Missunderstood (stylized in all lowercase) is the debut studio album by American singer Queen Naija. The album was released on October 30, 2020, through Capitol.[1] The production on the album was handled by multiple producers including Boi-1da, T-Minus, Jahaan Sweet, Hitmaka, Lil' Ronnie and Pooh Beatz among others. The album also features guest appearances by Lil Durk, Russ, Toosii, Jacquees, Latto and Kiana Ledé. The deluxe version features guest appearances by Ari Lennox, Wale and J.I the Prince of N.Y.
| Missunderstood | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 30, 2020 | |||
| Genre | R&B | |||
| Length | 49:47 | |||
| Label | Capitol | |||
| Producer |
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| Queen Naija chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Missunderstood | ||||
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Missunderstood was supported by four singles: "Butterflies Pt. 2", "Pack Lite", "Lie to Me" and "Set Him Up". The album received generally positive reviews from music critics and was a moderate commercial success. It debuted at number nine on the US Billboard 200 and number one on the US Top R&B Albums charts, earning 34,000 album-equivalent units in its first week.[2] A deluxe edition titled Missunderstood...Still was released on April 16, 2021, including six new tracks and a remix of Butterflies Pt. 2 featuring Wale.
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
Andy Kellman of AllMusic praised Queen Naija's artistic development. Kellman said "While Queen Naija has excelled with singles, the longer format allows her diaristic songwriting to truly flourish, and there's more poise and nuance in her lithe vocals without sacrificing the power of her rawest expressions." He also praised her work saying that "Queen Naija could have rushed her debut album. Instead, she took her time with Missunderstood, and it shows." Ultimately, Kellman gave the album a rating of 4 stars out of 5.[3]
Commercial performance
editMissunderstood debuted at number one on the US Top R&B Albums chart, earning 34,000 album-equivalent units in its first week, according to MRC Data.[2] This became Queen Naija's first number one album on the chart.[2] The album also debuted at number nine on the US Billboard 200 and number six on the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts respectively.[2] This became Queen Naija's first US top-ten debut on both charts.[2] In addition, the album also accumulated a total of 33.87 million on-demand streams of the set's songs.[4] On October 31, 2023, the album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for combined sales and album-equivalent units of over 500,000 units in the United States.[5]
Five songs from Missunderstood charted on the US Hot R&B Songs chart, with "Lie to Me" at number 10, "Butterflies Pt. 2" at number 12, "Pack Lite" at number 14, "Bitter" at number 18 and "Too Much to Say" at number 25.[2]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Intro" | Queen Naija |
| 0:49 |
| 2. | "Too Much to Say" |
|
| 2:33 |
| 3. | "I'm Her" (featuring Kiana Ledé) |
| 3:18 | |
| 4. | "Pack Lite" |
|
| 2:56 |
| 5. | "Lie to Me" (featuring Lil Durk) |
|
| 3:12 |
| 6. | "Dream" (featuring Lucky Daye) |
|
| 3:01 |
| 7. | "Love Language" |
|
| 2:53 |
| 8. | "Without You" (featuring Russ) |
|
| 2:37 |
| 9. | "Say What You Mean" |
|
| 3:06 |
| 10. | "Bitter Skit" (featuring Pretty Vee) | Naija | 0:20 | |
| 11. | "Bitter" (featuring Latto) |
|
| 3:04 |
| 12. | "One Time" (featuring Toosii) |
| 3:17 | |
| 13. | "Pressure" |
|
| 3:03 |
| 14. | "Five Seconds" (featuring Jacquees) |
|
| 2:56 |
| 15. | "Pretend" |
|
| 3:23 |
| 16. | "Trial and Error" |
|
| 2:38 |
| 17. | "Butterflies Pt. 2" |
|
| 2:30 |
| 18. | "Beautiful" |
|
| 4:10 |
| Total length: | 49:47 | |||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19. | "Supa Vibe" |
|
| 2:18 |
| 20. | "Set Him Up" (with Ari Lennox) |
|
| 3:42 |
| 21. | "Love Is..." (featuring J.I the Prince of N.Y) |
|
| 3:55 |
| 22. | "Empty (interlude)" |
|
| 2:10 |
| 23. | "Insecure" |
|
| 3:22 |
| 24. | "Passionate" |
|
| 3:51 |
| 25. | "Butterflies Pt. 2" (with Wale) |
|
| 2:42 |
| Total length: | 72:00 | |||
Sample credits
- “Pack Lite” samples “Xxplosive” by Dr. Dre & interpolates “Bag Lady” by Erykah Badu.
- “Lie to Me” samples “A Dream” by DeBarge & interpolates “This Luv” by Donell Jones.
- “Pressure” interpolates “Can U Get Away” by Tupac Shakur.
Charts
edit| Chart (2020) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200[6] | 9 |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[7] | 6 |
| US Top R&B Albums (Billboard)[8] | 1 |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[5] | Gold | 500,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ^ "Queen Naija is 'missunderstood' on new album". Revolt. October 30, 2020. Retrieved December 5, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f Trevor Anderson (November 12, 2020). "Queen Naija's 'missunderstood' Reigns on Top R&B Albums Chart". Billboard. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
- ^ a b Kellman, Andy. "missunderstood - Queen Naija | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
- ^ "Ariana Grande Claims Fifth No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart With 'Positions'". Billboard. November 8, 2020. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
- ^ a b "American album certifications – Queen Naija – Missunderstood". Recording Industry Association of America.
- ^ "Billboard 200 Chart". billboard. Retrieved December 5, 2020.
- ^ "Queen Naija Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
- ^ ""Queen Naija Chart History (Top R&B Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 12, 2020.