Heal (Loreen album)

Heal is the debut studio album by Swedish recording artist Loreen. The album was released on 24 October 2012[3] through Warner Music Sweden. It received positive reviews from critics and received commercial success in the charts, notably reaching number one in Sweden and was certified Platinum there.

Heal
Studio album by Loreen
Released	22 October 2012 (Standard Edition) 31 May 2013 (2013 Edition)[1]
Recorded	2010–12 Cosmos Studio 1, Stockholm Mohito Studios, Stockholm Riksmixningsverket, Stockholm SeventyEight Studios, Stockholm Gallery Studio, Prague GIG Studios, Oslo Livingroom Studios, Oslo[2]
Genre	Eurodance electronica trance trip hop
Length	48:15
Label	Warner Music Sweden
Producer	Loreen (exec), Peter Cartiries (exec.), SeventyEight, Peter Boström, Robin Rocks & Rubio, Tortuga, Moh Denebi, Simen & Espen, J Mike, Blanks,Alex P.,Victory
Loreen chronology
Heal (2012) Nude (2017)
Alternative cover
Heal (2013 Edition) cover
Singles from Heal
"Euphoria" Released: 26 February 2012 "My Heart Is Refusing Me" Released: 8 October 2012 "Crying Out Your Name" Released: 8 October 2012 "In My Head" Released: 14 February 2013 "We Got the Power" Released: 15 May 2013

Four singles were released from the album, "Euphoria" was released in February 2012 as the lead single, "My Heart Is Refusing Me" was released in international markets in a new remixed version as the second single in October 2012, "Crying Out Your Name" was released in Sweden only as the second single the same month. "In My Head" was released as the fourth single in February 2013. A fifth single "We Got the Power" was released as the lead single from the reissued version of "Heal" that was released in May 2013.

Background

"I have told everybody to expect the unexpected. My album will surprise. It will have a very much darker tone than most would expect".

—Loreen talking about her album "Heal".[4]

ESCDaily reported in August 2012 saying: "Signed by Warner Music Sweden, Loreen spent her time over the past month in the studio working with various producers for her anticipated first album. It is expected that her first single, "My Heart is Refusing Me" as well as its follow-up "Sober"" will be featured on the record, along with "Euphoria"."[5] The official album cover was released on October 1, 2012. "Heal" was officially released on October 24, 2012. On May 31, 2013, Heal was re released as Heal (2013 Edition), it features two new tracks "We Got the Power" and an acoustic version of "Euphoria", the reissue version excludes the song "See You Again".[6]

Composition

The album opens with "In My Head", the song has a throbbing bass beat and low brooding synth strings.[7] The next track "My Heart Is Refusing Me" is in a new remixed form and is slightly different from the original version released in 2011. The song is a dance balladry track that has a chorus that formulaically expands after periods of restraint verses.[8] "Everytime" was highly praised by critics, the song opens in an acoustic production, featuring only Loreen's voice and the piano.[8] After the openings verse the beat kicks in and the production changes to heavy synths and claps.[8] Euphoria is a dance song[7] and the album version contains an extended intro which is not present in the single version, it opens with heavy strings before the songs starts.[9] The following track, "Crying Out Your Name" features heavy synths and drum ‘n’ bass beats, described as a relatable self-destructive break up track.[8] "Do We Even Matter" is a mid-tempo song that features a lullaby outro of a finger piano that gently tinkles away over the main chord melody.[7]

"Sidewalk" was described to have a R&B feel about it at the start but later when the synth comes in and the song starts to build into a superb musical mix with Loreen's voice layered through it.[9] The next track "Sober" was originally released in late 2011, and like "My Heart Refusing Me" has been remixed, this version is more uptempo than the original. "If She’s The One" has Eastern influences in its production.[7] "Breaking Robot" is an uptempo track with heavy synths that features a distorted male vocal during the chorus of the song.[9] "See You Again" described as the most commercial song besides "Euphoria",[10] the track opens with some guitar chords being strummed and critics compared the song's chorus to Rihanna's song "Where Have You Been".[9] The final track, "Heal" has a sombre electronica feel to it and described as a heartfelt finale where Loreen cries out the chorus lines like a diva whilst the keyboards sound slightly warped and discordant.[7]

Critical reception

Upon its release, Heal has received positive reviews from music critics. Scandipop.co.uk were very positive in their review, writing "So all is well – we’re happy campers." They praised the more dance-ready songs on the album, while the criticized the balladry songs, by stating "although we wouldn’t recommend judging the album too much on what you hear in these, they’re really not the best representation of any of the songs."[11] Samesame.com.au gave the album a positive review as well, saying: "Heal is an alluring blend of pulsating dance pop that feel more subtle than what one might initially expect from a Eurovision pop purveyor, in the current pop market that is already fluent in electronic dance music parlance, Heal speaks a language of its own – shrugging off trendy dubstep inflections in favour of a richer, soundscape that enhance its emotive lyrics rather than compete with it.[8]

"Higher Plain Music" also gave the album a positive review stating: ""Heal" is something of a sombre dance album revelation, and is the most solid albums from a Eurovision artist I’ve come across in years. It's got everything a guilty pleasure would usually have but is given a much more mature edge with slick production, excellent vocals and enough minor chords to make each song sound valid and non-cheesed. Highly, highly recommended for those who look for "good pop".[7] Escxtra.com gave the album a positive review saying: "I think this is a solid début album for Loreen and am very impressed with the overall quality of it. I can confidently say that I give the album 5 stars due to its commercial elements, catchy choruses, the dance beats as well as the raw emotion felt in Loreen’s vocal throughout the album.[9]

Commercial performance

"Heal" debuted in Sweden at number one, and stayed inside the top 10 for seven weeks, and remained in the chart for 19 weeks.[12] It was later certified Platinum there after selling 40,000 copies there.[13] Elsewhere the album achieved moderate success, it reached the top 10 in Finland, Estonia and Switzerland and peaked inside the top 20 in countries such as Denmark, Netherlands and Germany. In the UK Albums Chart, the album peaked at number 71 and stayed on the chart for one week. On November 21, 2012, this album was released in Japan with 3 bonus tracks but failed to enter charts.

Promotion

To promote the album, Loreen appeared as a musical guest on several European TV shows, including Polish talent show Must Be the Music on 21 October 2012,[14][15][16] the opening of the Stockholm's Friends Arena on 27 October 2012,[17] the second season of the Romanian version of X Factor on 18 November 2012[18] and the final of the third series of Dutch talent show The Voice of Holland.[19] She also flew to Germany where she performed at the Helen Fischer Show on 25 December 2012. On the New Year's Eve celebrations, Loreen performed in some countries in order to celebrate the start of the new year, performing in China,[20][21][22] Belgium,[23] at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany,[24] and in Spain.[20] Loreen premiered a new single included in the reissue of her debut album in the opening of the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest.[25][26] The song is called "We Got the Power", and was produced by Patrik Berger and written by Ester Dean, who have previously worked with Icona Pop, Rihanna and Robyn.[27] She also performed at the 2013 Sopot International Song Festival in Poland.[28][29] In 2014, she co-headlined the 2014 Art on Ice Tour in Finland, Sweden and Switzerland.[30]

Singles

"My Heart Is Refusing Me" was originally released as a standalone single on 27 February 2011. The song peaked to number 9 on the Swedish Singles Chart. The song appears remixed on the album and was re-released as the album's second international single on 8 October 2012. "Sober" was also released as a standalone single on 12 September 2011 and appears in a remixed form on the album. The song peaked to number 26 on the Swedish Singles Chart. "Euphoria" was released as the album's first international single. The song was released on 26 February 2012. She represented Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 in Baku, Azerbaijan, with the song and won the contest with 372 points. Commercially, the song was a success, not only in European markets, but also in different countries. "Crying Out Your Name" was released as the fourth Swedish single from the album on 8 October 2012. The song has so far peaked at number 19 on the Swedish Singles Chart. "In My Head" was released as the fifth Swedish single off the album on 14 February 2013.[31] Single version of this song differs from the album version where the single version is under one minute shorter and the release features the Promise Land remix in radio and extended edit.[32] "Heal" was released as a promo single alongside a music video released on the 20 of February. In cooperation with Efterlyst Sweden and Directed by Robin Kempe-Bergman[33]

Track listing

Standard Edition

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"In My Head"	Loreen Moh Denebi Björn Djupström	Tortuga	4:25
2.	"My Heart Is Refusing Me"	Loreen Denebi Djupström	Alex P. Victory	3:45
3.	"Everytime"	Espen Berg Marianne Sveen Simen M Eriksrud Tobias Frelin	Simen & Espen	4:56
4.	"Euphoria"	Thomas G:son Peter Boström	Boström SeventyEight[34]	3:33
5.	"Crying Out Your Name"	Denebi Ana Diaz Nick Jarl Gino Yonan Svante Halldin Jakob Hazell	SeventyEight	3:38
6.	"Do We Even Matter"	Loreen Denebi Djupström	Tortuga Ollie Olson (co.)	4:04
7.	"Sidewalk"	Loreen Frelin Djupström Adam Baptiste	Tortuga	4:11
8.	"Sober"	Loreen Denebi Djupström Ali Payami	Robin Rocks & Rubio	3:37
9.	"If She’s the One"	Loreen Denebi Djupström	Denebi	4:02
10.	"Breaking Robot"	Loreen Denebi Djupström Payami	Denebi	3:29
11.	"See You Again"	James "JHart" Abrahart Oh, Hush! J Mike MadMax	J Mike MadMax	3:58
12.	"Heal" (featuring Blanks)	Yonan Denebi Peter Cartriers	Blanks	4:39
Total length:				48:15

Japanese edition bonus tracks[35]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
13.	"Euphoria" (single version)	G:son Boström	3:01
14.	"Euphoria" (acoustic guitar version)	G:son Boström	3:42
15.	"Euphoria" (acoustic strings version)	G:son Boström	4:39
Total length:			58:37

2013 Edition

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"We Got the Power"	Ester Dean Geoff Earley	Patrik Berger	3:27
2.	"My Heart Is Refusing Me"	Loreen Denebi Djupström	SeventyEight	3:43
3.	"Everytime"	Berg Sveen Eriksrud Frelin	Simen & Espen	4:56
4.	"Euphoria"	G:son Boström	Boström SeventyEight	3:33
5.	"Crying Out Your Name"	Denebi Diaz Jarl Yonan Halldin Hazell	SeventyEight	3:38
6.	"Do We Even Matter"	Loreen Denebi Djupström	Tortuga	4:04
7.	"Sidewalk"	Loreen Frelin Djupström Baptiste	Tortuga	4:11
8.	"Sober"	Loreen Denebi Djupström Payami	Robin Rocks & Rubio	3:37
9.	"If She’s the One"	Loreen Denebi Djupström	Denebi	4:02
10.	"Breaking Robot"	Loreen Denebi Djupström Payami	Denebi	3:29
11.	"In My Head"	Loreen Denebi Djupström	Tortuga	4:25
12.	"Heal" (featuring Blanks)	Yonan Denebi Cartriers	Blanks	4:39
13.	"Euphoria" (acoustic version)	G:son Boström		4:10
Total length:				51:54

Charts

Peak positions

Chart (2012)	Peak position
Austrian Albums Chart[36]	26
Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders)[37]	21
Belgian Albums Chart (Wallonia)[38]	85
Danish Albums Chart[36]	12
Dutch Albums Chart[36]	12
Estonian Albums Chart[39]	5
Finnish Albums Chart[36]	6
French Digital Albums Chart[40]	53
German Albums Chart[36]	16
Norwegian Albums Chart[36]	6
Spanish Albums Chart[36]	23
Swedish Albums Chart[13]	1
Swiss Albums Chart[36]	7
UK Albums Chart[36]	71
UK Digital Albums Chart[41]	36

Year-end charts

Chart (2012)	Position
Swedish Albums Chart[42]	14

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Sweden (GLF)[43]	Platinum	40,000
sales+streaming figures based on certification alone

Release history

Regions	Dates	Format(s)	Label(s)
Sweden[3]	October 24, 2012	CD, digital download	Warner Music
Norway[44]
Finland[45]
Germany[46]	October 26, 2012
Belgium[47]
Netherlands[48]
United Kingdom[49]	October 29, 2012		Warner Bros.
Ireland[50]
Canada[51]	October 30, 2012		Warner Music
Spain[52]	November 12, 2012
Japan[53]	November 21, 2012

References

1. "iTunes - Music - Heal (2013 Edition) by Loreen". iTunes. Apple. Retrieved 29 May 2014.
2. Heal by Loreen (CD, Oct-2012, Warner Bros.) (liner notes). eBay. 2012.
3. "Heal - Album - Loreen - Musik". CDON Group (Sweden). Retrieved 2013-02-28.
4. Repo, Juha (19 September 2012). "Loreen to release debut album late October". Retrieved 22 March 2020.
5. "Sweden: Loreen to release debut album in October". ESCDaily. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
6. "Loreen "Heal" (Edition 2013) [iTunes+] | Ultimate Music". Ultimate Music. Archived from the original on 25 June 2013. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
7. Smith, Simon (13 February 2013). "Loreen – "Heal" Review". Higherplanemusic. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
8. "Loreen – Heal". Samesame.com.au. Archived from the original on 2014-11-29. Retrieved 2013-02-28.
9. Waddell, Nathan (28 October 2012). "Xtra Review: Loreen – Heal". escXtra. Archived from the original on 2014-12-07.
10. "Loreen: 'Heal' (album review)". scandicpop. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
11. "Loreen: 'Heal' (album review)". Scandipop.co.uk. Retrieved 2013-02-28.
12. "LOREEN - HEAL (ALBUM)". swedishcharts. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
13. "swedishcharts.com - Loreen - Heal". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 2013-02-28.
14. "Oto jest – Loreen wystąpiła w Polsacie!" (in Polish). Archived from the original on 2015-04-03. Retrieved 2012-10-21.
15. ""Must be the music": Loreen gościem specjalnym niedzielnego półfinału" (in Polish). Archived from the original on 20 October 2012. Retrieved 2012-10-18.
16. "W Polsce nie brakuje zdolnych artystów: Loreen – wywiad" (in Polish). Archived from the original on 24 October 2012. Retrieved 2012-10-22.
17. "Svenska ögonblick – Invigning Friends Arena" (in Swedish). friendsarena.se. Archived from the original on 2012-11-10.
18. "Loreen a adus Euphoria pe scena X Factor!" (in Romanian). Antena 1. 18 November 2012. Archived from the original on 26 October 2013. Retrieved 25 August 2017.
19. "Loreen treedt op tijdens finale The Voice" (in Dutch). Showbiznewz.nl. 7 December 2012. Archived from the original on 2 January 2013. Retrieved 2 January 2013.
20. "Loreen rules world's New Year's celebrations". January 1, 2013.
21. "Confirmed: Loreen will perform in China". 29 December 2012.
22. "Loreen conquers China". ESCToday. 1 January 2013.
23. "Loreen rings in 2013!". Scandipop.co.uk. 1 January 2013.
24. "Berlin feiert am Brandenburger Tor ins neue Jahr 2013 (in German)". Berliner Morgenpost. 31 December 2012.
25. "Malmö 2013: Loreen to perform medley in Eurovision Final". 17 May 2013. Archived from the original on 28 March 2014.
26. Rosén, Maria (3 May 2013). "Loreen inleder Eurovision – med teckenspråkstolkning och stämsång" [Loreen begins Eurovision – with sign language interpretation and vocal harmonies] (in Swedish). Sveriges Television. Retrieved 3 May 2013.
27. "Ester Dean wrotes new songs for Loreen and Jessica Sanchez". 18 May 2013. Retrieved 10 April 2014.
28. Loreen w Sopocie, 2013-07-16, archived from the original on 2013-08-19
29. Amy Macdonald, Matt Dusk, Dj Bobo i Edyta Górniak na Sopot Top Of The Top Festival 2013, 2013-07-18
30. "Earlier today Art on Ice announced that Loreen will be one of the artists performing on their tour 2014. The concept of Art of Ice is to combine live music with performances from figure skaters. A magical show to say the least!". October 22, 2013. Archived from the original on November 9, 2013.
31. https://itunes.apple.com/se/album/in-my-head-single/id604111984
32. "Loreen: 'In My Head' (new single mix!)". Scandipop.co.uk. Retrieved 2013-02-28.
33. "Loreen - Heal (OFFICIAL VIDEO)". Youtube. warnersweden's channel. Retrieved 2013-02-28.
34. "Bråda dagar för Mr Radar Music". Musikindustrin. Retrieved 2013-02-28.
35. "Loreen - Heal (CD, Album)". Discogs. Retrieved 2013-02-28.
36. "Loreen - Heal - Music Charts". Alpha Charts. Retrieved 2013-02-28.
37. "ultratop.be - Loreen - Heal". Ultratop Flanders. Retrieved 2013-02-28.
38. "ultratop.be - Loreen - Heal". Ultratop Wallonia. Retrieved 2013-02-28.
39. "R2 Eesti müügitabel, nädal 46/2012". Raadio 2). Archived from the original on 2013-06-04.
40. "Meilleures ventes d'Albums téléchargés en France le 29 octobre 2012 (Top Albums)". chartsinfrance.net.
41. "2012-11-10 Top 40 UK Album Downloads Archive". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 4, 2012.
42. "Årslista Album - År 2012" (in Swedish). Hitlistan.se. Sverigetopplistan. Archived from the original on 17 January 2013. Retrieved 17 January 2013.
43. "Veckolista Album, vecka 45, 2012 | Sverigetopplistan" (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
44. "Heal - Loreen - Musikk". Platekompaniet. Retrieved 2013-02-28.
45. "Loreen : Heal". Levykauppa Äx. Retrieved 2013-02-28.
46. "Heal: Amazon.de: Musik". Amazon.de. Retrieved 2013-02-28.
47. "iTunes - Music - Heal by Loreen". iTunes Store (Sweden). Retrieved 2013-02-28.
48. "Debuutalbum 'Koningin vna het Eurovisie Songfestival' Loreen". Warner Music Netherlands. Archived from the original on 2015-11-25. Retrieved 2013-02-28.
49. "Heal: Amazon.co.uk: Music". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 2013-02-28.
50. "Heal by Loreen". Wow HD. Archived from the original on 2013-12-17. Retrieved 2013-02-28.
51. iTunes Canada - Music - Heal by Loreen
52. "Loreen publica en España su primer álbum, 'Heal'". Bekia.com. Retrieved 2012-11-21.
53. "HEAL Loreen (Regular-Priced Edition)". CD Japan. Retrieved 2013-02-28.