User:MrHyacinth/Sandbox/Sandbox 6

Big Fat Lie (stylized in all caps) is the second studio album by American recording artist Nicole Scherzinger.

Big Fat Lie was a commercial disappointment, peaking at number 17 on the UK Albums Chart and appearing on the lower regions of Belgium (Wallonia), France, and Switzerland.

Background
Nicole Scherzinger released her debut studio album, Killer Love, in March 2011 in the United Kingdom. It skewed towards Eurodance and explored genres such as dance and electronic." The album sold over 140,000 copies in the UK by November 2011, and spawned three top-three UK singles, including her first number-one single as a solo artist on the UK Singles Chart, "Don't Hold Your Breath". A US version featuring an alternate track list was initially delayed to coincide with her role as a judge on the first season of The X Factor US but the release never materialized. The following year, Scherzinger was hired as a judge on the ninth series of The X Factor UK to positive reception from viewers acknowledging that she set aside an album's release in favor of her work as a mentor.

In March 2013, Scherzinger released "Boomerang" as the lead single from the project. According to Scherzinger, the album was executive produced by will.i.am and featured contributions from producers Afro Jack, Dallas Austin, Toby Gad and Sandy Vee. Whilst planning to release the new album worldwide in November, Scherzinger had doubts about returning for the tenth series of The X Factor as the promotion for the album would clash with the live stages of the singing competition. She ultimately decided to return as a judge, and according to The Guardian, scrapped the project after "Boomerang's" lackluster success. It was during this time reports surfaced that Scherzinger was dropped from Interscope Records, however a spokesperson for Scherzinger denied speculation and confirmed that she was working with The-Dream and Tricky Stewart. Scherzinger previously collaborated with them during Her Name Is Nicole sessions where they produced "Power's Out", featuring Sting which was later included in Killer Love.

Development
Scherzinger, The-Dream and Tricky Stewart began recording for her second studio album in 2013 before The X Factor live shows would began. For Killer Love's follow-up, she sought to create a record without pressure from any label nor A&R and create music based from personal experiences.

She sought to create a "cohesive" album that would help her distinguish her from other artists. She took inspiration from the music of artists, such as Sade and Janet Jackson's The Velvet Rope (1997), to make a record that is "midtempo, supercool, [and] super-vibey."

After Scherzinger completed The X Factor, she reunited with the producers in January 2014 and travelled to Miami for further studio sessions, where the album's opening track "Your Love", was produced. The following month, Scherzinger confirmed that she signed a record deal with Sony Music Entertainment and RCA Records for a reported $4.5 million. Scherzinger stated that she left Interscope Records revealing they didn't put out her previous album and felt that it was "time to make a change."

Composition
Scherzinger said that songs from Big Fat Lie are pop with more urban and R&B influences. She cited The Velvet Rope (1997), the sixth studio album by American recording artist Janet Jackson and Sade as major influences. She further elaborated that the album is "vibey, it’s cool, it’s got a lot of soul and it’s a very personal album to me.”

The album opens with "Your Love" a pop and Dance song, where the singer expresses how her man's love makes her feel. "Electric Blue" is a funk song which evokes the work of Janet Jackson. The album's closing track "Run" is an emotive, piano-led ballad where Scherzinger offers advice to the next broken heart.

Release and promotion
On September 16, 2014, Scherzinger revealed the track listing for Big Fat Lie through Instagram via a crossword puzzle that fans had to solve. Later she unveiled the album artwork along with the title for the standard and deluxe versions of the album; the black-and-white image depicts a close-up image of Scherzinger tussling her hair. Mike Wass of Idolator noted that the image "screams early Janet Jackson." It was made available the same day for pre-order through the iTunes Store and it was confirmed that it would be released on October 20 in the United Kingdom.

Scherzinger first performed "Your Love" on the British chat show Alan Carr: Chatty Man on June 13, 2014. At the Isle of MTV festival in Malta on June 25, 2016, Scherzinger performed "Your Love" along with a number of songs which included songs from her former group the Pussycat Dolls. She performed while wearing black leather shorts and gold body chains and was accompanied by male and female dancers. "Run's" first televised performance was on Access Hollywood Live on October 1. The following day, several songs of the album were played at a spin class at SoulCycle studios in New York. On October 4, she traveled to France and performed "Don't Cha", "Run" and "Your Love" at the NRJ Music Tour in Saint-Etienne. The following day she sang the song for French television shows Le Mag and Touche pas à mon poste!. On October 15, she held an acoustic showcase of her album at Hotel Café Royal. She performed "On the Rocks" on This Morning on October 17 and five days later performed it at the 2014 MOBO Awards. On October 20, she held an album signing at a HMV store in Oxford Street.

Singles
"Your Love" was released as the lead single from Big Fat Lie on May 30, 2014. It generally received positive reviews from music critics who complimented the song's catchy chorus. The song peaked at number six on the UK Singles Chart and received moderate success in other international markets. The accompanying music video was directed by Dawn Shadforth and sees Scherzinger frolicking at a beach in Malibu, California.

"Run" was released as the second single and was chosen as the lead single from the US edition of Big Fat Lie impacting contemporary hit radio stations on September 30. An accompanying music video was released on November 14, 2014 depicting Scherzinger in an opulent mansion.

The third single, "On the Rocks" was released on October 10, 2014 as the second single in the UK. The song received negative reviews from music critics, criticizing the outdated production and the use of Auto-Tune. The accompanying black-and-white music video was released on September 5 and depicts Scherzinger confronting her boyfriend before running outside the house liberating herself.

Critical
Theo Watt of MTV UK described the Big Fat Lie as a "very like able record" and applauded the singer for putting her "life and insecurities on a record." John Aizlewood of the Evening Standard wrote that despite its "filler" the album is a "result is an appealing unity of supertight sound, where Scherzinger suggests a more vulnerable Beyoncé." In a more mixed review Lewis Corner of Digital Spy wrote that none of the songs quite to showcase her "flying vocal range, sharp choreography and glorious demeanor." He ended the review saying that the album "reaches for something it can't quite accomplish." Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic found that the album's production "isn't particularly distinctive" and criticized Tricky Stewart and The-Dream for not bringing "their A game." He ended the review writing, "There's nothing embarrassing about their work here but there's nothing memorable, and that suits a singer who has yet to strike a memorable pose in a decade of trying."

Commercial
The album first appeared on the Irish Album Chart at number thirty-nine. On the UK Albums Chart, the album under-performed entering at number seventeen and spending two weeks on the top 100. Following the commercial disappointment of the album, reports emerged that Scherzinger had been dropped by RCA Records, however she later clarified that she has signed a new record deal and will release new music in 2016. Big Fat Lie also appeared on the lower regions of Belgium (Wallonia) [number 156], France (number 108) and Switzerland (number 95).

Track listing

 * Notes
 * Godz Of Analog † C. "Tricky" Stewart, Terius "The-Dream" Nash*
 * undefined signifies a vocal producer

Credits and personnel
Credits adapted from the liner notes of Big Fat Lie.


 * Alejandro Baima – assistant engineering (track 11)
 * Kevin "KD" Davis – mixing (track 4)
 * Manny Dominick – additional percussion (track 1)
 * Josh Drucker – assistant mixing (tracks 1 - 3, 5 - 10)
 * Brian Gardner – mastering (track 1)
 * Brandon Harding – assistant engineering (track 10), assistant recording (track 3)
 * Jordan Lewis – additional recording (track 5), assistant recording (tracks 1 - 4, 6), assistant mixing (track 7)
 * Carlos "Los da Mystro" McKinney – producer (track 3)
 * Terius "The-Dream" Nash – producer (tracks 1 - 10), programming, sequencing (tracks 3, 7, 8)
 * Bart Schoudel – vocal production (tracks 1 - 3, 7, 9, 10), engineering (tracks 1, 3, 7 - 10), additional recording (tracks 2, 4)
 * Felix Snow – producer, mixer (track 11)
 * Brian "B-LUV" Thomas – engineering (tracks 2, 3, 5, 6), additional recording (tracks 1, 3)
 * Christopher "Tricky" Stewart – producer (tracks 1 - 10), programming, sequencing (tracks 3, 7 - 10)
 * Pat Thrall – additional editing (track 1)
 * Brent Paschke – guitar (tracks 1, 10)
 * Bianca Puente – assistant engineering (track 8), additional recording (track 5), assistant recording (tracks 2, 4, 6)
 * Stevy Pyne – guitar (track 3)
 * Eddie Smith III – additional programming (tracks 10)
 * Chris "TEK" O'Ryan – vocal production (tracks 4 - 6, 11), engineer (track 11), additional recording (tracks 2, 4 - 6), guitar (track 4)
 * Nick Valentin – assistant engineering (track 1), assistant recording (track 1)
 * Andrew Wuepper – mixing (tracks 1 - 3, 5 - 10)