Gianni

Gianni is the third extended play by British recording artist Alesha, released on February 23, 2015 by Holy Trinity Music Group. It was released in place of a fifth single from Alesha's self-titled ninth studio album, featuring three songs from that record and two previously unreleased tracks. Musically, the EP draws heavy influence from '90s dance music, particularly the house subgenre. The EP's title is a nod to the late Italian fashion designer Gianni Versace, who was gunned down in 1997.

Gianni received positive reviews from contemporary music critics, who appreciated its cohesiveness. It peaked at number 2 on the official singles chart, continuing Alesha's streak of top-two hits. Along with three other tracks, the EP included a collaboration with Nicola (an opening act for the Alesha: Renaissance Live tour) and a remixed version of album track "White Naomi". No music videos were filmed to promote the release.

Background and composition
Alesha began writing and recording material for her ninth studio album in late 2013, with sessions ending in March 2014. The album was released in May 2014 and spawned four commercially successful singles: "Witch" (featuring Malaya), "Japan", "Opulence" (with Paulo Araujo) and "Number One". Alesha had planned on releasing further singles from the album, such as "Mermaids", before concluding the era with an EP. However, after completing her tenth studio album sooner than expected, Alesha brought forward the release of the Gianni EP and nixed plans for a fifth and potentially even sixth single.

The EP is fronted by the Gianni Mix of fan favorite album track "White Naomi", which references supermodel Naomi Campbell and designers like Christian Louboutin, Miuccia Prada and Versace. In addition to referencing the fashion industry, Alesha also makes allusions to New York ball culture. This influence is also evident in songs like "Opulence", which was built around a line from the 1990 documentary film Paris Is Burning. Sonically, "White Naomi" contains both EDM and '90s house influences. Track two, "Read the House Down", is a duet with Ace Rejects singer Nicola. Alesha wrote the song specifically to record for the EP with Nicola, who had expressed her adoration of "White Naomi" and suggested its single release. The song showcases a similar style to "White Naomi", built around a hook that suggests "Girls like us get high for free."

Track three on the EP, "Kiss of Death", was also written specifically for the EP. The song is a "kiss-off" to an ex-lover, namely Alesha's ex-wife, retired R&B singer Neyssa. More so than the rest of the EP, "Kiss of Death" contains heavy house influences. The song again references drag / ball culture with lyrics like "Girl, you slayed me" being given a more literal meaning. The fourth and fifth tracks on the EP are "Symposium" and "Ghosts", both taken from Alesha. "Symposium" is an anthemic love song that (again) pays homage to '90s dance music and references Greek philosopher Plato's Symposium. "Ghosts," on the other hand, is a "robotic" mid-tempo dance-pop song that draws its bass line from New Order's "Blue Monday" (originally released in 1983 and re-released in 1988 and 1995).

Critical reception
Gianni received mixed to positive 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 62, which indicates "generally favorable reviews", based on sixteen reviews.

Commercial performance
The Gianni EP entered the official singles chart at number two with first week sales of ?, behind Curriculum. "White Naomi" also peaked at number one on the official airplay chart. Selling over 500,000 copies, it continued Alesha's streak of platinum releases.

Track listing
All songs written and produced by Alesha.


 * 1) "White Naomi" (Gianni Mix)
 * 2) "Read the House Down" (with Nicola)
 * 3) "Kiss of Death"
 * 4) "Symposium"
 * 5) "Ghosts"