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Tracklist
| Louder – Standard edition | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
| 1. | "Cannonball" |
|
|
3:35 |
| 2. | "On My Way" |
|
|
3:45 |
| 3. | "Burn with You" |
|
|
3:38 |
| 4. | "Battlefield" |
|
|
4:18 |
| 5. | "You're Mine" |
|
|
3:38 |
| 6. | "Thousand Needles" |
|
|
3:24 |
| 7. | "Louder" |
|
|
3:50 |
| 8. | "Cue the Rain" |
|
|
3:59 |
| 9. | "Don't Let Go" |
|
|
3:16 |
| 10. | "Empty Handed" |
|
|
4:51 |
| 11. | "If You Say So" |
|
|
4:15 |
| Total length: | 42:29 | |||
| Louder – Japanese version (bonus track) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
| 12. | "To Find You" |
|
|
4:19 |
| Total length: | 46:48 | |||
| Louder – Digital deluxe version (bonus tracks) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
| 12. | "What Is Love?" |
|
3:25 |
| 13. | "Gone Tonight" |
|
3:33 |
| 14. | "The Bells" |
|
3:44 |
| Total length: | 53:11 | ||
Background
"I set out to make a really pop-heavy album that was fun and empowering – I love Katy Perry and Kelly Clarkson! But then I found myself picking and writing these songs that were very emotional and dramatic. Louder has songs that express extreme love and some pain. I look at it and think, 'That was my year.' I didn’t record any songs that I didn’t completely relate to." – Michele in response to her musical direction.
In September 2012, it was announced that Michele had signed a recording contract to release her debut studio album. Recording for the album began the following month, on October 19, 2012. Shortly into the recording process, Michele stated that it was going to be 'a pretty slow process' and that the musical direction she would take would be more 'pop/rock driven' rather than Broadway influenced, which is what her fans were most used to hearing. Michele collaborated with a number of big music figures, including producers The Monsters and the Strangerz, Stargate, Kuk Harrell, Colin Munroe, and Chris Braide. Michele completed vocal recordings in June 2013, and the album was set for release in late 2013, however, Michele's boyfriend died in July 2013, so the release date was pushed back to March 2014.
Notable songwriters on the album include Australian singer-songwriter Sia Furler, American singer-songwriters Christina Perri and Bonnie McKee, and Academy Award-nominated songwriter Anne Preven. Furler penned 4 of the tracks that feature on the album, including "Cannonball" and "If You Say So" which was co-written with Michele. Most of the songs on the album are of the pop, dance-pop, and pop rock genres, mixed with some traditional pop ballads including "If You Say So" and "Battlefield". Before the release of the lead single "Cannonball", Michele stated, "I just felt that "Cannonball" was the perfect first song for people to hear from this record. It just really explains where I am right now and it's been such an inspirational song for me." The second single "On My Way" was released on May 4, 2014.
Influence
Michele has said that she had a number of musical influences on this album, including Katy Perry, Lady Gaga and Kelly Clarkson. Talking to Billboard about Louder, Michele said artists such as Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus were also sources of inspiration. It was reported that Michele and her team consciously decided on "big, splashy, anthemic pop" theme for her debut, "a cross between Evanescence and Kelly Clarkson without a whiff of a show tune".
Promotion
The album's lead single, "Cannonball" was released in most countries around the world on December 10, 2013, and was released in the UK on March 9, 2014. The track list was released on December 8, 2013, by Michele on her Instagram and Twitter pages. "Empty Handed" was written by Christina Perri, and "If You Say So" was co-written by Michele and Australian singer-songwriter Sia Furler. New York radio station WHTZ revealed via their Twitter page that Michele would be debuting the song on Elvis Duran and the Morning Show on December 10, 2013. Her first live performance of "Cannonball" was on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on December 12, 2013. Michele performed "Cannonball" live on The X Factor USA's season 3 finale on December 19, 2013.
On December 27, 2013, a second track from the album titled "Battlefield" (written by Furler and Larry Goldings) premiered on the Just Jared website. The song was then released as an instant download on iTunes on December 28, 2013. In Ireland, the song debuted at the number 55 spot. In France, it reached number 117. On January 13, 2014, the album's title song "Louder" (written by Preven, Jaden Michaels and Colin Munroe) premiered on Billboard's website exclusively a day before its official iTunes release on January 14, 2014. "Louder" reached number 111 in the US, 18 on the US Heatseekers Chart, number 64 on the Canadian Singles Chart, and reached 46 and 47 in France and Spain, respectively.
"What Is Love?" also premiered a day before its iTunes release on January 28, 2014. In Canada, "What Is Love?" charted at number 99. The song also reached number 45 on the Spanish Singles Chart, and debuted at number 55 in France. A fourth countdown song, "You're Mine", was released to iTunes on February 11, 2014. The song charted at number 112 on the US Billboard Hot 100, 83 on the Canadian Singles Chart, and 47 on the French Singles Chart. As well as this, the song also reached number 24 on the US Heatseekers Chart. Following the release of the album, Michele held CD signings in several cities in the US, including New York City, San Diego, Paramus, New Jersey, and Los Angeles. On March 19, 2014, Michele performed her second single "On My Way" on The Ellen DeGeneres Show after an interview with Ellen DeGeneres.
Michele performed "Cannonball", "Battlefield" and "You're Mine" from this album on her mini tour An Intimate Evening with Lea Michele, in support of her second studio album, Places.
