The problem is that the whole album is designed to target the 'boots the house down mama yes god' white gays, but all she can get from that audience is a passing yaaas at their local gay pride. I don't think having a Paris Hilton feature is the snatch she thinks it is in 2022. I really fail to see how anyone outside that very specific niche can enjoy Problematique. Era 1 songs were the perfect blend between that and songs that can actually attract other listeners.
The leaked tracks definitely feel like a work in progress rather than a completed album. There are some cute bops here though. Sex Talk, All She Wants, Left My Body, Born Again. With some additional tracks and changes (the live version of Je T'adore posted here is a massive improvement) I think we could have gotten a pretty decent 12-track album (though it would still have probably been her weakest effort to date).
The new music just isn't good, or up there with what she got signed off of. It's as simple as that. Kim's actual talent and track record could've made her a mainstream popstar, but the people she surrounds herself with and these self-imposed hurdles set her back. She's a trans artist, but the gay or trans community never needed to be her only audience. Songs like Heart To Break, Icy, Blow It All... They're objectively great. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but under her type of deal wouldn't Republic only give her huge support if something showed signs of promise or traction? These projects are under Amigo. That means Luke & anyone there has to give final approval first, and I bet that's where the real issue is.
Everything leaning into the early 00s house sound was already done better three years ago with Sweet Spot. Confessions instrumental is literally a generic "Love At First Sight' knockoff.
He does this stuff for fun, he doesn't actually work for her beyond the Era 1 merch he did recently. The image in question is from her V magazine shoot from this past June. Steven Klein did the album shoot, but we probably won't see any of that.
I have what I kept from the leaks as "Future Starts Now" with the single cover for this exact reason dd. The decision to go with Problématique over what would have been an obvious slam-dunk for what was so heavily touted as her "Debut Album™" still baffles me, but then again, that's the least of the issues with the whole thing dd
The album was shelved in the Spring before this shoot happened, though. Timeline doesn't really add up.
The whole PROBLEMATIQUE concept doesn’t really work with an entire album full of safe, snooze-worthy tepid pop dance songs. Like nothing about the album pushes the envelope at all.
They were really asking for smoke leaning into that concept when it has little to no relation to the music itself dd. Although I'm pretty sure we heard that there was a version of the title track that had more head on lyrics regarding its concept that made her look really bad.
I was wondering about this. The insiders made it sound a lot worse than the tepid Madison Avenue cosplay that leaked
She said back in early July 2021 ahead of the single release that the album was fully finished. Assuming the dates in the leaked tracks are accurate, it seems these are different versions of tracks than what was originally finalized (explaining the discrepancy between what we heard about the title track). What leaked is probably their final attempt to avoid it being shelved.
Yeah, I remember being surprised that the album was supposedly ready with artwork and tracklist, etc. directly after her signing announcement. There was no way that was ever going to work out.
Can somebody please explain/summarise what has happened here? I unfollowed her on Instagram a year ago (mostly because of stuff I read here) but still would like to catch some problematic bops here and there.