Rare (Selena Gomez album)


Rare is the third solo studio album by American singer Selena Gomez, released on January 10, 2020, by Interscope Records. As the executive producer, Gomez worked with a variety of producers, including Ian Kirkpatrick, Mike Dean, Jason Evigan, Finneas, Mattman & Robin, Sir Nolan, The Monsters & Strangerz and David Pramik. Gomez stated that the album is her "diary from the past few years". Rare is a midtempo pop and dance album, with influences from electronic, Latin pop and R&B. Lyrically, it deals with themes such as self-love, self-acceptance, self-worth and self empowerment. The standard edition of Rare features guest verses from rappers 6lack and Kid Cudi.
Rare was supported by four singles, with the first three reaching the top 30 of the Billboard Hot 100: The lead single "Lose You to Love Me", released on October 23, 2019, topped the Hot 100, becoming Gomez's first number-one single in the US. "Look at Her Now", released a day later, peaked at number 27 on the Hot 100, while the title track peaked at number 30. Rare received generally positive reviews from music critics, who commended the production and its cohesiveness, with many deeming it Gomez's best album to date; however, a few critics found the songwriting "easy".
Rare debuted atop the Billboard 200, giving Gomez her third consecutive number-one album in the United States. It was the first number-one album of the 2020s by a female artist. The album debuted at number one in several countries, including Australia, Belgium, Canada, Mexico, Norway, Portugal, and Scotland; reaching the top three in countries including Germany, New Zealand, Poland, Spain, and the United Kingdom. The Target-exclusive edition of Rare additionally includes five of Gomez's standalone singles released in 2017-18: "Bad Liar", "Fetish" featuring Gucci Mane, "It Ain't Me" with Kygo, "Back to You", and "Wolves" with Marshmello. On February 21, 2020, Rare's vinyl edition was released with "Feel Me" as a bonus track. A deluxe edition of Rare, with three new tracks that include the fourth single "Boyfriend", was released on April 9, 2020.

Background and release

Speaking in a November 2019 interview for Apple Music on the subject of her upcoming studio album Rare, Gomez admitted that the unreleased tracks were where she currently was. She also said that the songs on the tracklist went well with each other, after putting them in order.
Gomez appeared on the radio program On Air with Ryan Seacrest and stated that she had "a million ideas and it's just going to be cooler and it's going to be stronger and it's going to be better." She stated on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon that the album would have a "sense of strong pop", and that she experimented with electric guitar. She also said that it took her "four years now to even feel at a good place with this album".

Music and lyrics

Rare is primarily a pop and dance music record which experiments with many genres, such as R&B, electro, funk-pop, reggaeton, alternative pop and electronic music. The main themes are of "love, loss and dating". Gomez herself stated that the album is "honest, empowering and uplifting", while its main messages are "self love, acceptance and empowerment". She also added that the songs on Rare are "the most honest music I've ever made".

Songs

The standard edition of Rare contains 13 tracks. The opener and title track is a "quiet but impactful self-love anthem" with lyrics discussing "the wavering interests of a lover" and the singer realizing "her love interest isn't valuing her in the way she deserves". Its sound has been referred to as "backing vocals and instrumentals muffled as if the whole thing has been dunked underwater". The following track, "Dance Again", is a blend of multiple genres, including funk, dance, electro, and electropop. It encompasses an "infectious" and "mellifluous" melody, "Cure-like" bass, "fuzzy" synths and a "walloping disco bassline". It has been described as "lite-Daft Punk" and "low-key yet deeply infectious". Co-written with Julia Michaels and Justin Tranter, "Look at Her Now" is an upbeat dance-pop and electropop track which explores "being better off without the bad ones" and getting over the end of a relationship. The fourth song, "Lose You to Love Me", is the only ballad on Rare. Its "bare-bones" production incorporates "plucked" violins, "booming" bass, "tearjerker" piano, an orchestra, and "multi-tracked Gomez voices cascading against each other". Critics speculated that it may be about the end of Gomez's relationship with Justin Bieber. The Latin-infused "Ring", which deals with "toying with noncommittal lovers", drew comparisons to the works of Camila Cabello, Gotye's "Somebody That I Used to Know", as well as Santana's "Smooth". Produced by the Monsters & Strangerz with Jon Bellion, "Vulnerable" is a "warm" disco and electropop record with a "moody synth groove" and elements of italo disco and tropical house.
Influences of Latin music are also present on the upbeat and "dancefloor-ready" "Let Me Get Me". The first of Rares two collaborations, "Crowded Room", is an R&B song which features rapper 6lack. Tracks 10, 11, and 12 all have a funk sound. "Kinda Crazy" is a "tongue-in-cheek tune" and "sinuous kiss-off" driven by a "clean bluesy guitar lick and accompanying horns". "Cut You Off" is a "slinky" funk-inflected downtempo pop song and a slow jam about "saying goodbye to a relationship that's dragging you down". It has been compared to the works of Taylor Swift. Rare concludes with "A Sweeter Place": A collaboration with rapper Kid Cudi, the song "documents the life lessons has learned and expresses hope that brighter days lie ahead". The vinyl and digital bonus track editions of Rare feature the song "Feel Me", which was previously featured on the setlist of Gomez's 2016 Revival Tour. Gomez released the song on digital platforms on February 21, 2020, the day of the vinyl release.

Promotion

Promotion for Rare was limited. The album and its title were first announced on Gomez's Instagram page, where she revealed the cover art and included a snippet of the title track.
The standard edition of the studio album was promoted and preceded by the release of "Lose You to Love Me" released October 23, 2019, and "Look at Her Now" on October 24, 2019. On November 24, 2019, Gomez performed "Lose You to Love Me" and "Look at Her Now" at the 2019 American Music Awards to promote the album. The title track was released as the third single the same day the album came out. She also appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to talk about the release of Rare.
In addition, "Dance Again" was scheduled to be used to promote CBS Sports and Turner Sports' coverage of the 2020 NCAA Tournament. However, the song was never used, as the event was canceled over concerns of the COVID-19 pandemic. A part of the proceeds from "Dance Again" went toward the MusiCares COVID-19 Relief Fund. A performance video of the track was posted on YouTube on March 26, 2020.

Critical reception

Rare received generally positive reviews from music critics, who praised the production and its cohesiveness, with many deeming it Gomez's best album to date; however, some critics found the songwriting "easy". At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has an average score of 76 based on 12 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
Varietys Jem Aswad labeled Rare "one of the best pop albums to be released in recent memory" and described it as "sophisticated, precisely written and expertly produced music". While calling it "shockingly, and beautifully, upbeat", Brittany Spanos of Rolling Stone opined that the album is "an act of divine ruthlessness, full of dance-y, mid-tempo clarity". Writing for NME, Rhian Daly called the album "a beautifully confident return from one of pop's most underrated stars, and a quietly defiant wrestling back of the narrative surrounding her", while Leah Greenblatt of Entertainment Weekly praised the album's "lightness" despite its "heavy messaging".
Mikael Wood of the Los Angeles Times named Rare as Gomez's "most meaningful solo disc" and opined that it embraces "an infectious spirit of adventure". Similarly, Vultures Craig Jenkins wrote that the album is "almost inarguably Selena Gomez's best album". In a mixed review, Pitchforks Quinn Moreland stated that the album was her "most cohesive record to date" but that " introspection can only go so deep when it's paired with sleek, easy songwriting that lets her slip by". In concurrence, Alexandra Pollard of The Independent gave the album three stars out of five, deeming it "an accomplished, coherent record, with moments of ecstasy and others of pathos" but concluding that it "never quite gets out from beneath the shadow of half a decade of behemothic bangers".
Idolator listed Rare among the 20 best pop albums of 2020, for being an "extraordinarily accomplished pop album that tackles serious issues like self worth and mental health" while complimenting "Lose You to Love Me" as a "Grammy-worthy ballad"; the tracks "Vulnerable", "Ring", "People You Know" and "A Sweeter Place" were highlighted as the "delights" from the album.

Commercial performance

In the United States, Rare debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, earning 112,000 album-equivalent units in its first week. It is Gomez's third number-one album in the country and the first album released in the 2020s to top the chart. This also became her third consecutive number-one debut. In its second week, the album fell to number six on the chart, earning an additional 38,000 units. In its third week, the album dropped to number 15 on the chart, earning 26,200 more units.
In the United Kingdom, the album debuted at number two on the UK Albums Chart earning 17,661 album-equivalent units in its first week. It became her highest-charting album in the country.
In Australia, the album debuted at number one on the ARIA Top 100 Albums Chart, becoming Gomez's first number-one debut in the country. It also became her first number-one album in Argentina, Belgium, Lithuania, Taiwan and Scotland.

Track listing

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Rare.

Recording locations

  • Edgewater, New Jersey – Sterling Sound
  • Encino, California – Home Away From Home Studios, Hydde Studios
  • Jonstorp, Sweden – The Calm Studio
  • Los Angeles – Chalice Recording Studios, MXM Studios, Westlake Recording Studios, EastWest Studios, The Gift Shop
  • Las Vegas – The Palms
  • Newport, California – Costa Mesa Recording Studios
  • North Hollywood, California – Larrabee Studios, Mirrorball Studios
  • Pasadena, California – Becker Mastering
  • Santa Monica, California – Interscope Studios, No Excuses Studios
  • Stockholm – House Mouse Studios
  • Tarzana, California – Chumba Meadows
  • Virginia Beach, Virginia – MixStar Studios

    Vocals

  • Selena Gomez – lead vocals, backing vocals
  • 6lack – featured vocals
  • Kid Cudi – featured vocals, backing vocals
  • Caroline Ailin – backing vocals
  • Amy Allen – backing vocals
  • Chloe Angelides – backing vocals
  • Jon Bellion – backing vocals
  • Jason Evigan – backing vocals
  • Steph Jones – backing vocals
  • Ian Kirkpatrick – backing vocals
  • Madison Love – backing vocals
  • Mattman & Robin – backing vocals, choir vocals
  • MNEK – backing vocals
  • Julia Michaels – backing vocals, choir vocals
  • Liza Owen – backing vocals
  • Henry Oyekanmi – backing vocals
  • David Pramik – backing vocals
  • Avena Savage – backing vocals
  • Jasmine Thompson – backing vocals
  • Justin Tranter – backing vocals, choir vocals
  • Mark Williams – backing vocals

    Instrumentation

  • Jon Bellion – instrumentation
  • Billboard – instrumentation
  • Carl Bodell – trumpet
  • David Bukovinszky – cello
  • Mattais Bylund – string synthesizer, string arrangement, string editing, string recording
  • Kid Cudi – instrumentation
  • Mike Dean – instrumentation
  • Jason Evigan – instrumentation
  • Jake Faun – instrumentation, guitar
  • Finneas – percussion, synths, strings, bass guitar
  • Kristoffer Fogelmark – keyboards, drums, instrumentation, guitar, bass
  • Alex Hope – instrumentation
  • Mattais Johansson – violin
  • Ian Kirkpatrick – instrumentation
  • Johan Lenox – string composition, string arrangement
  • Mattman & Robin – drums, guitar, percussion, bass, piano, synths, 808, organ, strings, keyboards, claps, harp
  • Albin Nedler – keyboards, drums, instrumentation, guitar
  • Sir Nolan – instrumentation, percussion
  • Oladipo Omishore – instrumentation
  • Henry Oyekanmi – percussion
  • David Pramik – instrumentation, Fender Stratocaster, Gibson Les Paul
  • Patrick Reynolds – instrumentation
  • Simon Says – instrumentation
  • The Monsters & Strangerz – instrumentation
  • Mark Williams – instrumentation
  • Rami Yacoub – keyboards, drums, instrumentation

    Production

  • Selena Gomez – executive production
  • Jon Bellion – production
  • Kid Cudi – production
  • Sean Douglas – production
  • Jason Evigan – production
  • Kristoffer Fogelmark – production
  • Ian Kirkpatrick – production, vocal production, co-production
  • Mattman & Robin – production, vocal production
  • Albin Nedler – production
  • Sir Nolan – production, vocal production
  • Ojivolta – production
  • David Pramik – production
  • Simon Says – production, vocal production, additional production
  • The Monsters & Strangerz – production
  • Rami Yacoub – production
  • Finneas – additional production
  • Johan Lenox – additional production
  • Billboard – co-production
  • Mike Dean – co-production
  • Alex Hope – co-production
  • Oladipo Omishore – co-production
  • Patrick Reynolds – co-production
  • Benjamin Rice – vocal production
  • Bart Schoudel – vocal production
  • Gian Stone – additional vocal production

    Technical

  • Cory Bice – engineering
  • Raul Cubina – engineering, programming
  • Ryan Dulude – engineering, assistant engineering
  • Rafael "Come2Brazil" Fadul – engineering
  • John Hanes – engineering, mix engineering
  • Sam Holland – engineering
  • Stefan Johnson – engineering
  • Ian Kirkpatrick – engineering
  • Jeremy Lertola – engineering
  • Mattman & Robin – engineering, programming
  • Sir Nolan – engineering, programming
  • David Pramik – engineering
  • Benjamin Rice – engineering
  • Simon Says – engineering
  • Bart Schoudel – engineering
  • William J. Sullivan – engineering
  • Mark Williams – engineering, programming
  • Bo Bodnar – assistant engineering
  • Andrew Boyd – assistant engineering
  • Kevin Brunhober – assistant engineering
  • Lionel Crasta – assistant engineering
  • Gavin Finn – assistant engineering
  • Chris Kahn – assistant engineering
  • Sedrick Moore II – assistant engineering
  • Mick Raskin – assistant engineering
  • Jeremy Tomlinson – assistant engineering
  • Finneas – programming
  • Kristoffer Fogelmark – programming
  • Albin Nedler – programming
  • Rami Yacoub – programming
  • Ben Dotson – post production vocal and sound editing
  • Jon Castelli – mixing
  • Serban Ghenea – mixing
  • Manny Marroquin – mixing
  • Tony Maserati – mixing
  • Miles Comaskey – mix engineering, assistant mix engineering
  • Josh Deguzman – mix engineering
  • Chris Galland – mix engineering
  • Scott Desmarais – assistant mix engineering
  • Robin Florent – assistant mix engineering
  • Jeremie Inhaber – assistant mix engineering
  • Najeeb Jones – assistant mix engineering
  • David Kim – assistant mix engineering
  • Dale Becker – mastering
  • Chris Gehringer – mastering
  • Will Quinnell – mastering

    Design

  • Petra Collins – photography
  • Max Angles – design
  • Dina Hovsepian – art direction

    Charts

Certifications

Certification Table Bottom|streaming=true

Release history