Sunrise & Sunset
From Clumsy Media
Sunrise & Sunset is the fourth studio album by Japanese singer JayMi. It was released by Capitol Records on December 2, 2016. While the album was initially planned to be "more performance focused" than her previous materials, the album ultimately became a prominently heartbreak and sentimentalism inspired record due to various events surrounding her life at the time which coincidence with its writing, production and recording phrases. The singer worked with several past collaborators, while enlisting new producers and guest vocals. Much of Prism revolves around the themes of living in the present, moving forward and forgetting the past, relationships, and self-empowerment. Many critics praised the album's lyrical content for being more "mature" while others considered the album to be more formulaic than her previous materials.
The album debuted atop the Japan Oricon 200 with more than 900,000 copies sold in the first week, becoming her best opening week to date. The album also peaked at the top ten positions in Russia, Italy, Ireland, South Korea, Thailand and China. Sunrise & Sunset became JayMi's fastest-selling album, and the Japan Federation of the Phonographic Industry (JFPI) reported that the album was the third best-selling album in the Asia in 2017, the best-selling album in Japan in 2016 released by a woman, and labelled JayMi as "a continuing Asia pop phenomenon." It has globally sold two million copies as of July 2017. It earned JayMi widespread critical acclaim and several award nominations across Asia, ultimately winning the Japan Grammy Award for Best Pop Album and Best Female Artist.
The release of the album was preceded by the release of two singles. "Roar" was released on August 10, 2013 as the album's lead single. It became a commercial success and topped the Billboard Hot 100. "Unconditionally" debuted on October 16, 2013 as the record's second single and was a moderate commercial success worldwide. In between the release of these two tracks were the releases of promotional singles "Dark Horse" on September 17 and "Walking on Air" on September 30, 2013. "Dark Horse" was released as the album's third single three months later on December 17, 2013, and also reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100. "Birthday" and "This Is How We Do" were the fourth and fifth singles, respectively. Prism was further promoted through The Prismatic World Tour.
Background
After ending her California Dreams Tour, Perry stated that she intended to "live a little" before recording any new material that was "worth listening to".[11] When ex-husband Russell Brand left her on December 30, 2011,[12] she felt devastated and contemplated suicide.[13] Perry revealed to Vogue in June 2012 that she planned to record a "darker" album than her previous records. She stated: "It was inevitable, after what I went through. If I had a time machine and could go back in time, I would. But I can't, so, you'll discover another part of me."[14] To Interview, she mentioned that she aspired to include a more acoustic vibe to the record.[10]
Perry also said that her music would be getting "real fucking dark", though also stated that her fans would be able to relate to it. "I imagine that maybe my next record would be a little bit more of an artistic venture," she said. "Not that I'm going to self-sabotage either and be like, 'I'm going to make a crazy record that nobody really understands.'"[15] That fall, she later told Billboard about her plans for the album, saying she already envisioned several aspects of it. Perry told the magazine that she already had songs and ideas, and knew the type of record she would make next. She also said that although she had not started recording yet, she already knew how the artwork, coloring and tone of the album would turn out. Perry further detailed: "I have to let the music take shape first. I even know what type of tour I'm doing next. I'll be very pleased if the vision I have in my head becomes a reality. But I have to honor the music."
Recording
The development of Prism started when Perry was embarking on the California Dreams Tour. She began with a process she deemed "slow cooking", which consisted of recording random "fragments of ideas" into her mobile phone's dictaphone application. A member of Direct Management Group, Ngoc Hoang, then transcribed the audio files, which he inserted into what Perry described as a "treasure chest"; such object was consulted by Perry later on during the album's recording sessions. While Perry started recording the album officially in November 2012, accompanied by Greg Wells and Greg Kurstin, she noted she was still in a "dark place", and that she had not "let the light in". The sessions began again in March 2013, following a trip to Madagascar which Perry credited as having "put [her] priorities in perspective", thus leading her to "do more work on [her]self". Perry also viewed a video made by Eckhart Tolle, which discusses loss. She commented: "When you lose something, all your foundations crumble—but that also leaves a big hole that's open for something great to come through."[13]
After feeling prepared to record again, she reunited with her team from Teenage Dream—Dr. Luke, Bonnie McKee, and Cirkut—in Perry's hometown of Santa Barbara, California, where they spent a month recording at Playback Recording Studio among others. After those sessions, she went to Stockholm, where she worked with Scandinavian record producer Max Martin, to do what Perry called "put[ting] the ice on the cake". She also recruited other collaborators, such as Norwegian team Stargate, Bloodshy, Benny Blanco, Jonatha Brooke and Sia Furler.[13] By April 2013, recording for the album was halfway complete, and Perry revealed to ASCAP how was working with such collaborators. She affirmed that Wells allowed her to "vomit words"; with Martin, she picked the melodies of the songs; Luke mostly helmed the production and she worked with "topline and melody". Perry described writing sessions with McKee as "emotional abuse", adding that they argue over the "best lyric", as if they were fighting in a boxing ring.[17] McKee, who wrote four songs for Prism, spoke with MTV on the effort, describing it as "a little bit more grown up" and "interesting".[18]
Tracklisting
1. Heart in the Maze (迷路における心臓)
2. Starlight (ブライトスターライト)
3. Harmony of the Sea (海のハーモニー)
4. Happy (ハッピー)
5. April Smiles (4月の笑顔)
6. Strong & Dangerous (強力かつ危険)
7. Double Rainbow (二重の虹)
8. Stepping Forward (前方ステッピング)
9. Psycho of Romance (ロマンスサイコ)
10. Riding Into the Sunset (夕日を見てみましょう)
