Superficial (album)

Background and production

After being cast in the reality television series The Hills and subsequently achieving public notability in 2006, Montag entered the music industry and began recording her debut studio album in 2007. She began recording with producer Steve Morales, and later collaborated with songwriter Cathy Dennis in 2009. Montag also recorded "Blackout" for the album, a song written by actress and rock star Taylor Momsen. According to Momsen, she wrote the song when she was 8 years old and recorded it as a demo with a producer. Montag released the song as a digital only single, with the music video being directed by her husband Spencer Pratt. Momsen commented about the recording: "I'm like, okay, dude, you're singing an 8-year-old's words, but that's cool. It's so funny because I didn't shop it or anything and I get this call going, 'Did you write a song for Heidi Montag'? And I'm like 'What?'".

In August 2007, a demo version of Montag's song "Body Language" was leaked on On Air with Ryan Seacrest, which featured an uncredited rapped verse by Montag's boyfriend Spencer Pratt. Montag has claimed she was unhappy with the leak, as the song was a "joke" and she did not want that to be the first thing people heard from her musically. Montag released the promo single, "Higher" along with an accompanying video shot by Pratt to iTunes on February 5, 2008. The song and the video immediately elicited a negative response from the online community. Two weeks later, a ballad titled "No More" was leaked online, and Montag later released it as a promotional single the following month. Two more songs, "Fashion" and "One More Drink" appeared on the internet in June 2008. Consequently, Montag released the extended plays Wherever I Am and Here She Is..., which were made up of previously leaked material. Following the album's release, Montag stated "I've actually gone broke putting every dollar I've ever made and my heart and soul into this music. For me, I have a different appreciation, a different understanding, and a different love of my music and for my album than any other artist possibly could." Montag later confirmed she spent nearly $2 million on the album. Initially, the album was to include Montag's debut single, "Body Language", but the song was later removed from the final product. The album was eventually released on January 11, 2010 for digital download.

The record was originally announced to be titled Heidi Montag, later Independent, and eventually The One. In 2009, Montag stated that the record would be titled Superficial, commenting that "that's the world [she lives] in and how people think [she is] but it's really just the surface". Its intended cover was shot by Liz Ciganovich, who commented that it was inspired by Montag's earlier music video for her song "Overdosin'" and "Physical" by Olivia Newton-John. It depicted Montag dressed in a strapless, polka-dotted leotard in front of a wall of cassettes, which she described as a "shout out to the '80s" and "makes you remember when you just had to run out to the record store and get your favorite album". However, the official cover was later revealed to be an image of Montag in a short black dress posing in front of a large camera lens.

Composition

People, Montag described Superficial as "a fun, empowering mix that you could really dance to." Montag later described the album to MTV as "...different. Not every song is in the same genre. Some are more pop. Some are more ballady. Some are a little more rock. Some are a little bit edgier, but they all go together in some way. It's like a group of rocks. They're all rocks, but they're so different." The first song, "Look How I'm Doing", is described as a "kiss off to a former flame", while "Blackout" is an ode to Montag's husband, Spencer Pratt. "Turn Ya Head" has been described as an uptempo track with "electronic" influences. The song has also been described as "urban pop". "Fanatic" is an uptempo song with "an 80's feel", and has been compared to works by Kylie Minogue. Title track "Superficial" sees Montag singing about her public image, over a "dancefloor" beat, while aiming at Montag's critics. "More Is More" has been described as a "club hit", as well as "loud and intense."

The song "I'll Do It" was described as Montag getting "racy" due to the song's sexually explicit lyrics stating to "come eat my panties off of me." Montag addressed the issue by stating "I love it. I'm a very sexual person and I'm married, so it's okay. I think every woman ... has an alter ego. We all have that really sexual, fun side. I just thought the lyrics were so fun and so sexy. They empower women. That song, when my friends hear it, they feel sexier. They have more fun, because the song is like, 'I'll do whatever you want, but I'm still kind of in charge here.' The lyrics are definitely a little edgy - and I'm sorry to the little girls - but I am married. Eat the panties off when you're married."

Singles and promotion

The record's only single, the title track "Superficial", was released on November 22, 2009. The song's music video was released in April 2010, and featured various video clips of Montag in the media, including her Miss Universe performance of "Body Language". Initially, "Body Language" was slated to be the album's lead single, but was ultimately scrapped from the album. Shortly after the album's release, Montag announced "Fanatic" would be the album's second single, but the plans were ultimately scrapped. The songs "Look How I'm Doing" and "Your Love Found Me" were also released as promotional singles, along with "More Is More", which became Montag's first and only chart entry, reaching number 27 on Billboard's Hot Dance Club Play chart in the United States.

Montag promoted the album with the release of two promotional extended plays in 2009, Wherever I Am and Here She Is.... The Wherever I Am album featured a remix of "Look How I'm Doing" which featured rapper Machine Gun Kelly on guest vocals. Songs such as "Turn Ya Head" and "More Is More" were also included on the five song album, which were both later used on Superficial. The Here She Is... album featured promotional singles such as "No More" and "Overdosin'", as well as "Your Love Found Me", which was first introduced on her previous EP. Both albums were released independently through Pratt Productions. Both albums featured previously leaked songs of Montag's, some of which were featured on the finished version of Superficial. Both albums were released exclusively for digital download, and failed to chart due to their promotional release. Montag also promoted the album by performing at the 2009 edition of Miss Universe during the fashion shoot presentation. Montag's performance was negatively received from viewers, including other celebrities such as Anderson Cooper, who revealed his dislike for the performance on CNN. Montag herself addressed Cooper's comments, stating "I am so incredibly flattered that [Anderson Cooper] is talking about me."

Critical reception

Superficial received mixed to negative reviews from most music critics. Pittnews commented that it "is chock full of poorly produced, synthesized, and — worst of all — instantly forgettable tracks that are mildly irritating at best, but are usually insufferable." TheChannels said "The lyrics are no better than the rest of the album. Montag sings about these ideas: how hard it is to handle the paparazzi, how she turns heads everywhere she goes, and how she ignores those that rain on her parade." Limelife gave the album a mixed review, calling some of the songs "catchy", but also said the album "sounds so manufactured, I have no idea what Heidi would sound like without all this technology behind her." HollywoodLife was also gave the album a mixed review, writing "Superficial is just as over-produced as you'd expect a Heidi album to be. In fact, there are some points when you can barely hear Heidi's breathy words over busy beats and sporadic whooshing sounds." They did, however, praise the songs "My Parade" and "I'll Do It". Superficial did receive some positive reviews, however, most notably from the LGBT community. Homorazzi gave the album a positive review, and cited songs "Fanatic", "Superficial", and "More Is More" as highlights of the album. MuuMuse also praised the album, calling it "fun", while calling several of the songs "guilty pleasures."

Superficial sold slightly over 1,000 copies in its first week of release. In total, the songs on the album were downloaded 6,000 times during the first week of release, with none of them charting. Montag has since publicly stated she felt the album was a commercial flop due to its lack of promotion.

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Superficial.