NEWS: Margaret unveils debut album cover and tracklisting

Polish singer Malgosia Jamroży aka Margaret has unveiled the cover and tracklisting for her debut album "Add The Blonde". Previously the singer released her debut EP "All I Need" which featured her debut single "Thank You Very Much". All of the tracks from the EP appear on the album. 

Below is the tracklist:
1. Wasted
2. Heartbeat
3. Broke But Happy
4. Too Little of Love
5. As Good As You 
6. Tell Me How Are Ya
7. Thank You Very Much
8. All I Need
9. L.O.L.
10. I Get Along
11. Click
12. Get Away
13. Dance For 2

You can check out the music video for her debut single "Thank You Very Much" below which contains 30 nude extras of different ages to make being naked in front of other people seem less dramatic or embarrassing. The track is also very catchy so definitely check it out!

Top 5 fanmade Ultraviolence covers

"Ultraviolence" will be upon us June 13! So in anticipation of this release I went onto deviantART to find some cool fan-made designs for the album! Here are my top 5 designs made by users on deviantART. 

5. by hristeang
I love this design because it's artistic and also quite simplistic in terms of setting.
It's also quite dark and gory which reflects Del Rey's dark image. 

4. by Hyonicorn
Another simplistic yet effective design making use of colour and effects. The typography
makes this design particularly impressive. 

3. by 8BitDesire
This design makes use of imagery more than anything and this image of Del Rey
is particularly striking and the placement and size of the typography is very neat.
A very sellable design. 

2. by PerfumeManiac
This design is really pretty. The image and colouring work together to create
a really pretty design. It contrasts from the black and white image used on the actual artwork
yet it still looks really authentic and vintage. 

1. by DrewCasta
This is my favourite design because it's really imaginative. It contrasts from the other images
as it features a setting rather than Del Rey herself. It also looks typically American and really vintage.
A really unique and interesting design! 

There's a lot of great talent on deviantArt.com so I really suggest heading over there and checking it out! If you're an artist and want to share your works and get feedback then make an account. You can submit anything you want without it having to go through moderation so you're guaranteed to be able to display your work. 

What would your design of the "Ultraviolence" artwork be like? Comment below to share your thoughts. 

Top 10 fan-made Lana Del Rey covers

 Believe it or not Lana Del Rey is Artist of the Month and I have to say I've been neglecting her. Oops. So to make up for it I went onto coverlandia.net last night. It's a great website on which you can submit your designs for album covers and there's a real diverse range of talents and designs on there. While on there I searched for Lana Del Rey album covers and selected my 10 favourite designs submitted by users! Here are my top 10 fan-made Lana Del Rey covers for her "Born To Die" album.

10. by Bossmanda59
This cover is beautiful and sparkly, almost instagram-like

9.  by SonOfAdam(Sictastic)
I love this vintage flowery cover, it really reflects the graceful and sultry sound Lana Del Rey has. 

8. by AdamDelRey
On this cover, simplicity is a weapon. Just like Beyonce's album cover. Sometimes the simplest designs can be the most striking!

7. by bon-bona
This cover is cool because it reflects the whole idea of the album. It's heavenly and shows Lana Del Rey like an angel showing both death and perhaps paradise. Great image!

6. by Cervaantes
Again simplicity is a weapon but also beauty and colouring. This simplistic but beautiful image of Lana would make anyone reach out and grab the album in a store. 

5. by Junior Myers
One of the cleverest designs I came across, making use of colour and shape to reflect Lana Del Rey's American look and persona. It's also really vintage and cool. A real clever design! 

4. by Novemberrain
What I love about this cover is that it's a colourful and sultry improvement on the original cover. The use of colours and filters makes this cover really spectacular and warm to look at. 

3. by Factory Girl
One of the darkest covers I've seen. I love the close up shot of Lana with the blood red colouring. It strays far away from the original cover and shows off the album in a dark and deadly way. 

2. by mimo.andres
This cover is probably the most beautiful one I came across. The dramatic image of Lana is great with the simple typography on the top. I think it shows off this lady-like image Lana has been achieving throughout the album campaign. It's also vintage and just in general really captivating to look at. 

1. by Bad
By far the most interesting image I found. It's deadly, it's dark and it's artistic. The use of the skull and the black and white setting really reflects the dark songs on the album and to be honest it's really just a clever idea in general. If only the actual cover looked like this!

If you haven't already then sign up to coverlandia.net. It's a great way to show off your work and express your ideas on what album covers should look like. Pretty soon I'll be doing a similar post for user designs of "Ultraviolence" so if you want the possibility of your cover being chosen then sign up! Or submit it to me on instagram, tweet it to me on twitter or leave it in the comments below this post! I want to see your designs! 

Kelis Album Cover Countdown

Artist of the Month Kelis really does know how to create an album cover. In her time she has produced 6 albums one of which is being released this month. So to celebrate I counted down through her best album covers.

6. Kelis Was Here
Kelis' 4th studio album is really good and features some amazing collaborators such as will.i.am and Cee Lo Green. The cover art is also sophisticated however in the grand Kelis scheme of cover art, it's not the best.

5. Wanderland
Kelis' second album released in 2001. The cover image is really inventive and pure however like Kelis Was Here it doesn't live up to the greatness of her other covers.

4. Flesh Tone
Kelis' 5th album is one of her most interesting albums structure wise. Every track has an intro or interlude between it and is great for those who are a fan of small albums (excluding all the interludes there are only 9 tracks). The cover art is majestic and mysterious and shows Kelis all dressed up which she never usually does. A striking image!

3. Food
Kelis' new album being released this month. I love the image Kelis is going for with all the album and single covers. It's very retro and pop-art-like. The use of the warm colours makes the album really enticing and reflects the whole food idea, i.e. warm food.

2. Tasty
Probably the highlight of Kelis' career. The image used for this album is glamorous, cheeky and simplistic. The whole branding scheme for this album was really great too, showing Kelis on top of giant ice-cream floats and eating lollipops.

1. Kaleidoscope
Kelis' debut album cover is simply the best one she's ever done. The detail and colour is amazingly striking and bold. The simple background is also lovely and contrasts against the colours painted on Kelis. A real work of art!

Which is your favourite Kelis album cover? Comment below to share your thoughts!

Cool International Album Covers

Album artwork is a huge part of music marketing. It entices the potential customer to reach out and buy the album as well as reflecting the genre, style or message of the album. However one image cannot appeal to everyone and so some albums are sold with different artworks depending on the country it's being sold in. Here are some reasons why:

Exclusivity 

A lot of music retailers in particular Target and iTunes like to offer exclusive deluxe editions of anticipated albums. This is to generate sales and attention to their store as well as the artist. This method of marketing is really effective as it benefits both the retailer and the artists as the store will generally work hard to promote the album. In some cases the artwork changes for the store. Some Target exclusive albums tend to incorporate a lot of red to reflect the branding of the store. 

Sensitivity and Politics
Sometimes what can be a perfectly normal image in one country can be highly offensive in another. This usually coincides with album covers that display nudity, whether it be full frontal or just have nudity in general. Sometimes album covers will be censored for example placing stickers over any inappropriate areas, cropping these areas or covering them up with an element of the picture. I've seen examples of this even in the UK, Sky Ferreira's album exposing her breasts is cropped and in some physical copies has stickers covering her boobs.

General Appeal

And one of the most common reasons for different covers in different countries is that different things appeal in different countries. US and UK album covers tend to be different quite a bit as do Japanese covers. In most cases the two covers for the different countries are completely different and unrecognisable from one country to the other. 

Below are some covers of albums you may know from different countries!

What album covers do you know of from different countries? Comment below to share!

Shakira Album Artwork Countdown

10. Peligro

Shakira’s second album released way back in 1993. The album cover shows Shakira sitting in what looks like a stone wreckage. I admire the setting and the cover however it is my least favourite.

9. Pies Descalzos

Shakira’s third album released in 1996. The album cover  shows Shakira against a chipped paint wall. The cover is nice and artistic however slightly dull.

8. Magia

Shakira’s debut album released in 1990. It’s a fun and colourful cover however it is dated.

7. She Wolf

Shakira’s 8^th album released in 2009. The album shows a fierce-looking Shakira. The outfit and Shakira’s hair is really cool and really reflects the sexual nature of the album however the background could be better even though it’s an amazing colour.

6. Donde Estan Los Ladrones?

Shakira’s 4^th album released in 1998. I always notice huge similarities between this album cover and the She Wolf album cover. I like the background colour, Shakira’s hair and it’s fascinating to look at. I always wondered as a child why her hands were so dirty though.

5. Sale El Sol

Shakira’s 9th album released in 2010. The album cover shows a natural looking Shakira lying on a beach. I really admire the exoticness of this cover and it looks really summery. It really shows Shakira’s natural beauty.

4. Laundry Service

Shakira’s first international hit from 2001. Shows a naked Shakira with her back to the camera, displaying a tattoo with the album title. What I love about this cover is that the title is a tattoo. It makes the title part of the picture. It’s a really simplistic yet striking image.

3. Fijacion Oral vol.1

Shakira’s 2005 Spanish hit. What I love about this cover is again the simplicity but also how grown up Shakira looks. Her facial expression is striking and reflects some of the dark tracks on the album.

2. Shakira

The new album to be released in 10 days! This is Shakira at her sexiest. The guitar is a really nice touch too making it really personal. The lack of clothes also makes her appear more exposed and open. The typography also reminds me of modern fashion branding.

1.     Oral Fixation vol.2

The 2005 English hit album. This is probably the most artistic and detailed artwork Shakira has ever produced. It shows Shakira in her most natural form, naked yet covered by the tree branches. The whole shoot just works really well, from the apple, to the baby to the setting. A work of art.

What Shakira alum cover is your favourite? Comment below to share your thoughts.