Saxobeats is the debut studio album recorded by Romanian singer and songwriter Alexandra Stan, released on 29 August 2011 by Play On Records. It was mainly written and produced by Marcel Prodan and Andrei Nemirschi, who recorded it at their Maan Studio. They had previously discovered the singer at a karaoke bar and offered her a record deal with their own label, Maan Records. Same year she released a promotional single, "Show Me the Way", through the label which was later included on Saxobeats. The music on the album overall approaches genres of hi-NRG and dance music. "Lollipop (Param Pam Pam)" features a sample of American singer Fergie's 2006 single "Fergalicious". The record received mixed reviews from music reviewers, praising it for approaching a danceable style, but also criticizing its formulaic production.
Commercially, Saxobeats was moderately successful on European album charts, while also reaching number 15 in Japan. According to the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ), it sold more than 68,000 copies in that territory as of May 2012. To promote the album, Stan performed on various concert venues and released four tracks as singles. "Lollipop (Param Pam Pam)", the first one, was heavily broadcast in native Romania, while "Mr. Saxobeat" became a worldwide commercial success. The third release, "Get Back (ASAP)", was moderately successful on European charts, and "1.000.000", the last single, featured vocals from German–Zimbabwe rapper Carlprit.
Background and development
In her teenage years, Alexandra Stan participated in various music-related contests, including the Mamaia Music Festival. In 2009, the singer was discovered by Romanian producers and songwriters Marcel Prodan and Andrei Nemirschi at a karaoke bar, who offered her a record deal with their own label, Maan Records. She also recorded a promotional single called "Show Me the Way" that year. Saxobeats, her debut studio album, was recorded at the producers' Maan Studio, with the singer recalling in an interview with Direct Lyrics prior to the record's release that it "was the best time of [her] life. [She] really enjoyed working with them and [she] had a lot of fun." Writing and production were both handled by Prodan, Nemirschi and Marcian Alin Soare. In the same interview, Stan further revealed that all songs on Saxobeats "are part of [her] life and they represent [her]."
Release and artwork
In an interview prior to the record's release, Stan revealed that it is set to premiere in September 2011. To celebrate the release of Saxobeats, an event with the singer's friends, collaborators and journalists was held. A special website had also been launched to commercialize the album. Saxobeats was first released physically in France by Play On, following which it was digitally distributed in that country on 2 April 2012 by Play On/Jeff. While a deluxe edition premiered on 20 June 2012, the record was further released in September to Germany and Poland. In the United States, it was both physically and digitally distributed in late October 2011 by Ultra Records; the same label also released Saxobeats in Canada that month. The album premiered in Japan on 7 March 2012, with its respective deluxe edition being released one month later. On 22 October 2012, the record was finally distributed to the United Kingdom. In 2013, Saxobeats was re-released in Japan under the name Cliché (Hush Hush), featuring new singles "Lemonade" (2012), "Cliché (Hush Hush)" (2013) and "All My People" (2013).
Saxobeats was commercialized with three different covers shot by Andrei Nemirschi. For European standard releases, it featured Stan wearing a bob in front of a black-white backdrop, with one of her hands being attached to her head. In Japan, the release was accompanied by a photograph of the singer standing with headphones on her shoulders against a black background. All deluxe editions featured Stan leaning on a plastic mannequin, sporting a blue blouse along with various accessories on her hand.