Nivea is the debut studio album by American R&B singer Nivea. It was released by Jive on September 25, 2001. A contemporary R&B album with major influences of the pop and hip hop genres, Nivea worked with a wide range of producers and songwriters on her self-titled album which features credits by Leslie Braithwaite, Bryan-Michael Cox, Roy "Royalty" Hamilton, R. Kelly, The Neptunes, Organized Noise, Adonis Shropshire, Teedra Moses, Johnta Austin, and Ne-Yo, among others.

Nivea
Studio album by
ReleasedSeptember 25, 2001
Recorded2000–2001
GenreR&B[1]
Length54:49
LabelJive
Producer
Nivea chronology
Nivea
(2001)
Complicated
(2005)
Singles from Nivea
  1. "Don't Mess with the Radio"
    Released: June 12, 2001
  2. "Run Away (I Wanna Be with U)"
    Released: December 10, 2001
  3. "Don't Mess with My Man"
    Released: June 3, 2002
  4. "Laundromat"
    Released: April 28, 2003
  5. "25 Reasons"/"Ya Ya Ya"
    Released: 2003

Upon its release, Nivea debuted at number 80 on the US Billboard 200 and number 35 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. The album was preceded by its first two singles "Don't Mess with the Radio", which became a top twenty hit in Australia, and "Don't Mess With My Man", a collaboration with Brandon Casey and Brian Casey from boy group Jagged Edge, which became a smash hit, reaching the top ten in France, New Zealand and on the US Billboard Hot 100.

Singles

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"Don't Mess with the Radio" was selected as Nivea's solo debut single and was released on June 12, 2001.[2] While not a major hit in the United States or most other countries, it was a top-twenty success in Australia, reaching number 14 on the ARIA Singles Chart. In April 2002, the song was released in the United Kingdom as a double A-side with "Run Away (I Wanna Be with U)".[3] It peaked at number 48 on the UK Singles Chart. In Australia, "Run Away" was released as the album's second single on December 10, 2001.[4]

"Don't Mess with My Man" was released on June 3, 2002, as the third single from the album.[5] The song peaked at number eight on the US Billboard Hot 100 and was an international hit as well, reaching the top 10 in France and New Zealand and receiving a Gold certification in the former country. In the United Kingdom, the song reached number 41 on the UK Singles Chart upon its initial release. The recording earned the artists a nomination for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals at the 45th Grammy Awards in 2003.[6]

The fourth single, "Laundromat", was released on April 28, 2003.[7] The song peaked in the United States at number 58 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 20 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Internationally, it reached a peak number 33 on the UK Singles Chart as a double A-side with "Don't Mess with My Man".[8]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [1]

Alex Henderson from AllMusic rated Nivea three out of five stars and called it "a perfect example of how hip-hop-drenched R&B [had] become" by 2001: "From the production to the lyrics, this CD frequently underscores hip-hop's influence on modern R&B." He found that "Nivea provides a likable blend of girlishness and grit on catchy, hip-hop-minded offerings", while also being "teen-friendly, although not in a bubblegum way; in Nivea's case, teen-friendly doesn't mean teen pop." Henderson concluded: "But if Nivea's debut is slightly uneven, it still has more ups than downs and is — thanks to the more on-the-ball producers and writers — worth the price of admission."[1]

Chart performance

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Nivea debuted at number 109 on the US Billboard 200 in the week of December 28, 2002.[9] It eventually peaked at number 80 in February 2003.[9] By March 2003, the album had sold 134,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.[10]

Track listing

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NiveaStandard edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Still in Love"
Poli3:33
2."Ya Ya Ya" (featuring Lil Wayne)R. Kelly4:07
3."Don't Mess with My Man" (featuring Jagged Edge)Cox3:34
4."The One for Me"
  • Nivea Hamilton
  • Kelly
  • Timothy Allen
  • Larry Campbell
  • Scorpio & Mystery
  • R. Kelly[A]
3:35
5."Laundromat"KellyR. Kelly4:24
6."You Don't Even Know" (featuring Nick Cannon)
Shropshire3:55
7."Run Away (I Wanna Be with U)" (featuring Pusha T)The Neptunes3:43
8."Just in Case"
Braithwaite3:59
9."No Doubt"Bishop4:06
10."Never Had a Girl Like Me"
Scorpio & Mystery3:53
11."Have Mercy"Carlos & Dada3:52
12."Don't Mess with the Radio"
3:58
13."25 Reasons"
  • N. Hamilton
  • Brathwaite
  • Cameron
Braithwaite4:07
14."Don't Mess with My Man" (Remix) (featuring Jagged Edge and Mystikal) (bonus track)
  • Brandon Casey
  • Brian Casey
  • Cox
Cox3:52
NiveaAustralian and New Zealand hidden track[citation needed]
No.TitleLength
15."I Love My Man (I'm Keepin' Him)"3:13
NiveaReissue[11]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
14."What You Waitin' for"
  • Hamilton
  • Ralph Kearns
  • James Maynes
  • Steven A. White
Burn-Unit3:36
15."Check Your Man" (featuring Mystikal)
Scorpio & Mystery3:48
16."Cat's Got Your Tongue"
  • Lampson
  • Forbes
  • N. Hamilton
  • R. Hamilton
  • Hoskins
Roy "Royalty" Hamilton3:15
17."Jewelry"
  • C. Jerkins
  • E. Jerkins
  • R. Hamilton
  • Rockwell
  • Royalty
  • Twin Beats[A]
3:29
18."Problems"
  • Sylvers
  • R. Hamilton
  • Hoskins
Hamilton3:41
19."Don't Mess with My Man" (Remix) (featuring Jagged Edge and Mystikal) (bonus track)
  • Brandon Casey
  • Brian Casey
  • Tyler
  • Cox
Cox3:52
NiveaInternational edition[12]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Check Your Man" (featuring Mystikal)
Scorpio & Mystery3:48
2."Cat's Got Your Tongue"
  • Carmen Lampson
  • Claude "Quo" Forbes
  • N. Hamilton
  • Roy Hamilton
  • Samuel "Cyph" Hoskins
Roy "Royalty" Hamilton3:15
3."Radio (Interlude)"  0:34
4."Don't Mess with the Radio"
3:58
5."Don't Mess with My Man" (Remix) (featuring Jagged Edge and Mystikal)Cox3:34
6."Problems"
Royalty3:41
7."Jewelry"
  • C. Jerkins
  • E. Jerkins
  • R. Hamilton
  • Rockwell
  • Royalty
  • Twin Beats[A]
3:29
8."Never Had a Girl Like Me"
Scorpio & Mystery3:53
9."Just in Case"
Braithwaite3:59
10."Phone (Interlude)"  0:37
11."25 Reasons"
  • Hamilton
  • Brathwaite
  • Cameron
Braithwaite4:07
12."Argument (Interlude)"  1:06
13."Have Mercy"Carlos & Dada3:52
14."No Doubt"
Bishop4:06
15."Run Away (I Wanna Be with U)" (featuring Pusha T of the Clipse)The Neptunes3:43
16."I Love My Man (I'm Keepin' Him)"  3:13

Notes

  • ^[A] denotes co-producer

Sample credits

Personnel

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Credits are taken from the album's liner notes.[13]

Instruments and performances

  • Donnie Lyle – guitar
  • Charles Pettaway – guitar
  • Malachy Robinson – guitar
  • Swift C – drums
  • PJ Morton – piano, keyboards
  • R. Kellyarranger

Production

  • Ted Bishop – engineering, instrumentation
  • Leslie Braithwaite – engineering, mixing
  • Tom Coynemastering
  • Ryan Freeland – engineering
  • Andy Gallas – engineering
  • Jeffrey Gamble – photography
  • Elisa Garcia – design
  • Abel Garibaldi – engineering
  • Serban Ghenea – mixing
  • Jay Goin – engineering
  • Mark Goodchild – engineering
  • Hachi – photography
  • Chaz Harper – mastering
  • R. Kelly – mixing
  • C.L. Lampkin – backing vocals
  • Ian Mereness – engineering, mixing
  • Rowie Nameri – engineering
  • Azuolas Sinkevicius – engineering
  • Brian Stanley – engineering
  • Adonis Shropshire – engineering
  • Richard Travali – mixing
  • Patrick Viala – mixing
  • Bernasky Wall – mixing
  • Arnold Wolfe – mixing

Charts

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Weekly chart performance for Nivea
Chart (2001–03) Peak
position
Canadian R&B Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)[14] 29
French Albums (SNEP)[15] 65
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[16] 37
US Billboard 200[9] 80
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[17] 1
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[18] 35

Release history

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Release dates and formats for Nivea
Region Date Format(s) Label Edition(s) Ref
Australia September 25, 2001
  • CD
  • digital download
Jive Records Original [19]
Germany February 18, 2002 [12]
Japan July 29, 2002 [20]
Singapore September 16, 2002 [21]
United States December 10, 2002 Re-release [22]
United Kingdom February 3, 2003 Original [23]
France March 10, 2003 [24]
Australia June 3, 2003 Re-release [25]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Henderson, Alex. "Nivea – Nivea". AllMusic. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  2. ^ "Urban: Going for Adds". Radio & Records. No. 1405. June 8, 2001. p. 63.
  3. ^ "New Releases – For Week Starting 22 April 2002". Music Week. April 20, 2002. p. 35.
  4. ^ "The ARIA Report: New Releases Singles – Week Commencing 10th December 2001" (PDF). ARIA. December 10, 2001. p. 25. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 20, 2002. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  5. ^ "Nivea: Don't Mess with My Man". Radio & Records. No. 1454. May 24, 2002. p. 43.
  6. ^ "Nivea". 23 November 2020.
  7. ^ "New Releases – For Week Starting 28 April 2003: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. April 26, 2003. p. 27. Retrieved September 4, 2021. Note: The source misprints "Don't Mess with My Man" as "Don't Mess with the Radio".
  8. ^ "Chart Search". Billboard Hot 100 for Nivea. Archived from the original on October 22, 2013.
  9. ^ a b c "Nivea Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
  10. ^ "Following A Year Wait, 'Nivea' Reaps Rewards". Billboard. March 2, 2003. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
  11. ^ "Nivea - Nivea (CD) at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2012-03-03.
  12. ^ a b Amazon.de: Nivea: Nivea: Musik
  13. ^ Nivea (CD liner). Nivea. Jive Records. 2001.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  14. ^ "R&B : Top 50". Jam!. February 13, 2003. Archived from the original on February 16, 2003. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  15. ^ "Lescharts.com – Nivea – Nivea". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
  16. ^ "ニヴェア" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on February 12, 2023. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
  17. ^ "Nivea Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 20, 2018.
  18. ^ "Nivea Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
  19. ^ "iTunes Store". Phobos.apple.com. Archived from the original on 2012-03-15. Retrieved 2012-03-03.
  20. ^ Amazon.co.jp: NIVEA: ニヴェア: 音楽
  21. ^ Amazon.de: Nivea: Nivea: Musik
  22. ^ "HBDirect". Retrieved April 26, 2008.[dead link]
  23. ^ Amazon.co.uk: Nivea: Nivea: Music
  24. ^ Nivea: Nivea: Musique: Amazon.fr
  25. ^ Amazon.co.jp: Nivea: Nivea: 音楽