About You Now is the debut extended play by American actress and singer Miranda Cosgrove, released by Columbia Records and Epic Records, in partnership with Nickelodeon Records to the iTunes Store on February 3, 2009. The EP was used to promote Cosgrove's song of the same name, released in the final quarter of 2008. Aside from featuring remixes of previous songs of Cosgrove's, the album also featured two tracks, "FYI" and "Party Girl". "About You Now" is a cover of the Sugababes hit single. It became Cosgrove's second song to chart on Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at number 47, her highest peak to date. Cosgrove promoted the song and the accompanying album mainly through interviews and performances, including at the 2008 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Background and development
Cosgrove's musical career first began with her recording the theme song of the Nickelodeon television series iCarly called "Leave It All to Me", on which Cosgrove stars as the title character on the show. The song features her former Drake & Josh castmate Drake Bell, and was written by Michael Corcoran, one of Bell's band members. Following the success of iCarly, Columbia Records released a soundtrack album of the show on June 10, 2008. The soundtrack album included four songs recorded by Cosgrove that were "Leave It All to Me", "Stay My Baby", "About You Now" and "Headphones On". Cosgrove stated, "Before that, I didn't see myself making an album, but when I spent time in the studio doing the theme song and saw how much fun it was, I wanted to go back."
In July 2008, she officially announced plans for a debut album, stating that the album was "different" from her contributions to the iCarly soundtrack, with her "co-writing and getting really into it", and saying that "[I'm] playing a character on iCarly, but this shows more of myself. On February 3, 2009, Cosgrove released her debut solo recording; the 5-song EP About You Now exclusively onto the iTunes Store. The EP included the title track "About You Now", a remix of it, a remix of "Stay My Baby", "FYI" and "Party Girl".
Composition
The first track on the album is "About You Now". Musically, the song is a mid-tempo pop-rock track, that follows a verse to chorus guideline. The song, a cover of the Sugababes hit single, lyrically speaks of a girl who is over a fight her and her intimate other had, and now knows how she feels "about him now". The song has proven to be a hit for Cosgrove in the US. On the Billboard Hot 100, the song is her highest peaking so to date, currently holding a peak of number 47. "About You Now" was also featured on the hit compilation album, Now That's What I Call Music! 30. "FYI" is the second song on the album. Musically, the song is an uptempo punk rock type of song, that lyrically speaks of Cosgrove's romantic feelings for someone, and the song follows Cosgrove expressing her feelings for him in the lyrics. "Party Girl", the third track on the album, has more of a pop feel than the rest of the album. Musically, it is an uptempo pop song, that lyrically speaks of Cosgrove's longing to party and hang out with her friends.
Also included on the extended play are two remixes. The first of these is the spider remix of "Stay My Baby", a song recently released by Cosgrove from the soundtrack to her iCarly television series. The song, originally a ballad, has now been given a pop and dance beat. Lyrically, the song speaks of Cosgrove knowing that everything will be okay, as long as he "stays her baby". The final track on the album is the Spider Remix of "About You Now". The new version of the album has removed the guitar from the song and replaced it with more of an electropop type of sound.