Candyland is the second studio album by American rapper and singer Brooke Candy, released on July 25, 2024.[2] It is her first finalized project since the release of her debut album Sexorcism (2019).[2][3] It features a wider array of genres and styles than the largely trap-based sound showcased throughout her previous album, a choice which Candy has attributed to the desire to "give a taste of each individual facet of [her] brain", ultimately describing the album as "candy-coated pop".[2]
Following the release of her debut album Sexorcism (2019), which received mixed reviews from professional critics, Candy took a hiatus from music to focus on her newly developing tattooing career throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Although music videos for her songs "Honey Pussy" and "Cum" were released during this time, no new music was released throughout 2020 or 2021, with Candy even being named a "former rapper" in an article by Exclaim! in April 2021.[4] Candy later admitted that she had been "on the verge of quitting" during this time, which she attributed to feeling overlooked and "invisible" as a musician.[5]
In an interview with Inked in November 2021, Candy revealed that she had been recording new material in the studio, having changed her mind about abandoning music as a career after being invited back into the studio by old collaborators.[6] She also discussed her willingness to re-sign to a major record label after having learned enough about the inner workings of the music industry, announcing that production of her sophomore studio album had recently begun in London that year.[6] In May 2022, an article was published by Paper Magazine in which Candy revealed that new music would be arriving that summer, citing Britney Spears as an inspiration and naming producer duo DAGR as an early collaborator on the then-untitled album. Candy also highlighted the increase in creative control she would be implementing over her upcoming music and hinted at experimentation with new genres, stating "what I'm working on now feels different and not what people who know me should expect. It's still me – I'm still a Boss Bitch – but three years ago feels like 30 years ago, and we're all different now."[7]
Promotion
Singles
On August 29, 2022, Candy formally announced the upcoming release of her new single "Flip Phone", her first song in nearly three years, which had previously been performed at select music festivals over the summer among a small batch of other then-unreleased songs. "Flip Phone" was officially released on September 9, along with an accompanying music video sponsored by Paper Magazine and Gentle Monster, directed by Candy herself. The song featured a strikingly bubblegum pop and hyperpop sound, contrasting much of Candy's previous hip hop-adjacent outputs, which Candy attributed to "[having] a lot of fun experimenting with new forms of pop music". It was described as the first taster from Candy's second album, which briefly had the working title Freaky Princess.[3]
On October 14, 2022, a second single "Yoga" was released in collaboration with Croatian musician Only Fire, featuring influences of house music, as well as elements of techno.[8] The song would later go on to appear as the sixteenth and final track of Candyland and was accompanied by a visualizer directed by and starring American dancer Lexee Smith.[9][8] This single was followed by a third song, "Juicy Fruit" on February 14, 2023.[10][11] The song features electroclash-themed production and backing vocals from Cecile Believe, and Candy described the track as "very Peaches".[8][10] In a promotional interview with Only Fire around this time, Candy expressed indecisiveness on whether or not "Juicy Fruit" and her previous two singles would end up on a completed project, debating on including them on an EP or leaving them as standalone singles.[8] A fourth previously teased single was released on July 27, 2023, "FMUATW", which was described by Candy in a Paper Magazine article as "the newest installment in a string of horny singles [she] wanted to release through the past year".[12] It was followed by an accompanying three-track remix EP on September 22, featuring contributions from Only Fire, BABYNYMPH, and PC Music's Umru.[13]
Candy released the official lead single from the album, "Safe Word", on February 22, 2024.[5][14][15] It featured a distinctly more futurepop and house-influenced sound than Candy's previously released singles, describing it in an interview with HypeBae as "a dirty, dark fantasy" that summed up the theme of the album it would later be released as a part of.[16] In an interview with Clash, Candy explained that she had rerouted the direction she would be taking with her sophomore album, claiming that she was "in the final stages of wrapping up most of the music for it", also voicing her plans to embark on a tour in promotion of the album.[14] She also confirmed that the album would still be majorly pop, stating "it's going to be really colourful, really fresh, and I'm going to try to create work that is different from what I've made in the past, even more beautiful and exciting than anything I've created before. I'm very proud of the music. I think the music is the best music I've ever made. So I'm very, very excited to share it."[14] "Safe Word" also received a music video directed by Candy's husband Kyle England, who she confirmed would also be directing her next two videos as well.[14] In the video, Candy debuts a bright-orange hairstyle, citing Madonna as an inspiration for the stylistic change to represent the album's era, stating "you can say that the color orange is a massive inspiration to me now and is the driving force behind everything I'm doing. It quite literally permeates every aspect of my life now."[16]
On May 30, 2024, Candy released the song "Pills" as the second single from her new album, which she also announced would be titled Candyland.[17] "Pills is a nod to the person I was when I first started to make music. It makes fun of how superficial the world can be. It's about nihilism, being wild, and having fun. I just want to have a good time and be crazy because that's where my head is right now. Right now, in my life, that's where all of my music leads", she stated in an article by Click.[17] On June 27, 2024, Candy released the third and final single from the album, "Block", which was co-written by Charli XCX and produced by A. G. Cook and Dylan Brady. She also revealed that Candyland was a double album and would be split into two volumes; one that would be released on July 25, and the second slated for release later in the year.[2] Music videos for "Pills" and "Block" were also released respectively, both directed by Kyle England.[18]
On August 15, Candy announced that her third album Spiral would be released as a standalone studio album in October 2024, containing then-unreleased songs from recording sessions of Candyland and dubbed a "sister album" to the record. It was released on October 25, 2024.[19]
Tour
Candy embarked on the Candyland Tour throughout North America, beginning on September 28 and ending on October 24.[20]
^[a] Although Namasenda was scheduled as an opening act for all tour dates from October 10 through October 24, she announced her inability to continue performing on the tour after Candy's third and final Canadian date, citing "unforeseen circumstances". BbyAfricka rejoined the tour on October 15 as an opening act for all remaining dates.[20]
