True is the first extended play (EP) by American recording artist Solange, first released on November 27, 2012 digitally through Terrible Records. Following the release of her second studio album Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams (2008), Solange announced that she had parted ways with Interscope Geffen A&M after releasing just one album on the label, and further revealed that she had chosen to go an independent route, eventually signing with Terrible Records. In 2009, Solange began the recording of a studio album, during which she suffered a "breakdown" due to the amount of time and emotion she was putting into the recording process.
A neo soul album, True contains an eclectic sound that takes influence from PBR&B, new wave music, dance, 1980s pop, and electronica, whilst the extended play's production is characterized as containing '80s references, keyboards and African percussion. The recording process took three years and was handled by Solange and producer Dev Hynes. Together the pair produced, wrote and composed all of the songs, a decision Solange made due to their chemistry, friendship and work relationship.
Upon release True received generally positive reviews from music critics. Commercially, the EP debuted at number 157 on the US Billboard 200 as well as charting within the top sixty of the albums charts in Denmark and Sweden. The album was promoted with the release of three singles including "Losing You" and was further promoted with a tour of the United States, United Kingdom, Netherlands, France and Germany.
Background
In 2008, Solange signed a record deal with Geffen and a publishing contract with EMI. The same year she finished working on her second studio album Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams in 2008. A collection of 1960s- and 1970s-influenced songs, it was considered a departure from her R&B-oriented debut upon its release in August 2008. By December 2008, the album had sold over 114,000 copies according to Nielsen SoundScan. The album was positively received by critics, some of whom considered it far better than her debut. In support of the album, Solange began the Solange Presents Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams Tour in Britain in November 2008. The song "T.O.N.Y." was the third and final single to be lifted from the album in April 2009.
In October of the same year, Solange announced on her Twitter account that she had parted ways with Interscope Geffen A&M after releasing just one album on the label, and further revealed that she had chosen to go independent with her next album, stating that "although it's been a wonderful journey and experience at Interscope Records, after truly recognizing what's important to ME as an artist, I decided it was time for me to continue my path on a more independent platform [...] I'm excited about continuing to dive in, experiment and creating music and art with no boundaries, fears or expectations. Gonna be fun folks."
Recording
In an interview with Vibe on July 7, 2010, Solange said she suffered "a little bit of a breakdown" while recording her new album: "I literally gave up my sanity for a while to do this record. [...] We literally were waking up in the morning and just making music all day and all night. [...] It just started to wear on me in so many different ways. I started having these crazy panic attacks." Solange explained how she made sacrifices "mentally, emotionally and financially", and continued, "It's more than an album to me. It's a transitional time in my life." Regarding the musical direction of the album, she said the inspiration came from new wave and stated, "This is a dance record, but the lyrics can get pretty dark at times."
The extended play was recorded in five cities including Santa Barbara, LA, Houston, NYC, and on the German autobahn. Dev Hynes began work with Theophilus London, who called Solange stating that he had just been working on a record with Hynes and thought she should have been a part of it. Following the call, Solange visited Theophilus at the studio, where she met Dev and after hearing his music, the two embarked on a friendship and a working relationship. Solange stated that the EP's recording process was done over a two-year period, but the first six months was a period where Solange and Dev Hynes swapped ideas and established a cohesive sound. Over the next two years, the pair co-wrote and co-produced thirty songs, with "Locked in Closets" and "Don't Let Me Down" being the first two songs to be recorded.