Clarity (Kim Petras album)

Clarity is the debut full-length studio album by German singer Kim Petras, released on 28 June 2019.[6] Nine of its twelve tracks were released prior to the album, beginning in April 2019.[7] The album was produced by Made in China, Aaron Joseph, Brandon Hamlin, Jussifer, Oliver and Ben Billions. Musically, it contains elements of synth-pop, bubblegum pop, hip hop, contemporary R&B, glam rock and emo pop. Petras stated that the album is her "personal journey over the last two years". The album received widespread critical acclaim from critics.

Clarity
Studio album by Kim Petras
Released	28 June 2019
Genre	Pop[1] bubblegum pop[2][3] hip hop[4] R&B[4] synth-pop[5]
Length	38:12
Label	BunHead
Producer	Made in China Aaron Joseph Brandon Hamlin Jussifer Oliver Ben Billions
Kim Petras chronology
Turn Off the Light, Vol. 1 (2018) Clarity (2019) Turn Off the Light (2019)
Singles from Clarity
"Icy" Released: 28 June 2019

The first song that was released from Clarity was "Broken", on 25 April 2019. Petras later released one song every week to streaming services after that for ten weeks. Petras confirmed on Twitter that the tenth song that was released from the album, "Icy", was the actual lead single. To promote the album, Petras embarked on the Clarity Tour starting with North America and then Europe.

Background and composition

Petras has said the album is "about finding myself. It started with 'Broken' and will end with Clarity because it reflects my personal journey over the last two years."[8] Nine of the singles were released in advance of the album,[7] including the "breakup anthem" "Broken",[8] "downtempo" song "All I Do Is Cry", the "hookup anthem" "Do Me",[9] and the "bouncy banger" "Personal Hell".[8]

The album contains elements of synth-pop, bubblegum pop, hip hop, contemporary R&B, glam rock and emo pop.[2][3][4][5]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	83/100[10]
Review scores
Source	Rating
The Guardian	[2]
The New York Times	10/10[11]
NME	[6]
Pitchfork	7.2/10[12]
Variety	7.5/10[13]

On Metacritic, the album received a score of 83 out of 100, indicating "universal acclaim".[10] Variety called the album "sturdy pop songcraft" and compared it favorably to Robyn's 1995 album Robyn Is Here, also making a comparison between Petras' career trajectory and that of Lorde.[4] Comparing the record to the early 2000s pop hits of Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera, The Guardian gave the album 4 out of 5 stars and praised its power-pop sound. It also wrote that Petras' "addictively crafted bubblegum pop" makes her "sound like a superstar from a parallel universe", and praised her musical experimentation.[2] Writing for Stereogum, Chris DeVille identified the main theme of the album as "looking for release through sex and materialism". DeVille noted that it marks a shift in Petras' content from "sparkling pop sound into a mistier, sadder, more hip-hop-adjacent territory" and praised it as "an impressive collection".[3] Tyler Mazaheri of Flaunt favored the album's nontraditional single-a-week promotion and praised the project for its "catchy choruses layered over danceable beats", adding that "the album is sure to pack all the bops [audiences will] be hearing in the club for the unforeseeable future."[14] In his review of the single "Icy", Michael Love Michael of Paper proclaimed "Kim Petras just might have released one of this year's most compelling pop collections."[15]

Year-end lists

Publication	Accolade	Rank	Ref.
Billboard	The 50 Best Albums of 2019	48	[16]
The New York Times	Best Albums of 2019	4	[17]
Uproxx	The 35 Best Pop Albums of 2019	17	[18]

Promotion

Petras performing next to Aaron Joseph during the Broken Tour in Berlin

Prior to the release of Clarity, Petras began embarking on her 24-stop promotional tour, The Broken Tour. Through May and June, Petras appeared on a number of magazine covers including ones for Galore, The Gay Times, Flaunt, Notion, and AtKode.[19][20][21][22][23]

Singles

Petras released the first song from Clarity, "Broken", on 25 April 2019. Petras released one song every week to streaming services after that for ten weeks in preparation for her debut concert tour The Broken Tour. Petras later confirmed on Twitter that the tenth song to be released from the album, "Icy", was the actual lead single.[24]

Track listing

Adapted from The Line of Best Fit.[7]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Clarity"	Kim Petras Lukasz Gottwald Aaron Joseph Aaron Jennings Brandon Hamlin	Made in China Joseph B HAM	2:02
2.	"Icy"	Petras Gottwald Joseph Theron Thomas Vaughn Oliver	Made in China Joseph Oliver	3:09
3.	"Got My Number"	Petras Gottwald Joseph Jennings Jussi Karvinen	Made in China Joseph Jussifer	2:54
4.	"Sweet Spot"	Petras Gottwald Joseph Thomas Oliver	Made in China Joseph Oliver	3:14
5.	"Personal Hell"	Petras Gottwald Joseph Thomas Oliver Madison Love	Made in China Joseph Oliver	3:40
6.	"Broken"	Petras Gottwald Joseph Thomas Hamlin Ben Diehl	Made in China Joseph B HAM Ben Billions	3:48
7.	"All I Do Is Cry"	Petras Gottwald Joseph Nic Nac	Made in China Joseph	3:23
8.	"Do Me"	Petras Gottwald Joseph Thomas Oliver	Made in China Joseph Oliver	3:32
9.	"Meet the Parents"	Petras Gottwald Joseph Jennings	Made in China Joseph	2:12
10.	"Another One"	Petras Gottwald Joseph Thomas Love	Made in China Joseph	3:45
11.	"Blow It All"	Petras Gottwald Joseph Thomas Ryan Ogren	Made in China Joseph	2:58
12.	"Shinin'"	Petras Gottwald Joseph Thomas Jennings	Made in China Joseph	3:35
Total length:				38:12

Charts

Chart (2019–20)	Peak position
US Top Current Albums (Billboard)[25]	78
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[26]	7
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[27]	28

See also

• 31st GLAAD Media Awards

References

1. Bulmer, Eloise. "Kim Petras - Clarity". DIY. Archived from the original on 1 October 2019. Retrieved 1 October 2019.
2. Cliff, Aimee (28 June 2019). "Kim Petras: Clarity review – light as bubblegum and hard as nails". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 20 September 2019. Retrieved 29 June 2019.
3. DeVille, Chris (27 June 2019). "The Simple Pleasures And Complicated Backstory Of Kim Petras". Stereogum. Archived from the original on 29 June 2019. Retrieved 29 June 2019.
4. Helligar, Jeremy (28 June 2019). "Album Review: Kim Petras' 'Clarity'". Variety. Archived from the original on 28 June 2019. Retrieved 29 June 2019.
5. White, Caitlin. "The Best Pop Albums Of 2019". UPROXX. Archived from the original on 14 December 2019. Retrieved 26 December 2019.
6. Levine, Nick (3 July 2019). "Kim Petras – 'Clarity' Review". NME. Archived from the original on 3 July 2019. Retrieved 4 July 2019.
7. Kenneally, Cerys (13 June 2019). "Kim Petras announces new collection of tracks Clarity". The Line of Best Fit. Archived from the original on 16 June 2019. Retrieved 14 June 2019.
8. Nied, Mike (13 June 2019). "Kim Petras Announces 'Clarity,' Drops Latest Gem 'Personal Hell'". Idolator. Retrieved 14 June 2019.
9. White, Caitlin (13 June 2019). "Kim Petras' Latest Single 'Personal Hell' Is An Icy Pop Anthem About Breaking Free". Uproxx. Archived from the original on 13 June 2019. Retrieved 14 June 2019.
10. "Clarity by Kim Petras Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 27 July 2019. Retrieved 4 August 2019.
11. Caramanica, Jon (10 July 2019). "Album Review: Kim Petras' 'Clarity'". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 3 December 2019. Retrieved 13 July 2019.
12. Cox, Jamieson (3 July 2019). "Kim Petras: Clarity Album Review". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 4 July 2019. Retrieved 4 July 2019.
13. Helligar, Jeremy (28 June 2019). "Album Review: Kim Petras' 'Clarity'". Variety. Archived from the original on 1 July 2019. Retrieved 4 July 2019.
14. "Kim Petras | "Clarity"". Flaunt Magazine. Archived from the original on 2019-07-02. Retrieved 2019-07-02.
15. "Bops Only: 10 Songs You Need to Start Your Weekend Right". Paper. 28 June 2019. Archived from the original on 2 July 2019. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
16. "50 Best Albums of 2019: Staff Picks". Billboard. December 10, 2019. Archived from the original on January 8, 2020. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
17. Pareles, Jon; Caramanica, Jon (2019-12-05). "Best Albums of 2019". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2020-01-01. Retrieved 2019-12-07.
18. "The Best Pop Albums Of 2019". Uproxx. 6 December 2019. Archived from the original on 14 December 2019. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
19. "Kim Petras Turns Up the Glam Factor for Galore Magazine". Fashion Gone Rogue. 16 May 2019. Archived from the original on 5 July 2019. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
20. "Kim Petras Is A Glam Goddess In New Spread For 'Notion'". idolator. 5 July 2019.
21. "Kim Petras Covers 'Gay Times' & Talks About Being A Transgender Artist". The Inquisitr. 26 June 2019. Archived from the original on 5 July 2019. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
22. "Kim Petras | A Neon Rhinestone". Flaunt Magazine. Archived from the original on 2019-11-02. Retrieved 2019-07-02.
23. Jr, Ruben Perez (10 May 2019). "Kim Petras On the May 2019 Cover of 'ATKODE' Magazine". Archived from the original on 5 July 2019. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
24. @kimpetras (27 June 2019). "None of the songs were picked as the single" (Tweet). Retrieved 27 June 2019 – via Twitter.
25. "Kim Petras: Chart History - Top Current Albums". Billboard. Retrieved 2020-12-26.
26. "Kim Petras Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
27. "Kim Petras Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 26, 2020.