甜心派对 (2020)

Confetti is the sixth studio album by British girl group Little Mix, released on 6 November 2020 by RCA and Columbia Records. It was largely recorded before the COVID-19 pandemic, which interfered with the promotion plan for the album. Jesy Nelson announced her departure from the group in December 2020, a month after the album's release. Confetti is their first to be released under RCA Records, following their departure from Syco Music. Confetti is a pop and R&B record that lyrically addresses themes of self-acceptance, self-worth, freedom, and independence.

Upon release, it received generally positive reviews from critics, becoming the group's highest rated album to date on Metacritic. Critics described it as a solid pop album and praised its production. It spawned four singles; "Break Up Song", the album's lead single peaked at number nine on the UK Singles Chart, while the second single "Holiday" reached number fifteen. "Sweet Melody" was released as the album's third single and became their fifth number one in the UK. A remix of the title track, featuring American rapper Saweetie, was released as the final single, reaching number nine on the UK Charts.

Confetti is the group's most successful album in terms of top ten charts placements globally. It debuted at number two on the UK Albums Chart, becoming the fastest-selling album of 2020 by a British act. It topped the Irish Albums Chart, and reached the top ten in various countries. To promote the album, Little Mix embarked on The Confetti Tour in 2022, which visited the UK and Ireland. The tour was commercially successful, grossing over $6 million within six shows and received positive critical acclaim from critics.

Background

On 12 March 2020, Little Mix released a music video for the LM5 (2018) album track "Wasabi". At the end of the video, the album cover for LM5 was seen standing on a platform before being thrown out by an explosion of confetti, followed by the message 'New Era Pending'.

On 16 September 2020, Confetti was announced across multiple social media platforms by Little Mix, revealing the release date of 6 November 2020, as well as the album art and the title. On 18 September, streaming services released pre-orders of the album. The standard edition has 13 tracks. On 27 October, Little Mix partnered with Amazon Alexa to release the official track listing. Fans were encouraged to say "Alexa, drop some Confetti" and they would receive a track name. The next day, 28 October, the full track listing was confirmed.

The album was "pretty much finished" before the COVID-19 lockdowns were implemented, with "little tweaks" still to be made. As restrictions eased, each of the members individually visited the studios to add "final touches", whereas for their previous albums, they would complete the album process together. Perrie Edwards noted that it was a "weird process", but that they felt they had to complete it due to wanting "everyone to hear it". Jesy Nelson noted the contrast between Confetti and LM5, stating that LM5 was very "girl power", whereas with Confetti, she said: "With this album, we just had fun and wrote songs that we liked and it came together". Jade Thirlwall agreed with Nelson, adding, "Not every single song has to have this super deep meaning. People know what we're about now and know what we stand for. I think LM5 was very much about solidifying that, whereas with this album it is just about writing brilliant pop songs that we love." Confetti was described by Leigh-Anne Pinnock as the group's "biggest" album yet. Around the album's release, Nelson took some time out of the group's promotion schedule, citing a private medical matter. On 14 December, Nelson announced she was leaving the group due to the impact on her mental health. In a statement, she said, "I find the constant pressure of being in a girl group and living up to expectations very hard."

On 12 June 2021, a new vinyl version of the album was made available in selected stores around the world for Record Store Day 2021. The new version came in an orange and pink cover with the album title printed in cursive silver glitter. The new version exclusively featured the new remix version of the album's title track, "Confetti", featuring American rapper Saweetie.

On 13 July 2022, a limited vinyl edition in partner-ship with UNICEF UK, Blue Vinyl series was released.

Music and lyrics

Musically, Confetti is a pop and R&B record, incorporating elements of synth-pop, gospel, retro and contemporary pop production that "provides its audience with a warm and fuzzy feeling of nostalgic delight". The album was also described as reminiscent of the group's previous bubblegum-pop records, but with a more mature sound and "poignant lyrics". Lyrically, the songs discuss being freed from unrealistic expectations, self-acceptance, self-worth and a "fierce and mercifully coherent statement of independence".