Don't Kill My Vibe (EP)

Don't Kill My Vibe
EP by
Sigrid
Released5 May 2017 (2017-05-05)
Recorded2016–2017
StudioLydriket (Bergen)
GenrePop
Length13:41
Label
Producer
Sigrid chronology
Don't Kill My Vibe
(2017) 		Raw
(2018)
Singles from Don't Kill My Vibe
  1. "Don't Kill My Vibe"
    Released: 10 February 2017
  2. "Plot Twist"
    Released: 14 July 2017

Don't Kill My Vibe is the debut extended play (EP) by Norwegian singer-songwriter Sigrid. It was released on 5 May 2017 by Island Records. Following the popularity of her song "Sun" in her native Norway, Sigrid began working on several tracks that would later become an EP. She collaborated with producers Martin Sjølie, George Flint, Henry Flint, and Askjell Solstrand during its recording. A pop record, it includes elements of electropop, trip hop, synth-pop and acoustic pop. The lyrics are heavily inspired by Sigrid's experience as a young woman in the musical industry and situations people her age might encounter.

Don't Kill my Vibe was supported by the release of two official singles and one promotional single, all of which were supplemented by music videos. The lead single "Don't Kill My Vibe" and "Plot Twist" were respectively released 10 February was released on 10 February and 14 July, and reached numbers 193 and 88 in Norway. The song "Dynamite" was released as the EP's only promotional single on 28 April 2017. The title track and "Dynamite", which first appeared in the EP, were later included on Sigrid's debut studio album, Sucker Punch (2019).

The EP received positive reviews from music critics, who praised Sigrid's vocals and lyrics. Commercially, it peaked at number 19 on the Billboard Heatseekers Albums chart.

Background and production

"The beautiful thing about writing sessions is that you can click with a person 100%. [sic] I think it's cliche for every songwriter to say, 'Oh, I get to talk about my deepest emotions. This is my therapy.' But it's totally true. You get to talk about your feelings and where you're at in your life in that moment. It's really nice."

— Sigrid describing the songwriting process of Don't Kill My Vibe.[1]

At the age of 16, Sigrid wrote her first song, "Sun" after her brother, who is also a musician, told her to stop performing cover versions of Adele songs at performances and challenged her to write a song that she could perform at one of his gigs.[2][3] In 2013, she released "Sun" as her debut single.[4] The song received airplay on Norwegian radio stations.[2] She signed to Petroleum Records the following year, and performed at festivals such as Øyafestivalen.[5] Sigrid went to a meeting with her future manager Geir Luedy at a show of Norwegian artist dePresno.[6] Initial production sessions followed in Bergen and Berlin, however, Luedy realized that the new production "wasn't what we were looking for."[6]

Sigrid was paired with Norwegian producer Martin Sjølie, and together they finished the demo of the song "Don't Kill My Vibe" that was sent to Luedy.[6] In September 2016, after executives heard that demo, Sigrid signed with Island Records and continued working with the rest of the EP.[2][7][8] The title track, which was originally a piano ballad, was reworked when Sigrid and Sjølie thought the song needed "[more] production" after listening to the chorus.[9] "Dynamite" (Acoustic) was written with her friend, Askjell Solstrand, which became their first writing session together.[9] For the EP, she collaborated with musicians Sjølie, George Flint, Henry Flint and Solstrand; all of them are credit as both songwriters and producers of the record.[10]

Composition

Don't Kill My Vibe has been described as a pop EP[9] with elements of electropop,[11] trip hop, synth-pop[12] and acoustic pop.[13] Sigrid explained that for the record she composed vocal melodies before writing the lyrics; for the title track she used one day finding out the melodies, while the next day was exclusively made for songwriting.[14] The EP is characterised by having an aggressive sound and raspy vocals.[9] The lyrics were described as "intensely relatable and wonderfully frank," which are inspired by her experience as a young woman in the music industry and situations people her age might encounter.[1][9] Abigail Hyland of The Line of Best Fit wrote that the EP "[vocalises] a problem that's been festering at the core of the music industry since its beginnings; for too long female artists have been subject to manipulation and oppression from men in positions of power".[15]

Don't Kill My Vibe opens with its title track, a melodic electropop anthem inspired by a difficult session where Sigrid felt her voice and opinion was being diminished.[16] It includes big, booming vocals, neon-tinged production and a euphoric chorus.[13] The following track, "Plot Twist", is a trip hop and synth-pop song about "finally getting over someone."[12][17] When asked in an interview if the track could be described as "angry", she considered it more as "sassy" but agreed that "it's good to get [your feelings] out."[9]

"Fake Friends" is another uptempo number that lyrically, talks about the dismissal of sycophants.[1] It begins with a "heavenly perfect guitar part" and melody-driven verses, transitioning into a chorus accompanied by drums and synthesizers.[18] Sigrid revealed that the song is not based on a personal experience, adding that the title "sounded really good, so I wanted to use it."[19] The EP closes with "Dynamite" (Acoustic), a sweeping, lush and vulnerable acoustic pop ballad whose instrumentation and vocals were compared to Adele's song "Hometown Glory".[13][20] She has described it as a powerful and personal song for her, it describes the struggles of balancing work and love.[21][1]

Release and promotion

Don't Kill My Vibe was initially scheduled for release on 3 April 2017, however, it was later pushed back to a month later.[22] It was released digitally on 5 May 2017.[23] The 12-inch vinyl edition of the record was released in Scandinavia the same day.[24] A limited vinyl edition was released on 24 April 2018 at the Rough Trade shops in celebration of the Record Store Day.[25] The cover artwork is similar to the one used for the title track. Sigrid appears wearing a white t-shirt with the record's title and red jeans, while gazing to the viewer with a "have a go if you think you're hard enough" stare.[26]

To promote the EP, Sigrid did several live performances. She performed at the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize Concert,[27] and festivals like SXSW, The Great Escape Festival, Roskilde Festival, Glastonbury Festival, Latitude Festival, Iceland Airwaves, and Øyafestivalen.[20] She also appeared at several television shows, including the Later... with Jools Holland, The Graham Norton Show and The Late Late Show with James Corden.[20]

Singles

"Don't Kill My Vibe", the EP's title track, was released as the lead single from the EP on 10 February 2017.[28] The song premiered and became BBC Radio 1's Hottest Record in the World that day.[22] A music video directed by J.A.C.K. was released on 31 March 2017, which shows Sigrid dancing along a series of backdrops in a beach located in Los Angeles.[29][30] An acoustic single with two different versions of the song was released on 21 April 2017.[31] A remixes single was released the same day of the EP, including remixes by Gryffin, Jack Garratt and Cedric Gervais.[32] Commercially, it reached number 28 in Norway,[33] as well as the top twenty in Scotland.[34]

"Plot Twist" was released as the second single from the EP on 14 July 2017.[35] Its "home-recording-styled" music video was filmed in Bergen by Sigurd Fossen and William Glandberger and released on 7 July 2017.[36] A remixes single was released on 21 July 2017, and features a remix by Disciples and an acoustic version of the song.[37] The song only charted in Belgium, reaching number 44 on the Ultratip chart.[38] "Dynamite" (Acoustic) was released as a promotional single on 28 April 2017 with a music video released in 4 May 2017.[39][40]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
BillboardPositive[14]
The Edge[41]
The Line of Best Fit8.5/10[15]

Critical reception

Jason Lipshutz, writing for Billboard, summarised the EP as "13 minutes of spectacular songwriting, four songs full of immediately charming hooks that wind their way toward bigger, more perfect choruses".[14] James Barker of The Edge praised Sigrid's vocal performance and concluded that "there's little to criticise on Don't Kill My Vibe other than its pitiful length, but hopefully the Norwegian star-in-the-making will be back very soon with more gifts for her big pop breakthrough."[41] Abigail Hyland from The Line of Best Fit applauded its feminist lyricism, especially with the title track, which she felt that gave "female listeners [...] an anthem to get riled up on and effect change in their own lives."[15]

Commercial performance

Commercially, Don't Kill My Vibe spent one week on the Billboard Heatseekers Albums chart, peaking at number 19 in June 2017.[42] Even though the EP had a weak performance, it has been viewed as one of the biggest breakthroughs of 2017.[20] Zara Hedderman, writing in a review of Sucker Punch for The Irish Times, opined that the EP's popularity made "Sigrid [emerge] as a relatively unknown singer, outside of her native Norway, to become the name dropped into conversations with music-savvy friends, as though she was your discovery."[43] In January 2018, almost ten months after the release of the EP, Sigrid became the winner of BBC's Sound of 2018.[44]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer (s)Length
1."Don't Kill My Vibe"
Sjølie3:04
2."Plot Twist"
  • Raabe
  • George Flint
  • Henry Flint
  • G. Flint
  • H. Flint
3:25
3."Fake Friends"
  • Raabe
  • Sjølie
Sjølie3:21
4."Dynamite" (Acoustic)
Solstrand3:51
Total length:13:41

Notes

  • "Dynamite" (Acoustic) is later titled in Sucker Punch as "Dynamite".[45]

Charts

Chart performance for Don't Kill My Vibe
Chart (2017) Peak
position
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[42] 19

Release history

Release dates and formats for Don't Kill My Vibe
Region Date Format Label Ref.
Various 5 May 2017
[23][24]
24 April 2018 Vinyl Island [25]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Sigrid: Don't Kill Her Vibe". DIY. 15 May 2017. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
  2. ^ a b c Goldfine, Jael (5 October 2018). "Sigrid Is Unstoppable". Paper.
  3. ^ Bromwich, Kathryn (20 May 2017). "One to watch: Sigrid". The Guardian.
  4. ^ Aandahl, Trine Jørgensen (28 May 2013). "Sigrid (16) fra Ålesund er Ukas Urørt" [Sigrid (16) from Ålesund is Ukas Urørt]. NRK (in Norwegian). Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  5. ^ Rise, Olav Sindre (1 July 2014). "Platekontrakt til Sigrid Raabe" [Record contract for Sigrid Raabe]. Sunnmørsposten (in Norwegian). Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  6. ^ a b c Nash, Ed (5 January 2018). "Sigrid is breaking pop's established mould, and the Norwegian superstar is set to define music in 2018". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  7. ^ Berg, Frode (25 February 2017). "Sigrids gledestårer i BBC-studio" [Sigrid's tears of joy in BBC studio]. NRK (in Norwegian). Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  8. ^ "Don't Kill My Vibe - EP by Sigrid". iTunes. 5 May 2017. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  9. ^ a b c d e f Ahmed, Tufayel (5 May 2017). "Meet Sigrid, the Norwegian Pop Star Whose Vibe You Definitely Can't Kill". Newsweek. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  10. ^ Don't Kill My Vibe (booklet). Sigrid. Island Records. 2018. 6732629.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  11. ^ Chalde, Josefina (21 July 2017). "Conocé a la noruega Sigrid con su EP Don't Kill My Vibe". Indie Hoy (in Spanish). Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  12. ^ a b "Love Is A Hype That Takes Turns In Sigrid's "Plot Twist"". Aupium. 14 July 2017. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  13. ^ a b c Russell, Erica (5 May 2017). "Sigrid's Got No Bad Vibes Here: Guest Playlist". PopCrush. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  14. ^ a b c Lipshutz, Jason. "Sigrid Is Making Essential Pop Music. Can She Become a U.S. Star?". Billboard. Retrieved 23 March 2019.
  15. ^ a b c Hyland, Abigail. "Wishing for a common view, achieving greatness: Sigrid's Don't Kill My Vibe". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  16. ^ Gonzales, Erica (11 March 2019). "Sigrid Plans to Be Around for a Long Time". Harper's Bazaar. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  17. ^ "Sigrid offers up a 'Plot Twist' with her new single". Dork. 21 April 2017. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  18. ^ "Sigrid Releases Debut EP, Reveals New Track "Fake Friends"". We Love Nordic. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  19. ^ Riddell, Rose (6 December 2017). "Interview: Sigrid on her 'Don't Kill My Vibe' EP, playing Auckland City Limits, and songwriting". Coup de Main. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  20. ^ a b c d "Sigrid - Another Planet Entertainment". Another Planet Entertainment. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  21. ^ Roth, Madeline (8 March 2019). "Sigrid Breaks Down Her 'Unapologetic' Debut Album, Sucker Punch". MTV. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  22. ^ a b Dunn, Frankie; Dunn, Francesca (10 February 2017). "sigrid is the pop star you've been waiting for". Vice. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  23. ^ a b "Don't Kill My Vibe - EP by Sigrid". iTunes Store (GB). 5 May 2017. Archived from the original on 9 March 2018. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
  24. ^ a b "Don't Kill My Vibe EP - Sigrid". Archived from the original on 15 April 2022. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  25. ^ a b "Don't Kill My Vibe EP - Sigrid". Archived from the original on 15 April 2022. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  26. ^ Smith, Thomas (6 August 2021). "Sigrid: "There's a part of me that comes out when I play live – it's my superpower"". NME. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  27. ^ "Sigrid Raabe spiller på Nobelkonserten". VG. 5 October 2017. Archived from the original on 25 June 2018. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  28. ^ Smith, Thomas (10 February 2017). "New Music Of The Day: Sigrid – 'Don't Kill My Vibe'". NME. Retrieved 8 December 2018.
  29. ^ Dresden, Hilton (31 March 2017). "Scandinavian Pop Star Sigrid Drops Colorful 'Don't Kill My Vibe' Video". Out. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  30. ^ Seydel, Ashley (12 April 2017). "Sigrid – Don't Kill My Vibe". Euphoriazine. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  31. ^ "Don't Kill My Vibe (Acoustic Versions) – Single by Sigrid". iTunes Store (GB). 21 April 2017. Archived from the original on 16 April 2022. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  32. ^ "Don't Kill My Vibe (Remixes) – Single by Sigrid". iTunes Store (GB). 21 April 2017. Archived from the original on 16 April 2022. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  33. ^ "VG-lista - Topp 20 Single uke 10, 2017" (in Norwegian). VG-lista. Archived from the original on 23 March 2017. Retrieved 23 March 2017.
  34. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 December 2018.
  35. ^ "Plot Twist - Single by Sigrid". Apple Music. 27 July 2017. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
  36. ^ "Sigrid – Plot Twist (Video)". We Love Nordic. 8 July 2017. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  37. ^ "Don't Kill My Vibe (Remixes) – Single by Sigrid". iTunes Store (GB). 21 April 2017. Archived from the original on 16 April 2022. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  38. ^ ""Ultratop.be – Sigrid – Plot Twist"". Ultratip. Retrieved 23 March 2019.
  39. ^ "Single Review: Sigrid – Dynamite (Acoustic)". ThomasBleach.com. 29 April 2017. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  40. ^ Sigrid - Dynamite (Acoustic). Retrieved 8 April 2022 – via YouTube.
  41. ^ a b Barker, James (8 May 2017). "Review: Sigrid – Don't Kill My Vibe EP". The Edge. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  42. ^ a b "Sigrid Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
  43. ^ Hedderman, Zara (22 February 2019). "Sigrid: Sucker Punch review – Rise to superstardom starts here". The Irish Times. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
  44. ^ Savage, Mark (23 January 2018). "Sigrid: Norwegian pop star wins BBC Sound of 2018". BBC. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  45. ^ Sucker Punch (booklet). Sigrid. Island Records. 2019. 7726644.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
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