Leave It Beautiful

Leave It Beautiful is the debut studio album by Norwegian singer Astrid S, released on 16 October 2020 by Universal Music A/S and Virgin EMI. It followed a string of five extended plays and several singles and collaborations. It was announced on 15 September 2020 and was preceded by the three singles, "Dance Dance Dance", "Marilyn Monroe", and "It's Ok If You Forget Me".^[3]

Leave It Beautiful
Standard edition cover. On the Complete edition, Astrid's robe is colored pink instead of yellow.
Studio album by Astrid S
Released	16 October 2020
Recorded	2020
Genre	Electropop^[1] synth-pop^[2]
Length	28:30
Label	Universal Virgin EMI
Producer	Astrid S Jack & Coke Fred Ball A Strut
Astrid S chronology
Down Low (2019) Leave It Beautiful (2020)
Singles from Leave It Beautiful
"Dance Dance Dance" Released: 5 June 2020 "Marilyn Monroe" Released: 21 August 2020 "It's Ok If You Forget Me" Released: 18 September 2020

Background and development

Astrid's first release of 2020 was a collaboration with American country singer Brett Young titled "I Do"; the song reached at number three in Norway. On 27 May 2020, Astrid announced the lead single "Dance Dance Dance" from her debut studio album would be released the following week on 5 June. The music video premiered a day later on 6 June. The second single, "Marilyn Monroe" was announced on 19 August 2020 and was released two days later. On 15 September 2020, Astrid announced her debut studio album would be titled Leave It Beautiful and would be released on 16 October 2020. The next day on 16 September, she announced the third single, "It's Ok If You Forget Me", which was released two days later on 18 September 2020.

Critical reception

Leave It Beautiful received positive reviews from music critics. Elosie Bulmer from The Line of Best Fit stated that "Astrid S’ debut is a sleek collection of pop filled exuberance and relatability".^[4]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
RIOT	^[5]
The Line of Best Fit	^[6]
Evening Standard	^[7]
Idolator	^[8]

Track listing

All tracks produced by Jack & Coke alongside Astrid S, except for "Marilyn Monroe" produced alongside Fred Ball, and "Leave It Beautiful", produced alongside A Strut.

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Marilyn Monroe"	Astrid Smeplass Eyelar Mirzazadeh Frederik Ball Frederik Eichen Jakob Hazell Svante Halldin	2:54
2.	"Can't Forget"	Smeplass James Norton J. Hazell Halldin	2:53
3.	"Hits Different"	Smeplass Tia Scola J. Hazell Halldin	2:38
4.	"It's Okay If You Forget Me"	Smeplass Caroline Pennell J. Hazell Halldin	3:24
5.	"Dance Dance Dance"	Smeplass Litens Anton Nilsson J. Hazell Halldin	2:39
6.	"Airpods"	Smeplass Amy Wadge J. Hazell Halldin	2:12
7.	"Good Choices"	Smeplass Caroline Furoyen Henry Flint George Flint	3:35
8.	"Obsessed"	Smeplass J. Hazell Halldin	2:56
9.	"If I Can't Have You"	Smeplass Maria Hazell J. Hazell Halldin	2:15
10.	"Leave It Beautiful"	Smeplass Emily Warren J. Hazell Halldin Ludvig Soderberg	3:04
Total length:			28:30

Leave It Beautiful (Complete)

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Leave It Beautiful"	Smeplass Warren J. Hazell Halldin Soderberg	3:04
2.	"Marilyn Monroe"	Smeplass Mirzazadeh Ball Eichen J. Hazell Halldin	2:54
3.	"Can't Forget"	Smeplass Norton J. Hazell Halldin	2:53
4.	"Hits Different"	Smeplass Scola J. Hazell Halldin	2:38
5.	"It's Okay If You Forget Me"	Smeplass Pennell J. Hazell Halldin	3:24
6.	"Dance Dance Dance"	Smeplass Nilsson J. Hazell Halldin	2:39
7.	"Airpods"	Smeplass Wadge J. Hazell Halldin	2:12
8.	"Good Choices"	Smeplass Furoyen H. Flint G. Flint	3:35
9.	"Obsessed"	Smeplass J. Hazell Halldin	2:56
10.	"If I Can't Have You"	Smeplass M. Hazell J. Hazell Halldin	2:15
11.	"I Do" (with Brett Young)	Scola Halldin Julia Karisson	2:36
12.	"Emotion"	Ali Payami Smeplass Jakob Jerlstorm	3:11
13.	"Hurts So Good"	Lindy Robbins Julia Michaels Tom Meredith Marco Borreno	3:29
14.	"Think Before I Talk"	Andrew Cedar Madison Love Scott Harris	3:05
15.	"Dance Dance Dance" (acoustic)	Smeplass Nilsson Hazell Halldin	3:02
16.	"I Don't Know Why" (with NOTD)	Samuel Brandt Tobias Danielsson Jason Gill Pennell	3:28
Total length:			47:21

Personnel

Musicians

• Astrid Smeplass – vocals, background vocals (all tracks), piano (7)
• Eyelar Mirzazadeh – background vocals (1)
• Fred Ball – bass programming, drums, guitar, keyboards, percussion, programming (1)
• Svante Halldin – programming (all tracks), bass programming, drums, guitar, keyboards, percussion (1–4, 6–10); trumpet (9)
• Jakob Hazell – programming (all tracks), bass programming, drums, guitar, keyboards, percussion (1–4, 6–10); trumpet (9)
• Peter Axelsson – strings (6)
• Ludvig Soderberg – background vocals, bass programming, drums, keyboards, percussion, programming (10)

Technical

• Sören von Malmborg – mastering (all tracks), mixing (1–5, 7–10)
• Andreas Roos – mixing (6)
• Jack & Coke – recording (1–6, 8–10), executive production
• Anders Kjær – recording (7)

Charts

Chart performance for Leave It Beautiful

Chart (2020)	Peak position
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)^[9]	2

References

1. Espen Borge (16 October 2020). ""Leave It Beautiful" av Astrid S". Anmeldelse.
2. Rob Copsey (15 October 2020). . Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 18 October 2020.
3. Rhian Daly (18 September 2020). "Astrid S announces debut album 'Leave It Beautiful' and shares new single". NME. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
4. "Astrid S' debut is a sleek collection of pop filled exuberance and relatability". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 2020-12-09.
5. "Album Review: Astrid S // Leave It Beautiful". 15 October 2020.
6. "Astrid S' debut is a sleek collection of pop filled exuberance and relatability".
7. "For Astrid S, quirky beats elevate made-for-the-charts pop". 16 October 2020.
8. "Album Review: Astrid S' 'Leave It Beautiful'". 19 October 2020.
9. "VG-lista – Topp 40 Album uke 43, 2020". VG-lista. Retrieved 23 October 2020.