusting”; “Shakespeare” – a rock
driven track; the lovely ballad
“Hey You” and the sugary, upbeat pop
track “Oh Oh” and the well-done/solid pop
track “There Will Be Tears”".
Teenink also praised the lyrical content and friendly nature of the music, stating "Any girl would love this album because it is upbeat and describes the way most girls feel when they are in love. Sparks Fly is a wonderful cd because it is upbeat, and has music that is very easy to relate to. Love may hurt and break your heart, but this album is sure to put a smile on your face." They later went on to say "The album Sparks Fly has a good musical beat and positive lyrics. The song BAM is fast-paced and is an easy song to relate to. [...] This song is saying that once you find the one person that you love everything else doesn’t matter, because the only thing that’s important is being with the one that you love."
, who reviewed the album for Allmusic.com gave the album a negative review, stating that "Miranda winds up buried underneath the weight of production on Sparks Fly — it often comes across like a cross of Miley Cyrus
and Kesha
’s full-frontal assault." Erlewine also stated that "Sparks Fly is bedecked in modern electronic
rhythms and icy hooks, yet the glassy surface sheen flies in the face of the natural charm Cosgrove displays on iCarly
and its accompanying soundtrack." However, Jeff Giles of Popdose gave the album a more positive review, stating "...Sparks Fly is a perfectly bite-sized chunk of perfectly bite-sized pop
- In other words, songs about boys and girls, written by men and women, and performed by some of the sharpest studio vets in the business." Greg Victor of Parcbench also gave the album, as well as Cosgrove herself, a positive review, stating "It is brilliantly produced and won’t let you down if you are looking for some fun, new, uncomplicated music." He also commented on Cosgrove as an artist, saying "She is a fresh voice that stands out in an over-crowded field of pop princesses." The review ended with Victor awarding the album three out of four stars. Sparklingstar.net also gave the album a positive review, and stated that "Sparks Fly has that classic pop
album sound and songs, if you are a fan of Miley Cyrus
and Britney Spears
you will be fan of Miranda, one thing I must say is that her voice sounds great through out the entire CD, and she took it to find songs that fit her voice."
Commonsensemedia.org gave the album a mixed review, saying "Formulaic at best, painfully predictable at its worst, Sparks Fly could only be appealing to the youngest of ears, not jaded by hundreds of similarly sounding releases. Miranda Cosgrove does bring a unique sincerity to this bubblegum
love-in, and despite the forgettable accompanying pop
instrumentals, her message comes through loud and clear. With a dash of spunky attitude she saves the CD from completely drowning in a sea of sweetness." Starletinc.com was also mixed in their review, saying that "This is a first attempt by Miranda as recording artist and she did quite alright. It still lacks a little bit of identity but that isn’t anything shocking for a sixteen year old, especially when they’re main trade is actress rather than recording artist [...] While it all isn’t anything special it’s still enjoyable enough to listen to." The review ended with them awarding Sparks Fly three out of five stars.
Erin Clandaniel of Billboard
said in her review of the album, "Full of saccharin-sweet pop
riffs and head-bobbing beats that one would expect from a Nickelodeon
TV actress, "iCarly
" star Miranda Cosgrove's debut album, "Sparks Fly," delivers the total tween package. Production from the Matrix and Espionage
, among others, enhances Cosgrove's pretty standard delivery, but some of her lyrics are strangely vague. Over an electro-pop melody on the song "Disgusting" (co-penned by Ke$ha), Cosgrove sings, "It's disgusting how you change me from a bandit to a baby." And the piano-based ballad
"Hey You" briefly alludes to the Greek myth
of Icarus
and Daedalus
, while "Shakespeare" name-drops Jeff Buckley
(who died in 1997 when Cosgrove was only 4 years old). Elsewhere, paired with upbeat guitar
s and drum machine
s on the girl-power anthem
"There Will Be Tears," the singer happily belts out about being "the one that got away." Parents will likely tire of it quickly, but "Sparks Fly" will surely be stuck on repeat in minivans across the country.
on the issue dated May 5, 2010. The album spent one week inside the top 10, before falling out the next week. Sparks Fly spent five weeks inside the Top 50, before quickly sliding down. The album has sold over 130,000 copies to date in the U.S.
. The album has also become successful in foreign countries as well. In Mexico
, the album debuted at number 84. The following week, the album fell twelve spots to 96. The album has currently sold a total of 3,000 copies there. The album was also successful on the music charts in Austria
, where it managed to peak inside the Top 50 of the albums chart, entering at number 46. The album also spent one week on the German
album charts, debuting and peaking at number 96. On the Swiss album's chart, the album peaked inside of the Top 40, debuting at number 35 on the chart. To date, Sparks Fly has sold an estimated 360,000 copies worldwide.
also aired a television special titled 7 Secrets: Miranda Cosgrove, which aired on April 24, 2010. The half hour show revealed things about Cosgrove, such as how she got her start in the business, to some of her most embarrassing moments. The days following the albums release, Cosgrove did several album signings and appearances, including a stop at a Toys-R-Us in New York
. Cosgrove embarked on a radio promotional tour, and has made appearances at radio concerts in the summer of 2010. On September 6, 2010, she performed "Kissin U", "BAM" which was written and produced by Rock Mafia
and Darkchild
, and "About You Now
" which is a cover
, co-written by Cathy Dennis
and Dr. Luke
who produced it and was originally recorded by The Sugababes and released as a single on their fifth studio album Change
, on The Today Show
. On a special episode of iCarly
, titled "iDo", Cosgrove performed the song "Shakespeare" at a wedding (in character as Carly). The song is performed when the bride has second thoughts about the wedding due to her love for Carly's brother, Spencer. The song is sung by Carly to remind the couple about how in love they are.
Cosgrove headlined her own tour, titled "Dancing Crazy Tour
" which is named after Cosgrove's new single "Dancing Crazy
" co-written by Avril Lavigne
and Max Martin
and Shellback, who produced it and was released on Cosgrove's second EP
High Maintenance
which was released on March 15, 2011. The tour began January 24, 2011 and ended August 10, 2011 due to the singer having a broken ankle from a tour bus collision the singer will resume touring in the new year The tour featured dates in House of Blues
locations such as ones located in Houston, TX and Anaheim, CA. She also performed at several theatres on the tour including locations in cities such as Atlanta, GA, Tampa, FL and Orlando FL. Cosgrove opened up the tour on its first show by saying,
Accompanying Cosgrove on the tour was Greyson Chance
, who rose to fame when a video of him singing "Paparazzi
" by Lady Gaga
emerged on popular video sharing website YouTube
. Chance performed several of his own original songs, as well as covers from famous artists. The tour was financially successful. The second show on the tour, which took place in Minneapolis, sold about 54% of its tickets. The shows total gross revenue was $37,256. The fourth show of the tour, which took place in Rosemont, Illinois
, was much more successful, selling 90% of the available tickets. The total gross revenue for the show was $118,435.
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actress and pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
Miranda Cosgrove
Miranda Cosgrove
Miranda Taylor Cosgrove is an American actress and singer-songwriter. Her career began at the age of three, where she participated in television commercials. Cosgrove's film debut was in 2003, as Summer Hathaway in School of Rock...
. The plans for the album were first announced in July 2008, and the album was released by Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
on April 27, 2010 as a standard edition and a deluxe edition and Epic Records
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. The album has been preceded by its lead single, "Kissin U" which was co-written by Cosgrove, Claude Kelly
Claude Kelly
Claude Kelly is an American singer-songwriter. He has a prolific discography, well known for writing for artists such as Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Toni Braxton, Whitney Houston, Jordin Sparks, Kelly Clarkson, Jay Sean, Adam Lambert, Jessie J and Charice.-Career:He began playing the piano...
and Dr. Luke
Dr. Luke
Lukasz Gottwald , better known as Dr. Luke, is an American songwriter, record producer, and remixer. Luke performed with the Saturday Night Live Band for ten seasons until 2007. He has co-written and co-produced a string of commercially successful songs...
, who produced it with HitmanKTI, and was released on March 22, 2010. The album sold 36,000 copies in its first week, making its peak #8 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
.
The album was met with a generally mixed to positive reception from fans and critics alike. Many fans and critics have stated they find similarities between Cosgrove and fellow singers Avril Lavigne
Avril Lavigne
Avril Ramona Lavigne is a Canadian singer-songwriter. She was born in Belleville, Ontario, but spent most of her youth in the small town of Napanee. By the age of 15, she had appeared on stage with Shania Twain; by 16, she had signed a two-album recording contract with Arista Records worth more...
and Miley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus
Miley Ray Cyrus is an American actress and pop singer-songwriter. She achieved wide fame for her role as Miley Stewart/Hannah Montana on the Disney Channel sitcom Hannah Montana....
. Aside from its critical performance, Sparks Fly also has performed well commercially, charting in international countries such as Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, among others. The album was promoted mainly through live performances, which included a mini-concert on The Today Show
The Today Show
Today is an iconic American morning news and talk show airing every morning on NBC. Debuting on January 14, 1952, it was the first of its genre on American television and in the world. The show is also the fourth-longest running American television series...
. Cosgrove also promoted the album during her "Dancing Crazy Tour
Dancing Crazy Tour
The Dancing Crazy Tour was the debut solo tour by American entertainer, Miranda Cosgrove. visiting North America, the trek supported her debut studio album, Sparks Fly. The tour began in Missouri and travel throughout the United States and ended in Ohio. Cosgrove continued the tour into the summer...
", which began January 24, 2011 and ended August 10, 2011.
Background and development
Cosgrove's musical career first began with her recording the theme song of the NickelodeonNickelodeon (TV channel)
Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
television series iCarly
ICarly
iCarly is an American sitcom that focuses on a girl named Carly Shay who creates her own web show called iCarly with her best friends Sam and Freddie. The series was created by Dan Schneider, who also serves as executive producer. It stars Miranda Cosgrove as Carly, Jennette McCurdy as Sam, Nathan...
called "Leave It All to Me
Leave It All to Me
"Leave It All to Me" is the theme song to the Nickelodeon show iCarly. It is also the debut single of Miranda Cosgrove and features her former Drake & Josh co-star, Drake Bell. It was written by Michael Corcoran, one of Bell's band members. A shortened version is used in the show's opening credits,...
", on which Cosgrove stars as the title character on the show. The song features her former Drake and Josh cast mate Drake Bell
Drake Bell
Jared Drake Bell , better known as Drake Bell, is an American actor, comedian, guitarist, singer/songwriter, producer, and occasional television director. After beginning his career as a child star in the late 1990s and early 2000s, he appeared on The Amanda Show and became well-known among young...
, and was written by Michael Corcoran
Michael Corcoran
Michael Corcoran was an Irish American general in the Union Army during the American Civil War and a close confidant of President Abraham Lincoln. As its colonel, he led the 69th New York regiment to Washington, D.C. and was one of the first to serve in the defense of Washington by building Fort...
, one of Bell's band members. Following the success of iCarly, Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
released a soundtrack album of the show on June 10, 2008. The soundtrack album included four songs recorded by Cosgrove that were "Leave It All to Me
Leave It All to Me
"Leave It All to Me" is the theme song to the Nickelodeon show iCarly. It is also the debut single of Miranda Cosgrove and features her former Drake & Josh co-star, Drake Bell. It was written by Michael Corcoran, one of Bell's band members. A shortened version is used in the show's opening credits,...
", "Stay My Baby
Stay My Baby
A cover version of the song by Miranda Cosgrove was released as the second single from the iCarly soundtrack. A music video was also filmed and was directed by Jesse Dylan...
", "About You Now
About You Now
"About You Now" is a 2007 single by English girl group Sugababes, written by Cathy Dennis and producer Dr. Luke for the group's fifth studio album, Change...
" and "Headphones On". Cosgrove stated, "Before that, I didn't see myself making an album, but when I spent time in the studio doing the theme song and saw how much fun it was, I wanted to go back."
In July 2008, Cosgrove officially announced plans for a debut album, stating that the album was "different" from her contributions to the iCarly soundtrack, with her "co-writing and getting really into it," and saying that "[I'm] playing a character on iCarly, but this shows more of myself. Some people might think I'm just another actress putting out an album, but I wanted to prove that I'm more than that." The album took two years to make, with Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
' marketing manager Chris Poppe stating in May 2010 that "Miranda started working on [the album] at 14, and she's 16 now. The difference between those two ages is huge, and the songs have had to grow along with her."
On February 5, 2009, Cosgrove released her debut solo recording; the 5-song EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
About You Now
About You Now (EP)
About You Now is the debut solo remix extended play by American actress and singer Miranda Cosgrove, released by Columbia Records and Nickelodeon Records to iTunes on February 3, 2009. The extended play was released as a promotional tool, and was not to be taken as her official musical debut...
exclusively onto the iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
store. The EP included the title track "About You Now
About You Now
"About You Now" is a 2007 single by English girl group Sugababes, written by Cathy Dennis and producer Dr. Luke for the group's fifth studio album, Change...
", a remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
of it, a remix of "Stay My Baby
Stay My Baby
A cover version of the song by Miranda Cosgrove was released as the second single from the iCarly soundtrack. A music video was also filmed and was directed by Jesse Dylan...
", "F.Y.I." and "Party Girl".
In February 2010, Cosgrove announced the album's first single would be titled "Kissin U", which debuted live in an interview with Ryan Seacrest
Ryan Seacrest
Ryan John Seacrest is an American radio personality, television host, network producer and voice actor. He is the host of On Air with Ryan Seacrest, a nationally syndicated Top 40 radio show that airs on KIIS-FM in Los Angeles and throughout the United States and Canada on Premiere Radio Networks,...
. The album's title Sparks Fly comes from the first two words of "Kissin U". The track list, including the four deluxe edition bonus tracks, was announced on Tommy2.net on March 12, 2010, and the artwork was later revealed on March 19, 2010. The song "Daydream" was co-written and originally recorded by Avril Lavigne
Avril Lavigne
Avril Ramona Lavigne is a Canadian singer-songwriter. She was born in Belleville, Ontario, but spent most of her youth in the small town of Napanee. By the age of 15, she had appeared on stage with Shania Twain; by 16, she had signed a two-album recording contract with Arista Records worth more...
, co-written by Chantal Kreviazuk
Chantal Kreviazuk
Chantal Jennifer Kreviazuk is a Canadian singer-songwriter of the adult contemporary music genre. She is also a classically trained pianist, and can play the guitar.-Albums:...
and produced by Raine Maida
Raine Maida
Raine Maida , is a Canadian musician best known as being the lead vocalist and primary songwriter of the alternative rock band Our Lady Peace. He has come to be known for his unique countertenor nasal falsetto singing voice, as well as his cryptic and poetry-influenced song lyrics...
, and was planned for Lavigne's second studio album Under My Skin. The song "Disgusting" was co-written and originally recorded by Kesha
Kesha
Kesha village is a small village nestled in the mountains of Yongshun County, northwestern Hunan province, China, located at latitude 29 05' 50", longitude 109 57' 9". The name is pronounced in Standard Chinese. The official language is Manderin Chinese....
, co-written by Pebe Sebert and Sheppard Solomon
Sheppard Solomon
Sheppard Solomon is an American songwriter.-Biography:Solomon attended the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts in New York citr, upon graduation he formed two bands with signed to EMI and SIRE respectively...
and Tom Meredith, who produced it with HitmanKTI, and was planned for Kesha's debut studio album Animal
Animal (Kesha album)
Animal is the debut studio album by American pop singer Kesha. The album was released on January 1, 2010, by RCA Records. Kesha worked with a variety of producers and writers such as Lukasz Gottwald , Benny Blanco, David Gamson, Greg Kurstin, Max Martin, and others...
. Both songs were unreleased and eventually recorded by Cosgrove. The song "Shakespeare" is a cover
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
, co-written and originally recorded by Susan Cagle
Susan Cagle
Susan Cagle is a singer-songwriter known by her stage name Susan Justice. She is known best for her self-recorded album, The Subway Recordings....
, co-written by Jason Brett Levine and was released as a single on Cagle's debut self-recorded album The Subway Recordings. The song was produced by John Shanks
John Shanks
John Matthew Shanks is a modern rock writer and Grammy Award–winning producer.Born in New York City, Shanks moved to Los Angeles when he was 17....
and HitmanKTI for this album. The song "Adored" was co-written by Cosgrove and The Matrix, who produced it and was a free digital download
Music download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
two years before the album's official release, first as a rough mix and later as a fully mastered version. The song "Charlie" was co-written by Nicole Morier
Nicole Morier
Nicole Morier is a Los Angeles-based American Pop, Electropop singer-songwriter. She began her career in 2002 as one half of the electro-rock duo Electrocute before becoming a songwriter for artists including Britney Spears, Tom Jones, Wynter Gordon and Sky Ferreira...
and Greg Kurstin
Greg Kurstin
Gregory Allen "Greg" Kurstin is an award-winning American songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. In 2009 Kurstin received a Grammy Award nomination for Producer of the Year. That same year he won three Ivor Novello awards for his work with Lily Allen, including Songwriters of the Year for "The Fear"...
who produced it and was released as a bonus track exclusively on the iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
deluxe edition of the album.
Composition
The album has a variety of styles that were popPop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
, pop rock
Pop rock
Pop rock is a music genre which mixes a catchy pop style and light lyrics in its guitar-based rock songs. There are varying definitions of the term, ranging from a slower and mellower form of rock music to a subgenre of pop music...
, electropop, soft rock
Soft rock
Soft rock is a style of music which uses the techniques of rock music to compose a softer, more toned-down sound. Soft rock songs generally tend to focus on themes like love, everyday life and relationships. The genre tends to make heavy use of acoustic guitars, pianos, synthesizers and sometimes...
and dance-pop
Dance-pop
Dance-pop is dance-oriented pop music that originated in the early 1980s. Developing from post-disco, it is generally up-tempo music intended for clubs with the intention of being danceable or merely dancey...
. Cosgrove has stated that in the album she was trying to find her own style, so the album experiments with several different kinds of music. In a recent interview, Cosgrove stated that she tried to put a little bit of her own flare into each and every song on the album. Cosgrove described the album's lead single "Kissin U", as "kind of a really happy, sweet song".
The songs on the album generally deal with love and relationships. Cosgrove has stated that this was not intentional, but she realized this after she had already picked all of the songs on the album.
In their review of the album, Portrait Magazine stated the album would target teenagers, saying "The verdict on Miranda's musical effort is, like her album, a little confusing. I don't think she's quite at the point of being on main stream radio; she's got a little bit of work to do before that. But her bubblegum
Bubblegum pop
Bubblegum pop is a genre of pop music with an upbeat sound contrived and marketed to appeal to pre-teens and teenagers, produced in an assembly-line process, driven by producers, often using unknown singers.Bubblegum's classic period ran from 1967 to 1972...
tracks are good enough to be played on children's radio stations, like Radio Disney
Radio Disney
Radio Disney is a radio network based in Burbank, California and headquartered out of the Disney Channel headquarters on West Alameda Ave., from where it has been based since November 2008. Prior to that, the network was based in Dallas, Texas...
, for example. Her current sound, the mixture of club beats and the sugary sweet pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
, will probably hit well with the younger end of her audience. I just don't know if anyone over the age of thirteen is going to want to listen to her album all that often. Tracks like “Disgusting” will probably land well with older teens, but when they can listen to its writer on the radio already, I don't see the need for them to buy this album." During their review of the album, J!-ENT commented on the composition of a few songs from the album, saying "BAM features a catchy, pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
tune by Antonina Armato
Antonina Armato
Antonina Armato is a songwriter and music producer who is most known for co-writing the #1 single "I Still Believe" and co-writing another #1 single "She Ain't Worth It." She has written or produced over 20 Top Ten singles...
(who has worked with Miley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus
Miley Ray Cyrus is an American actress and pop singer-songwriter. She achieved wide fame for her role as Miley Stewart/Hannah Montana on the Disney Channel sitcom Hannah Montana....
, David Archuleta
David Archuleta
David Archuleta, is a former United States Air Force Airman of Okinawan stationary troops and is currently an American male kickboxer.-Biography:...
and Selena Gomez & the Scene
Selena Gomez & the Scene
Selena Gomez & the Scene is an American pop band formed in Hollywood, California in 2009. Along with lead singer and founder Selena Gomez, the band consists of bassist Joey Clement, guitarist Ethan Roberts, drummist Greg Garman and keyboardist Dane Forrest. Selena Gomez & the Scene have released...
), Tim James
Tim James (music producer)
Timothy James Price is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. James is the co-founder of Rock Mafia. James co-wrote the songs "Potential Breakup Song" by Aly & AJ, "Come Back to Me" by Vanessa Hudgens, "See You Again" by Miley Cyrus, and "Naturally" by Selena Gomez & the Scene. James...
and Rodney Jerkins
Rodney Jerkins
Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins is an American songwriter, record producer, and musician. Jerkins received two Grammy nominations in 2011.-Biography:...
(who has worked with Britney Spears
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...
, Brandy
Brandy
Brandy is a spirit produced by distilling wine. Brandy generally contains 35%–60% alcohol by volume and is typically taken as an after-dinner drink...
, Janet Jackson
Janet Jackson
Janet Damita Jo Jackson is an American recording artist and actress. Known for a series of sonically innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows, television and film roles, she has been a prominent figure in popular culture for over 25 years...
, Destiny’s Child). Also, included in “Sparks Fly” is “Daydream” written by Avril Lavigne
Avril Lavigne
Avril Ramona Lavigne is a Canadian singer-songwriter. She was born in Belleville, Ontario, but spent most of her youth in the small town of Napanee. By the age of 15, she had appeared on stage with Shania Twain; by 16, she had signed a two-album recording contract with Arista Records worth more...
and the song definitely has an Avril musical feel to it but Cosgrove definitely does a great job with the vocals. Other tracks include the catchy, pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
track “Disgusting”; “Shakespeare” – a rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
driven track; the lovely ballad
Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
“Hey You” and the sugary, upbeat pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
track “Oh Oh” and the well-done/solid pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
track “There Will Be Tears”".
Teenink also praised the lyrical content and friendly nature of the music, stating "Any girl would love this album because it is upbeat and describes the way most girls feel when they are in love. Sparks Fly is a wonderful cd because it is upbeat, and has music that is very easy to relate to. Love may hurt and break your heart, but this album is sure to put a smile on your face." They later went on to say "The album Sparks Fly has a good musical beat and positive lyrics. The song BAM is fast-paced and is an easy song to relate to. [...] This song is saying that once you find the one person that you love everything else doesn’t matter, because the only thing that’s important is being with the one that you love."
Critical reception
The album has been met with a generally mixed reception from critics. Stephen Thomas ErlewineStephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine is a senior editor for Allmusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for Allmusic, as well as a freelance writer, occasionally contributing liner notes. He is also frontman and guitarist for the Ann Arbor-based band Who Dat?Erlewine is the nephew...
, who reviewed the album for Allmusic.com gave the album a negative review, stating that "Miranda winds up buried underneath the weight of production on Sparks Fly — it often comes across like a cross of Miley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus
Miley Ray Cyrus is an American actress and pop singer-songwriter. She achieved wide fame for her role as Miley Stewart/Hannah Montana on the Disney Channel sitcom Hannah Montana....
and Kesha
Kesha
Kesha village is a small village nestled in the mountains of Yongshun County, northwestern Hunan province, China, located at latitude 29 05' 50", longitude 109 57' 9". The name is pronounced in Standard Chinese. The official language is Manderin Chinese....
’s full-frontal assault." Erlewine also stated that "Sparks Fly is bedecked in modern electronic
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
rhythms and icy hooks, yet the glassy surface sheen flies in the face of the natural charm Cosgrove displays on iCarly
ICarly
iCarly is an American sitcom that focuses on a girl named Carly Shay who creates her own web show called iCarly with her best friends Sam and Freddie. The series was created by Dan Schneider, who also serves as executive producer. It stars Miranda Cosgrove as Carly, Jennette McCurdy as Sam, Nathan...
and its accompanying soundtrack." However, Jeff Giles of Popdose gave the album a more positive review, stating "...Sparks Fly is a perfectly bite-sized chunk of perfectly bite-sized pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
- In other words, songs about boys and girls, written by men and women, and performed by some of the sharpest studio vets in the business." Greg Victor of Parcbench also gave the album, as well as Cosgrove herself, a positive review, stating "It is brilliantly produced and won’t let you down if you are looking for some fun, new, uncomplicated music." He also commented on Cosgrove as an artist, saying "She is a fresh voice that stands out in an over-crowded field of pop princesses." The review ended with Victor awarding the album three out of four stars. Sparklingstar.net also gave the album a positive review, and stated that "Sparks Fly has that classic pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
album sound and songs, if you are a fan of Miley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus
Miley Ray Cyrus is an American actress and pop singer-songwriter. She achieved wide fame for her role as Miley Stewart/Hannah Montana on the Disney Channel sitcom Hannah Montana....
and Britney Spears
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...
you will be fan of Miranda, one thing I must say is that her voice sounds great through out the entire CD, and she took it to find songs that fit her voice."
Commonsensemedia.org gave the album a mixed review, saying "Formulaic at best, painfully predictable at its worst, Sparks Fly could only be appealing to the youngest of ears, not jaded by hundreds of similarly sounding releases. Miranda Cosgrove does bring a unique sincerity to this bubblegum
Bubblegum pop
Bubblegum pop is a genre of pop music with an upbeat sound contrived and marketed to appeal to pre-teens and teenagers, produced in an assembly-line process, driven by producers, often using unknown singers.Bubblegum's classic period ran from 1967 to 1972...
love-in, and despite the forgettable accompanying pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
instrumentals, her message comes through loud and clear. With a dash of spunky attitude she saves the CD from completely drowning in a sea of sweetness." Starletinc.com was also mixed in their review, saying that "This is a first attempt by Miranda as recording artist and she did quite alright. It still lacks a little bit of identity but that isn’t anything shocking for a sixteen year old, especially when they’re main trade is actress rather than recording artist [...] While it all isn’t anything special it’s still enjoyable enough to listen to." The review ended with them awarding Sparks Fly three out of five stars.
Erin Clandaniel of Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
said in her review of the album, "Full of saccharin-sweet pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
riffs and head-bobbing beats that one would expect from a Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (TV channel)
Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
TV actress, "iCarly
ICarly
iCarly is an American sitcom that focuses on a girl named Carly Shay who creates her own web show called iCarly with her best friends Sam and Freddie. The series was created by Dan Schneider, who also serves as executive producer. It stars Miranda Cosgrove as Carly, Jennette McCurdy as Sam, Nathan...
" star Miranda Cosgrove's debut album, "Sparks Fly," delivers the total tween package. Production from the Matrix and Espionage
Espionage (production team)
Espionage is a New York-based Norwegian songwriting and music production team consisting of Espen Lind and Amund Bjørklund. Their breakthrough came in 2006 as co-writers of Beyoncé's worldwide smash "Irreplaceable", which was number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for 10 consecutive weeks and the best...
, among others, enhances Cosgrove's pretty standard delivery, but some of her lyrics are strangely vague. Over an electro-pop melody on the song "Disgusting" (co-penned by Ke$ha), Cosgrove sings, "It's disgusting how you change me from a bandit to a baby." And the piano-based ballad
Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
"Hey You" briefly alludes to the Greek myth
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
of Icarus
Icarus
-Space and astronomy:* Icarus , on the Moon* Icarus , a planetary science journal* 1566 Icarus, an asteroid* IKAROS, a interplanetary unmanned spacecraft...
and Daedalus
Daedalus
In Greek mythology, Daedalus was a skillful craftsman and artisan.-Family:...
, while "Shakespeare" name-drops Jeff Buckley
Jeff Buckley
Jeffrey Scott "Jeff" Buckley , raised as Scotty Moorhead, was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He was the son of Tim Buckley, also a musician...
(who died in 1997 when Cosgrove was only 4 years old). Elsewhere, paired with upbeat guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
s and drum machine
Drum machine
A drum machine is an electronic musical instrument designed to imitate the sound of drums or other percussion instruments. They are used in a variety of musical genres, not just purely electronic music...
s on the girl-power anthem
Anthem
The term anthem means either a specific form of Anglican church music , or more generally, a song of celebration, usually acting as a symbol for a distinct group of people, as in the term "national anthem" or "sports anthem".-Etymology:The word is derived from the Greek via Old English , a word...
"There Will Be Tears," the singer happily belts out about being "the one that got away." Parents will likely tire of it quickly, but "Sparks Fly" will surely be stuck on repeat in minivans across the country.
Commercial performance
Sparks Fly sold 36,057 copies in its first week, earning it the 8th position on the U.S. Billboard 200Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
on the issue dated May 5, 2010. The album spent one week inside the top 10, before falling out the next week. Sparks Fly spent five weeks inside the Top 50, before quickly sliding down. The album has sold over 130,000 copies to date in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The album has also become successful in foreign countries as well. In Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, the album debuted at number 84. The following week, the album fell twelve spots to 96. The album has currently sold a total of 3,000 copies there. The album was also successful on the music charts in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, where it managed to peak inside the Top 50 of the albums chart, entering at number 46. The album also spent one week on the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
album charts, debuting and peaking at number 96. On the Swiss album's chart, the album peaked inside of the Top 40, debuting at number 35 on the chart. To date, Sparks Fly has sold an estimated 360,000 copies worldwide.
Promotion
To promote the album, Cosgrove performed the single "Kissin U" live at the Kids Choice Awards pre-show. NickelodeonNickelodeon (TV channel)
Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
also aired a television special titled 7 Secrets: Miranda Cosgrove, which aired on April 24, 2010. The half hour show revealed things about Cosgrove, such as how she got her start in the business, to some of her most embarrassing moments. The days following the albums release, Cosgrove did several album signings and appearances, including a stop at a Toys-R-Us in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. Cosgrove embarked on a radio promotional tour, and has made appearances at radio concerts in the summer of 2010. On September 6, 2010, she performed "Kissin U", "BAM" which was written and produced by Rock Mafia
Rock Mafia
Rock Mafia is a record production/songwriting team, consisting of Tim James and Antonina Armato, who are credited for writing and producing a great number of top pop and rock artists beginning in the early 2000s such as Miley Cyrus, Mariah Carey, Scotty McCreery, Lauren Alaina, Selena Gomez, Demi...
and Darkchild
Rodney Jerkins
Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins is an American songwriter, record producer, and musician. Jerkins received two Grammy nominations in 2011.-Biography:...
, and "About You Now
About You Now
"About You Now" is a 2007 single by English girl group Sugababes, written by Cathy Dennis and producer Dr. Luke for the group's fifth studio album, Change...
" which is a cover
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
, co-written by Cathy Dennis
Cathy Dennis
Cathy Dennis is a British dance-oriented pop singer-songwriter, record producer and actress...
and Dr. Luke
Dr. Luke
Lukasz Gottwald , better known as Dr. Luke, is an American songwriter, record producer, and remixer. Luke performed with the Saturday Night Live Band for ten seasons until 2007. He has co-written and co-produced a string of commercially successful songs...
who produced it and was originally recorded by The Sugababes and released as a single on their fifth studio album Change
Change (Sugababes album)
Change is the fifth studio album by English girl group Sugababes, released through Island Records during October 2007 in most European territories. The album features production by Dr...
, on The Today Show
The Today Show
Today is an iconic American morning news and talk show airing every morning on NBC. Debuting on January 14, 1952, it was the first of its genre on American television and in the world. The show is also the fourth-longest running American television series...
. On a special episode of iCarly
ICarly
iCarly is an American sitcom that focuses on a girl named Carly Shay who creates her own web show called iCarly with her best friends Sam and Freddie. The series was created by Dan Schneider, who also serves as executive producer. It stars Miranda Cosgrove as Carly, Jennette McCurdy as Sam, Nathan...
, titled "iDo", Cosgrove performed the song "Shakespeare" at a wedding (in character as Carly). The song is performed when the bride has second thoughts about the wedding due to her love for Carly's brother, Spencer. The song is sung by Carly to remind the couple about how in love they are.
Cosgrove headlined her own tour, titled "Dancing Crazy Tour
Dancing Crazy Tour
The Dancing Crazy Tour was the debut solo tour by American entertainer, Miranda Cosgrove. visiting North America, the trek supported her debut studio album, Sparks Fly. The tour began in Missouri and travel throughout the United States and ended in Ohio. Cosgrove continued the tour into the summer...
" which is named after Cosgrove's new single "Dancing Crazy
Dancing Crazy
"Dancing Crazy" is a single performed by American recording artist Miranda Cosgrove. It was co-written by Avril Lavigne, Max Martin and Shellback and was produced by Martin and Shellback for Cosgrove's second extended play High Maintenance, released on March 15, 2011...
" co-written by Avril Lavigne
Avril Lavigne
Avril Ramona Lavigne is a Canadian singer-songwriter. She was born in Belleville, Ontario, but spent most of her youth in the small town of Napanee. By the age of 15, she had appeared on stage with Shania Twain; by 16, she had signed a two-album recording contract with Arista Records worth more...
and Max Martin
Max Martin
Martin Karl Sandberg, known professionally as Max Martin, is a Swedish music producer and songwriter. Raised in Stenhamra, a suburb of Stockholm, Sweden, he broke through as a producer and songwriter in the mid to late 1990s after crafting a string of hits for pop artists like the Backstreet Boys,...
and Shellback, who produced it and was released on Cosgrove's second EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
High Maintenance
High Maintenance
Upon its release, High Maintanence was met with mixed to positive reviews. James Christopher Monger of Allmusic wrote that the extended play had a more adult pop sound, and gave the album a rating of two and a half stars out of five...
which was released on March 15, 2011. The tour began January 24, 2011 and ended August 10, 2011 due to the singer having a broken ankle from a tour bus collision the singer will resume touring in the new year The tour featured dates in House of Blues
House of Blues
House of Blues is a chain of 13 live music concert halls and restaurants in major markets throughout the United States. House of Blues first location was in Cambridge's Harvard Square. It was opened in 1992 by Isaac Tigrett, co-founder of Hard Rock Cafe, and Dan Aykroyd, star of The Blues Brothers...
locations such as ones located in Houston, TX and Anaheim, CA. She also performed at several theatres on the tour including locations in cities such as Atlanta, GA, Tampa, FL and Orlando FL. Cosgrove opened up the tour on its first show by saying,
"I used to always think I was just going to be an actress, but now I'm leaning towards music and singing too. In the beginning, I didn't really think about my sound too much. I was just trying to figure out the kind of music that was really me and my thing. But my songs are about the experiences I've been through, and when I'm singing them, I try to put myself into it, so hopefully my music just reflects me."
Accompanying Cosgrove on the tour was Greyson Chance
Greyson Chance
Greyson Michael Chance is an American pop rock singer and pianist whose April 2010 performance of Lady Gaga's "Paparazzi" at a sixth-grade music festival became a hit on YouTube, gaining over 43 million views. Two of his original compositions, "Stars" and "Broken Hearts", gained over 5 and 7...
, who rose to fame when a video of him singing "Paparazzi
Paparazzi (Lady Gaga song)
"Paparazzi" is a song by American recording artist Lady Gaga. It was released as the final single from her debut album The Fame . Written by Rob Fusari and Gaga, the song portrays Gaga's struggles in her quest for fame, as well as balancing success and love...
" by Lady Gaga
Lady GaGa
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta , better known by her stage name Lady Gaga, is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, she primarily studied at the Convent of the Sacred Heart and briefly attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts before withdrawing to...
emerged on popular video sharing website YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
. Chance performed several of his own original songs, as well as covers from famous artists. The tour was financially successful. The second show on the tour, which took place in Minneapolis, sold about 54% of its tickets. The shows total gross revenue was $37,256. The fourth show of the tour, which took place in Rosemont, Illinois
Rosemont, Illinois
Rosemont is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States located immediately northwest of Chicago. The village was incorporated in 1956, though it had been settled long before that...
, was much more successful, selling 90% of the available tickets. The total gross revenue for the show was $118,435.
Singles
- "Kissin U" is the album's lead and only single. Along with being the lead single from this album, it and "Adored" were the only two songs that Cosgrove co-wrote for it. Lyrically, the track talks of the feeling Cosgrove gets as she's kissing her boyfriend. The lyrics as well as the melody were received positively by several music critics. The song was released onto iTunesITunesiTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
on March 22, 2010. The single debuted at #87 on the Billboard Hot 100Billboard Hot 100The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, after debuting on the digital tracks chart the previous week. After bouncing up and down the chart, the song peaked at #54. It is also her first single to chart outside of the United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, entering the charts in GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and AustriaAustriaAustria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, among others. The music video was directed by Alan Ferguson, and features Cosgrove and her love interest as they flirt doing daily things. The video also features scenes of Cosgrove singing and walking down the beach.
Track listing
Charts
| Chart (2010) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austria (Ö3 Austrian Top 40) | 46 |
| German Albums Chart | 96 |
| Mexican Albums Chart AMPROFON Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas is a non-profit organization integrated by multinational and national record companies in Mexico. Established on April 3, 1963, it groups phonographic companies that represent more than 70 percent of the market in Mexico... |
84 |
| Swiss Albums Chart | 35 |
| U.S. Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
8 |
External links
- Miranda Cosgrove, "Sparks Fly" by BillboardBillboard (magazine)Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...