User:Mrs. Hastings/sandbox/Drew Hacks/Studio 3

Stay a Bit with Me is the third studio album by American singer Drew Hacks. It was released on November 20, 2023, through Columbia Records. Following the A|Jeans World Tour, Hacks moved to New York City in November 2019 and experienced the 2020 COVID-19 lockdowns alone in the recently-bought house. The period led him to a break from music releases and focus on crafting and archiving new songs. By February 2021, Hacks had worked on 54 tracks and was convinced by his friends to create a record about COVID-19. A project tentatively titled 19 Days was under initial stages of development in June 2021, when Hacks discarded it and returned to his hiatus. Inspired by Beyoncé's Renaissance (2022) and its song "Plastic Off the Sofa", the singer began working on a "romantic disc" in August 2022. He revisited the songs he wrote during lockdowns and finished recording the album in March 2023. The visual concept and identity were developed during the following four months. Columbia was handled the album's final version on April 4, 2023.

Described by Hacks as his "ultimate love letter", Stay a Bit with Me lyrically presents love songs written in first-person narrative and other tracks about the importance and impact of love. It is primarily an electropop album and sees Hacks venture himself into alternative R&B. The singer stated that lyrics and music "feed-backed each other", leading the creative process towards a more "R&B-ish" production. Kid Harpoon returned to work with Hacks for the album, but did not act as an executive producer, leaving the duty solely to Hacks for the first time. Previous collaborators also include WondaGurl and Fatima Al Qadiri, while Honey Dijon, Tokimonsta, Nova Wav, and Syd were personally contacted by Hacks to work on the project. Guest vocalists Alicia Keys and Rina Sawayama were chosen by Hacks due to the lyrical themes of their respective featured tracks; both spent separate weekend on Hacks' house to record the songs and spent quality time with the singer.

Stay a Bit with Me was preceded by the release of two singles: "A|Wanna Be In Bed Forever" in May and "A|Strict 2 U" featuring Keys in September 2023. In the United States, the lead single debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. The song received critical acclaim and quickly became of the Hacks' and 2023's best-selling singles. "Strict 2 U" received a more full-bodied marketing campaign, but did not perform better commercially, although several critics labeled it one of both Hacks and Keys' best songs ever. "A|Call You Again", "Golden Showers", and "I Care Enough" featuring Sawayama were issued as the following singles in January, March, and May 2024, respectively. The latter and the former attained moderate critical and commercial success, whereas "Golden Showers" topped the Billboard Hot 100, as well as 17 other charts, and attracted universal acclaim for its double entendres and addictive rhythm. A tour named Stay a Bit with Drew Hacks: The Show took place between January 16 and November 20, 2024.

Stay a Bit with Me debuted atop the US Billboard 200 chart, becoming Hacks' second consecutive album to do so. By the end of 2024, it had sold over 2 million copies in the United States, making it the second-best-selling album of the year in the country, and it was the third-best-selling album of 2023, according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), with 2.4 million copies sold worldwide. Upon its release, the album was met with critical acclaim, with reviewers praising its songwriting (particularly the take on love), production, concept, visual identity, and COVID-19 references. Hacks was also praised for his vocal and songwriting abilities, as well as for his understanding of his own feelings. The album's associated music videos were also subject of praise from music critics; many considered it to be further examples of Hacks' knowledge of the influence of imagery and visuals of the 21st century audiences.