Rebellious Soul

Background

In 2012, K. Michelle was one of the cast members on the VH1 reality TV show Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta. Because of the publicity given to her from starring on Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta, she signed a recording contract to Atlantic Records and began working on her debut studio album, titled Rebellious Soul.

Promotion

"I Just Wanna" was released as her official buzz single for the promotion of the album. On July 15, 2013, Michelle revealed the album cover artwork for Rebellious Soul.

Singles

"V.S.O.P." was released as the album's lead single on May 20, 2013. The song was produced by Pop & Oak, and contains a sample of "Very Special" performed by Debra Laws, as well as "That's How Long" performed by The Chi-Lites. "V.S.O.P." reached at number 89 on the US Hot 100 Singles and number 27 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts. The music video (directed by Benny Boom) was released on June 29, 2013.

The album's second single, Can't Raise a Man, was officially released on November 16, 2012 and was later reissued on January 13, 2014 for the album. The song peaked at number 23 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and number 94 on the US Hot 100 Singles charts. The music video (directed by Benny Boom; who also directed a music video for her lead single V.S.O.P.) was released on February 8, 2014.

Critical response

Rebellious Soul has received mostly positive reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 71, which indicates "generally favorable reviews", based on 5 reviews. Andy Kellman of Allmusic praised the material influenced by classic soul, citing "Damn" and lead single "V.S.O.P." as key examples, overall referring to it as a "compact, lyrically diverse debut." Stacy-Ann Ellis of Vibe notes Michelle's "rough around the edges" demeanor as evidenced in her role in Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta, but points out that the album shows more to her than just the " 'shaking the table' moments, Piscean dramatics and a mouthful of expletives. Her keep-it-real charm drew fans in, and her rebellious soul will keep them there."

Maura Johnston of MSN Music wrote, "Reality TV junkies might know this fiery singer from VH1′s ‘Love and Hip-Hop Atlanta,’ but she’s been releasing real-talk-filled mixtapes for the past three years … She shows off her super-raunchy, defiantly strong and maternally devoted sides, among others. All of these lyrics sound like they were written in moments of high passion, thanks in part to her take-no-prisoners voice."

Ayara Pommells of Soul Train said, "Overall Rebellious Soul is a great effort from K.Michelle. You can expect to be serenaded with tales of heartbreak, sexual encounters for grown folks and mantras of female empowerment. The production is complimentary to both K.Michelle’s heavy vocals and candid lyrical content. She does not drown in the instrumentals. The beats are relatively simple without ever crossing over into vanilla territory. Every detail on this album has been carefully constructed so as to allow K.Michelle to shine her brightest."

Elias Legit of PopMatters was more critical, promptly reminiscing of 2009 buzz single "Fakin' It" as a sign of her manipulation over men and pumping up their egos, while lamenting that the same power was nowhere to be found on Rebellious Soul. Jon Caramancia of The New York Times praised Michelle's "tremendous promise," but was critical of her foul language and lack of boundaries in regards to subject matter, stating, "What she’s missing is restraint."

Commercial performance

on August 31, 2013 The album debuted at number 2 on the Billboard 200 and number one on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts, with first-week sales of 72,000 copies in the United States. In its second week the album dropped 12 places to number 14. in its third week the album dropped 14 places to number 28. In its fourth week the album dropped 15 places to number 43. The album spent 14 consecutive weeks before dropping out of the Billboard Hot 200 Chart on the last week ending November 2013. As of 2016 the album has sold over 350,000 copies.

Promotion

To promote the Rebellious Soul album, K. Michelle embarked on her very first headlining tour, The Rebellious Soul Tour presented by BET Music Matters. The 19 city tour kicked off in November 4, 2013 in San Francisco and ended on December 3, 2013 in Boston. It included stops in Los Angeles, Houston, Chicago, and Atlanta. Opening acts featured Chris Brown protégé Sevyn Streeter and Tiara Thomas.

On December 20, 2013 on BET’s 106 & Park, K. Michelle announced that she will be joining Robin Thicke on the North American leg of his Blurred Lines Tour kicking off on February 21, 2014, in Atlanta, Georgia.