Background
In early 2014, Meyer-Landrut began principal work on her fourth studio album. In January, she traveled to New York City to engage in talks with record producer Bosko. In May 2014, she visited the Yoad Nevo studios in London and in June 2014. she worked with Australian singer-songwriter Kat Vinter in Berlin and with Israeli-American singer-songwriter Rosi Golan in Los Angeles. In Brighton, she worked with theRelease and promotion
"Traffic Lights (Lena Meyer-Landrut song), Traffic Lights" was released as the lead single ahead of the album on 1 May 2015. The song entered the German singles chart at #14. The album followed two weeks later on CD, digital and limited CD+DVD version featuring music videos. The next single "Wild & Free (Lena Meyer-Landrut song), Wild & Free was released in September and served as the title track of the German comedy film ''Fack ju Göhte 2'' (2015). It was later included on the deluxe CD+DVD version of the album released on 23 October 23, 2015. "Beat to My Melody" was released as the third and final single from the album. A Remix EP was released on 8 April 2016 via Universal Music.Critical reception
''Crystal Sky'' was released to generally polarizing reviews from music critics. ''MusikWoche'' editor Dietmar Schwenger called it "an exciting, contemporary album. The 14 new songs don't rely on catchy tunes and sure-fire airplay, but rather on intricate electronic landscapes and abstract beats, which often only unfold their magic on the second listen." WDR 2 critic Oliver Rustemeyer remarked that "for its diverse influences from home and abroad, ''Crystal Sky'' is extremely homogeneous. Opulent and powerful sounds collide with wide synth pads. Effects, alienation and other technical gadgets remain so subtle that the 14 numbers still pass as danceable pop. However, common mainstream structures are being broken down." hr3 summed the album as "an electronically inspired pop glitter that offers a lot of artfully composed music." ''Hessische/Niedersächsische Allgemeine, HNA''s Johanna Daher called it a "well-made album." ''Münchner Merkur'' critic Marco Mach found that with ''Crystal Sky'', Meyer-Landrut "reinvents herself and presents a courageous electronic and danceable glittering work [...] This is a new Lena who is sure to scare away old fans and win fewer new ones. Who sounds a little too much like Ellie Goulding and Kylie Minogue." Markus Brandstetter from ''Laut.de'' felt that "for a pop production, there's little to complain about [...] But as international as the record tends to be, it sounds interchangeable in a sea of similar high-gloss electro-pop productions. A perfectly crafted and thoroughly enjoyable commissioned work and also a completely understandable step forward on the part of Meyer-Landrut. For a really memorable and independent work, ''Crystal Sky'' lacks a bit of substance." Malin Kompa from Radio Bremen found that ''Crystal Sky'' "still sounds pop, but really more electronic than you're used to from Lena." Sebastian Zabel from the German issue of ''Rolling Stone'' magazine gave ''Crystal Sky'' two and a half out of five stars. He found that the album was "surprisingly ''here today'', namely close to Goulding and Charli XCX – electro-pop, international standard." Zabel also noted, however, that it lacked "stubbornness." Similarly, ''Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung'' critic Hannah Feiler wrote that ''Crystal Sky'' was suitable for the masses but lacked "individuality." She concluded the album was "too overloaded and as if intoxicated by the synth sound." Aaron Clamann, writing for ''Rheinische Post'' noted that "taken on its own, almost every track on the album would make you want to listen to it in the background on the radio. But when heard in one piece, they just seem overwhelming. Above all, the changing rhythms just seem confusing." Dietmar Kanthak from ''Kölnische Rundschau'' called the album "empty and without life." He dismissed the album as "interchangeable" and felt that Meyer-Landrut's voice sounded helium-like.Chart performance
''Crystal Sky'' debuted and peaked at number two on the German Albums Chart in the week of 22 May 2015. It became Meyer-Landrut's fourth consecutive to reach the top two of the chart and would spend 18 weeks inside the top 100. In 2023, eight years after its original release, the album was eventually certified Gold by the Bundesverband Musikindustrie (BVMI) for shipment figures in excess of 100,000 copies. In Austria and Switzerland, ''Crystal Sky'' became her lowest-charting album yet, peaking at number 25 on the Austrian Albums Chart and number 40 on the Swiss Albums Chart.Track listing
All tracks produced byCharts
Weekly charts
Certifications
Release history
References
External links
* {{Authority control 2015 albums Lena Meyer-Landrut albums Albums produced by Ash Howes Albums produced by Richard Stannard (songwriter)