The working of the album started in 2012 and ended in August 2014. The album's aesthetics feature a black and white imagery, handled by Brown himself along with art director Courtney Walter. "X" is an R&amp;B album, also containing songs influenced by disco, soul and hip-hop. Its lyrical content focuses on falling in love, internal conflict and sexual desire. The album received positive reviews from critics, who celebrated Brown's performances, the record's clean and diversified sound, and the writing style of different songs. The album was considered a big improvement compared to its critically panned predecessor "Fortune". At the 2015 Grammy Awards, the album was nominated for the Best Urban Contemporary Album, while "New Flame" was nominated for Best R&amp;B Performance and Best R&amp;B Song.