"This Time" is the debut single of American recording artist and ''
American Idol
''American Idol'' is an American Music competition, singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle (company), Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It a ...
'' season 10 finalist,
Pia Toscano
Pia Toscano (born October 14, 1988) is an American singer. Toscano placed ninth on the tenth season of ''American Idol''. In 2016, she released the EP ''Belong''. Her debut album ''I'm Good'' was released on October 14, 2022.
Early life
Toscan ...
. It was her only release under
Interscope
Interscope Records is an American record label based in Santa Monica, California, owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M imprint. Founded in late 1990 by Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field as a $20 million joint venture ...
before she announced she had parted ways on September 4, 2012.
Promotion
The song was first performed on the ''American Idol'' tour in Salt Lake City, Utah on July 5, 2011. It was premiered on ''
On Air with Ryan Seacrest
''On Air with Ryan Seacrest'' is a weekday radio syndication, syndicated radio program hosted by Ryan Seacrest. It was launched in 2004 as a drive time show at the same time on Los Angeles contemporary hit radio, Top 40 station 102.7 KIIS-FM a ...
'' on July 11, 2011 and digitally released on July 13, 2011. The following day it was announced via
Twitter
Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...
that Toscano is filming a music video for the song. She performed the song the August 4, 2011 episode of ''
So You Think You Can Dance
''So You Think You Can Dance'' is a franchise of reality television shows in which contestants compete in dance. The first series of the franchise, created by '' Idols'' producers Simon Fuller and Nigel Lythgoe, premiered in July 2005 and has ...
.'' The music video for the song premiered on August 9.
Music video
The music video for the song premiered on August 9, 2011 on
Vevo
Vevo LLC ( , an abbreviation for "Video Evolution", stylized in all caps until 2013) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational video hosting service, best known for providing music videos to YouTube. The service is also available ...
and as a free download on the
iTunes Store.
It features Toscano singing in a car, a field, the beach, and the city.
Critical reception
The song has received positive to mixed reviews by critics. Joseph Brannigan Lynch of ''
Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...
'' says "it's the kind of song we can expect to hear
Rachel Berry
Rachel Barbra Berry is a fictional character and one of the two main protagonists, alongside Mr. Schue in the Fox musical comedy-drama series ''Glee''. The character is portrayed by actress Lea Michele, and appears in ''Glee'' from its pilot ep ...
singing the next time
Finn screws up: sad, relatable, and a touch awe-inspiring. Chris Willman of ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
'' gave the song a more negative review, saying Pia "sings the hell out of it, of course"; he calls the song itself "a compendium of comeback cliches that almost reads like a parody of the whole I-will-survive genre." Jillian Mapes and Sarah Maloy of ''
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 ...
'' say "Lyrically, Toscano finds her strength -- from what sounds to be an emotionally or even physically abusive relationship -- on the midtempo pop ballad."
Commercial performance
In its debut week, the single sold 19,000 copies. After her performance on ''
So You Think You Can Dance
''So You Think You Can Dance'' is a franchise of reality television shows in which contestants compete in dance. The first series of the franchise, created by '' Idols'' producers Simon Fuller and Nigel Lythgoe, premiered in July 2005 and has ...
,'' sales went up by 21,000, bringing the total as of to 51,000. The number of digital sales as of August 16, 2011 is 65,000.
Charts
Release history
References
{{Reflist
2011 songs
2011 debut singles
Pia Toscano songs
Songs written by Brett James
Songs written by Ester Dean
Interscope Records singles
Songs written by Brian Kennedy (record producer)