Alpha is the debut studio album by Jamaican musician Shenseea. It was released on March 11, 2022, through Rich Immigrants and Interscope Records. It includes guest appearances from 21 Savage, Beenie Man, Megan Thee Stallion, Offset, Sean Paul, and Tyga. Production is contributed by Rvssian, London On Da Track, and Scott Storch.[1]
| Alpha | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | March 11, 2022 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 40:10 | |||
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| Producer | ||||
| Shenseea chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Alpha | ||||
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Background and release
editIn 2019, Shenseea signed to Rich Immigrants, an imprint of Interscope Records. She praised the owner of the imprint, Rvssian, for allowing her to work with different producers, instead of limiting her to just him.[2] The lead single of Alpha, "Lick", was released on January 21, 2022. The song is a collaboration with American rapper Megan Thee Stallion.[3] The second single, "R U That", featuring Atlanta-based rapper 21 Savage, was released on February 17.[4] The next single, "Deserve It", was released on March 3. It was performed on Jimmy Kimmel Live! the night of its release.[5]
Title
editShenseea originally opted to title the album Eleanor, after her late mother.[6] She decided to change the album's title to Alpha because she didn't want to experience the sadness associated with her mother's death every time she spoke about the record.[6]
Composition
editAlpha is a dancehall, hip hop, and pop record.[1] The album begins with the ballad "Target", a "beachy" song with a twist regarding love at the end. The track which follows, "Can't Anymore", is a more gleeful offering, where Shenseea announces that "she want[s] to get nasty". Alpha remains in a positive mood through the fourth track "R U That", which features 21 Savage. The song was described as "cheeky", and its lyrics go through a list of qualifications that a potential lover must meet.[7]
Commercial performance
editAlpha debuted at number two on the Billboard Reggae Albums chart, with 4,900 album-equivalent units, of which 800 were sales of the record. 2,000 album units were composed of individual song sales. The album received 4,616,400 on-demand audio streams in its first week of release; it earned 750,000 video streams in that time frame. Alpha's number-two chart positioning occurred beneath Bob Marley and the Wailers' greatest hits album Legend (1984), which received 11,162 album-equivalent units in the same week, and remained at number one on the chart for a 115th consecutive week.[8] The following week, Alpha fell two spots to number four on the Reggae chart, moving 2,600 units.[9]
Alpha posted the best first-week sales for a reggae album since Popcaan's album Fixtape (2020).[8]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Target" (featuring Tyga) | The Stereotypes | 2:56 | |
| 2. | "Can't Anymore" |
|
| 2:35 |
| 3. | "Deserve It" |
| Rvssian | 3:13 |
| 4. | "R U That" (featuring 21 Savage) | Dr. Luke | 2:42 | |
| 5. | "Lick" (with Megan Thee Stallion) |
|
| 2:46 |
| 6. | "Bouncy" (featuring Offset) |
|
| 2:26 |
| 7. | "Henkel Glue" (featuring Beenie Man) |
|
| 2:59 |
| 8. | "Lying If I Call It Love" (featuring Sean Paul) |
|
| 3:22 |
| 9. | "Hangover" |
|
| 3:07 |
| 10. | "Body Count" |
|
| 3:03 |
| 11. | "Egocentric" |
|
| 2:21 |
| 12. | "Shen Ex Anthem" |
| Romeich Major | 2:54 |
| 13. | "Sun Comes Up" |
|
| 3:15 |
| 14. | "Blessed" (featuring Tyga) |
|
| 2:25 |
| Total length: | 40:10 | |||
Charts
edit| Chart (2022) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Reggae Albums (Billboard)[10] | 2 |
| US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[11] | 3 |
References
edit- ^ a b Schube, Will (2022-03-12). "Shenseea Releases Debut Album, 'Alpha'". uDiscover Music. Retrieved 2022-08-28.
- ^ Taylor, Sharine. "Shenseea Isn't Abandoning Dancehall — She's Just Doing It All". Refinery29. Retrieved 2022-08-28.
- ^ Bowenbank, Starr (2022-01-20). "Megan Thee Stallion Teases Shenseea Collab 'Lick' in Neon Swimsuit Photos". Billboard. Retrieved 2022-08-28.
- ^ Quincy (2022-02-17). "Shenseea & 21 Savage Join Forces For "R U That"". Ratings Game Music. Retrieved 2022-08-28.
- ^ Baugh, Claudine (2022-03-05). "Watch: Shenseea Delivers Sexy Performance Of 'Deserve It' On 'Jimmy Kimmel Live'". DancehallMag. Retrieved 2022-08-28.
- ^ a b Elsiddig, Walaa (2022-07-13). "Focused, Shenseea is Ready to Shine". Billboard. Retrieved 2022-08-31.
- ^ McNeal, Bria (25 March 2022). "Shenseea, Jamaica's Dancehall Princess, Is Here To Dominate". Nylon. Retrieved 2022-08-28.
- ^ a b Kerr, Anna-Kaye (2022-03-22). "Shenseea's Alpha Debuts At No. 2 On Billboard, First Week Sales Reveal". Urban Islandz. Retrieved 2022-08-28.
- ^ "Shenseea's 'Alpha' Spends Second Week On Billboard Reggae Chart". DancehallMag. 2022-03-29. Retrieved 2022-08-29.
- ^ "Shenseea Chart History (Reggae Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
- ^ "Shenseea Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 21 March 2022.