Alesha (documentary)

Alesha is a 2014 documentary television film of British recording artist Alesha, following her return to the music industry in the lead-up to her self-titled ninth studio album (2014). It premiered on MTV in two parts: the first episode premiered on May 11, 2014, the eve of Alesha's album release while the second episode aired a week later. ITV1 re-aired the program in the United Kingdom. The documentary depicts Alesha finalizing the album, making public appearances for additional promotion, and filming music videos for the promotional single "Renaissance" and lead single "Witch".

Alesha received generally mixed reviews from mainstream critics, who appreciated Alesha's seemingly genuine commentary, but were disappointed by its failure to fully discuss her controversies and public criticisms. According to Nielsen ratings, the premiere episode was watched by approximately 2.6 million viewers in the United States. An extended version of the documentary was broadcast by MTV on May 23, 2014.

Background and production
The concept of producing a documentary evolved out a conversation between Alesha and her management team, where Alesha expressed her interest in presenting herself back to the public. After hitting a "low point," Alesha "really wanted to be able to tell her story, talk about where she's been, where she is today and where she is going." Alesha teamed up with the American cable television network MTV and award winning filmmakers Radical Media for the documentary. Alesha was shot in about a month, spanning most of April 2014, including an appearance at the 25th Urapopstar Awards. Alesha's promotional single "Renaissance" and official comeback single "Witch" were used to soundtrack initial trailers, while later promos used audio from Alesha album tracks "For Dead" and "Banshee".

It was first reported that Alesha would star in a two-part documentary film for MTV in March 2014, shortly after the announcement of Alesha's return from hiatus; an official statement published by the network elaborated that it would "[follow] Alesha as she works on the album and delves deep into the transformation she has experienced over the past few years." Its title was announced in April, with a broadcast date confirmed for May 11. Its premiere came on the eve of the release of Alesha's ninth studio album, Alesha, for which the documentary served as a prootional tool. An official trailer was released by MTV on May 4, 2014. Alesha was screened to mainstream critics the week prior to its official release, although it was further reworked before being broadcast on the network.

Synopsis
The documentary commences with Alesha finalizing the recording and mastering of "Japan", the last track to be completed for her ninth studio album Alesha (2014). Alesha confesses that the studio can feel "lonely," writing and producing the bulk of her own content, and further elaborates that her previous album The Martyr (2011) represented "a very dark, lonely period." She comments, "I think 'The Martyr' was an artful album, but was it my best? I don't think so. People couldn't connect with it." Alesha shares personal photographs from a trip to Bali in 2012, where she met American publishing mogul Austin Roosevelt. The pair were married in July 2013. The first episode continues with Alesha filming the music video for "Renaissance," which pays homage to kitschier moments of the 1980s. Alesha talks about the prospect of touring.

In the second part of the documentary film, which has traditionally been aired in one installment with later airings, Alesha discusses her return to pop music after experimenting with alternative sounds. Alesha attends the 25th Urapopstar Awards to present an award alongside Victor Strong of Phoenix Rising, who Alesha was not on good terms with earlier in her career. Both artists are so rushed backstage that they never even interact, with Alesha being carted away to amfAR's AIDS benefit afterparty. The next segment sees Alesha filming the music video for "Witch" with Malaya. Alesha says it's been "refreshing" to work with a younger artist and highlights ageism in the music industry. She closes the show by saying, "Growing older has given me this sense of refinement, I think, that I didn't have before. 'Alesha Is the Queen' came out when I was 23. This is that girl seven years later. She's more mature, she's classier and she's even better."

Reception
Alesha received generally mixed reviews from mainstream critics. Writing for E!, Bruna Nessif provided a favorable review; she opined that the documentary was "pretty entertaining" and reminded the general public that Alesha "takes her job very seriously and still gets nervous." Newsday's Glenn Gamboa gave a positive review, appreciating that Alesha "surprises with her words, not her actions." USA Today said that Alesha appeared "good-humored and grateful to her fans" throughout the documentary.

In a mixed review, Kia Makarechi from The Huffington Post was critical of the decision to avoid featuring Alesha's husband Austin Roosevelt (although he is mentioned and shown in photographs) and toning-down of the criticism Alesha received at many points in her career. She implied that MTV treated Alesha like "an honest-to-god civil rights advocate", although felt that Malaya's appearance was among the only "redeeming moments." Writing for Refinery29, Leila Brillson felt that "very little was clarified" by Alesha, and suggested that the documentary suffered from its lack of focus.

In its original broadcast in the United States on May 11, 2014, Alesha was watched by approximately 2.6 million viewers, and earned a 1.8 rating in the 18–49 demographic. Combined with the rerun immediately after the first showing, it received 4.9 million viewers overall. The second episode was watched by 1.6 million viewers. An expanded version of the program with an additional thirty minutes of content was broadcast by MTV on May 23, 2014; it contained behind-the-scenes footage that was excluded from the original version, and expanded upon existing segments. In the United Kingdom, the broadcast received 782,000 viewers and 3.6% share. Moreover, it also received 9.2% amongst adults 16-34 and 10.1% among women 16-34.