Primadonna

***Primadonna*** is the second studio album by American singer Beau Howard. It was released on May 16, 2025 by Tomorrow Records. Howard was inspired by the newfound fame he experienced while on the Dollface North America Tour, and began writing the lyrics while on tour. The project wrapped up after the Dollface Europe Tour came to a close. Howard described *Primadonna* as a story of "how fame can change someone." It describes ideas of materialism, egotism, sex, drugs, and depression.

Mister Danger expressed interest to work on the album after hearing the original demos produced by Andrew Archer. Howard was thrilled to take the album in a new direction, and worked with other European producers, like Mademoiselle Beau, on the album.

"Take It All" was released as the lead single from *Primadonna* on December 27, 2024 as a "belated Christmas gift." It debuted at number five on the US charts, and eventually climbed to number two. The second single, "Luxxxurious," was released on February 1, 2025, and became Howard's first number one single. The title track, "Primadonna," was released on April 4, 2025 as the third single, and also reached number one. "Barely Legal" was the album's only promotional single, being released two weeks before the album. The fourth single, "The Devil" was released on June 6, 2025, and stayed at number one for several weeks, becoming Howard's most successful single. The last single was "Valentino," released on August 1, 2025, debuting at number two.

The album was followed by Taking It All: The Primadonna World Tour. It was much larger than the two Dollface tours, spanning 40 of the US states and 24 countries outside of the US.

## Background

Development of *Primadonna* began while Howard was still on the Dollface North America Tour. Inspired by the newfound fame, he began to write the lyrics in between shows and rehearsals. He stated that the original lyrics "filled up an entire notebook." Before embarking on the Dollface Europe Tour, he pitched the album to his label. Enjoying the idea, the album was originally going to be produced by Andrew Archer, like his debut album, *Dollface.* However, Howard was very displeased with the production of the few demos the two had created.

While on tour in the UK, Howard met Mister Danger at a party. A fan of his work, he played him the demos and asked for his opinion. Mister Shadow saw potential in the lyrics, but didn't enjoy the production. He offered to take over the project, as he wasn't busy at the time. Archer and Howard agreed.

## Conception

Howard described the overall theme of *Primadonna* as "a look into how fame changes you." It explores how when you become famous it is easy to lose your true self and become materialistic and self-centered. It also explores the idea that celebrities are actually covering up their issues with sex, money, and drugs, leaving the actual problems unsolved. It contains stories of suicide and addiction to portray how fame can kill.

The aesthetic of the album is inspired by both old Hollywood and "new money." It features lavish clothes, diamonds, pearls, and champagne. The most famous "look" from the album is beau's sleeveless tuxedo with elbow-length gloves. It references old Hollywood throughout the album, along with the Greek myth of Icarus.

## Recording

Andrew Archer composed a great number of the songs, while Mister Danger edited some of the composition and changed the style. Howard and Danger wanted a "early 2000s and late 2010s electronic, dance sound." Danger cited Lady Gaga and Britney Spears as the main inspirations behind the album's sound.

There were several songs recorded but ultimately cut from the album. Howard stated that the original cut of *Primadonna* had "enough songs for a 3LP." Danger says there are no plans to release the unreleased songs, proclaiming that both Howard and him cut the songs because they weren't pleased with them and thought they "held the album back." To quote:

> The songs that actually ended up on the album were the ones we believed to be the best. Either Beau's lyrics were meaningful, or we believed the production would be a smash hit. The songs that didn't make the cut were either unfinished, or just didn't hold up compared to the rest of the songs. Neither of us are sad they didn't get released to the public. Maybe one day we'll go in and redo them for an anniversary or something, but as of now there are no plans.
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Several of the unreleased tracks were leaked online after Tomorrow Records was hacked in 2027.

## Tracklist

**Total duration: 58:06**

***Primadonna-*** Target bonus tracks
 15

**Total duration: 65:49**