Late Nights (2015)

Late Nights (released with the subtitle Late Nights: The Album) is the third studio album by American singer Jeremih. It was released on December 4, 2015, by Def Jam Recordings. The album serves as a sequel to his mixtape Late Nights with Jeremih (2012) and the follow-up to his second studio album All About You (2010). Recording sessions took place during 2013 to 2015. The production on the album was handled by several producers, including: London on da Track, The Mekanics, Soundz, DJ Mustard, Needlz, Vinylz and Frank Dukes, among others. The album features guest appearances from Ty Dolla Sign, Jhené Aiko, Migos, Juicy J, YG, Twista, Future, Big Sean, J. Cole and Feather. Late Nights was supported by four singles; "Don't Tell 'Em", "Planez", "Oui" and "Pass Dat".

Background and release

The album was originally called Thumpy Johnson, and was originally scheduled for release in 2013. In May of that year, Jeremih hired record executives Sean Combs and James Cruz as his talent managers, the former of whom would have executive produced the project. However, neither individual was credited on the final release. In August 2014, Jeremih announced that he was changing the title of the album to Late Nights: The Album, being a sequel to his 2012 mixtape Late Nights with Jeremih. During an interview with XXL, he explained his decision to change the title: "The last body of work I put out was Late Nights," Jeremih said. "I still feel like how I was feeling when I recorded that. I was traveling, up late nights, recording all the time. It just felt like every record was catering to… I imagined if it was a big bed in the club, everybody would be in one big ass orgy off of all the songs. My first two albums I was making sad songs. I don’t feel like that no more. I was in a relationship then. I’m single as hell right now. You’re getting the best of my last single years". On August 4, 2014, Jeremih released a mixtape called N.O.M.A. (Not On My Album), containing recorded songs not included on Late Nights. On September 26, 2014, Jeremih released promotional single "Nobody But U" produced by Cashmere Cat, but it did not make the album.

During an interview with Billboard, Jeremih explained how his personal issues were the reason for the delays of the album's release. He said: "I blame myself". I had a video scheduled. I just didn't show up to it because of..." he started, choosing not to finish his thought. "I'm not going to point my finger at somebody else at this point". Jeremih then pointed to some personal troubles he was having with the mother of his child. "I stopped caring about being Jeremih over the last few months," he said. "A lot of people don't know I have a two-year-old son. His mom wasn't allowing me to see him, and it was messing with me. I was internally unbalanced. But I just got out of that trial and I won". Jeremih also expressed some frustration with his label. "Def Jam is hesitating and not being on my side," he explained. "I see other artists and how they're supported. It's hard when I'm on a roster with Rihanna, Rick Ross and Kanye West".

On May 15, 2015, in a separate interview with Billboard, producer and frequent Jeremih collaborator Mick Schultz confirmed that the originally released track listing and album cover had been changed and was no longer accurate.

On November 21, 2015, the official album artwork, release date and track list was leaked by music streaming service Deezer. The following day, snippets of the album were leaked to the internet. With no announcement or promotion to confirm its release prior, the album was officially released to digital platforms and streaming services on December 4, 2015.

Singles

The lead single, "Don't Tell 'Em" featuring YG was released on June 6, 2014. The single became his third top 10 hit and eventually went triple platinum. The second single, "Planez" featuring J. Cole was released on January 22, 2015. The single reached top 10 on urban and rhythmic radio and later went triple Platinum. "Oui" was released as the third single from the album on October 30, 2015. The single reached number 19 on the Billboard Hot 100 becoming his fourth top 20 hit as lead artist. "Pass Dat" was released as a promotional single, along with the album's pre-order on December 1, 2015. The track was sent to urban contemporary radio on April 12, 2016, as the fourth single.

"Tonight Belongs to U!" featuring Flo Rida was released on April 21, 2015, but was scrapped from the final tracklist. The first promotional single, "Royalty" featuring Big Sean and Future was released October 29, 2015. The second promotional single is "Peace Sign" featuring Fabolous and Red Cafe was released November 18, 2015 but didn't appear on the album. Jeremih expressed in an interview with German music journalist Malcolm Ohanwe, that he had plans to issue "Impatient" with Ty Dolla Sign as a single. Despite never being released, the track was certified Gold by the RIAA in 2017 and later double platinum in 2020.