Kiss & Tell is the debut studio album by American band Selena Gomez & the Scene. The album was released on September 29, 2009 through Hollywood Records. The album is composed mainly of pop rock and electronic rock, with Gomez citing bands such as Paramore and Forever the Sickest Kids as influences on the album. Ted Bruner and Trey Vittetoe worked extensively on the record with Gomez, producing multiple tracks. Gomez worked with Gina Schock on several songs for the album, while Rock Mafia produced two of the album's tracks.
Upon its release, Kiss & Tell received mixed to positive reviews from music critics. Some critics praised the album's "fun" nature, while others criticized Gomez's vocal performance. Gina Schock's work on the album received praise from multiple critics. The album was a commercial success, entering the top-ten of the Billboard 200 in the United States. It went on to sell over 900,000 copies in the country, making it the band's best-selling album to date. It was later certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Kiss & Tell entered the top-twenty in the United Kingdom, and was Gomez's highest-charting album in the country until Revival (2015).
Kiss & Tell was preceded by the lead single "Falling Down", which was released in August 2009. The album was heavily promoted through the Disney Channel. "Naturally" was released as the second single, and is often regarded as the band's breakout hit. It peaked inside the top-ten of countries such as the United Kingdom. Kiss & Tell was promoted mainly through televised performances, with the band appearing on shows such as Dancing with the Stars to perform songs from the album. The group toured on their Selena Gomez & the Scene: Live in Concert tour throughout the United States in 2009 and 2010, performing both new and old songs.
Development Gomez became heavily involved with the Disney Channel in 2004, starring in her own sitcom and making various appearances on soundtracks. Gomez also contributed multiple songs to the soundtrack for her film Another Cinderella Story (2008), one of which was released as a promotional single. In April 2008, Gomez announced that she had signed a recording contract with Hollywood Records, who most notably had signed other Disney acts such as Miley Cyrus and Demi Lovato. She revealed to MTV News that she hoped to start a band as opposed to having a solo career. Gomez held auditions to find members for the band in Burbank, California. Greg Garman was selected as the band's drummer, Joey Clement played bass guitar, and Dane Forrest and Nick Foxer played the keyboard, with Foxer also providing background vocals. Foxer departed the band the following year for unknown reasons. Ethan Robers both played guitar and provided background vocals. Gomez worked on the project for over a year, with over one-hundred songs being considered for the album. Gomez later stated she went through so many tracks to ensure that both she and her fans could "relate" to the material. Gomez announced the band's name to be Selena Gomez & the Scene in August 2009, claiming "I named my band the Scene because a lot of people are making fun of me calling me a 'wannabe scene,' so I thought I would poke fun [at] that. If you can't beat 'em join 'em!"
While recording the album, Gomez began to learn how to play the guitar and drums, and later began to learn how to play the piano and take vocal lessons. She stated she hoped to "make people dance" with the music on the album. Gomez wrote a song titled "I'm Sorry" for the album, reportedly inspired by her relationship with Nick Jonas. Gomez claimed it would be the first song recorded for the album, and would be the only ballad featured; it was included on the album and renamed as "I Won't Apologize". She also recorded a song titled "Beautifully Disturbed", which she revealed in May 2009. On the song, Gomez said "It’s definitely a song that’s close to me because it’s a nickname I was given and it’s very sweet. It means that sometimes I can be negative like every person can be, but you've got to find the beauty in that." The song was not included on the album's final track listing. Gomez worked extensively with Ted Bruner and Trey Vittetoe on the album, who she claimed produced "the core" of the record. Gomez worked with The Go-Go's member Gina Schock on numerous songs, four of which were included on the album. She worked with Rock Mafia on the song "Naturally", the first of many collaborations between the three. "Falling Down" featured writing and production credits from Ted Bruner, Gina Schock and Trey Vittetoe.
"I Won't Apologize" was written by Gomez, and is her only writing credit on the album. During a live performance, Gomez said "I wrote this song because I feel like a lot of people tend to change themselves for – let’s be honest – a boy; and that’s what I did; and I never make that mistake again now. I’m sorry, I’m not what you wanted me to be, but I’m not gonna apologize for who I am." She later cited the song as her favorite on the album. "Tell Me Something I Don't Know" was originally released as a promotional single by Gomez in 2008, with Rock Mafia remixing the song for its appearance on Kiss & Tell. Gomez cited herself as a "huge" fan of Canadian singer Fefe Dobson, and later included a cover of her song "As a Blonde" on the record. Gomez cited "Crush" as one of her favorite songs on the album. "Falling Down" and "Stop & Erase" were the first two songs to be added to the album.
Music and lyrics
The music found on Kiss & Tell is composed mainly of pop rock and electronic rock music. Gomez described the album as being "fun pop-rock" with "a dance beat to it." The album incorporates a wide variety of musical genres into its composition such as pop punk, Latin-influenced dance, mid-tempo bubblegum pop, new wave, and techno. The album's lyrical themes focus on the topics of love, fame, heartbreak, and freedom, among other. Gomez said the album was "what [she's] gone through with heartache, friendships, and things like that. I want my fans to know me a little bit better after they hear this record." Gomez felt the album was a "good start" to figuring out "where [she] wanted to be musically." Artists such as Paramore and Forever the Sickest Kids were cited as influences on the album.
"Kiss & Tell," the album's opening number is backed by "punkish" guitars, hand claps, and shouts of "Hey!" It was described as featuring "attitude" and "borrows equally from punk attitude and pop melody." "I Won't Apologize" lyrically sees Gomez refusing to apologize for the person that she is, and has been described as featuring an "emo pop" composition. "Falling Down" is an upbeat pop rock and dance-pop track which contains a strong use of drums and electric guitars mixed with predominant "bloopy synths". Gomez claimed the song was "about Hollywood and what people think about it and essentially how plastic it is sometimes." "I Promise You" is a mid-tempo soft rock-inspired song which focuses mainly on the use of a guitar and drums. Lyrically the song sees Gomez promising a lover they will stay together. "Crush" is a pop punk song that is also described as having an emo pop tone, and lyrically sees Gomez getting over a former lover. "Naturally" is an electropop song that features a "juicy and instantly memorable vocal hook." On the song, Gomez sings about how easily feelings for a lover come to her.
"The Way I Loved You" is cited as the sole ballad on the album, with Gomez claiming she will never love someone as much as her previous lover. "More" is an electronic rock song that features elements of pop music. "As a Blonde" sees Gomez expressing interest in trying different things and changing up her personality. "I Don't Miss You At All" has been compared to releases from Australian duo The Veronicas, with prominent elements of dance music. "Stop & Erase" is a dominant rock track that sees Gomez confronting a "mean girl" or bully. "I Got U" is a pop rock song with new wave elements that, according to Bill Lamb of About.com, is a "mix of sweetness and intensity that seems distinctively Selena Gomez." The remixed version of "Tell Me Something I Don't Know" is a more pop-oriented version than the original, and has been likened to early releases from Britney Spears.
Release and artwork The album was initially slated to be released in July 2009, though was pushed back for unknown reasons. Gomez confirmed the album's title to be Kiss & Tell on Twitter in August 2009. Radio Disney aired one song per day leading up to the album's release, with the songs "Kiss & Tell", "Naturally", "Crush", "I Promise You", and "More" making their premiere on the station.(Archived by WebCite on September 20, 2009) The full album premiered on the station on September 26, with a re-broadcast the following day. Kiss & Tell was released physically and to digital retailers on September 29, 2009 in North America. Gomez filmed a mini-series during the recording of the album which chronicled the recording of the album, band auditions, and the photo shoot for the album's artwork; the eight episodes were posted via Gomez's official YouTube channel. The Target exclusive version of the album also featured a special video chronicling the creation of the album. The album was not released in countries such as Japan and the United Kingdom until 2010, following the success of the album's second single "Naturally".
The main cover for the album is a close-up of Gomez with a pink heart made of rhinestones covering her lips. Gomez stated the idea for the cover was her idea, and she wanted the album to have a colorful cover. The album's packaging in European territories saw a different cover, with this one seeing Gomez pose with a red polka-dot wall behind her. The Japanese edition also features a different cover, a close-up of Gomez's face with a dark background. All three of the album covers feature the same logo, with a heart in the center of "Selena Gomez & the Scene". The back cover on the album sees Gomez with her band in the background, and features minimal coloring in contrast to the front cover; the text listing the songs on the album is written in pink. The album's booklet features various colors and themes, and focuses namely on Gomez as opposed to the full band. The shots in the booklet are fashion-oriented, with Gomez sporting various dresses and outfits in the images.
Promotion