Mamaru (album) – Wikipedia

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2022 studio album by RuPaul

Mamaru
RuPaul - Mamaru.jpg
Released January 7, 2022
Recorded 2021
Genre
Length 30:12
Label RuCo Inc.
Producer Skeltal Ki
New Friends Silver, Old Friends Gold
(2021) 		Mamaru
(2022) 		Black Butta
(2023)
  1. “Blame It on the Edit”
    Released: October 8, 2021
  2. “Just What They Want”
    Released: November 5, 2021
  3. “Catwalk”
    Released: December 3, 2021
  4. “Smile”
    Released: January 7, 2022
  5. “Who Is She?”
    Released: September 19, 2022

Mamaru (stylized in all lowercase) is the fourteenth studio album by American singer and drag queen RuPaul, released on January 7, 2022.[2] The album was released on the same day as the premiere of the fourteenth season of RuPaul’s Drag Race.[3] The song “Catwalk” was used during the runway presentations segment of the show.

Singles[edit]

“Blame It on the Edit” was released as the first single on October 8, 2021, preceding the album’s release.[4][5] A music video was released alongside the single, directed by Weston Allen.[6]

On November 5, 2021, “Just What They Want” was released as the second single from the album with a lyric video.[7]

On December 2, 2021, the third single, “Catwalk” was released from the album.
On April 10, 2022, a remix featuring the top five finalists from RuPaul’s Drag Race season 14 was released.

Reception[edit]

Stephen Daw of Billboard wrote, “Throughout Mamaru, the ‘Supermodel’ star delivers what fans have come to expect from her — fun, danceable singles that are made for you to strut to. Some songs like ‘Blame It on the Edit’, ‘Queendom’ and ‘Pretty Pretty Gang Gang’ see Ru leaning into a slightly edgier, updated hip-hop sound, but others like ‘Catwalk’ see the star capitalizing on the pop that made her a superstar.”[8] Ian Fredrickson of The Daily Californian gave the album a 3.5 out of 5, and wrote that “Mamaru shows audiences young and old that RuPaul is still in her prime nearly half a century into her career. Incredibly fun to listen to — with some tracks definitively worth putting on your hype playlist — the album is impressive even with its occasional blunders.”[9]

Reanna Cruz of NPR wrote that the album is the “final death knell of bubblegum hyperpop. Throughout the thirty-minute record, Ru somehow manages to commodify and repackage the sounds of almost every single musician who has made an impact on queer internet communities over the past several years, including but not limited to Charli XCX, Shygirl, Kim Petras, Namasenda and the late Sophie, who is rolling in her grave at the familiar fruit production on a song named ‘Pretty Pretty Gang Gang’.”[1]

The album won the 2022 WOWIE Stream Queen Award for Best Album, presented at RuPaul’s DragCon LA.[10]

Track listing[edit]

All tracks are written by RuPaul Charles and Frederick Miñano.

Mamaru track listing
Title Producer(s)
1. “Just What They Want” Skeltal Ki 3:12
2. “Catwalk” (featuring Skeltal Ki) Skeltal Ki 2:55
3. “Smile”   2:37
4. “Fascination”   2:44
5. “Blame It on the Edit” Skeltal Ki 3:02
6. “Who Is She”   3:06
7. “Pretty Pretty Gang Gang”   2:56
8. “Mother of the House”   3:29
9. “Catwalk” (Reprise)   2:45
10. “Queendom”   3:26
Total length: 30:12

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Cruz, Reanna (January 13, 2022). “RuPaul, ‘Smile’“. NPR. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
  2. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (October 4, 2021). “RuPaul Charles Inks First-Look Scripted Deal With Sony Pictures Television”. Deadline. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  3. ^ Vary, Adam (December 2, 2021), “‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ Announces Season 14 Cast, Including First Straight Male Contestant”, Variety, retrieved January 7, 2022
  4. ^ Street, Mikelle (October 7, 2021). “RuPaul’s New ‘Blame It on the Edit’ Song Shades ‘Drag Race’ Queens”. Out Magazine. Archived from the original on October 8, 2021. Retrieved October 9, 2021.
  5. ^ Lopez, David (October 9, 2021). “Have Drag Race Queens Received ‘Bad Edits’?”. Instinct Magazine. Archived from the original on October 10, 2021. Retrieved October 9, 2021.
  6. ^ “RuPaul – Blame It On The Edit – Official Music Video”. YouTube. October 8, 2021. Archived from the original on October 8, 2021. Retrieved October 9, 2021.
  7. ^ “NEW SINGLE: “Just What They Want”“. Twitter. November 5, 2021. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  8. ^ Daw, Stephen (January 7, 2022). “First Out: New Music From Halsey, Aurora, Michelle & More”. Billboard. Retrieved January 13, 2022.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  9. ^ Fredrickson, Ian (January 13, 2022). “RuPaul’s ‘MAMARU’ proves energetic, clever, fracking good”. The Daily Californian. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
  10. ^ “Here Are World of Wonder’s 2022 WOWIE Awards Winners”. World of Wonder. May 16, 2022. Retrieved May 16, 2022.