Unlocked

Unlocked is the second studio album by Romanian singer-songwriter Alexandra Stan, released on 27 August 2014, by Victor Entertainment. Several collaborators are credited for the record's production, including Andreas Schuller, Sebastian Jacome, Chrishan Prince, Erik Lidbom, and Gabriel Huiban; songs were developed during the first Romanian international songwriting camp FonoCamp in 2013. Unlocked was released following an alleged physical altercation between Stan and her former manager Marcel Prodan, which led to a court case and a short hiatus in 2013. As a result, she left Prodan's label and signed a record deal with Fonogram Records to distribute the record in various countries. Unlocked features dance, techno, pop, and R&B genres, with influences varying from J-pop to house music. Lyrically, it deals with themes of liberation and new beginnings. Music critics gave the album mixed reviews, criticizing the songs' lack of originality. Unlocked debuted and peaked at number 21 on the Oricon Albums Chart in Japan, where it had sold 17,045 units by January 2015. Five singles were released to promote the album, of which two—"Cherry Pop" and "Dance"—charted on the Billboard Japan Hot 100. To further promote Unlocked, the singer embarked on the Cherry Pop Summer Tour and the Unlocked Tour in 2014 performing in Japan, Mexico, Russia, and Turkey. Background and development In 2012 and 2013, Stan released the singles "Lemonade", "Cliché (Hush Hush)" and "All My People" for her second album. But the record's release was postponed following an alleged physical altercation with her manager Marcel Prodan, which led to Stan accusing him of multiple offenses in a court case. A Japan-only reissue of Saxobeats (2011) was released in October 2013 with the addition of the singles—the singer's last album on Prodan's label, Maan Records.