Maps of Music

Smile (2020)

Where the lyrics of Smile take you, and where it was really made.

Smile debuted at number five on the US Billboard 200, but it was Katy Perry's first album since One of the Boys (2008) not to reach number one.

Key places

Westlake Recording Studios (2020)

Recording site Westlake Recording Studios — Listed as a Los Angeles studio where Smile was recorded. The pin uses a cross-checked coordinate. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Studios 301, Sydney (2020)

Recording site Studios 301 — Listed as a Sydney studio where Smile was recorded. The pin marks the studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Orange Grove, Hollywood (2020)

Recording site Orange Grove — Listed as a Hollywood studio where Smile was recorded. The pin marks the studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Pulse, Los Angeles (2020)

Recording site Pulse (Los Angeles) — Listed as a Los Angeles studio where Smile was recorded. The pin marks the studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

A-House, Stockholm (2020)

Recording site A-House (Stockholm) — Listed as a Stockholm studio where Smile was recorded. The pin marks the studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Smile: sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter Katy Perry
• Released August 28, 2020, by Capitol Records
• Released three years after its predecessor, Witness (2017)
• Primarily a pop record, with themes of self-help and empowerment
• Perry described it as her "journey towards the light, with stories of resilience, hope, and love"

Background

• Perry said she struggled with situational depression in 2017, after Witness underperformed, public criticism, and her breakup with then-boyfriend Orlando Bloom
• She conceived Smile during this period
• In March 2018, Ian Kirkpatrick said he had worked with Perry on new music
• In March 2020, Perry revealed her pregnancy with Bloom through the music video for "Never Worn White"
• The pregnancy influenced Smile as well
• In May 2020, Perry announced "Daisies" as the lead single
• The album title was confirmed in July 2020, taken from one of the songs on the album

Recording

• Perry worked with many producers, including Josh Abraham, Carolina Liar, the Daylights, G Koop, Andrew Goldstein, Oligee, Oscar Görres, Oscar Holter, Ilya, Ian Kirkpatrick, the Monsters & Strangerz, Charlie Puth, Stargate and Zedd
• Recording locations in the candidate list include studios in Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, Stockholm and Sydney

Cover

• The artwork shows Perry as a glum clown with a red nose and a blue and white checkered suit above the title, Smile
• The cover was unveiled through a Twitter game in which fans popped virtual balloons
• The fan edition comes with a lenticular cover

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson, born October 25, 1984, in Santa Barbara, California; known professionally as Katy Perry.
• Released the gospel album Katy Hudson (2001) under Red Hill Records at age 16; it was commercially unsuccessful.
• Moved to Los Angeles, then signed to Capitol Records in 2007 and rose to fame with One of the Boys (2008).

Members

• Solo artist. Her sister Angela influenced her early singing; her brother David is also a singer.

Career

• "I Kissed a Girl" from One of the Boys topped the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.
• Teenage Dream (2010) became the only album by a woman to produce five U.S. number-one singles.
• Prism (2013) yielded "Roar" and "Dark Horse" as U.S. number ones; later albums include Witness (2017), Smile (2020) and 143 (2024).
• Performed the Super Bowl XLIX halftime show in 2015, which drew 118.5 million U.S. viewers.
• Prismatic World Tour grossed $204.3 million worldwide.
• Estimated sales of over 151 million records worldwide; seven RIAA Diamond certifications.
• Judge on American Idol from the sixteenth season (2018) to the twenty-second season (2024).
• Flew into space aboard Blue Origin NS-31 in April 2025.
• Named UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in December 2013.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Smile received mixed reviews from music critics
• Critics praised Perry's earnestness but criticized the familiar lyrics and production, which they found redundant in her catalogue
• Lindsay Zolandz of The New York Times thought Smile tries to add brightness to the dark, with a lightness absent from its predecessor, Witness (2017)
• Mark Kennedy of Chicago Tribune called the album a course-correction that sets Perry back into pure pop
• Joe Muggs of The i newspaper complimented the restrained production and Perry's maturation as a pop star, but dismissed the lyrics as bit too much self-help book redemption
• Kate Solomon of The Daily Telegraph found the album very earnest, but praised its fizzy bops and huge hooks
• Leah Greenblatt of Entertainment Weekly described the sound as too familiar and unaltered from Perry's older discography
• Dani Blum of Pitchfork called Smile cliché-ridden pop with confusing platitudes, also inapt for the COVID-19 pandemic
• Hannah Mylrea of NME wrote that the album comprises lackluster imitations and fillers

Reappraisal

• Metacritic: weighted average score of 58 from 18 reviews, indicating mixed or average reviews
• AnyDecentMusic?: 5.3 out of 10, based on its assessment of the critical consensus

Records

• Debuted at number five on the US Billboard 200, with 50,000 album-equivalent units, of which 35,000 were pure sales
• Fell to number 54 in its second week
• Opened at number five on the UK Album Charts for the week ending September 10, 2020, with 8,579 units
• Entered at number nine on the Irish Albums Chart
• Reached the top five in Australia, Belgium (Wallonia), Canada, New Zealand, Portugal, Scotland, Spain, the United States and the United Kingdom
• Certified Platinum in Canada and Norway
• Certified Gold by the RIAA in July 2024 for 500,000 album-equivalent units

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The album debuted at number five on the US Billboard 200 and was Perry's first album since One of the Boys (2008) not to reach number one.
• Many LP pressings include an alternative version of the title track featuring Diddy, which replaces the solo version.
• Perry performed Only Love with Darius Rucker at the American Music Awards of 2020, her first televised performance after giving birth to her first child, Daisy Dove Bloom.
• A remix of Cry About It Later featuring Luísa Sonza and Bruno Martini was released on April 24, 2021, alongside a lyric video.
• The Smile Video Series released animated music videos for seven songs from the album, one each day between August 26 and September 1, 2020.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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