Unbroken (Demi Lovato album)

Untitled

Unbroken is the third studio album by American recording artist Demi Lovato, released on September 20, 2011, by Hollywood Records. Writing and recording for the album began as early as July 2010, but ended in late 2010 due to Lovato's rehabilitation. Production resumed in April 2011 after Lovato's treatment ended. Musically, Lovato has described the album as "more mature" and "a little more R&B/pop" than her previous material, quoting artists such as Rihanna and Keri Hilson as influences. While some of the album's lyrical content was heavily influenced by Lovato's personal struggles in late 2010, it also deals with lighter subjects, such as love, self empowerment and having fun.

The album received generally mixed to mostly positive reviews from music critics, with some who commended its ballad tracks and praised Lovato's vocals, but others who dismissed it as "immature" and criticized its amount of "party songs". Despite critics' reviews, the album was praised by Lovato's fans. The album was a commercial success in the United States, peaking at number 4 on the Billboard 200, with sales exceeding 96,000 copies in its first week of release. Internationally, Unbroken charted within the top twenty of Australia, Canada, Mexico, New Zealand, and Argentina. Unbroken also appeared in the top 40 in charts in, Belgium, Spain, Switzerland and Italy. She appeared on the charts in Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, and in Japan.

Unbroken spawned two top 20 singles its lead single, "Skyscraper", was released on July 12, 2011. It was a commercial success in the United States, debuting and peaking at number ten on the Billboard Hot 100, making it Lovato's second highest-charting single to date behind "This Is Me" featuring Joe Jonas. It also reached the top twenty of Canada, New Zealand and Scotland. It was very well received from music critics, who generally cited it as a highlight on the album. "Give Your Heart a Break" was announced as the second single, and was released to American radio stations on January 23, 2012. On the week ending June 8, "Give Your Heart a Break" reached a peak of #16 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on Billboard Pop Songs.

Background

Kerli (left), Dev (middle) and Ryan Tedder (right) are some of the artists who worked on the album.

After the release and disclosure of her second album, Here We Go Again, in the second half of 2009, Lovato was dedicated to her acting career, with recordings for the series and movies Sonny with a Chance and Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam and their soundtracks. Therefore, recording the first track on this album was made only in July 2010 with producer Dapo Torimiro. Lovato is no longer recording Sonny with a Chance due to focus on her music and upcoming album.

That same month, the singer gave an interview to MTV, in which she said she was "creating a new sound", it would be "fun. A little more R&B/pop." Later, in conversation with AHN, quoted Rihanna and Keri Hilson as influences. At the time, she revealed she planned to work in no hurry on this album, stating that "Every other album I haven’t had time to really take my time and craft it like I really wanted to do because I was finding spare time between a television show, and movies, and touring, and then all over again. I’ve worked on (the album) for the past year and really gone hard over the past few months, but you can definitely tell that I took my time with this record."

In August 2010, Demi entered in the Camp Rock World Tour 2010 to release the movie Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam. In November, she left the tour due to personal problems and was admitted to a clinic for three months. During this time, the recordings were interrupted. Some time after leaving the clinic, the singer returned to work on the album, in April 2011, it was reported that she was also working with producers/songwriters Sandy Vee and August Rigo. Later that month, was announced that she would leave Sonny with a Chance, in which she portrayed Sonny Munroe, the main character. She left the show because she wanted to focus on her music career more than acting.

In July 2011, Demi described the album as "more mature" than their previous sound and more fun and light than her first single, "Skyscraper", while other tracks are more intense. On August 11, 2011, Demi used her Twitter account and Facebook page to announce the title of her album "Unbroken". The title came from the song of the same name which appears on the album. "I thought that the title really matched how I am today; I'm unbroken and I'm standing strong", she said.

In August 2011, Lovato explained the song "All Night Long" which features Missy Elliott and Timbaland is actually the polar opposite of "Skyscraper" and said it is about "staying up all night long and singing it to the boy that you like, and it's flirty and fun and it's not too grown-up, but it's grown-up enough."

Production

Lovato said in her column in Seventeen Magazine, in early June 2011:

I love being back in the studio! It's been very therapeutic to be able to express my feelings and talk about who I really am, through my music. It also helps that I've been lucky enough to work with such talented people on the record so far! With my new album, I'm hoping to provide inspiration for girls everywhere who are going through the same issues I've faced. I think this will come through in a lot of the material. My first single is really special to me— to me it symbolizes my journey from the person I was to the happy healthy person I am today, and the fact that people are able to rise above anything, despite the odds. I'm so excited to share all of this with you guys! The experience has been amazing so far and I'm really enjoying the whole process. There are definitely a lot of emotions that go into making an album. I feel blessed, inspired, and nervous with anticipation, but mostly, I feel excited about the future, and about sharing this new record with my fans!

Around 20 tracks were recorded for the album, one of which is a duet with an R&B singer. She also worked with Dreamlab, Rock Mafia, Ryan Tedder and Kara DioGuardi. About working with Lovato, Tedder commented, "Demi blew me out of the water vocally! I had no idea how good her voice is. She's one of the best singers I've ever worked with. Literally, that good... I mean, she's a Kelly Clarkson-level vocalist. And Kelly has a set of pipes". He also explained that the song they co-wrote together is much more upbeat than Skyscraper. "I think everybody wanted to hear her talk about that, and this is basically flipping it 180, saying, 'Oh, by the way, I'm still also just young and want to have fun.' There's even like a little rap feature on it."

Reception

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	(59/100)
Review scores
Source	Rating
Absolute Punk	(8.1/10)
Allmusic
Artist Direct
Entertainment Weekly	(B+)
MusicOMH
New York Times	(favorable)
PopMatters	(5/10)
Rolling Stone
Sputnikmusic
USA Today

The album received mixed to positive reviews from music critics. According to review aggregator Metacritic, the album has a score of 59 out of 100 based on 7 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews". While some critics have praised Lovato's vocals and growth in musicianship compared to her previous two albums, as well as some of the album's ballad tracks, others dismissed it as "immature" and "confusing", referring to the album's amount of "party songs".

Stephen Thomas Erlewine gave the album a mixed review, scoring it 2 and a half stars, criticizing that the album is full of "party songs" that "act like nothing is wrong in her world at all". He also said that, "It’s hard to party knowing Lovato couldn’t quite handle the clubs, while it’s not easy to trust the melancholy flowing through the ballads knowing she’s ready to cut loose." Erlewine indicated "All Night Long", "Who's That Boy", "Fix a Heart", and "Skyscraper" as the AMG track picks. Monica Herrera of Rolling Stone also gave the album a mixed review, scoring it 2 out of 5 stars, saying "She's grown into her voice. Now, if only her music would grow up too." Mike Schiller writer of PopMatters gave to the album 5 out of possible 10, writing that "Unbroken is a strange beast, an abomination of sorts, a fully-realized album with an extra head and shoulders sticking out of the midsection." He also criticized the first four songs, writing that the album "would be a far better album without them, but like it or not they’re there, sitting right out in front. It’d seem tragic if such a descriptor wasn’t being used to describe an album so laced with actual, genuine tragedy."

However, Jon Caramanica of The New York Times gave the album a positive review, saying that it "represents the opportunity for Demi Lovato to wipe clean several slates, something she is well suited for." Melissa Maerz of Entertainment Weekly also gave a positive review, scoring it a B+, "Clearly it's been a tough year for Lovato. But as Rihanna could tell her, sometimes bad years make great songs." Becky Brain of Idolator wrote Lovato has a "killer voice and the A-list material to put it to good use", adding, "It’s difficult for many young female pop stars to transition successfully from squeaky-clean Disney kid to respected adult recording artist. But so far, Demi’s doing a spectacular job, and she’s doing it without having to show some skin or sing about hooking up in a club." Absolute Punk scored the album 81 out of 100, summarizing it by saying "Nothing, and nobody, is broken beyond repair, and Unbroken showcases that beautifully." Entertainment Weekly listed Unbroken as the 7th best album of 2011.

Commercial performance

The album debuted at number 4 in the US Billboard 200, with sales exceeding 96,000, it also peaked at number 1 on the digital albums chart. Elsewhere, the album debuted at 90 on the Mexican Albums Chart and on its second week on the chart, jumped to its' peak of number 9 and spent a total of 8 weeks on the chart. On the Australian Albums Chart it debuted at 20, her highest debut and peaking album there. Its highest entry was number 3 in the New Zealand Albums Chart, making it her first top 3 album there. It spent a total of five weeks on the chart all in the top 40. The album was also Lovato's first ever album to chart on the Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders) chart, debuting at number 59, and jumped to 25 on the following week. She did not find much success on the Belgian Albums Chart (Wallonia) chart however, where she debuted at number 99. On the Swiss Albums Chart she debuted at 29, an improvement compared to her last album, however she just managed to make it into the top 50 on the Austrian Albums Chart debuting and peaking at 50. On the Spanish Albums Chart the album debuted at number 24, her second highest peak there, and in her second week fell to 42, while on the Argentinian Albums Chart granted Lovato another top 10 debut as she scored the number 8 spot only to fall off, and reappear two weeks later. The album debuted at number 271 on the Japanese Albums Chart, with sales of 444 units in its opening week, also her lowest debut and peaking album there. The album has sold over 448,000 copies in the U.S.

Singles

"Skyscraper" is the lead single from the album. It was officially released on July 12, 2011 and it was written by Toby Gad, Lindy Robbins and Estonian singer Kerli Kõiv, and produced by Gad. It reached a position of number 10 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. Elsewhere, the song peaked at number 18 in Canada, number 9 in New Zealand, number 45 in Australia and at number 32 in the UK. The song was very well received from music critics and also from the media, with the majority of them praising Lovato's vocals and the inspirational lyrics. The music video was released on Lovato's VEVO page on July 13, 2011 and was directed by Mark Pellington. Lovato has performed "Skyscraper" many times, including The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Dancing With the Stars and Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. The song has sold over 1,200,000 digital copies and was officially certified Platinum in the United States on April 24, 2012.

"Give Your Heart a Break" is the second single from the album. It was officially released on January 23, 2012. It was originally announced that Lovato's second single would be "Who's That Boy" (which features Dev), however Lovato later changed the single to "Give Your Heart a Break", officially announcing it on Twitter. The song was written and produced by Josh Alexander and Billy Steinberg. She performed the song at MTV's New Year's Eve on December 31, 2011 and at the People's Choice Awards on January 12, 2012. The song received critically acclaim from music critics, praising the production of the song as well as Lovato's vocals. It officially impacted Hot/Modern/AC radio on January 23, 2012 and Top 40/Mainstream radio on January 24, 2012. Lovato appeared on American Idol on March 15, 2012 performing the single. The music video premièred on Lovato's VEVO page on April 3, 2012. It debuted at number 70 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and has since reached a higher peak at 16. The song also reached number 1 on Billboard's pop charts in September 2012. The song was certified Platinum in the United States for sales of over 1,800,000.

Other charted songs

Many songs from the album charted on the iTunes Top 100 Singles chart prior to its release, which resulted with the songs "Fix a Heart" and "Unbroken" debuting at #69 and #98 respectively on the Billboard Hot 100. "Mistake" debuting at #91 respectively on the Korean Hot 100.

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"All Night Long" (featuring Timbaland and Missy Elliott)	Demi Lovato, Timothy Mosley, Jim Beanz, Jerome Harmon, Missy Elliott, Lyrica Anderson, Nire, Garland Mosley	Timbaland, Harmon*	3:14
2.	"Who's That Boy" (featuring Dev)	Ryan Tedder, Noel Zancanella, Devin Tailes	Tedder, Zancanella	3:12
3.	"You're My Only Shorty" (featuring Iyaz)	Antonina Armato, Tim James	Rock Mafia, Devrim Karaoglu^, Thomas Armato Sturges^	3:06
4.	"Together" (featuring Jason Derülo)	Lovato, T. Mosley, Beanz, Anderson, Tiyon Mack, G. Mosley	Beanz, Timbaland	4:33
5.	"Lightweight"	T. Mosley, Beanz, G. Mosley, Shanna Crooks, Frankie Storm	Beanz, Timbaland	4:01
6.	"Unbroken"	Lovato, Daniel James, Leah Haywood	Dreamlab	3:18
7.	"Fix a Heart"	Emanuel Kiriakou, Priscilla Renea	Kiriakou	3:13
8.	"Hold Up"	Lovato, James, Haywood, Ross Golan, Aston Merrygold	Dreamlab	2:50
9.	"Mistake"	James, Haywood, Shelly Peiken	Dreamlab	3:33
10.	"Give Your Heart a Break"	Josh Alexander, Billy Steinberg	Alexander, Steinberg	3:25
11.	"Skyscraper"	Toby Gad, Lindy Robbins, Kerli Kõiv	Gad	3:42
12.	"In Real Life"	Bleu, Lindsey Ray	Bleu	2:57
13.	"My Love Is Like a Star"	Gad, James Morrison	Gad	3:50
14.	"For the Love of a Daughter"	Lovato, William Beckett	Gad	4:00
15.	"Skyscraper (Wizz Dumb Remix)"	Gad, Robbins, Kõiv	Gad, Wizz Dumb	3:42

International Edition bonus track

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
16.	"Rascacielo" (Skyscraper - Spanish Version)	Gad, Robbins, Kõiv	Edgar Cortázar	3:43
Total length:				56:17

Japanese Deluxe edition bonus tracks

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
16.	"Rascacielo" (Skyscraper - Spanish Version)			3:43
17.	"Aftershock"	Amy Pearson, Leah Haywood, Daniel James	Dreamlab	3:11
18.	"Yes I Am"	Dapo Torimiro, Priscilla Renea	Dapo	3:01

Japanese Deluxe edition DVD

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Skyscraper" (Music video)
2.	"Skyscraper" (Music video - Behind the Scenes)
3.	"Track by Track interview by Demi Lovato" (special video)

UK iTunes Store bonus videos

No.	Title	Length
16.	"Unbroken" (Live from Hershey Concert)
17.	"Fix a Heart" (Live from Hershey Concert)
18.	"Track by Track interview by Demi Lovato" (special video)

(*) denotes co-producer
(^) denotes additional producer

Personnel

• Adapted from allmusic.com.

Creativity and management

• Hilary Walsh – photographer
• David Snow – Creative Director
• Cindy Warden – A&R
• Enny Joo – Art Direction, Design

• Mike Daddy Evans – Executive producer Coordinator;
• Brian Byrd – Production Coordination
• Jon Lind – A&R
• Joyce Bonelli – Make-up

Performances

• Demi Lovato – lead vocals, background vocals
• Jordin Sparks – background vocals
• Ariana Grande – background vocals
• Lindsey Ray – background vocals

• Iyaz – guest vocal performance (track 3 "You're My Only Shorty")
• Jaden Michaels – background vocals
• Jason Derülo – guest vocal performance (track 4 "Together")

Technical

• Demi Lovato – Composer
• Devrim "DK" Karaoglu – Additional Production
• Thomas Armato Sturges – Additional Production
• Jeremiah Olvera – Assistant
• Carlos Alvarez – Assistant
• Elizabeth Gallardo – Assistant Engineer
• Emanuel Kiriakou – Bass, Composer, Keyboards, Piano, Producer, Programming
• Wizz Dumb – Composer
• Antonina Armato – Composer
• William Beckett – Composer
• Ross golan – Composer
• Leah Haywood – Composer
• Daniel James – Composer
• Kerli Kõiv – Composer
• James Morrison – Composer
• Shelly Peiken – Composer
• Missy Elliott – Composer
• Lyrica Anderson – Composer
• Priscilla Renea – Composer
• Lindy Robbins – Composer
• Frankie Storm – Composer
• Shanna Crooks –Composer
• Devin Tailes – Composer
• Tim James – Composer, Digital Editing, Mixing
• Bleu – Composer, Engineer, Guitar, Keyboards, Mixing, Producer, Programming
• Josh Alexander – Composer, Engineer, Instrumentation, Mixing, Producer, Programming
• Ryan Tedder – Composer, Engineer, Instrumentation, Producer
• Garland Mosley – Composer, Executive Production Coordinator
• Toby Gad – Composer, Instrumentation, Mixing, Producer, Programming
• Noel Zancanella – Composer, Instrumentation, Producer

• Billy Steinberg – Composer, Producer
• Jim Beanz – Composer, Producer, Vocal Producer, Vocals
• Lindsey Ray – Composer,
• Nigel Lundemo – Digital Editing
• Jens Koerkemeier – Editing, Engineer
• Bobby Campbell – Engineer
• Smith Carlson – Engineer
• Chris Garcia – Engineer
• Koil – Engineer
• Julian Vasquez – Engineer
• Steve Hammons – Engineer, Mixing
• John Hanes – Engineer, Mixing
• Eren Cannata Guitar
• CM Spida – Guitars
• Robert Vosgien – Mastering
• Ducky Carlisle – Mixing
• Serban Ghenea – Mixing
• Chris Godbey – Mixing
• Paul Palmer – Mixing
• Neil Pogue – Mixing
• Phil Seaford – Mixing Assistant
• Scott Roewe – Pro-Tools, Technician
• Dreamlab – Producer
• Jerome "Jroc" Harmon – Producer
• Rock Mafia – Producer
• Timbaland – Producer
• Adam Comstock – Second Engineer
• Steve Lu – String Arrangements
• Danny Naim – Mixing
• Dapo Torimiro – Composer, Instrumentation, Producer, Programming

Charts and certifications

Charts

Chart (2011-2012)	Peak position
Australian Albums Chart	20
Austrian Albums Chart	50
Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders)	25
Belgian Albums Chart (Wallonia)	99
Canadian Albums Chart	4
Dutch Albums Chart	63
German Albums Chart	61
Irish Albums Chart	44
Italian Albums Chart	22
Japanese Albums Chart	271
Mexican Albums Chart	9
New Zealand Albums Chart	3
Polish Albums Chart	68
Spanish Albums Chart	24
Swiss Albums Chart	29
UK Albums Chart	45
U.S. Billboard 200	4

Year-end charts

Chart (2011)	Position
US Billboard 200	187
Chart (2012)	Position
US Billboard 200	149

Certifications

Region	Certification
Brazil (ABPD)	Gold
Philippines (PARI)	Gold

References