Utopia (EP)

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Utopia is the second EP by Kerli. It was released on March 19, 2013 by The Island Def Jam Music Group. Songs recorded for the album/EP leaked when it was streamed by Def Jam on a semi-private website in December 2012. Kerli replied to the leak through her Facebook by posting the following:

DOWNLOADING MUSIC ILLEGALLY IS A CRIME. If you believe in an artist, please skip your daily cup of starbucks and buy an album instead. Also, true fans don't spread unreleased music around cause they know how much it hurts the artist. And no, it is not about the money, it's about respect. Keep it real. k.

Title

The original title for the album was I.Nimene, but the name was scrapped early in production.

Inimene in Estonian means human. Nimene in Romanian means nobody. so I thought it would be cool to combine these two languages and make the album mean a "human" or I am nobody. ...

The album was also titled Weapons of Mass Creation at one point in production, however, the name was also scrapped. Kerli stated the albums name shared the title with one of the albums songs, and also that it began with an 'e'. However the final title, Utopia, does not end with an 'e' or share it's name with one of the songs on the EP or intended album, suggesting the albums name had changed several more times during production before the final title was chosen.

Composition

According to Kerli, the first track of the album, Can't Control the Kids, is about "the power that kids these days have because of technology and internet" and that "everyone with a laptop can make something amazing and share it with the rest of the world. Everyone can have a voice" and that it was that "kind of rebellious and badass energy [she] was trying to channel”. The following song, The Lucky Ones, was written after a friend's cancer scarce after which she said they had been "given a second chance". Both of these tracks are electronic dance medleys produced by Svante Halldin and Jakob Hazell (SeventyEight), the following track, also produced by SeventyEight, is the piano-driven ballad Love Me or Leave Me, which Kerli released as the iTunes Store's "countdown single" on March 5. The next track, Sugar, is a simple electronic track with acoustic elements produced by English producer and DJ Switch characterized by breathy vocals and repeated moaning from Kerli. Here and Now, the following track, is another EDM song produced by SeventyEight, and features a more progressive house influence. The album's final track, Chemical, is a softer piano ballad written solely by Kerli and produced by Brian Ziff.

Artwork

The artwork for the EP was designed by photographer Brian Ziff and artist Natalia Shau, who designed the artwork for Kerli's debut studio album Love Is Dead.

Singles

After releasing two promotional singles (Army of Love and Zero Gravity), Kerli finally released an official single from the release. In early 2011, Kerli had said that the first single of the album ended in an "E". This lead many to believe that the single was Dollface (which remains unreleased), or could have intended to be Army of Love (which ends with an "e").

• The Lucky Ones the lead single from the EP. It was released on October 29, 2012.

Other promotional singles

Both Army of Love and Zero Gravity were promotional singles, however weren't in cluded on the EP. It's unknown if they will be included on any future release.

• Army of Love was the first promotional single from kerli's second studio album it was released April 12, 2011. The song reached number one on the Billboard Hot Dance Songs Chart. The music video for the song was released on December 16, 2010.
• Zero Gravity On January 20, 2012, Kerli announced via Facebook that she would be shooting the music video for the first single in 5 days, still keeping the long awaited title of the single a secret. Production for the video started on 1/25/12, and the single was confirmed by many, to be Zero Gravity. It was released early 2012 falling the music video.

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Track List

1. Can't Control the Kids
2. The Lucky Ones
3. Love Me or Leave Me
4. Sugar
5. Here and Now
6. Chemical
7. The Lucky Ones (Syn Cole Vs. Kerli)

Details

• Most of the songs intended to be included on the unreleased second album leaked in December 2012, including: Last Breath, Sugar, Chemical, Love Me or Leave Me, Kaleidoscope, Here and Now, and Can't Control the Kids. The album was then pushed back indefinitely and an EP released in its place, featuring some of the leaked songs.
• I Was Made for Loving You remains currently unleaked.
• The full length 2nd studio album will be released featuring brand new unleaked songs in early 2014.

Critical reception

Upon release, Utopia received positive reviews from music critics. David Jeffries of AllMusic said perhaps the extra material would help explain the dance diva's evolution from gothic to grand dame, but she's just as persuasive here with this more positive material, especially during the you-only-live-once dance anthem The Lucky Ones.