''Forever Neverland'' is the second studio album by Danish singer and songwriter
MØ. It was released on 19 October 2018 via Chess Club Records,
RCA Victor
RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic ...
, and
. It is her first full-length release since her debut studio album ''
No Mythologies to Follow'' (2014), and comes after her second EP ''
When I Was Young'' (2017). The album was preceded by four singles: "
Sun in Our Eyes" with
Diplo
Thomas Wesley Pentz (born November 10, 1978), known professionally as Diplo, is an American DJ and music producer. He is a co-creator and lead member of the electronic dancehall music project Major Lazer; a member of the supergroup LSD (group), ...
, "
Way Down
"Way Down" is a song recorded by Elvis Presley. Recorded in October 1976, it was his last single released before his death on August 16, 1977. The song was written by Layng Martine Jr. and recorded by Presley at his home studio in Graceland ...
", "Imaginary Friend" and "Blur". The album also features collaborations with
Charli XCX
Charlotte Emma Aitchison (born 2 August 1992), known professionally as Charli XCX, is a British singer and songwriter. She began posting songs on Myspace in 2008 before entering the London rave scene. Signing a recording contract with Asylum Re ...
,
What So Not
What So Not is an electronic music project by Australian record producer Emoh Instead (stage name of Christopher John Emerson). What So Not has toured the world, playing in various festivals, including Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, ...
,
Two Feet
Zachary William "Bill" Dess, (born June 21, 1993), known professionally as Two Feet, is an American singer, songwriter, and producer from New York City.
Education
He attended Tenafly High School in Tenafly, New Jersey.
Career
Dess used t ...
and
Empress Of.
The album received generally favorable reviews from critics, who praised its bold
pop
Pop or POP may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Pop music, a musical genre
Artists
* POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade
* Pop! (British group), a UK pop group
* Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band
Album ...
production, introspective themes, and MØ's effort to define her artistic identity beyond her previous collaborations. Some reviewers found the production occasionally oversaturated, though others highlighted its consistency and personal tone. ''Forever Neverland'' debuted at number one on the
Danish Albums Chart
Hitlisten (), formerly known as Tracklisten, is a Danish top 40 record chart that is updated every Wednesday at midnight on the website hitlisten.nu. The weekly Danish singles chart combines the 40 best-selling tracks from streaming and legal mus ...
and appeared on several year-end best album lists, including those by ''
Mother Jones'' and ''
Idolator''.
Background
A year after the release of her debut album, ''
No Mythologies to Follow'' (2014), MØ announced that she is working on her new album.
On 15 October 2015, MØ released her single "
Kamikaze
, officially , were a part of the Japanese Special Attack Units of military aviators who flew suicide attacks for the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, intending to d ...
" and it has reached the top 40 in Belgium and Denmark.
On 13 May 2016, she released "
Final Song", originally intended for her second album. "Final Song" reached the top 5 in
Denmark
Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...
,
the top 20 in Australia, Norway,
and the United Kingdom, and the top 100 in Canada and Sweden. Later she worked with
Sophie
Sophie is a feminine given name, another version of Sophia, from the Greek word for "wisdom".
People with the name Born in the Middle Ages
* Sophie, Countess of Bar (c. 1004 or 1018–1093), sovereign Countess of Bar and lady of Mousson
* Soph ...
,
Benny Blanco
Benjamin Joseph Levin (born March 8, 1988), known professionally as Benny Blanco (stylized in all lowercase), is an American record producer and songwriter. He is the recipient of the 2013 Hal David Starlight Award from the Songwriters Hall ...
and
Cashmere Cat
Magnus August Høiberg (born 29 November 1987), known professionally as Cashmere Cat, is a Norwegian DJ and record producer. Often in tandem with Benny Blanco, he has been credited with production work for artists including Kanye West, the Kid L ...
on "
Nights with You", the planned fourth single of the album, which premiered on
MistaJam
Peter Dalton (born 19 January 1983), known professionally as MistaJam, is a British DJ and radio presenter. He is known for presenting radio shows on BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 1Xtra from 2005 to 2020; since 2020 he has presented on Capital Danc ...
's
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...
. It was released on 21 April 2017. On 1 January 2018, MØ explained in an interview how her life has been changed after gaining international recognition for her collaboration with
Major Lazer
Major Lazer is an American electronic dance music and DJ trio, which includes record producer Diplo, and DJs Walshy Fire and Ape Drums. They were founded in 2008 by Diplo and Switch, with Switch leaving after three years in 2011. He was the ...
and
DJ Snake
William Sami Étienne Grigahcine (born 13 June 1986), known by his stage name DJ Snake, is a French DJ and record producer. He was first credited with production work on several singles for other artists—including " Shut It Down" by Pitbull an ...
on "
Lean On".
Later she once again collaborated with Major Lazer for "
Cold Water", also featuring Canadian singer
Justin Bieber
Justin Drew Bieber ( ; born March 1, 1994) is a Canadian singer. Regarded as a pop icon, he is recognized for his multi-genre musical performances. He was discovered by record executive Scooter Braun in 2008 and subsequently brought to the U ...
. She also said that her EP ''
When I Was Young'' is her first major release following the success of both Major Lazer's "Lean On" and "Cold Water". She admitted that the "new tracks might not be what new fans might expect following those two features and the others she's done since 2015, but that might not be such a bad thing".
She has been working for four years on her new album, because after the success of "Lean On" and "Cold Water", MØ thought that she "needed to put out a little compilation of songs that
he has
He or HE may refer to:
Language
* He (letter), the fifth letter of the Semitic abjads
* He (pronoun), a pronoun in Modern English
* He (kana), one of the Japanese kana (へ in hiragana and ヘ in katakana)
* Ge (Cyrillic), a Cyrillic letter cal ...
done over the years that have felt very personal to
er, before going into that second album phase.
The 17-track ''Forever Neverland'' sees MØ collaborating with both past and new artists, including
Diplo
Thomas Wesley Pentz (born November 10, 1978), known professionally as Diplo, is an American DJ and music producer. He is a co-creator and lead member of the electronic dancehall music project Major Lazer; a member of the supergroup LSD (group), ...
,
Charli XCX
Charlotte Emma Aitchison (born 2 August 1992), known professionally as Charli XCX, is a British singer and songwriter. She began posting songs on Myspace in 2008 before entering the London rave scene. Signing a recording contract with Asylum Re ...
,
Empress Of,
Two Feet
Zachary William "Bill" Dess, (born June 21, 1993), known professionally as Two Feet, is an American singer, songwriter, and producer from New York City.
Education
He attended Tenafly High School in Tenafly, New Jersey.
Career
Dess used t ...
, and
What So Not
What So Not is an electronic music project by Australian record producer Emoh Instead (stage name of Christopher John Emerson). What So Not has toured the world, playing in various festivals, including Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, ...
.
"One of the many reasons I love working with him
iplo
The Irish People's Liberation Organisation was a small Irish socialist republican paramilitary organisation formed in 1986 by disaffected and expelled members of the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA), whose factions coalesced in the afterm ...
is because I always feel like it's a free and creative process and I always like the end product," MØ remarked in a press statement.
During the album's production, MØ noted that she frequently listened to other female solo artists for inspiration, including
Tove Lo
Ebba Tove Elsa Nilsson (born 29 October 1987), known professionally as Tove Lo (), is a Swedish singer and songwriter. She is known for her raw, grunge-influenced take on pop music. Referring to her autobiographical lyrics, ''Out (magazine), O ...
,
Lana Del Rey
Elizabeth Woolridge Grant (born June 21, 1985), known professionally as Lana Del Rey, is an American singer-songwriter. Lana Del Rey discography, Her music is noted for its melancholic exploration of Glamour (presentation), glamor and Romanc ...
,
Santigold
Santi White (born September 25, 1976), known professionally as Santigold (formerly Santogold), is an American singer and songwriter. Her debut studio album, '' Santogold'' (2008), was released by Atlantic Records and met with widespread critica ...
, and
Tove Styrke, whose work she cited as influential in shaping the sound and direction of ''Forever Neverland.''
Composition
Reviews describe ''Forever Neverland'' as a blend of energetic and emotive
pop
Pop or POP may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Pop music, a musical genre
Artists
* POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade
* Pop! (British group), a UK pop group
* Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band
Album ...
, combining pulsating
Scandipop
Nordic popular music, also referred to as Scandinavian popular music, includes pop and rock music of the Nordic countries. The musical scene is known for its biggest bands like ABBA, Roxette, A-ha, Michael Learns to Rock, Ace of Base, and Aqua. ...
with uplifting
Balearic influences.
Writing for ''
Dork'', a reviewer described ''Forever Neverland'' as a "sublime pop album", highlighting that "skipping vacuous notions of perfection to present herself as the real deal" was perhaps its most subversive and interesting quality.
Tracks like "
Way Down
"Way Down" is a song recorded by Elvis Presley. Recorded in October 1976, it was his last single released before his death on August 16, 1977. The song was written by Layng Martine Jr. and recorded by Presley at his home studio in Graceland ...
" and "Nostalgia" feature tribal percussion and MØ's raw vocal style, creating lively and intense songs. "Blur" stands out for its combination of a guitar melody reminiscent of the
Pixies and dynamic electronic production,
while "
Sun in Our Eyes" and the
trip-hop
Trip hop is a musical genre that has been described as a psychedelic music, psychedelic fusion of hip hop music, hip hop and electronica with slow tempos and an atmospheric sound. The style emerged as a more experimental music, experimental var ...
influenced "Purple Like the Summer Rain" bring more melancholic tones.
Although some tracks such as "Beautiful Wreck" and the
EDM-inspired elements may feel formulaic or less engaging,
the album maintains variety with moments like the
Charli XCX
Charlotte Emma Aitchison (born 2 August 1992), known professionally as Charli XCX, is a British singer and songwriter. She began posting songs on Myspace in 2008 before entering the London rave scene. Signing a recording contract with Asylum Re ...
collaboration on "If It's Over" and the
reggae
Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...
-influenced "Red Wine". Some tracks, such as the R&B-inspired "I Want You," received more mixed responses, being seen as less distinctive.
Compared to the more concise ''
When I Was Young'' EP, ''Forever Neverland'' reflects a broad spectrum of recent pop trends combined with dense, detailed production.
However, this density sometimes overshadows a distinct personality or voice, with lyrics that can feel somewhat generic and production that leans heavily on loudness and repeated climaxes. MØ has noted that
nostalgia
Nostalgia is a sentimentality for the past, typically for a period or place with happy personal associations. The word ''nostalgia'' is a neoclassical compound derived from Greek language, Greek, consisting of (''nóstos''), a Homeric word me ...
is a key theme throughout the album, inspired by reflecting on her past experiences during a period of extensive touring away from home. This retrospective perspective shaped much of her songwriting on the record.
Title
The album's title, ''Forever Neverland'', was inspired by the story of
Peter Pan
Peter Pan is a fictional character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. A free-spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood having adventures on the mythical ...
and reflects themes of escapism and the tension between fantasy and reality.
''
Nylon
Nylon is a family of synthetic polymers characterised by amide linkages, typically connecting aliphatic or Polyamide#Classification, semi-aromatic groups.
Nylons are generally brownish in color and can possess a soft texture, with some varieti ...
'' described it as symbolic of the darker side of refusing to grow up and face responsibility, noting that MØ uses the title ironically to highlight the dangers of retreating into a comforting illusion.
Release and promotion
On 12 July 2018, MØ teased her second album with the release of her new single "
Sun in Our Eyes".
On 7 September, she revealed the album's cover and that the album will be released on 19 October 2018, through Chess Club Records,
RCA Victor
RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic ...
, and
.
She also revealed that the other singles "
Kamikaze
, officially , were a part of the Japanese Special Attack Units of military aviators who flew suicide attacks for the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, intending to d ...
", "
Final Song" and "
Nights with You" will only be available in the Japanese edition.
Singles
On 28 March 2018, the singer released the single "Nostalgia" for streaming and digital download. MØ released the official
vertical music video on 3 May 2018 via
YouTube
YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
. The song was included on the album.
On 12 July 2018, "
Sun in Our Eyes" was released as the album's lead single. The song peaked at number 17 on the Flemish
Ultratop
Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium. Ultratop is a non-profit organization, created in 1995 on the initiative of the Belgian Entertainment Association (BEA), the Belgian member organiz ...
chart and at number 29 on New Zealand's Hot 40 Singles. The music video was released on 8 August 2018 on YouTube. On 7 September 2018, "
Way Down
"Way Down" is a song recorded by Elvis Presley. Recorded in October 1976, it was his last single released before his death on August 16, 1977. The song was written by Layng Martine Jr. and recorded by Presley at his home studio in Graceland ...
" was released as the album's second single.
On 21 September 2018, "Imaginary Friend" was released as the album's third single. The official music video was released on the same day. "Blur" was released on 14 October 2018 as the album's fourth single.
Tour
MØ announced a tour in support of ''Forever Neverland'', which began with a show in Hamburg on 9 November 2018.
The North American leg started on 15 January 2019, in Washington, D.C., and concluded on February 9 in San Francisco, California. Tickets went on sale on 26 April 2018. The tour launched with support from Abra, while
Mykki Blanco joined as the supporting act for the West Coast leg.
Cancelled shows
Critical reception
At
Metacritic
Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 69, based on 13 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
Writing for ''
Pitchfork
A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials.
The term is also applie ...
'', Dani Blum summarised that most of the tracks on ''Forever Neverland'' are too "oversaturated and exhausting" with only occasional moments of "real shimmer".
Neil Z. Yeung of
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
gave the album 3 out of 5 stars, saying, "''Forever Neverland'' contains enough catchy moments to warrant a listen, but mostly remains fodder for
de rigueur 2010s
alt-pop playlists."
[ Will Richards of '' DIY'' said, "there's nothing of the size or scale of " Lean On", but in unapologetically treading her own path, MØ's beginning to carve a new identity all of her own."] Harriet Willis of '' The Skinny'' called it "a masterpiece that puts MØ firmly on her own pedestal as an individual artist rather than a recurring feature." Malvika Padin of '' Clash'' commented that "while tracks like "Beautiful Wreck" - springy, satisfying and by no means a misfit within this gripping offering - seems quite bland in comparison to the rest which boasts a bold sound, the album remains fascinating, never misses a beat and keeps you listening through to the end." Jamie MacMillan of '' Dork'' gave ''Forever Neverland'' a 5 out of 5 rating, praising its emotional vulnerability and describing it as "painfully honest at times", noting that MØ shows no hesitation in leaving herself emotionally exposed. ''The Times
''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...
'' called the album one that "will vie for the title of best pop record of the year" alongside '' Sway'' by Tove Styrke and Camila Cabello
Karla Camila Cabello Estrabao (; ; born March 3, 1997) is an American singer and songwriter. She rose to prominence as a member of the Pop music, pop girl group Fifth Harmony, one of the List of best-selling girl groups, best-selling girl gro ...
's solo debut, reaffirming MØ's place as a leading pop innovator.
Sam Van Pykeren of '' Mother Jones'' named it the 6th best album of 2018. Mike Wass of '' Idolator'' placed it at number 8 on the "25 Best Albums of 2018" list. ''Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'' included it on the "20 Best Album Covers of 2018" list.
Track listing
Notes
* signifies a vocal producer.
* signifies an executive producer.
* All album vocal production work was handled by Erik Eger, Andy Steinway and Dillon Zachara, except where noted.
Charts
Certifications
Notes
References
{{Authority control
2018 albums
MØ albums
Columbia Records albums
Albums produced by Frank Dukes
Albums produced by Diplo
Albums produced by John Hill (record producer)
Albums produced by Stargate
Albums produced by Hudson Mohawke
Albums produced by Illangelo
Albums produced by MNEK
Albums produced by Benny Blanco
Albums produced by Cashmere Cat