DEMIDEVIL

Mixtape

"***DEMIDEVIL***" (stylized in all caps) is the debut mixtape by American singer-songwriter and rapper Ashnikko. It was released on January 15, 2021, through Parlophone and Warner Records. The mixtape was supported by four singles: "Cry" featuring Grimes, "Daisy", "Deal with It" featuring Kelis, and "Slumber Party" featuring Princess Nokia.

## Background

Following the release of her 2019 EP, *Hi It's Me*, Ashnikko would return with the single "Tantrum" on March 6, 2020. Originally intended as the lead single for the mixtape, the song would later be demoted to a stand-alone single. The "DemiDevil" character was first portrayed in the "Tantrum" music video alongside Ashnikko herself and another character titled "Little Blue". The latter would later be revealed as a song title on the mixtape. Album track "Clitoris! The Musical" was first featured in the video "ASH WEDNESDAY 2020". Ashnikko first teased the mixtape in a series of videos in which she is gradually turning into her "demidevil" alter ego. The last of the three videos revealed the cover art, tracklist and release date for the mixtape. Ashnikko coincidingly, officially announced the mixtape on August 28, 2020, via her social media platforms.

*Demidevil* was met with several delays before its release. An initial date for October 9, 2020 was announced in August earlier that year. The mixtape then suffered its first delay in September due to "shipping delays" and other unknown reasons. The mixtape was then intended for a November 13 release. A second delay was announced in October 2020, with the mixtape having a scheduled release for February 19, 2021. In early 2021, Warner Music Group's merchandise team accidentally shipped out orders including physical copies of the mixtape earlier than its February 19th release. Following this error, Ashnikko would reveal a new date for the mixtape, January 15, 2021.

## Composition

The album is a pop and pop-trap album that takes influence from R&B, hip hop, pop punk, electropop, nu metal, and hyperpop.

## Singles

The lead single from *Demidevil*, "Cry", was released on June 17, 2020, and features Canadian musician Grimes. An animated music video was premiered alongside the track's release. This video would later be nominated at the UK Music Video Awards in the category of "Best Pop Video - UK".

The opening track, "Daisy" was released as the mixtape's second single on July 9, 2020. A music video in collaboration with Beats Electronics and TikTok was released on August 7, 2020. Commercially, "*Daisy*" peaked at #24 on the UK Singles Chart, becoming her first charting and first top 40 hit in the United Kingdom. The song also peaked at #3 on the *Billboard* Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart, becoming her second entry on the chart after "Stupid".

After being teased a day before its release, "Deal with It" featuring American singer Kelis was released as the mixtape's third single on January 12, 2021. It premiered on BBC Radio 1 and its music video was released along with the song's widespread release. With less than 3 days of tracking, the single charted at #84 on the UK Singles Chart, becoming her second ever charting track in the United Kingdom.

"Slumber Party" featuring American rapper Princess Nokia was released as the fourth single on April 23, 2021, after achieving viral success on TikTok. The song would be performed on the Late Night with Seth Meyers show on April 30, 2021. A music video was released on May 13, 2021.

## Critical reception

*Demidevil* received positive reviews from contemporary music critics. At Metacritic, a website that aggregates reviews of music albums, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 74, based on 9 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". El Hunt of *NME* wrote that Ashnikko's "first real body of work builds on the early hype, and draws from a far wider pot of musical influences than before: Nu-metal, pop-punk, The Neptunes-esque production tricks and campy musical theatre", and concluded that the record "shows that [she is] far more than a two-trend wonder – with a tank full of intriguing bangers that evade living under 'Daisy's formidable shadow."

Reviewing the album for AllMusic, Fred Thomas stated that "The project's ten tracks nicely mix Ashnikko's enormous personality and brazen confidence with infectious pop-trap production and hints of early-2000s nostalgia that range from subtle to overt."

*Billboard* included the album on their list of the best albums of the first half of 2021.

## Commercial performance

*Demidevil* debuted at number 107 on the US *Billboard* 200. It also debuted at number one on the US Heatseekers Albums (*Billboard*). In the United Kingdom, the album debuted at number 19 on the UK Albums (OCC). Overall, the album debuted in seven countries including Canada.

## Theme

"DEMIDEVIL" is a bold and frank album that covers a range of themes, including female empowerment, rebellion, and nostalgia. The album's unifying theme is a display of rebellious strength. Ashnikko's lyrics are often feminist anthems, with many tracks utilizing themes of womanhood and lesbian relationships.

## Tracklist

### Key

* **Bold** typing indicates that the song has been fully leaked online or officially released.
* *Italic* typing indicates that the song was never released and has yet to fully leak online.

### List

* Tantrum
* Narcissistic
* Dumpling

## Personnel

### Musicians

* Ashnikko – lead vocals
* Grimes – featured vocals
* Kelis – featured vocals
* Princess Nokia – featured vocals
* Marcus Andersson – acoustic guitar
* CallMeTheKidd – keyboards, programming, background vocals
* Mark Crew – keyboards, programming
* Dan Priddy – keyboards, programming
* Oscar Scheller – bass, drums, keyboards, programming, synthesizer
* Slinger – background vocals, drums, keyboards, sitar, synthesizer, santur, bells, flute, guitar, piano

### Technical

* Zukye Ardella – recording engineer
* Ebenezer – programming, recording engineer
* CallMeTheKidd – mixing, recording engineer
* Chris Gehringer – mastering
* Andrew Goldstein – guitar, programming, recording engineer
* John Greenham – mastering
* Oscar Scheller – mixing
* Slinger – recording engineer
* Mark "Spike" Stent – mixing
* Matt Wolach – assistant

## Trivia

* The original delayed release date was February 19, 2021. Because a lot of pre-ordered albums were sent out too early, Ashnikko decide to release it on January 15, 2021, so everyone can hear the album together.
* The mixtape received generally favorable reviews from music critics, with an average score of 74 out of 100 on Metacritic
* Deal With It is the longest track from this mixtape.
* The cover art for "DEMIDEVIL" features Ashnikko as a dragon being ridden by a woman.
* Clitoris! The Musical is the shortest track from this mixtape.
* Ashnikko's favourite track is Daisy.
* *DEMIDEVIL* passed 500M streams mark on Spotify.
* "Deal with It" samples the song "Caught Out There" as performed by Kelis and written by The Neptunes.
* "L8r Boi" interpolates the song "Sk8er Boi" as performed by Avril Lavigne and written by Lavigne, Lauren Christy, Scott Spock and Graham Edwards.
* Ashnikko adopts different characters when writing her songs, and "Daisy" is one of her coolest songs yet.
* The mixtape's title is a combination of the words "demi-god" and "devil"
* Ashnikko has described the mixtape as a "coming-of-age story" that explores themes of love, heartbreak, and self-discovery.
* "DEMIDEVIL" features collaborations with artists such as Grimes, Princess Nokia, and Kelis.

## References

1. ↑ https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=2995292750743935&set=gm.1932889506878919