Tattoos (album)

In January 2011, during rehearsals for his then upcoming "Future History World Tour", Derulo was practicing a stunt when he fell and broke his C2 vertebrae – leaving him in a neck brace for six months and forcing him to cancel his first headlining tour.[2] "I was not able to dance, I couldn't even really bop my head. It's the simple things that you take for granted — not being able to perform for that amount of time, and also knowing that it could be gone in an instant." said Jason during an interview.[3] "I wouldn't change the accident for anything because I've grown so much from it," Jason admits.[2] Derulo then decided to channel all of this creative energy into studio time, on writing and recording his third album. He had written over 300 songs, recorded between 100 and 120 of those songs for the album and had to narrow them down to 12.[4] A very difficult process for him as he states "I wanted to be sure that the album was a roller coaster ride, that every single song was totally different from the last... I wanted to be sure this album was far different from that one, to make sure that the growth was present. I'm 23 now. I really wanted this album to be a direct representation of who I am. I didn't want to hide anything. This album, I wanted to tell a story.[4]

In the United States. Tattoos was only released as a 5-track extended play (EP); a full-length U.S.-exclusive version of the album titled Talk Dirty was released on April 15, 2014.[5] The new songs on the album include new collaboration with rappers Kid Ink, Snoop Dogg and Tyga while the album's production was handled by Timbaland, The Cataracs, Ammo, Jon Bellion, DJ Mustard, Martin Johnson, RedOne, and Wallpaper. The album includes all of the singles released from the international album including "Marry Me", "Talk Dirty" featuring 2 Chainz, "Stupid Love", "Trumpets" and "The Other Side" as well as the duet with his girlfriend Jordin Sparks on "Vertigo" and four additional newly recorded songs.[6]

On July 23, 2013, Derulo announced the title of third studio album would be Tattoos. The title of the album was inspired by the months of rehabilitation during the recording process after he injured his neck while preparing for his tour.[7][8] In an interview with Access Hollywood Live, when speaking of the album's title Derulo said:

"Life altering experiences are like tattoos stuck to you for life... Some are more painful than others, some may be ugly, so we wish we could undo them. Some may be so beautiful that we want to share them with the world. But, they’re all part of the art that makes you who you are."[9]

On August 8, 2013, just over a month away from its US release, after his performance on America’s Got Talent, Derulo revealed the album's official artwork.[10] The artwork is an illustration of Jason which shows a profile of his face, with designs shaved into his hair and the album's title written in ink on the side of his neck against a yellow shaded background.[8] The Japanese edition is titled Tattoos on My Heart.[11] The U.S. edition of the album will be titled Talk Dirty after the single of the same name and will include a brand new track list only for the United States.[12]

The front cover was illustrated by Kadir Nelson.

The album's official date was revealed on July 22, 2013. following the release of "The Other Side" Jason went on a promo tour to promote the single including guest appearances on Chelsea Lately and Good Morning America. On May 7, 2013 Jason performed the song live on the sixteenth season of Dancing with the Stars.[13] He also performed the song live on the 8th season of America's Got Talent on August 7, 2013.[14] He also sang the song with cover singer Tyler Ward and in a trio with Keke Palmer and Max Schneider. They later posted the videos on YouTube. Derulo performed "Talk Dirty" for the first time at the House of Blues in Orlando in conjunction with 102 JAMZ's Presents Hook Up #4. where he also performed an acoustic cover of "The Other Side".[15] he also performed the track at the iHeart Radio Live Coca-Cola Summer Concert Series in July 2013.[16] Derulo is heading to Australia on a promotional tour, during which he will perform on the Sunrise morning show and perform on The X Factor Australia among other yet to be confirmed performances.[17] While the full-length album will be released to international territories in 2013, Derulo said, "I know the fans they wanted something here (In the US) and I wanted to give the fans at least something other than just the single. So I'm doing the EP and then the album will come out shortly after that."[18] The album contains an 11 track standard edition as well as a 14 track deluxe edition including 3 bonus tracks.[19] The album's official standard edition track listing was released on August 26, 2013 along with the release of the album's third single "Marry Me".[20]

Jordin Sparks appears in the video for the US second single "Marry Me" because Derulo dedicated the song to her

"The Other Side" was released as the album's lead single. It was sent to contemporary hit radio in the United States on May 10, 2013 and released via the iTunes Store in the United States on April 3, 2013. The song was written by Jason Desrouleaux, Joshua "Ammo" Coleman and Martin Johnson and produced by Ammo and Martin Johnson. "The Other Side" peaked at number 18 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and reached the top ten in Australia, Scotland, Canada and Ireland.[28] It also made it chart debut and peaked in the top five on the UK singles charts at number 2 and at number 1 on the UK R&B singles chart.[29][30] "The Other Side" surpassed 140,000 downloads on June 10, 2013 and was officially certified 2x Platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association on July 31, 2013.[31]

"Talk Dirty" was released as the second single to International markets on August 2, 2013 in New Zealand and later on in Australia on August 9, 2013, it was released in the UK on September 15, 2013. It features American hip hop recording artist 2 Chainz becoming Derulo's first single to contain a feature.[7] The song was written by Jason Desrouleaux, Maxwell Douglas, Jason Evigan, Tauheed Epps, Ricky Reed, Eric Frederic, Ori Kaplan, Tamir Muskat (of Balkan Beat Box) and produced by Ricky Reed from the band Wallpaper.. The songs accompanying the music video have already been shot and were uploaded to Jason's official YouTube account on August 7, 2013.[32][33] The song made its chart debut on the New Zealand Top 40 singles chart at number 27.[34] The following week it jumped 18 places and since reached its peak position of number three in its fourth week on the chart.[35] In Australia "Talk Dirty" debuted atop the ARIA top 40 singles chart becoming his second number 1 single in that country with his first being In My Head.[36] It was released as the third single in the US on January 7, 2014 and has rocketed to No. 1 in 14 countries in total.[37] It has since sold 2 million singles in the US to date.

"Marry Me" was released as the third overall single off the album (second single in the U.S.). The song made its US radio premiere on On Air with Ryan Seacrest on August 26, 2013. It was released to all digital retailers on the same day.[38] The song's accompanying music video premiered on BET's 106 & Park on September 23, 2013. The video also features Derulo's longtime girlfriend Jordin Sparks who appeares in the video due to Derulo writing the song about her.[39] When speaking of the song Derulo said "Marry Me is one of those very pulling heart strings kind of record, it’s very different than "The Other Side" … Basically it’s talking about getting ready for that moment when I ask you to marry me".[40] The song has since peaked at number 26 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the US and number 8 on the ARIA top 40 singles.

"Trumpets" served as the fourth single released off the album (third single in the UK) and was released on November 7, 2013. On October 11, 2013. In Australia, "Trumpets" debuted at number 22 the ARIA Singles Chart: it reached its peak position of number one in its fourth week on the chart, while it reached number 4 on the UK Singles Chart, however has since peaked at number 1 on the UK R&B Singles Chart. Lyrically the song is about being so in love with and infatuated with someone that every time you're together, trumpets blast through your head. The official music video for "Trumpets" was later released on November 3, 2013. Derulo made his first televised performance of the song during a promotional tour in the UK on The Paul O'Grady Show on December 10, 2013.[41]

"Stupid Love" was released as the fifth international single from the album in 2014. The song's accompanying music video made its worldwide premiere online through Derulo's official YouTube channel on February 4, 2014.[42] "Stupid Love" first appeared on the ARIA Singles Chart in Australia issue dated March 10, 2014, debuting at number thirty nine.[43] In that same week the song also debuted on the Australian urban singles chart at number eight.[44] In its second week on the chart the song jumped twenty-two spots to number seventeen on the singles chart, and jumped six spots to number 2 on the urban charts.[45]

"Wiggle" was released as the first single (sixth overall) from the re-release of Tattoos on May 6, 2014.

"Bubblegum" was sent to Australian and New Zealand radio as the album's 7th single on August 3, 2014. An official lyric video was released on August 27.[46]

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	49/100[47]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[48]
Digital Spy	[49]
Fact	[50]
The Guardian	[51]
PopMatters	(6/10)[52]

Upon release, Tattoos has received generally mixed reviews. According to Metacritic, where they assign a weighted average score out of 100 to ratings and reviews from selected mainstream critics, the album received an average of 49, based on 4 reviews.[47] Marian Tuin from the Examiner, called the album "a therapeutic expression through songwriting." Digital Spy's, Robert Copsey summarised that Tattoos "may not be particularly bold or daring, but it's packed with enough hooks, singalong choruses and dancefloor-grabbing moments to make it a thoroughly enjoyable listen", rating the album 3 stars out of 5.[49] Caroline Sullivan from The Guardian, Also rating it 3 stars out of a possible 5, praised the album as a whole for its "clubby hooks." Sullivan went on to say that Derulo, as with his previous 2 albums, hasn't quite "figured out what to do about his innate romanticism", calling the album "a battle between the lover in him and the priapic Lothario."[51]

Rachel Keigley from the Sonoma State Star said Tattoos helps bring out Derulo's more "sensitive side" compared to previous his work stating "His songs come from the heart and it is evident he put his soul into each lyric." She noted that although at times Derulo reoccurring use of auto-tuning is definitely evident in this album as with his previous efforts, she praised his "constant use of auto-tuning" which is a "style that Derulo uses to make his voice sound unique." Keigly concluded by saying that Tattoos "is filled with many hits that are catchy and will leave its audience with a euphoric feeling." [53] In writing for SoulHead, Yvorn Aswad agreed that during this time in the music industry "where electronic beats and auto-tuned voices are more tyrant than king, Derulo somehow manages to pull off those devices without weighing down the album. Instead he produces music that is auditory fun!." Aswad called the album "bubblegum" and "airy" saying "It passes through your ear like an ephemeral substance, elucidating moments of audio bliss. And it works!." Giving the album a B+ rating Aswad summarized that the album "exemplifies Derulo’s joie de vivre, making for a pleasant listening experience!."[54][55]

John Calvert of the UK magazine Fact gave the album its most negative review, giving it a 1 out of a possible 5 star rating. Calvert called Tattoos a "disjointed hotchpotch of incompatible tones, styles and sentiment – a product of today’s collectivised producer system whereby long-players are constructed like playlists. A gallery of trending white noise pop tropes blur into one, merging then with the equally anonymous presence that is the nondescript Derulo."[50] In writing for PopMatters, Brent Faulkner had a more positive to mixed review of the album, rating the album a 6 out of 10, summarizing that the Tattoos "is a pleasant album with some bright moments as well as some average ones. One of the pitfalls of modern pop is consistently sounding distinct and fresh, something that Derülo is a victim of. Essentially, Derülo hits enough jump shots to win the game, but he could’ve played better down the stretch."[52]

AllMusic's Andy Kellman said that Tattoos wasn't necessarily more serious than his two preceding albums Jason Derulo (2009) and Future History (2011), however said that it is "a little heavier on songs regarding monogamy." He described the album as hardly "one a step forward", as most of the album's content covers a variety of songs about "devotion and settling down" there is still plenty of space for "content about short-term relationships."[48] Reviewing the EP released in the United States, Dimas Sanfiorenzo had a positive review, stating the songs are "pretty enjoyable" but that it's "nothing groundbreaking".[56]

On October 5, 2013, Tattoos opened on the UK official Albums Chart at number five, besting previous album Future History (2011) by two chart positions.[57] However, on the UK R&B Albums Chart, Tattoos failed to match Future History's peak position of number one, only managing to debut at number two.[58] As a result, it became Derulo's second highest charting album in the UK to date.[59] In Australia, Tattoos debuted on the ARIA top 40 albums chart at number five; it became Derulo's third top-ten album, and second top five.[60]

Tattoos also debuted in the top twenty in several other countries, including New Zealand, where it debuted at number ten;[61] Norway, where it debuted at number seven;[62] Ireland, where it debuted at number fourteen;[63] and Switzerland, where it debuted at number thirteen.[64] It also debuted outside the top ten on German albums chart at number 25.[65]