Artist: Johnny
Title: Human
Genre(s): R&B, Trap, Pop, Soul
Length: Standard: 30:17, Deluxe: 37:58
Writers: Johnny Carter, Camillo De Marco, Sara Hollywood, Christopher Hudson, Deneil Khan, Kennedi Lykken, Jameel Roberts, Ilya Salmanzadeh
Producers: Johnny Carter, ILYA, Deneil, Orion Washington, Charles Anderson, Havoc the Saint, Pop Wansel
Executive Producer: Johnny Carter
Format(s): CD, LP, Digital Download, Streaming, Cassette
Label: Just Record Records
Singles Released: Nice Guys [#1], Back That Up [#5]
Human is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter, Johnny Carter. It is set to be released via Just Record Records in December 2019. Carter wanted
Human to sound as "an evolution" from his debut album;
Honest (2017); developing and delving further into the introspective topics tapped into on his first offering. The album's confessional lyrics and "broodier" urban sounds reflect the "darker" and "maturer" image Carter wants to display for the era. The artwork itself has been deemed controversial as Johnny appears naked on the cover. In the album's production, Carter worked with a host of producers and co-writers - including Christopher Hudson, Deneil, ILYA, Sara Hollywood, Havoc the Saint and Pop Wansel, to name a few. The album was created in the midst of personal matters; following a battle with depression, a desire to quit music altogether and the breakdown of his relationship with fellow singer-songwriter Joshua Grimmie.
Human was preceded by the release of its leading single
Nice Guys. Following its release on 10th November 2019, the song debuted atop of the charts, dethroning Weekend's record-breaking single
Be A Man. The track earned Johnny his second number one single, following 2016's
Come Out which reached the summit in 2016.
Human is the result of two years of work. Writing for the project loosely began in 2017, shortly after the release of his debut album. In the spring of 2018, it was rumoured that Carter had officially began working on his sophomore effort, with pictures of him entering a recording studio in L.A. circulating online. Several song titles were registered to ASCAP with Johnny listed as writer and performer, however, nothing materialised from this time. Carter would then go on to take a lengthy break from the spotlight, not making any official media appearances and even coming off all of his social media accounts for almost two whole years. His relationship with fellow singer Joshua Grimmie grew strenuous and Carter found himself in a depressive state and considered to be "done" with music.
An entire album's worth of material was scrapped. Carter expressed his dissatisfaction with the result, stating that he felt the material to be "lifeless" and that he found himself to be "creatively bankrupt". Johnny found himself in a difficult situation, stating;
"The second album is what can make or break an artist. The sophomore has a bad reputation for good reason. If I wasn't happy with the record, the public and my fans certainly wouldn't be either. It was a laborious task creating the album but I was never going to put out anything half-baked regardless of how tired and frustrated I was."Acclaimed songwriter, TV personality and member of The Stat Nerds, Christopher Hudson initially wrote the original version of
Nice Guys along with Ilya with the intention of pitching it to a female pop star. According to Hudson, acts such as Eilidh and Amy-Jayne were possibilities. When Johnny began to write again in the summer of 2019, he reached out to Hudson and booked several sessions together. Christopher played the demo for Johnny and "his eyes lit up". Carter immediately put his voice to track and then the pair reworked the lyrics to make it more suitable for Johnny. It was from the conception of
Nice Guys onward where Carter began to piece together what would go on to become the
Human album. Sessions with multiple writers and producers were booked in the summer and the conceptualisation of the album took place over a four month period.
Human is predominantly an R&B record, tapping into other genres such as Pop, Hip Hop, Soul and Trap. Where his debut album
Honest was more pop based,
Human sees Johnny take a more "subdued" and "sexier" approach. Carter stated that the album is mainly a "mid-tempo affair" with "chilled vibes" throughout. The theme of the record is human nature; exploring the good and bad sides of it. Sex, self discovery, heartbreak and being emotionally conflicted are the major topics explored on the album.
Carter described the first single
Nice Guys as "the most pop thing on the album". While the track is rooted in R&B, it boasts a faster tempo and crosses over into the pop music field. Due to "heavy" lyricism, Johnny wanted to juxtapose the writing with smoother beats, making everything easier to digest for the listeners. He also stated that he wished to make a record that he loved, drawing on his own personal influences rather than current trends.
"I'd be surprised if this record does as well as my first. Aside from maybe one or two tracks, there's not a lot on here that radio stations would touch. It's not the huge all guns blazing comeback pop album that a lot would anticipate. It's an album that I love and am proud of. It's what I felt was essential for me to put out. I had sh*t that I needed to say, vibes that I needed to feel and icons I needed to pay homage to."Sonically,
Human takes from R&B music, specifically from the 1990's. Carter cited artists such as Aaliyah, Brandy, En Vogue, Mariah Carey, Janet Jackson, Destiny's Child and TLC as influences for the album's conception.
- T R A C K • L I S T I N G -Human
Always Tomorrow
Good Good
F With U
Nice Guys
Back That Up
Nectar (feat. Chicago Nobody)Take It Home (feat. Deneil)Why Does It Have To Hurt?- D E L U X E • B O N U S • T R A C K S -Human (Reprise)
Midnight Fever
Passenger