Nectar is the second studio album by Japanese-Australian singer Joji, released on 25 September 2020 via 88rising. It features the singles "Sanctuary", "Run", "Gimme Love", "Daylight" with Diplo, and "Your Man", as well as collaborations with Benee, Lil Yachty, Omar Apollo, Yves Tumor and Rei Brown.[5]

Nectar
The textless cover art shows the artist looking in red and black, in a dark red background.
Studio album by
Released25 September 2020 (2020-09-25)
GenreR&B[1]
Length53:14
Label
Producer
Joji chronology
Ballads 1
(2018)
Nectar
(2020)
Smithereens
(2022)
Singles from Nectar
  1. "Sanctuary"
    Released: 14 June 2019
  2. "Run"
    Released: 6 February 2020
  3. "Gimme Love"
    Released: 16 April 2020
  4. "Daylight"
    Released: 6 August 2020
  5. "Your Man"
    Released: 20 October 2020
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Slant Magazine[3]
The Sydney Morning Herald[4]

Background

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The album was announced on 17 April 2020 with the single "Gimme Love".[6] It was originally set to be released on 10 July 2020;[6] however, on 12 June 2020 Joji announced that the album had been delayed to 25 September 2020, citing the COVID-19 pandemic.[7] Joji revealed the track listing on 11 September.[8][9]

Composition

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Musically, Nectar is an R&B record,[1] that incorporates elements of rock,[10] alternative pop,[11] and alternative R&B.[2]

In an interview with GQ, Joji revealed how the album's title was chosen, which first came to his mind after finding dead ants in his freezer and joking about titling the album Nectar. He intended to make love songs with a "slightly darker twist" for the album, along with critiquing materialism, citing "Pretty Boy" as a song about making fun of lifestyles similar to it.[12]

Promotion

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Singles

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On 14 June 2019, "Sanctuary" was released on streaming services, as the album's lead single. The song peaked at number 80 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming his second entry on the chart.[13] Its music video was released alongside the song.[14]

On 6 February 2020, the album's second single, "Run", was released. The song peaked at nunber 68 on the Billboard Hot 100.[15] Its music video was released alongside the song.[16]

On 16 April 2020, the album's third single, "Gimme Love" was released, alongside the announcement of Nectar. Its music video was released the same day.[17]

The album's fourth single, "Daylight", was released on 6 August 2020. Its music video was released the same day.[18]

"Your Man" was sent to the contemporary hit radio format on 20 October 2020, as the album's fifth and final single.[19]

Track listing

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Nectar track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Ew"
3:27
2."Modus"Stint3:27
3."Tick Tock"
  • Miller
  • Lawrence Jung
West1ne2:12
4."Daylight" (with Diplo)
  • Diplo
  • Jaeger
  • Kurstin
2:43
5."Upgrade"
  • Miller
  • Göransson
  • Karlsson
  • Ghaleb
1:29
6."Gimme Love"
  • Miller
  • Tannenbaum
  • Mehlenbacher
  • Sergiu Adrian Gherman
  • Krieger
  • Miller
  • Bekon
  • The Donuts
3:34
7."Run"
  • Miller
  • Parker
  • Stacy Jones[a]
3:15
8."Sanctuary"
Raisen3:00
9."High Hopes" (featuring Omar Apollo)
  • Bekon
  • The Donuts
3:02
10."Nitrous"
2:11
11."Pretty Boy" (featuring Lil Yachty)
  • Miller
  • Wimberly
  • Durham
2:36
12."Normal People" (featuring Rei Brown)
  • Miller
  • Rei Brown
  • Isaac Cords Sleator
  • Miller
  • Sleator
2:46
13."Afterthought" (with Benee)
  • Miller
  • Sleator
3:14
14."Mr. Hollywood"
3:22
15."777"
  • Miller
  • A. Norwood
  • Stephen Norwood
  • Deon Knight Jr.
  • Daniel Dalexis
  • Suburban Plaza
  • Lentz Martin
3:01
16."Reanimator" (featuring Yves Tumor)
  • Miller
  • Yves Tumor
  • Jacob Reske
  • Reske
  • Tumor
3:03
17."Like You Do"
  • McKenzie
  • Jay
  • Taffel
4:00
18."Your Man"Jim-E Stack2:43
Total length:53:05

Notes

  • ^[a] indicates an additional producer.
  • "Modus" and "Nitrous" are stylized in all caps.

Personnel

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Charts

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Certifications

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Certifications for Nectar
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[42] Gold 40,000
United Kingdom (BPI)[43] Silver 60,000
United States (RIAA)[44] Gold 500,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ a b Heilman, Max (22 September 2020). "Album Review: Joji transcends and transforms on 'Nectar'". Riff Magazine.
  2. ^ a b Yeung, Neil Z. "Nectar – Joji". AllMusic. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  3. ^ Ordaz, Sophia (25 September 2020). "Review: Joji's Nectar Creates a Mollifying Vibe That Feels Removed from Reality". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
  4. ^ Lal, Kish (2 October 2020). "Joji, Grigoy Sokolov, Eishan Ensemble and Rob Burke". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  5. ^ Price, Joe (15 September 2020). "Joji Reveals 'Nectar' Tracklist, Drops New Merch and His Own Honey". Complex. Retrieved 21 September 2020.
  6. ^ a b Langford, Jackson (16 April 2020). "Joji announces new album 'Nectar'". Music Feeds. Retrieved 21 September 2020.
  7. ^ @sushitrash (13 June 2020). "Unfortunately, we have to postpone the release of Nectar due to the pandemic. It has affected the whole process for the last 3-4 months, and forced me to push the date to September 25" (Tweet). Retrieved 21 September 2020 – via Twitter.
  8. ^ Johnson, Patrick (15 September 2020). "Joji Announces 'Nectar' Album Tracklist Alongside New Merch Collection". Hypebeast. Retrieved 21 September 2020.
  9. ^ Findlay, Mitch (11 September 2020). "Joji Reveals 'Nectar' Tracklist & Release Date". Hot New Hip Hop. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
  10. ^ Gurduiala, Dimitra (13 October 2020). "Review: A Look Inside Joji's Artistic Manifesto, His Second Album, 'Nectar'". Retrieved 17 March 2024. {{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
  11. ^ Fuamoli, Sose (30 September 2020). "Joji's Nectar is his bid for mainstream success, but does it pay off?". abc.net.au. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
  12. ^ Glasby, Taylor (25 September 2020). "How Joji made his second album, Nectar". GQ. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
  13. ^ Lamarre, Carl (26 June 2019). "Emerging Hip-Hop/R&B: Joji & Ali Gatie Make Chart Strides". Billboard. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
  14. ^ Herman, Tamar (14 June 2019). "Joji Is Bored With the Galaxy in '80s-inspired 'Sanctuary' Music Video: Watch". Billboard. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
  15. ^ @billboardcharts (18 February 2020). "Debuts on this week's #Hot100 (1/2)" (Tweet). Retrieved 15 February 2024 – via Twitter.
  16. ^ Espinoza, Joshua (6 February 2020). "Watch Joji's Video for New Song "Run"". Complex. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
  17. ^ Mamo, Heran (16 April 2020). "Joji Announces 'Nectar' Album & Shares Intergalactic 'Gimme Love' Video". Billboard. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
  18. ^ Droke, Carolyn (6 August 2020). "Joji And Diplo Are Disaster Studio Assistants In Their Satirical 'Daylight' Video". Uproxx. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
  19. ^ "Top 40/M Future Releases". All Access. Archived from the original on 6 October 2020. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  20. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Joji – Nectar". Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
  21. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Joji – Nectar" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
  22. ^ "Ultratop.be – Joji – Nectar" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  23. ^ "Ultratop.be – Joji – Nectar" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  24. ^ "Joji Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
  25. ^ "Danishcharts.dk – Joji – Nectar". Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
  26. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Joji – Nectar" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  27. ^ "Joji: Nectar" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
  28. ^ "Lescharts.com – Joji – Nectar". Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  29. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Joji – Nectar" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
  30. ^ "Official Irish Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  31. ^ "Italiancharts.com – Joji – Nectar". Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
  32. ^ "Charts.nz – Joji – Nectar". Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
  33. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Joji – Nectar". Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
  34. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
  35. ^ "Spanishcharts.com – Joji – Nectar". Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  36. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Joji – Nectar". Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
  37. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Joji – Nectar". Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
  38. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  39. ^ "Machine Gun Kelly Earns First No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart With 'Tickets to My Downfall'". Billboard. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
  40. ^ "Australian Artist (ARIA) End of Year Albums Chart 2020". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
  41. ^ "ARIA Artists Top 50 Albums for 2021". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
  42. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Joji – Nectar". Music Canada. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  43. ^ "British album certifications – Joji – Nectar". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  44. ^ "American album certifications – Joji – Nectar". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 11 October 2021.