# Becoming (Stacy Barthe album)

Becoming (stylized as BEcoming) is the debut studio album by Haitian American singer and songwriter Stacy Barthe. It was released on July 10, 2015, by Motown and Homeschool Records. It features guest appearances from John Legend and Common.

## Release and promotion

To help promote the album's long-awaited release, a 6-track sampler was uploaded to SoundCloud on December 22, 2014. BEcoming was officially released for digital download and streaming on July 10, 2015, by Motown and John Legend's Homeschool Records. A short film of the same name was released on July 14, 2015—documenting Barthe's struggles with depression, attempted suicide, and weight loss journey.

### Singles

"War IV Love" was released on March 18, 2014, as the album's lead single. "Flawed Beautiful Creatures" was released as the album's second single on December 15, 2014. Both "War IV Love" and "Flawed Beautiful Creatures"—along with non-album cut, "Extraordinary Love"—were featured on BET's NAACP award-winning drama series, Being Mary Jane. A cover of Anita Baker's "Angel", featuring John Legend, was released as the album's third single on December 23, 2014. An abridged version of the cover first appeared on John Legend's fourth studio album, Love in the Future, as an interlude. "Live For Today", featuring Common, was released as the album's fourth single on January 15, 2015. The fifth and final single released was "You Wonder Why?" on June 29, 2015. The single would become Barthe's highest performing release, peaking at number twenty-three on US Billboard's Adult R&B Songs.

## Critical reception

Professional ratings :
| Review scores ||
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | |
| The Irish Times | |
| YourMusicMyWorld | |
Upon its release, BEcoming received positive reviews from critics. Bobby Carter of npr music proclaimed, "BEcoming is all about brutal, fearless honesty ... when taken as a whole, it feels like a powerful and necessary purge." Gail Mitchell of Billboard described BEcoming as "a powerful, raw narrative about the joys and pains of life." Online R&B publication ThisIsR&B praised the album, stating: "Stacy didn’t simply record an album. Rather she penned an often raw, always real, and undeniably riveting audio diary—recounting her own unbelievable, yet universal story."

### Year-end lists

| Publication | List | Year | Ref. |
| BET | The Best R&B Albums of 2015 | 2015 | |
| WDET | New Soul Sunday's Best of 2015 | 2015 | |

## Legacy

In response to the stay-at-home orders enacted to suppress the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, the New York Post listed BEcoming at number eight on their list of 10 albums to revisit in 2020—calling it "one of the best R&B LPs of the '10s."

## Track listing

Album credits adapted from Tidal.
Notes
* signifies a co-producer
Sample credits
* "Here I Am" contains samples of "Drink My Pain Away", as written by Stacy Barthe, Jesse Woodard IV, Joi Nicole Campbell & Corey Gibson.
* "Live For Today" contains an interpolation of "Mas que Nada", as written and performed by Jorge Ben.
* "Angel" is a cover of "Angel", as written by Anita Baker, Patrick Moten & Sandra Sully; and contains a drum beat from "Make the Music with Your Mouth, Biz", as performed by Biz Markie.

## Personnel

Personnel credits adapted from the liner notes of BEcoming.

### Studios

Recording locations
Mixing & mastering locations

### Design
## Charts

Chart performance for BEcoming :
| Chart (2015) | Peak position |
| US Billboard 200 | 92 |
| US Top Current Albums (Billboard) | 36 |
| US Top R&B Albums (Billboard) | 4 |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard) | 8 |

## Release history

| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label | Catalog # | Ref. |
| Worldwide | July 10, 2015 (2015-07-10) | digital download • streaming | Motown • Homeschool • Universal | B0021473-02 | |
| Worldwide | July 10, 2015 (2015-07-10) | CD | Motown | B0021473-02 | |