Beauty Marks (album)

Beauty Marks is the seventh studio album by American singer-songwriter Ciara. It was released on May 10, 2019, through her own independent label, Beauty Marks Entertainment with distribution from Alternative Distribution Alliance. It is her first album since Jackie (2015). The album was preceded by five singles "Level Up", "Freak Me", "Dose", "Greatest Love" and "Thinkin Bout You".[3]

Beauty Marks
Studio album by
Ciara
ReleasedMay 10, 2019 (2019-05-10)
Recorded2017–2019
Studio
  • Sphere Studios (London)
  • Rocco's Castle
  • Beauty Marks Studios
  • Neptune Valley (Los Angeles)
  • Space Primates Palace
Genre
Length40:03
LabelBeauty Marks
Producer
Ciara chronology
Jackie
(2015)		 Beauty Marks
(2019)		 CiCi
(2023)
Singles from Beauty Marks
  1. "Level Up"
    Released: July 18, 2018
  2. "Freak Me"
    Released: August 10, 2018
  3. "Dose"
    Released: September 14, 2018
  4. "Greatest Love"
    Released: February 12, 2019
  5. "Thinkin Bout You"
    Released: March 29, 2019

Upon release, Beauty Marks debuted at number 87 on the US Billboard 200, marking it Ciara's lowest charting album to date.[4]

Background

After the release of her sixth studio album, Jackie (2015), Ciara decided to leave Epic Records in early 2016. Although the album spawned the Platinum-certified single, "I Bet", it failed to make much of a commercial impact, selling only around 160,000 copies worldwide within a three-month period.[5] The singer had planned to further promote the album with a second leg of the Jackie Tour in March 2016, after postponing the dates from November 2015; however, on February 27, 2016, Ciara announced that the remaining dates of the tour had been cancelled and that she'd instead focus on recording her seventh studio album, while expressing that the album would see her undertaking a new musical direction.[6][7]

On January 27, 2017, it was announced that Ciara had signed a new recording contract with Warner Bros. Records.[8][9] As a part of the deal, Ciara began working on her seventh studio album and shot a music video for its lead single, "Level Up", in 2017. However, the Warner Records CEO didn't agree with the musical direction; as a result, Ciara's contract with the label was terminated and she was given the masters from the recording sessions for free.[10]

In 2017, Ciara launched her own record and entertainment company, Beauty Marks Entertainment (BME); the venture was launched for her to follow her own creative direction and release her music on her own terms, with the singer eventually hoping to sign additional artists.[11] BME's first endeavor was the release of the singles "Level Up", "Freak Me", and "Dose" in 2018, while Ciara officially announced its formation on February 7, 2019 at the MAKERS Conference.[11]

On March 28, 2019, Ciara announced that her seventh studio album would be titled Beauty Marks after her label and that it would be released on May 10, 2019. The album was made available for pre-order the following day, along with its fifth single, "Thinkin' Bout You".[12] In speaking on the album's development process, Ciara expressed that she now feels as she did at the start of her career, stating:

I was this young girl excited to be living my dreams and having the best time. I'm back to that phase again.[12]

Ciara revealed that she co-wrote the title track "Beauty Marks" with Skylar Grey.[13]

Singles

"Level Up" was released via digital download and through streaming platforms on July 18, 2018 as the album's lead single, alongside a high-octane music video. The single peaked at 59 on the US Billboard Hot 100[14] and at 23 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart,[15] while its music video inspired the viral "level up dance challenge". Ciara also challenged fans to share three ways that they hoped to "level up" in life in promotion of the single. The song was certified Platinum by the RIAA. With the success of "Level Up", Ciara released the album's second single, "Freak Me", featuring Nigerian rapper, Tekno, less than a month later on August 10, 2018. The single peaked at 22 on the US R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Songs Chart.[16]

"Dose" was released as the album's third single on September 14, 2018, after premiering on ESPN’s Monday Night Football halftime show. The song's music video premiered on October 25, 2018 (Ciara's 33rd birthday). The single peaked at 7 on the US R&B Digital Songs Sales chart.[17] The album's fourth single, "Greatest Love", was released alongside its music video on February 11, 2019, to coincide with Valentine's Day. The single peaked at 21 on the US R&B Digital Songs Sales chart.[17]

"Thinkin Bout You" was released as the fifth single on March 29, 2019, along with the album's pre-order. Its music video premiered that same day. The single peaked at 20 on the US R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Songs Chart.[16]

Ciara released a music video for the album's title track on May 11, 2019 and one for the album's third track, "Set", on June 14, 2019. Despite not being released as a single, the title track peaked at 22 on the R&B Digital Songs Sales chart.[17]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic57/100[18]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[19]
NME[20]
Pitchfork6.5/10[21]
Spectrum Culture3/5[22]
Spinmixed[23]
Timepositive[24]

Beauty Marks received generally mixed reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 57, based on 4 reviews.[18] Andy Kellman, writing for AllMusic, noted that Ciara "retreads just about every move she has made before," and praised the ballads for the ballads for "easily prevail[ing] over the up-tempo numbers, not one of which is a match for the singer's previous dancefloor conquests."[19] In his Spin review, Alfred Soto called the album "mediocre", but remarked that "[it] manages to land in the middle of Ciara's discography when boldness is required."[23] Nick Levine rated the album with 3 out of 5 stars, claiming that "[t]hough ‘Beauty Marks’ is rarely innovative, Ciara shows a respectable amount of range throughout the record.[20] During his review for Pitchfork, Eric Torres perceived that "despite a handful of highlights, Beauty Marks is marred by filler, moving between frothy pop-R&B and stale empowerment anthems that leave Ciara's talents largely underused."[21] In a more positive note, Steven J. Horowitz praised the album's themes of happiness and contentment, claiming that they "suit her well, as does her newfound openness. This is the Ciara that we deserve, and that she deserves too."[24]

Commercial performance

The album debuted at number 87 on the US Billboard 200[4] and number 48 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.[25] As of May 2019, the album has sold over 135,000 equivalent album units globally.[26]

Track listing

All songs were written by Ciara. Additional writers are noted below.

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."I Love Myself" (featuring Macklemore)
5:28
2."Level Up"
3:24
3."Set"
  • Thomas
  • Dallas Caton
  • Moonbeat
  • Ciara[a]
  • Andy D. Park[a]
2:56
4."Thinkin Bout You"
3:48
5."Trust Myself"
3:38
6."Girl Gang" (featuring Kelly Rowland)
3:19
7."Dose"
3:42
8."Na Na"
3:08
9."Freak Me" (featuring Tekno)
3:20
10."Greatest Love"
  • Thomas
  • Jasper Cameron
  • Rod Cameron
  • J. Cameron
  • R. Cameron
  • Ciara[a]
  • Park[a]
3:43
11."Beauty Marks"
3:38
Total length:40:03
Beauty Marks – Japan CD release bonus track [27][28]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
12."Level Up (Remix)" (featuring Missy Elliott & Fatman Scoop)
Rotem3:49
Total length:43:52

Notes

  • ^[a] signifies a vocal producer, this may be in addition to music production

Sample credits

  • "Level Up" contains a sample of the composition "Fuck It Up Challenge" by DJ Telly Tell, written by Telly Brown Jr.
  • "Freak Me" contains a sample of the composition "Before NKO" by Tiwa Savage, written by Tiwatope Savage, Charles Enebeli and Michael Ajereh Collins.

Personnel

Credits for Beauty Marks adapted from Allmusic. [29]

Studios

Recording locations

  • Sphere Studios (London)  – recording (track 1)
  • Rocco's Castle  – recording (track 1)
  • Beauty Marks Studios  – recording (tracks 1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 10, 12)
  • Neptune Valley (Los Angeles)  – recording (tracks 2, 5, 8, 9)
  • Space Primates Palace  – recording (track 4)

Mixing locations

Performers and Vocals
  • Ciara – primary artist, vocals (all tracks), background vocals (tracks 4, 7)
  • Macklemore – featured vocals (track 1)
  • Kelly Rowland – featured vocals (track 6)
  • Tekno – featured vocals (track 9)
  • Missy Elliott – featured vocals (track 12 (bonus))
  • Fatman Scoop – featured vocals (track 12 (bonus))
  • Theron Thomas – background vocals (track 3)
  • Marc Sibley – background vocals (track 4)
  • Nathan Cunningham – background vocals (track 4)
  • Carmen Reece – background vocals (track 7)
  • Benny Cassette – synths (track 1)
  • Kimberly Perry – wurltizer (track 1)
  • Josh Lopez – guitar (track 1)
  • J. R. Rotem – keyboard (tracks 2, 12(bonus))
  • Space Primates – instruments (track 4)
  • Andy D.Park – instruments (track 4)
  • Simone Vitucci – cello (track 11)

Production
  • Ciara – executive production, vocal production (all tracks), A&R
  • Monti Olson – A&R Partner
  • Benny Cassette – production, vocal production (tracks 1, 8)
  • Tyler Dopps – vocal production (track 1)
  • J.R. Rotem – production, vocal production (tracks 2, 9, 12(bonus))
  • Moonbeat – production (track 3)
  • Andy D. Park – vocal production (tracks 3–4, 6–7, 10)
  • Space Primates – production (track 4)
  • Brandon Green – production (track 5)
  • Colby Green – vocal production (track 5)
  • J. Pierre Medor – production (track 6)
  • C. "Tricky" Stewart – production (track 6)
  • Kelly Rowland – vocal production (track 6)
  • Kyle Coleman – vocal production (track 6)
  • Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins – production (track 7)
  • Jasper Cameron – production (track 10)
  • Rod Cameron – production (track 10)
  • Skylar Grey – production, vocal production (track 11)
  • Eric Ross – vocal production (track 11)

Technical
  • Jacob Richards – engineering assistance (tracks 1-7, 9-12)
  • Rashawn McLean – engineering assistance (tracks 1-7, 9-12)
  • Mike Seaberg – engineering assistance (tracks 1-7, 9-12)
  • Benny Cassette – programming, engineering (track 1)
  • Andy D. Park – engineering (tracks 1, 3–4, 6–7, 10–11)
  • Tyler Dopps – engineering (tracks 1, 3)
  • Jaycen Joshua – mixing (tracks 1–7, 9–12(bonus))
  • Samuel Kalandjian – engineering (tracks 2, 9, 12(bonus))
  • Rodney Jenkins – mixing (tracks 3–4, 7, 9)
  • Space Primates – programming, engineering (track 4)
  • Chris Szczech – engineering (tracks 5, 8, 11)
  • Kyle Coleman – engineering (track 6)
  • Derek Keota – engineering (track 7)
  • Joseph Hurtado – engineering (track 7)
  • Manny Marroquin – mixing (track 8)
  • Chris Athens – mastering (all tracks)

Artwork
  • Sasha Samsonova – photography
  • Dianne Garcia – styling
  • Alejandra Hernandez – styling
  • César DeLeön Ramirez – hair
  • Yolanda Frederick-Thompson – make-up
  • Miho Okawara – nails
  • JP Robinson – art direction and design
  • Stevie – art direction and design

Charts
Chart (2019) Peak
position
Australian Digital Albums (ARIA)[30] 28
UK Album Downloads (OCC)[31] 40
UK R&B Albums (OCC)[32] 10
US Billboard 200[4] 87
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[25] 48
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[33] 6

Release history
Region Date Edition Format Label Ref.
Various May 10, 2019 Standard
Beauty Marks [34][35]
Japan June 5, 2019 Japanese CD Warner Music Japan [36]

Beauty Marks Tour
Beauty Marks Tour
Tour by Ciara
LocationNorth America
Associated albumBeauty Marks
Start dateSeptember 13, 2019
End dateOctober 4, 2019
Legs1
No. of shows7 in North America
Ciara concert chronology

The Beauty Marks Tour was the fifth concert tour by American singer Ciara. The tour supported her seventh studio album, Beauty Marks.

Background

Ciara announced the tour on June 1, 2019, during a performance on Good Morning America.[37]

Reception

Reviewing the Houston date for the Houston Chronicle, Joey Guerra said that "every song was a renewed blast of energy" and that regardless of whether she was singing her first hits or her newest songs, "it's still an intoxicating sound".[38]

Tour dates
Date City Country Venue
September 13, 2019 Puyallup United States Washington State Fair
September 17, 2019 Los Angeles The Wiltern
September 24, 2019 Houston House of Blues
September 26, 2019 Atlanta Center Stage Theater
September 29, 2019 Silver Spring The Fillmore
October 1, 2019 New York City Sony Hall
October 4, 2019 Chicago Park West

Set list
  1. "Dose"
  2. "Set"
  3. "Goodies"
  4. "That's Right"
  5. "Get Up"
  6. "Ride"
  7. "Oh"
  8. "Promise"
  9. "And I"
  10. "Sorry"
  11. "I Bet"
  12. "Like a Boy"
  13. "Girl Gang"
  14. "If"
  15. "Freak Me"
  16. "Ciara to the Stage"
  17. "Like a Surgeon"
  18. "Body Party"
  19. "Thinkin Bout You"
  20. "1, 2 Step"
  21. "Tootsee Roll"
  22. "Level Up"

References
  1. "The singer's seventh album moves between frothy pop-R&B and stale empowerment anthems that leave her talents largely underused". Pitchfork. May 16, 2019. Archived from the original on June 1, 2019. Retrieved June 1, 2019.
  2. "Ciara gifts fans with new album, 'Beauty Marks'". ABC News Radio. May 10, 2019. Archived from the original on October 12, 2020. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
  3. Strauss, Matthew (March 28, 2019). "Ciara Announces New Album Beauty Marks". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on March 1, 2021. Retrieved March 29, 2019.
  4. "Ciara Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 21, 2019.
  5. "Ciara is leaving Epic Records according to @deontaemoore". Hip-hopvibe.com. February 18, 2016. Archived from the original on April 25, 2019. Retrieved May 12, 2019.
  6. "Ciara Cancels Upcoming North American Tour Dates". Billboard. Archived from the original on April 27, 2020. Retrieved May 12, 2019.
  7. Gracie, Bianca (March 1, 2016). "CIARA DEFENDS 'JACKIE,' SAYS NEXT ALBUM WILL BE BEST OF HER CAREER". Fuse. Archived from the original on November 11, 2016. Retrieved November 11, 2016.
  8. Lamarre, Carl (January 27, 2017). "Ciara Signs With Warner Bros. Records". Billboard. United States: Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on January 27, 2017. Retrieved January 27, 2017.
  9. Sam (January 27, 2017). "Ciara Signs New Record Deal With Warner Bros". Thatgrapejuice.net. United States. Archived from the original on January 27, 2017. Retrieved January 27, 2017.
  10. "Ciara Asked Label for Her Masters After They Didn't Believe "Level Up" Would be Successful". HNHH. June 20, 2022. Archived from the original on June 21, 2022. Retrieved June 21, 2022.
  11. "Ciara Talks New Label, 'Leveling Up' to Be Her Own Boss: 'Tough Moments Build Your Character'". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 3, 2021. Retrieved May 12, 2019.
  12. "Ciara Announces New Album 'Beauty Marks'". Rap-Up. March 28, 2019. Archived from the original on February 13, 2021. Retrieved March 29, 2019.
  13. "Ciara Talks "Thinkin Bout You" Performance & Oprah's Impact | BBMAs 2019". MSN. Archived from the original on May 2, 2019. Retrieved May 2, 2019.
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  19. Kellman, Andy. "Beauty Marks – Ciara | AllMusic". AllMusic. Archived from the original on May 8, 2021. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
  20. Levine, Nick (May 10, 2019). "Ciara – 'Beauty Marks' Review". NME. Archived from the original on May 23, 2019. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
  21. Torres, Eric (May 16, 2019). "Ciara: Beauty Marks Album Review". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on February 13, 2021. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
  22. Jacobs, Mick (May 19, 2019). "Ciara: Beauty Marks – Spectrum Culture". Spectrum Culture. Archived from the original on September 23, 2020. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
  23. Soto, Alfred (May 15, 2019). "Ciara's Beauty Marks Leaves Little Impression". Spin. Archived from the original on February 9, 2021. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
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