Français
| Français | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| File:BeastetteFrancaisEPcover.png | ||||
| EP by Beastette | ||||
| Released | 3 October 2011 | |||
| Recorded | Summer 2011 | |||
| Genre |
Alternative French pop | |||
| Language | French | |||
| Label | Fusion | |||
| Producer |
Beastette Stephanie Kesh | |||
| Beastette chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Français | ||||
Français is the debut EP from Franco-British alternative pop singer Beastette. With most of the songs primarily written and produced by Beastette and her sister Stephanie Kesh (though one song was produced by popular dark pop singer MIDNIGHT), all of the songs are sung entirely in French and its title of the EP derives from this fact. It was released in the UK and Ireland on 3 October 2011 via Fusion Records and was subsequently released in France, Belgium, and Switzerland on the same day or later that month. An English version of the EP, French, was released in the United States, while both versions of the EP were released both in Canada and also in the UK and Ireland separately or in a "double EP" release on the same day that the original EP was released.
The subject matter of the songs deal with love, self-confidence, jealousy, and many other themes. The songs were first written in English by Beastette and later had to be translated by Kesh and a friend of Kesh's who worked as an interpreter. The album was promoted moderately well though it was interrupted by a major shift in the industry on the week it was supposed to be released. The EP debuted and peaked at #5 on the UK Albums Chart and would sell over 500,000 copies in the UK; it is certifed Platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). The album also reached #1 in France and also been certified Platinum there as well. The album also reached the top ten or top twenty elsewhere and has been certified Gold in some countries.
The EP only spawned two singles and only one of them were released in the UK. "Jaloux" was Beastette's debut single in Francophone-speaking Europe and hit #1 in France. It was supposed to be released in the UK but was cancelled. "Lavande" would be the second and final single from the EP and the only single from the project to be released in the UK. It reached #5 on the UK Singles Chart and would be Beastette's first Platinum single from the BPI. "Lavande" would also be known for its surprising longevity on the charts.
Background and production[edit | edit source]
Following the success of her platinum-selling debut album, Wildfire, Beastette began writing for the EP in Spring 2011. The first songs she wrote for the album were meant to be B-sides for possibly future singles from Wildfire. However, Wildfire only lasted three singles and Beastette decided to re-tool some of the potential b-side songs and make them into "regular" songs. With her not believing in re-releases, she decided that the new songs would be on an EP. Her best friend, Sexy Star, and her sister and collaborator on her debut album and on this EP, Stephanie Kesh, suggested she release material that was entirely in French something to which Beastette automatically thought was a good idea.
Recording for the EP began in Summer 2011. All the songs had already been written in English by Beastette and had to be translated to French by Stephanie Kesh and a friend of hers who worked as an interpreter for Google. While Kesh was bilingual, Beastette was only raised on speaking English - despite being born in France and spending some of her childhood there. While recording, Beastette had to learn to sing the French words of the songs phonetically with her sister coaching her on how to sing the words correctly. Beastette and Stephanie Kesh both produced songs on the album. Beastette's best friend, MIDNIGHT, was asked to produce a song on the album since Beastette sampled an unreleased demo by the singer and thought it would be a "nice tribute" to her. Naturally, Beastette sings all the vocals on the album but her sister provided additional vocals as well.
After a month of recording, production of the album ended in July 2011.
Writing and composition[edit | edit source]
Most of the songs on the album deal with love, self-confidence, sadness, and even jealousy. Beastette has stated in magazine interviews that the EP, in terms of subject matter of the lyrics, is "a bit more mainstream than Wildfire. I basically let my sensitive diva side almost take over. Of course there is a bit of quirk in there too. There just had to be some quirk or otherwise it wouldn't work".
"Société" (English: "Society") is the first track on the album. Described as having an ethereal melody and feel to it, the song describes the protagonist's struggle to maintain her individual identity while trying not to give into the pressures of society. "Dramatique" (English: "Dramatic") is an uptempo dance pop inspired song about describing a complicated person who is untrusting of many people because he has been hurt by others in the past; the protagonist is also accusing the said person of being a "drama king". "Licenciement" (English: "Dismissal") is described as a "love letter" to oneself to not let the negativety of others bring them down. The song's melody was described as being '80s-inspired.
"Jaloux" (English: "Jealousy") is a song about being jealous of one's success and being extremely bitter about it and also being insanely envious of that person. The song's melody heavily samples a song titled "Acidic Anna", an unreleased demo by MIDNIGHT, a close friends of Beastette. Due to the sample of the song, Beastette asked MIDNIGHT to produce the song in which she did. The song is described as having a heavy rock-inspired feel to it. "Facile" (English: "Easy") is about the protagonist shamelessly hitting on a promiscious person knowing that the promiscuous person will not say no to the protagonist's proposition. The song is described by Beastette for being "summery but you'd play it on a Spring day too" and is an uptempo song that heavily uses synthesizers. "Sortir" (English: "Exit") is about running away from a bad situation, whatever it may be.
"Lavande" (English: "Lavendar") is an electro/urban-inspired song that talks about lust and falling in love with someone at first sight. In the song, the protagonist remembers the first day she met her lover and even remembers certain details about that day - such as him wearing a lavendar silk shirt. "Cassé" (English: "Broken") is about a "crying call for help" and is the final track on the EP.
Promotion and release[edit | edit source]
Promotion for the EP began in late June. Beastette would continue promoting the EP althroughout July but a family emergency involving her father's sudden illness (he has since recovered) and her sister's pregnancy, resulted in her to postpone the promotion - and the release - of the album. Promotion for the EP picked back up in late August 2011. The covers for the EP had already been revealed in July 2011.
The EP was supposed to be released on 19 September 2011 in the UK and Ireland and in other territories on subsequent dates; it would've been released one week after the release of "Lavande" as a single in the UK and Ireland. However, both "Lavande" and the EP was rescheduled prior to Beastette's postponement of the releases and her mini-sabbactical in France to take care of her family. "Lavande" and the EP was finally released on 3 October 2011 in the UK and Ireland, where in the former, one week before the EP's release, an infamous shift in the UK music industry disrupted vital promotion for the EP. It was also pointed, however, that the EP had moderate promotion for Beastette and her management to begin with even before the "infamous shift". The album was released in France, Belgium, Switzerland, Denmark, Canada, and the United States on the same day, the same week, or later that month.
The EP was released in three editions: the regular French-lanuage version, the English version of the EP, and a "double EP" double disc set that includes both the French and English versions of the song on two separate discs. Beastette stated that the reasopn for the three editions was so that her fans "rather casual or diehard can have options. I, myself, love options...and then some". The regular French edition was released in the UK, Ireland, France, Belgium, Switerzland, and Canada while the English version was released in Denmark, the United States, Canada and also in the UK and Ireland as well; in the UK, however, the French version was considered to be the "official" version there. The "double EP" double disc French-English set was released in the UK, Ireland, Canada, and France.
Commercial performance[edit | edit source]
Français debuted at #5 on the UK Albums Chart, selling more than 59,000 copies in its first week. The EP managed to sell over 500,000 copies despite moderate promotion and only one single being released in the UK (which was "Lavande"). The EP has been certified Platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). The album also reached #7 in Ireland and has been certified Gold by IRMA.
In France, Français debuted at #1, becoming Beastette's second chart-topper on the French albums chart. The EP is currently certified Platinum by the SNEP in France. The album reached the top ten in Canada, Wallonia (Belgium), Switzerland, and even Denmark; it also reached the top twenty in the United States and Flanders (Belgium). The EP was certified Gold in Belgium and Switzerland.
Singles[edit | edit source]
- "Jaloux" was released as the lead single throughout most of francophone Europe (including France) and Canada. The single was commercially successful in those regions where it reached #1 in France and the top ten in the other regions that it was released in. The single was supposed to be released in the UK, US, and Ireland but was postponed and later cancelled.
- "Lavande" was released as the second and final single from the EP. It was released in the UK, Ireland, and US in place of "Jaloux" which got postponed and later cancelled. It was the only single from the EP to be released in those countries. "Lavande" was commercially successful in the UK where it charted at #5 and later went Platinum, becoming the first Platinum-certified single for Beastette and her management. Known for its longevity on the charts (more than ten week), the song sold over 300,000 copies in the UK. The single was eventually released in other countries in Francophone Europe and Canada. It is so far recognized as Beastette's widest charting single since it has charted in all of the countries that Beastette usually releases in.
- "Lencenciement" was scheduled to be the third single from the EP that was supposed to be released in April 2012 alongside a planned re-release of the EP. However, both the EP and the single were postponed. In March 2012, Beastette announced that the re-release and the single's release had been cancelled and that she would be moving on to work on her new album.
Charts[edit | edit source]
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Certifications and sales[edit | edit source]
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Release dates[edit | edit source]
| Date | Region | Label | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 October 2011 | United Kingdom | Fusion | CD Digital download Vinyl |
| Ireland | |||
| France | |||
| Belgium | CD Digital download | ||
| Switzerland | |||
| 4 October 2011 | United States | ||
| Canada | |||
| 17 October 2011 | Denmark |
