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Drama Queen is the seventh studio album by Puerto Rican reggaeton singer-songwriter Ivy Queen. It was released on July 13, 2010 by Machete Music. The album was composed by Ivy, with the help of various composers, producers and artists including Rafael Castillo and Marcos Masis. It was produced by Luny Tunes, Noriega, Tainy, Lenny Santos, DJ Blass, R.K.O and Keko Musik. The recording featured collaborations with Franco "El Gorila", De La Ghetto, Frank Reyes and Wisin & Yandel.

With 3,000 units sold in its first week, Drama Queen debuted and peaked at No. 163 on the US Billboard 200 chart, No. 3 on the Billboard Top Latin Albums, No. 1 on the Billboard Latin Rhythm chart and No. 18 on the Billboard Rap Albums chart. Drama Queen received a Latin Grammy nomination for Best Urban Music Album at the 2011 Latin Grammy Awards, as well as two nominatations at the 2011 Billboard Latin Music Awards.

Drama Queen spawned two singles, "La Vida es Así" and "Amor Puro". The former reached No. 11 on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart and No. 10 on the Latin Pop Songs chart, while the latter failed to acquire any chart success. A deluxe edition of the recording was released with extra tracks and music videos, on August 10, 2010.

Background

Drama Queen is Queen's first studio album for Machete Music. Ivy Queen was signed to the label in April 2010 while the label was celebrating its fifth year anniversary. Ivy Queen was previously with Sony International Records where she released her debut studio album En Mi Imperio (1997), and The Original Rude Girl (1998). She jumped to Real Music Inc (Diva, 2003), , then Universal Latino (Real, 2004). Next came Univision, to release two studio albums (Flashback, 2005, Sentimiento, 2007). Unlike Drama Queen or any or her other albums, Sentimiento (2007) showed a rather different side of Queen that no one had seen before, an emotional side. With her divorce a year earlier, she was beginning to grow as an artist and a person as well. When asked about the drama between the release of Sentimiento and Drama Queen, by Latina Magazine, Queen said:

"I’m single. For the first time in my life, I’m really experiencing what that’s like because I used to always feel the need to be in a relationship; I didn’t like being alone. But this time I’m realizing that people come into your life for a season, and my last relationship served its purpose. I can’t sit here and cry about it, because it ended right where it should have. A lot of that stuff is on the album."

Recording and production

Recording took place at Mas Flow Studios in Carolina, Puerto Rico between 2008 and mid-2010. The album was produced by production duo Luny Tunes, Noriega, Tainy, Lenny Santos, DJ Blass and Keko Musik, with Keko Musik half the album. She teamed up with Wisin & Yandel on "Acércate", Frank Reys on "Cosas De La Vida", Franco "El Gorila" on "Jungle", De La Ghetto on "De La Calle" and Jadiel on "Amor A Primera Vista".

Release and promotion

Ivy Queen headlined "The Ivy Queen 2008 World Tour" and "The Machete Music Tour 2010". Drama Queen was first promoted on Queen's first live album that was released in 2008. The album released on July 13, 2010 and on iTunes, the version of "La Vida es Así" that was produced by Keko Musik was included a pre-order bonus track. On August 10, 2010 the deluxe edition of the album was released and included three new tracks: "Aya Aya", "Amor A Primera Vista" featuring Jadiel, and "Dime".

The lead single "La Vida es Así" was released on May 11, 2010 and the music video was shot on May 17, 2010 in Miami and premiered on mun2 on June 22, 2010 and VEVO on June 28, 2010. It was directed by Marlon Pena. The a cappella of "La Vida es Así" was sent to both Tainy and Keko Musik for production, having Ivy Queen pick the one she like the most to be included on the album. The Keko Musik version was later released as a pre-order bonus track for Drama Queen on iTunes. The second single "Amor Puro" was released to iTunes on May 19, 2010 and the music video was shot on September 28 in Miami, Florida, and premiered on VEVO on November 30, 2010. It was directed by Marlon Pena.

Commercial performance

Album

Drama Queen sold 3,000 units in its first week. It debuted and peaked at No. 163 on the US Billboard 200 chart, No. 3 on the Billboard Top Latin Albums, No. 1 on the Billboard Latin Rhythm chart and No. 18 on the Billboard Rap Albums chart. Drama Queen received a Latin Grammy nomination for Best Urban Music Album at the 2011 Latin Grammy Awards, as well as two nominatations at the 2011 Billboard Latin Music Awards.

Singles

"La Vida es Así" has two versions; reggaeton and bachata. The reggaeton version peaked at No. 11 on the Billboard Latin Songs chart, No. 7 on the Tropical Songs chart, No. 10 on the Latin Pop Songs charts, and No. 1 on the Latin Rhythm Airplay chart. "Amor Puro" was the second single to be released from the album. "Acércate" was not released as a single though, managed to peak at No. 16 on the Latin Rhythm Digital Songs chart.

Composition

Music and themes

Drama Queen has been described as an album where R&B meets reggaeton and was the first time Ivy Queen experimented with the genre. The songs on the album reveal two sides of Queen, the original "hard" singer and the "sentimental" version. The textures on "Drama Queen" vary from tropical bachata to R&B, rap and reggaeton.

Song structure and lyrical content

"Listen To My Drama" returns to Ivy Queen's freestyle rapping roots, reflected on her debut and second studio albums En Mi Imperio and The Original Rude Girl. "...15 years and I'm still going strong..." reflecting to herself, it describes how long shes been in the business and how she will never be beaten. It makes use of bass instrumentation. "Te Voy A Recordar" (I'm Going To Make You Remember), is a reggaeton basic. It is instrumentally complete with screeching guitars and a dembow beat. It features a bowed string assemble. Lyrically, the song features Ivy talking about how she will make her ex-boyfriend realize that she is a queen and shouldn't be played with. "Me Quiere" (They Like Me) is an R&B power ballad, and is built on a snapping rhythm. She says in the song that the people listen to her because they like her. Queen also states in the song that when she wants it smooth she puts on R. Kelly, when she is not content she puts on Mary J. Blige, both who are American Hip Hop and R&B singers, who Queen has said she would like to collaborate with in the future. "De La Calle" (From The Street) is an R&B power ballad that talks about the love between two people "love from the street" with Ivy Queen and De La Ghetto collaborating for the first time ever.

"Amor Puro" (Pure Love) is a mixture of R&B and reggaeton. It makes uses of the dembow drum machine, synthesizers, and a piano. Lyrically it speaks about what pure and real love is. "I Do", is a midtempo pop and R&B power ballad. Built on a handclapped rhythm, it makes use of R&B keyboards with out the mixture of reggaeton. Lyrically, the song is a message to men and women saying to the women that if your man loves you let him come home; and to the men if you love her, run and get her. "Acércate" (Get Closer) features male vocals by Wisin & Yandel, a dembow drum machine, minor key tonality and synthesizers. The song has Ivy Queen and Wisin & Yandel describing the conditions that have to be met for a relationship. It was praised for the presence of Wisin & Yandel and its hook.

"La Vida es Así" (Life Is Like That) is a mainly reggaeton track that makes uses of R&B effects. The lyrics talk about how the way life is, that she found out he was cheating on her, and that she isn't going to take his "crap" anymore.

"Cuando" (When) is a downtempo pop and R&B ballad. It features minor key tonality and mixed acoustic and electric instrumentation. It has Caribbean roots and Afro-Latin influences. Built on a handclapped rhythm, it makes uses of electric guitar riffs, an acoustic guitar, a string orchestra, bowed strings and ambient synthesizers. It was praised for Queen's smooth vocals. The song features her talking about what happens when a relationship ends. "Cosas De La Vida" (Things of Life) is a tropical bachata ballad that makes uses of bongo, guitar and electric bass. It features Queen and Frank Reyes talking about the things in life. "Cansada" (Tired) is a R&B power ballad. It makes uses of synthesizers, and a piano. The song talks about how she is tired of the things that her ex-husband did and how she is going to leave him. "Jungle" features reggaeton beats with sound effects of glass breaking and fire. Employing the dembow drum machine, a violin, a piano, and synthesizers, it features added vocals by Franco "El Gorila".

"Aya Aya" is a conventional dembow beat flanked by the sounds of a sitar, influenced by Arabic music. It talks to Queen's apparent "crush". "Amor A Primera Vista" (Love At First Sight) is a tropical bachata ballad that uses bongo, guitar, electric bass and piano. Jadiel surfaces around the 1:17 mark, and the two talk about how love can be good and at the same time bad. "Dime" (Tell Me) is an uptempo bachata ballad. It mixes a reggaeton drum machine, bongo, guitar, violin, bass, and synthesizers. It features Ivy Queen talking about a former relationship and how she can get it off her mind if her ex doesn't want to go.

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic

The album received generally positive reviews, Many noted her two sides, where some songs are fierce and others are tender. David Jefferies of Allmusic gave the album a 3.5 of 5 stars... "...a standard issue effort from 'La Reina del Reggaeton,' The beats are familiar as reggaeton drum machines meet R&B keyboards and the Queen, commanding attention on every track with a stern yet sexy delivery. You can check the furious "La Vida Es Así" or the uplifting "Amor Puro" for instant proof." Ayala Ben-Yehuda of Billboard said "...the set presents a more diverse range of musical styles, from bachata to R&B to even a poppy ballad ("Cuando") without leaving the area of reggaeton." Sarah Bardeen of Rhapsody said "Her authoritative flow is matched only by the evolving landscape of beats that back her -- and Ivy, unlike some of her peers, has not been seduced by the European club scene. Bardeen would go on to say that each track could of been a single." On the iTunes Notes for the album, it says: "True to it's title, her seventh album is rich in melodrama, boasting grand synthesizer runs and heart-wrenching themes of love and betrayal. That's her strength. She's her own yin and yang-strong yet soft, swaggering yet tender." The album has been described as having moods that are aggressive, confident, sexy, and spicy while stile maintaining a calm, bright, energetic, and passionate feeling.

Track listing

• Standard Edition:

Personnel

Standard edition

• Martha I. Pesante – composer, vocals, primary artist
• Rafael Castillo – composer
• Jose Cotto – mixer
• Hiram Cruz – composer
• Patricai De León – model
• Vladimir Felix – composer
• Ariel Hernandez – hairdressing
• Mariano Lumbi – wardrobe
• Mad Music – composer, producer
• Marcos Masis – composer, producer
• Ramon Luis Otero – composer
• Franko El Gorila – vocals
• Frank Reyes – composer, vocals
• Francisco Saldaña – composer, producer
• Levy Santos – composer
• Luis Francisco Cortes Torres – composer
• Wisin & Yandel – composer, vocals
• Keko Musik – producer

Deluxe edition

• Urbani Mota Cedeno – composer, Producer
• Luis Febo – composer
• Vladimir Felix – composer
• Ramon Gonzolez – composer
• Ariel Hernandez – hairdressing
• Mariano Lumbi – wardrobe
• Miguel Marquez – composer
• Michael Monserrate – composer, producer
• Machete Music – record label

Charts

References

1. ^ "Drama Queen (Ivy Queen)". Machete Music. 2010-08-06. Retrieved 2012-06-15. Cite error: The named reference "cduniverse" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
2. "En Mi Imperio". CD Universe. 2012-06-08. Retrieved 2012-06-08.
3. "The Original Rude Girl". CD Universe. 2012-06-08. Retrieved 2012-06-08.
4. "Diva: Platinum Edition". CD Universe. 2012-06-08. Retrieved 2012-06-08.
5. "Real". CD Universe. 2012-06-08. Retrieved 2012-06-08.
6. "Sentimiento (Ivy Queen)". CD Universe. 2012-06-06. Retrieved 2012-06-15.
7. Angie Romero (2010-07-13). "Ivy Queen on Relationship Drama and Ruling Reggaeton". Latina Magazine. Retrieved 2012-06-15. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
8. Angel R. Fret (2010-06-28). "Ivy Queen se posiciona en la cima radial "La vida es así"" (in Spanish). Machete Music. Retrieved 2012-09-07.
9. Richard Chiriboga (2010-09-27). "Ivy Queen to film the music video for her new single Amor Puro, September 28, 2010". Machete Music. Retrieved 2012-06-07.
10. "Ivy Queen - Amor Puro Music Video". Machete Music. 2010-11-30. Retrieved 2012-06-15.
11. End (2010-06-28). "Ivy Queen entrega "Amor Puro"" (in Spanish). Machete Music. Retrieved 2012-09-07.
12. "Ivy Queen - Drama Queen CD". Machete Music. 2012-06-15. Retrieved 2012-06-15.
13. "La Vida Es Así - Ivy Queen". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved September 3, 2012.
14. "Ivy Queen graba video de 'Amor Puro"". Terra Networks (in Spanish). Telefónica. 2010-10-06. Retrieved 2012-09-03.
15. "Latin Rhythm Digital Songs 2010-07-31". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2010-07-31. Retrieved 2012-09-03.
16. ^ Jeffries, David. Ivy Queen: Drama Queen > Review at AllMusic. Retrieved 07 September 2012. Cite error: The named reference "Allmusic" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
17. Ayala Ben-Yehuda date=2010-07-23. "Ivy Queen's reggaeton rhymes depict "How Life Is"". Billboard. Retrieved 2012-06-13. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help); Missing pipe in: |author= (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
18. ^ "Ivy Queen, "Drama Queen"". Billboard. 2010-08-06. Retrieved 2012-06-13. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
19. "Ivy Queen "Dime" Lyrics". 6lyrics. 2010-08-06. Retrieved 2012-06-13.
20. "Drama Queen". Rhapsody. 2010-08-06. Retrieved 2012-09-07.
21. "Drama Queen: Ivy Queen". Amazon. 2012-09-08. Retrieved 2012-09-08.
22. "Drama Queen (Deluxe Version: Ivy Queen". Amazon. 2012-09-08. Retrieved 2012-09-08.
23. "Drama Queen". Almusic. 2010-08-06. Retrieved 2012-06-15. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
24. "Drama Queen: Deluxe Editiom". Allmusic. 2010-08-06. Retrieved 2012-06-15. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
25. "Ivy Queen Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 2012-06-05.
26. "Ivy Queen Chart History (Top Latin Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 2012-06-05.
27. "Ivy Queen Chart History (Top Rap Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 2012-06-05.
28. "Year-End Charts: Latin Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 2012-12-05.
29. "Year-End Charts: Latin Rhythm Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 2012-12-05.

• Pages with empty short description
• 2010 albums
• Ivy Queen albums
• Spanish-language albums
• Latin music albums
• Reggaeton albums
• Bachata albums
• Contemporary R&B albums
• Latin pop albums
• Hip hop albums
• Machete Music albums