The Scientist
| The Scientist | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by Syd Wolfe | ||
| Released | 11 March 2013 (UK) | |
| Genre(s) | Pop Electropop | |
| Label | Fusion | |
| Producer | ||
| Certification | ||
| Additional artwork | ||
 The Scientist 2 | ||
| Syd Wolfe Chronology | ||
| Monsters (2011) |
The Scientist (2013) |
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| Singles from The Scientist | ||
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The Scientist is the fourth studio by American singer & songwriter Syd Wolfe. The album was released via Fusion Records Worldwide on March 11, 2013.
The album was written in 2012 and recorded in the fourth quarter of the year. It was produced as a diary of the singers battle with depression after the breakdown of her marriage.
Musically, Wolfe attempted new genres that she hadn't included in her music in the past such as soul, dubstep, trip hop & alternative rock. The album consists of an eclectic mix of uptempo, mid-tempo and ballad-type tracks, each experimenting with a different genre. It also features collaborations with Aurora Reed, Lindsay Belle & Sandi Cohen. Syd had planned for the album to feature no collaborations, but opted for collaborations at the last minute. She stated the collaborators she picked were always her first choices for the songs.
The album's first single was the title track "The Scientist", which was released the same week as the album. They simultaneously charted at #1 on March 17, 2013; exactly two years after Wolfe's previous album 'Monsters' reached #1 on the album chart.
Background[edit | edit source]
Recording[edit | edit source]
Concept and Influences[edit | edit source]
The album describes the singers battle with depression 2012 after the breakdown of her first marriage.
Wolfe told SOUND magazine "I've been listening to all sorts before we produced the album. I didn't want the same old mix of pop and dance. I wanted to be dangerous and I wanted to go places that I hadn't before because that's where my journey has taken me". Genres on the album include pop, dance, house, hip hop, trip hop, alternative rock, dubstep & soul. "I listened to a lot of The Killers & Coldplay. I was listening to Jay Z before bed. I was brushing my teeth to Avicii. I was living my life through a musical orgasm and it felt great".
Music and Lyrical Content[edit | edit source]
The studio album was written entirely by Syd Wolfe, with contributions from Aurora Reed & Sandi Cohen on the tracks they featured. Wolfe told Cosmopolitan UK during her interview for their March 2013 issue that the album had been like "a personal diary yet an open letter". In some of the songs (Enchantment, John Galliano's In Jail, Melancholia) Wolfe describes her mental state openly and frankly. In other tracks (Second Hand China, Loveee & Retribution, Signs of a Broken Heart) she sings about her heartbreak and possible adultery as the cause of the divorce. Songs about finding love again (Love Affair, Romancing Strangers) also hint at an affair from the singer herself.
Promotion[edit | edit source]
Wolfe set out on a rigorous promotional campaign beginning on January 2, 2013 when her fans were teased on her official website with a countdown to January 10, 2013. News about the album also appeared on several release schedules around the world. "The Scientist" was given as the title and a 10/11 March 2013 date for US & UK. On 10 January, Wolfe's official website was updated with news about the album. It was confirmed that the lead single, also titled "The Scientist", would serve as the official Comic Relief single of 2013. The reveal also announced that the album would be released in two editions, with 11 tracks on the standard edition, the second edition never came into fruition. Four major collaborations were also confirmed however, only three materialised. On 13 January, the website was updated again with another reveal. This time revealing information about Syd's first ever feature film "Working Girl". On 16 January, the website was further updated with details about Syd's first fragrance & clothing range through fashion retailer River Island. On 5 February, Wolfe announced plans of her first ever world tour, titled "The Scientist World Tour", with tickets going on sale on 11 February 2013. She premiered her SYDNEY by Syd Wolfe collection at London Fashion Week on 15 February. The Skrillex remix of album track "Soldiers of the Masquerade" was played during the show.
Release[edit | edit source]
"The Scientist" is the first studio album from Wolfe since her debut 'Big Bad Wolfe' to only feature a standard edition upon release week. The album contains 11 standard tracks.
Reception[edit | edit source]
Critical response[edit | edit source]
Commerical performance[edit | edit source]
Upon release in the UK, the album charted at #1 outselling the #2 album by 3-1; selling 131,293 copies and becoming her biggest opening week sales in the UK. Colin O'Donoghue from the OCC commented "sales this week were down a seventh on previous weeks from 2013 but Wolfe managed to almost double her closest rivals sales on both charts" referencing the title tracks single release on the same week.
| Chart Run - Urapostar Albums Chart | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Week | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | 1 | 2 | 5 | 9 | 10 | 18 | 17 | 11 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Track listing[edit | edit source]
The Scientist[edit | edit source]
| No. | Title | Producer(s) | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Scientist" | Avicii | 3:58 | |
| 2. | "Enchantment" | Guy Sigsworth, Syd Wolfe | 3:41 | |
| 3. | "John Galliano's In Jail (featuring Lindsay Belle)" | Nellee Hooper, Syd Wolfe | 3:17 | |
| 4. | "Love Affair" | Nellee Hooper | 3:18 | |
| 5. | "Soldiers Of The Masquerade" | Calvin Harris | 4:13 | |
| 6. | "Hallelujah Forever (featuring Sandi Cohen)" | Stuart Price | 4:58 | |
| 7. | "Second Hand China (featuring Aurora Reed)" | Darkchild | 4:20 | |
| 8. | "Signs of a Broken Heart" | Greg Kurstin | 3:51 | |
| 9. | "Loveee And Retribution" | Al Shux | 2:40 | |
| 10. | "Romancing Strangers" | Disclosure | 4:05 | |
| 11. | "Melancholia" | Alex Da Kid, Syd Wolfe | 2:58 | |
Total length: |
41:19 | |||
Charts[edit | edit source]
| Chart (2013) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart | 1 |
| US Billboard 200 | 1 |
| German Albums Chart | 1 |
| Australian Albums Chart | 1 |
| Norwegian Albums Chart | 1 |
| New Zealand Albums Chart | 1 |
| Swedish Albums Chart | 1 |
| Swiss Albums Chart | 1 |
| Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders) | 3 |
| Belgian Albums Chart (Wallonia) | 5 |
| Czech Republic Albums Chart | 6 |
| Dutch Albums Chart | 4 |
| French Albums Chart | 2 |
| Finnish Albums Chart | 8 |
| Greek Albums Chart | 3 |
| Hungarian Albums Chart | 8 |
| Italian Albums Chart | 6 |
| Japanese Albums Chart | 9 |
| Mexican Albums Chart | 6 |
| Polish Albums Chart | 3 |
| Russian Albums Chart | 2 |
| Spanish Albums Chart | 5 |
Certificiation and sales[edit | edit source]
| Region | Provider | Sales | Certification |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | BPI | 130,000 | |
| Ireland | IRMA | 10,000 | |
| United States | IRMA | 1,104,000 | Platinum |
| Australia | IRMA | 48,000 |
