Thank You (Meghan Trainor album)

Background and recording

In 2015, Meghan Trainor announced that she would be releasing her second album sometime in 2016, and confirmed some collaborations with the variety of artists and record producers, one of them was the Virgin Islands duo Rock City. Discussing her influences for the record, Trainor explained "I wanted to go big, I wanted to get all my influences in there and show everything from my Caribbean side to my love for Bruno Mars and Aretha Franklin and even some Elvis vibes, anyone I grew up listening to." "It's definitely a Meghan Trainor album, but it's a more grown up, matured, intense Meghan Trainor," she said in an interview with Los Angeles Times. In January 2016, in an interview with Forbes, Trainor confirmed that her first single from Thank You would be picked during the month. The album was made available for pre-order on March 4, on the same day the release of the lead single "No". The song caused the direction of the album to change, as Trainor and the producer Ricky Reed started experimenting with new musical styles and began producing six more tracks, replacing most of the original track list.

Singles

The lead single from the album, titled "No", was released on March 4, 2016. It is a dance-pop song that lyrically incorporates themes of female independence. The song debuted at number 11 on the US Billboard Hot 100, also marking the highest debut on the Radio Songs since the release of Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" more than five years prior. It reached at number 3 in its fourth week on the chart.

On May 5, 2016, "Me Too" was released as the second single from the album. The single debuted at number 39 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and has since peaked at number 13.

On August 5, 2016, it was announced that "Better" featuring Yo Gotti, would be released as the third single from the album. It impacted adult contemporary radio on August 29, 2016. The solo edit was serviced to pop radio, while rhythmic radio was issued the album version featuring Yo Gotti.

Promotional singles

"Watch Me Do" was released as the first promotional single from the album on March 25, 2016. It is an upbeat, brass-heavy track where Trainor references a number of rap songs, containing "90s hip hop throwback vibes" according to MTV News.

"I Love Me" featuring LunchMoney Lewis, was released as the second promotional single from the album on April 15, 2016. MTV News noted the song "points out the importance of sticking up for yourself even when no one else will."

"Mom", featuring Trainor's mother named Kelli, was released on April 29, 2016, as the third and final promotional single from the album.

Critical reception

Thank You received mixed reviews from critics. Chuck Campbell, reviewing the album for Knoxville News Sentinel, says, "Trouble is, she still hasn't arrived to 2016...Of course this wouldn't be the first time a 22-year-old hasn't yet figured out just who she is. So maybe her third release will give a clearer picture." Glenn Gamboa, the reviewer for Newsday, writes, "'Thank You' shows how Trainor has become one of pop’s most skilled young stars at crafting songs for her image, but there is still room to grow."

Commercial performance

Thank You debuted at number 3 on the Billboard 200 with 107,000 equivalent-album units (84,000 in pure album sales). In the second week Thank You fell 5 spots to number 8 with 39,000 units. The third and fourth weeks resulted in Thank You dropping to number 12 and then rebounding to number 10 with 34,000 units to close out the top 10 that week. The surge in sales was attributed to the discounted price of $6.99 for the album. The album remained at number 10 in its fifth week, selling 27,000 units. In the album's seventh and eighth weeks on the chart it rose from number 16 back to number 10, selling 21,000 and 22,000 units, respectively.

Track listing

Notes