| Paris | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 22, 2006 | |||
| Recorded | 2004–2006 | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Length | 39:50 | |||
| Label | Warner Bros. | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Paris Hilton chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Paris | ||||
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Paris is the debut studio album by American media personality and singerParis Hilton. After becoming available for online streaming onAOL Music on August 14, 2006, the album was released on August 22 byWarner Bros. Records.[1] Hilton primarily collaborated with producerScott Storch, with contributions fromFernando Garibay,J.R. Rotem,Dr. Luke andGreg Wells. Musically,Paris is apop album that is influenced by hip hop. It also incorporates elements ofreggae,soul,pop rock andR&B.
Upon its release,Paris received mixed reviews frommusic critics, but saw commercial success, peaking at number six on the USBillboard 200. Three singles were released from the album. "Stars Are Blind" was released as the lead single on June 5, 2006, to critical and commercial success. It peaked at number 18 on theBillboard Hot 100 and remained in the chart for 12 weeks. The second single, "Turn It Up", was successful on theBillboardDance Club Songs chart, peaking at number one. "Nothing in This World", the album's third and final single, was released on August 28, 2006 and peaked at number 12 on theBillboard Dance Club Songs chart.
Hilton first announced plans to record an album in 2003 during the production of her reality television seriesThe Simple Life. After established her own Heiress Records, a sub-label ofWarner Bros. Records,[2] she initially collaborated withRomeo Antonio,[3][4] Robb Boldt,JC Chasez,[5] andRob Cavallo, the latter of whom was set to serve as a producer for the entire record.Jane Wiedlin, ofThe Go-Go's, served as a vocal coach for Hilton, and recalled in an interview: "The first time she sang she was super nervous and she just didn't really have experience singing. And one of the main things I did was kind of guide her through the vocals. And as she is getting more and more comfortable in the studio, she is just getting better and better. I think people are going to be really surprised when they hear the record. It's going to be good."[6]
In 2004, Hilton was pitched the song "Screwed", written byKara DioGuardi andGreg Wells,[7] butHaylie Duff said in an interview that "Screwed" was actually intended to be recorded by her and would be the first single from her debut album, which was later cancelled.[8] This resulted in a legal battle for the song. In August 2004, a lowfidelity leak of Hilton's recording of the song circulated onto the Internet from an Orlando radio station airing.[9] Hilton recorded a new version of the song and was planning to shoot a music video withDavid LaChapelle.[10] Not long afterwards, Duff was dropped byHollywood Records, which allowed Hilton to claim the song as hers.
In 2005, Hilton met with the producerScott Storch in Miami and was invited to his recording studio. After recording the song "Turn It Up", she decided to change the musical direction of the album and make morehip hop andR&B-influenced songs.[11] After months of collaboration with Storch, with contributions fromFernando Garibay,Dr. Luke,J.R. Rotem, andGreg Wells,Paris was finally complete and ready for release.
Before the album's release on August 22, 2006,AOL Music madeParis available in its entirety for exclusive online streaming for two weeks, beginning August 14, as part of a "Full CD Listening Party".[1] To promote the album, Hilton held in-store signings, release parties and press junkets inLos Angeles,New York City,Las Vegas,Miami andTokyo.[12][13] On August 22,YouTube promotedParis in its first targeted advertising launch.[14]
During the first week of the album's release, Hilton became a target of the street artistBanksy, when 500 copies of her album in 48 record shops across the United Kingdom were replaced with his own alternative version. His rework of the album featured remixes produced by himself andDanger Mouse. The track list contained satire song titles such as "Why Am I Famous?", "What Have I Done?" and "What Am I For?" He also changed the cover sleeve and booklet to display pictures of the singer topless. The original barcode had been left on the album so people could buy the CD without realising it had been interfered.[15][16][17]
"Turn It Up" was slated to be the album's lead single, and was commissioned for remixes byPaul Oakenfold,Peter Rauhofer, and Tracy Young. It premiered at theWinter Music Conference in March 2006, but a last-minute decision was made to release "Stars Are Blind", which was to radio in May. "Stars Are Blind" was released digitally June 20 and as a CD-maxi single on July 18. "Turn It Up" was released as the second single on July 11,[18] and on12-inch vinyl on August 22.[19] "Nothing in This World" followed as the third and final single on August 28.
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 57/100[20] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [21] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B[22] |
| The Guardian |  [23] |
| musicOMH | [24] |
| The Observer | [25] |
| Pitchfork | 5.2/10[26] |
| Robert Christgau |  [27] |
| Rolling Stone | [28] |
| Slant Magazine | [29] |
| Yahoo! Music UK | 7/10[30] |
Paris received generally mixed reviews frommusic critics. AtMetacritic, which assigns anormalized rating, out of 100, to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received anaverage score of 57, based on 17 reviews, which indicates "mixed or average reviews".[20]AllMusic was positive, commenting that the album was "more fun than anything released byBritney Spears orJessica Simpson, and a lot fresher, too".[21] Mark Daniels fromYahoo! Music called the album "actually rather good", before adding, "To many it'll appear that [...] Ms. Hilton has bought herself a singing career. And in many ways it could be argued that she has. But so what? With some contagious pop, genuinely stylish moments and a complete lack of inane ballads, it was worth every penny".[30] According toBillboard's Keith Caulfield, "Does it matter that Paris Hilton isn't a great singer? Not really. [...] Wisely, the gaggle of producers and writers enlisted for the project don't require Hilton to do more than she's capable of, thus makingParis an enjoyable pop romp. [...] Naysayers be damned: Hilton releasing an album does not signal the end of days.Paris won't change the world, but it's good fun."[31]
Leah Greenblatt fromEntertainment Weekly gave a mixed review, and described the album as a "candy box well-stocked withNutraSweet melodies", but with lyrics "often both inane and vaguely porny".[22] Sal Cinquemani ofSlant Magazine stated that the album was not bad, and it would likely earn better notices than recent albums by other female artists. However, he criticized the hip hop-influenced tracks.[29]The Observer's Craig McLean remarked that "The heiress's first album might be more than the musical equivalent of the ghostwritten autobiography after all".[25] Randy Lewis fromLos Angeles Times thought thatParis "isn't truly awful. [...] With infectious beats and hooky sonic textures established by the hit-laden pros surrounding her, all Hilton has to bring to the party is, well, Paris". However, he criticized her vocals.[32]musicOMH gave a negative review, criticizing the album as a whole, before saying that the parts which "aren't bad" were the bits which did not involve Hilton.[24]Robert Christgau was also negative, givingParis a "dud" score () indicating "a bad record whose details rarely merit further thought."[27]
In the United States,Paris debuted and peaked at number six on the USBillboard 200, with first-week sales of 77,000 copies.[33] As of October 2013, the album had sold 198,000 copies in the United States.[34][35] Worldwide, it reached the top 20 on the album charts in New Zealand, Germany, Austria, Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland, and Canada,[36] and peaked within the top 40 in the United Kingdom, Scotland, Australia, the Netherlands, and Hungary.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Turn It Up" |
| Storch | 3:12 |
| 2. | "Fightin' Over Me" (featuringFat Joe andJadakiss) |
| Storch | 4:01 |
| 3. | "Stars Are Blind" |
|
| 3:56 |
| 4. | "I Want You" | Rotem | 3:12 | |
| 5. | "Jealousy" |
| Storch | 3:40 |
| 6. | "Heartbeat" |
| Storch | 3:43 |
| 7. | "Nothing in This World" |
| Dr. Luke | 3:10 |
| 8. | "Screwed" |
|
| 3:41 |
| 9. | "Not Leaving Without You" |
|
| 3:35 |
| 10. | "Turn You On" |
| Storch | 3:06 |
| 11. | "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy" |
| Storch | 4:34 |
| Total length: | 39:50 | |||
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 12. | "Stars Are Blind" (The Scumfrog's Extreme Makeover Edit) | 4:57 |
| 13. | "Turn It Up" (Paul Oakenfold Remix Edit) | 4:59 |
| 14. | "Turn You On" (Claude Le Gache Le Club Edit) | 3:38 |
| Total length: | 53:24 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Music Special featuring Making of the Album, Behind the Scenes, and Interviews with Record Producers" | 20:21 |
| 2. | "Jealousy - In the Studio" | 3:25 |
| Total length: | 23:46 | |
Additional notes
Performers
Production
Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[37]
| Chart (2006) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)[38] | 24 |
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[39] | 9 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[40] | 18 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[41] | 49 |
| Canadian Albums (Billboard)[42] | 4 |
| Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[43] | 20 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[44] | 28 |
| Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[45] | 17 |
| French Albums (SNEP)[46] | 67 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[47] | 18 |
| Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[48] | 40 |
| Irish Albums (IRMA)[49] | 27 |
| Italian Albums (FIMI)[50] | 22 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon)[51] | 8 |
| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[52] | 16 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC)[53] | 27 |
| Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[54] | 98 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[55] | 6 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[56] | 7 |
| Taiwanese Albums (Five Music)[57] | 4 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[58] | 29 |
| USBillboard 200[59] | 6 |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| South Korea | — | 3,061[60] |
| United Kingdom | — | 75,000[61] |
| United States | — | 198,000[34] |
| Region | Date | Format | Label | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | March 27, 2020 | LP | Real Gone | [62] |
| United States | [63] |
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)| Studio albums | |
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| Singles | |
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| Related | |
