Perfect

**Perfect -** the second album of the American-Italian artist Luca Guarneri. Released after a 1,5-year break, it presents the singer's stricter and more sophisticated face. The first single *Stars Dance* was released two days before the album.

The album promoted by Perfect Tour. There are 11 tracks on the album. On November 22, the song *Perfect* was released, which Luca describes as the heart of the whole project.

## Background

Initially, the second album was to appear on vacation 2017, shortly after the release of the single *I Want You To Know*, however, the work on the album has been abandoned. When in February 2018 Luca gave several concerts in Europe, the theme of the album returned, however, was soon denied.

## Recording sessions

The first album Revival was recorded mainly in Italy. Since the end of his first tour, Luca has lived in the United States, where it was expected that he would start recording new material. The album was created mainly in studios in Los Angeles and the last corrections and mastering were made at his home in Bel Air, California. Diplo and Jennifer Lopez again invited to work.

## Titling and artwork

After completing the material, the issue of the title of the album remained unresolved until September 2018. The album had several different options for the title including: Slow Down, Perfect, Stars Dance or Champion. Eventually, Luca used a piece of *Who Says* and the phrase "*who says you're not perfect*." The disc represents the head of a white rose that reflects the raw atmosphere of the songs.

## Music and lyrical interpretation

The album was recorded in the atmosphere of classic pop, which also appeared on the debut album. This time, elements of Latyn music combined with hip hop and trap (*Fetish*), power ballad (*The Heart Wants What It Wants*) and dance hall (*Like A Champion*) were also used. Similarly to the previous album, the songs relate to the artist's personal matters. In terms of text, the song *Who Says*, which was later released on the single, received special recognition.

## Release and promotion

The album without any announcement and pre-sales appeared before noon on September 17, 2018 by Parlophone.

### **Singles**

First sample of the album was '*Slow Down*' released on summer 2018 but the official first single from the album was the song *Stars Dance*, which appeared just before the album on September 17. The song was quickly announced the flagship song of the artist. Despite the fact that it was not promoted on TV, and was played live on only a few concerts, it received a Grammy nomination in the Recording of the Year category.

The second single was the song *Who Says* previously typed as the favorite. His premiere took place on October 31, 2018 a few days before being performed live at the MTV Europe Music Awards in Bilbao, Spain. Since the premiere, the album has been played during all concerts so far.

Third single (aka promo single) was title track - *Perfect* released on November 22, 2018. This is the only single released physically on CD.

 "Who Says"
 "Perfect"

### **Tours**

The first information about the concert tour appeared on the day of the album's premiere (September 17, 2018). The Stars Dance Tour was mainly planned to take place in Europe, and the United States in 2019 was also planned. In mid-November Luca decided to cancel the remaining concerts and return to Los Angeles where the Perfect Tour was announced, which was to take place globally in the United States, Oceania, Asia and Europe.

## Critical reception

The album received positive reviews from most critics and fans. The main reason was mature lyrics and progress in creating music.

## Commercial performance

In the United States, the album debuted at number two on the *Billboard* 200. It earned 117,000 album-equivalent units in its first week (85,000 pure album sales). In its second week on the chart, *Perfect* fell to number seven with 46,000 units. As of January 2019, the album has sold 413,000 copies in the US. The album was certified Platinum by the RIAA, for combined album sales, on-demand audio, video streams and track-sale equivalent of 1,000,000 units.

In Italy debuted at number one, it earned 50,000 album eqivalent units in its first week.

The album entered the New Zealand Albums Chart at number two. In Australia, the album debuted at number three. In Greece, the album debuted at number one, while in Brazil it reached number three, receiving a platinum certification in the latter for selling over 40,000 copies. The album also reached the top-ten in other 17 countries, including Canada, France, Ireland, Netherlands, and Sweden.

## Track listing

1. The Heart Wants What It Wants (3:47)
2. Good For You (3:15)
3. Stars Dance (3:37)
4. Like A Champion (2:56)
5. Who Says (3:15)
6. Slow Down (3:30)
7. Fetish feat. Gucci Mane (3:06)
8. Stained (3:30)
9. Save The Day (3:53)
10. Love Will Remember (3:30)
11. Strong feat. Justin Bieber (2:21)
12. Perfect - 2020 CD version (4:02)

## Release history

 September 30, 2021
 April 25, 2022