TY.O

Untitled

TY.O is third studio album by English singer-songwriter Taio Cruz. It was first released in Germany on December 2, 2011 via Island Records.

Background

Cruz began recording the album in late 2010, where he rumoured that he would be exploring other musical genres for the album, including Dubstep and Rock Anthems. In March 2011, Cruz premiered an all-new song, entitled "Telling the World", which was written by Cruz and Alan Kasiyre for the Rio soundtrack. The track was not featured on any of Cruz's prior studio albums. On May 23, 2011, Cruz recieved his first billboard award in the United States, and announced live on stage that his third album would be released in the fourth quarter of 2011, and would be entitled Black and Leather. In June 2011, Cruz released a collaborative single, "Little Bad Girl", with French DJ David Guetta and rapper Ludacris. The song was a worldwide smash, topping singles charts across the world. During July and August 2011, a series of unreleased songs, recorded during the album sessions, were leaked to YouTube. Tracks such as "Excited", "Just Want To Know", "Imma Go", "Replaceable", "Celebrate" (featuring David Guetta) and "Positive" were leaked, amongst other, unofficial demos. It was also rumoured that Taio's collaborative singles, "Second Chance", featuring Tinchy Stryder, and "Cryin' Over You", with Nightcrawlers, were expected for inclusion, however, in an interview, Cruz promised a "fun" and "energetic" album, and claimed that due to the leak, none of the tracks posted on YouTube would be included on the album. Cruz claimed, "It's a shame really, because one person has spoilt it for all the fans. They could have had an album packed with 17, 18 tracks, and now, they're only getting eleven because of one stupid act of tomfooolery." During the interview, Cruz also claimed that the title of the album had been changed, and the album was now entitled Troublemaker, after one of the tracks included on the album. On October 4, 2010, the single "Hangover" was officially released in Germany and the United States, and it was rumoured that a solo version of the song, that features on the physical release, would be included as a bonus track on the album. However, this rumoured were later quashed. On October 7, the single "Troublemaker" premiered, under the working title of "Troublemaker (Believe In Me Now)". Around this time, the album was made available for pre-order, and as such, the album's final title, TY.O, was revealed. Cruz made the decision to name the album TY.O after he expressed his annoyance at people constantly pronuncing his name wrong via his Twitter account. The album was first released in Germany on December 2, 2011, followed a week later by the second single, "Troublemaker".

Critical reception

Dave Rosin of Allmusic gave the album the following review: "British star Taio Cruz is back with his third album, TY.O, which in just the space of eleven tracks, has tried to create one of the most sensational albums of the year. Cruz has now established himself as one of the world’s most sought after writers and producers, as well as a genuine international superstar artist in his own right. The scorching lead single from the album, "Hangover", features the vocal talent of Flo-Rida, whilst the second single, “Troublemaker”, is an amazing solo effort. "Troublemaker" is a fantastic song from start to finish - it will make you want to dance. It’s catchy rhythm is able to give a hint what the whole album really offers it's listeners. The song, produced by Dr. Luke, is based on a trip to the world’s greatest party island. Other artist collaborations include Pitbull on “There She Goes”, as well as Ludacris and David Guetta on “Little Bad Girl”."

Singles

• "Hangover" was chosen as the album's lead single in Germany and the United States, and was released on October 4, 2011, a week after the music video premiere, September 25. The single features vocals from rapper Flo Rida. "Hangover" will serve as the second single in the United Kingdom, due for release on March 19, 2012.

• "Troublemaker" was chosen as the album's lead single in France, where it was released on August 15, 2011. It was later confirmed as the album's second German single, and was released on December 9, 2011. In the United States, the single was released on December 26, and in the United Kingdom, it served as the album's lead single, being released on January 1, 2012.

• "There She Goes" will be released as the album's third overall single in the second quarter of 2012.

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Hangover" (featuring Flo Rida)	Taio Cruz, Lukasz Gottwald, Henry Walter	Dr. Luke, Cirkut	4:03
2.	"Troublemaker"	Cruz, Steve Angello, Rami Yacoub, Carl Falk	Carl Falk, Rami Yacoub, Steve Angello, Cruz	3:40
3.	"There She Goes" (featuring Pitbull)	Cruz, RedOne, Armando Perez, Jimmy Joker, AJ Junior, Bilal Hajji	RedOne, Jimmy Joker	3:46
4.	"Shotcaller"	Cruz, Klas Åhlund, Sebastian Ingrosso, Angello	Klas Åhlund, Sebastian Ingrosso, Steve Angello, Cruz	3:24
5.	"Make It Last Forever"	Cruz, Gottwald, Ammar Malik, Walter	Dr. Luke, Cirkut	3:48
6.	"World in Our Hands"	Cruz, Michel Zitron, Yacoub, Falk, Iain James	Carl Falk, Rami Yacoub, Cruz	3:20
7.	"Tattoo"	Cruz, Gottwald, Walter	Dr. Luke, Cirkut	3:12
8.	"Play"	Cruz, Rob Swire	Cruz, Rob Swire	3:15
9.	"You're Beautiful"	Cruz, Jason Gilbert	Cruz, Jason Gilbert	3:19
10.	"Telling the World" (TY.O version)	Cruz, Alan Kasirye	Cruz	4:08
11.	"Little Bad Girl" (David Guetta featuring Taio Cruz and Ludacris)	Cruz, Christopher Bridges, David Guetta, Giorgio Tuinfort, Frédéric Riesterer	David Guetta, Giorgio Tuinfort, Frédéric Riesterer	3:13

Charts

Chart (2011)	Peak position
Austrian Albums Chart	51
Swiss Albums Chart	29

Release history

Region	Date	Format	Label
Germany	2 December 2011	CD, Digital download	Island Records
Ireland	2 January 2012
United Kingdom	26 March 2012