3 Words

3 Words is the debut studio album from British pop singer Cheryl Cole, released on 23 October 2009 by Fascination Records. The project is Cole’s first solo release following a break from releasing material with her band Girls Aloud whom after seven years have enjoyed five successful albums and twenty consecutive top-ten singles.

Recorded in Los Angeles and London, Cole had mainly collaborated with will.i.am of The Black Eyed Peas who was executive producer of the album. His influence as well as Cole’s appreciation for dance music has given the album and its singles a distinctively different sound to Girls Aloud. It crosses from contemporary R&B, dance pop, house and a more general pop sound. It was moderately received by critics who on average awarded it 62 out of 100.

It was preceded by the lead single, “Fight for This Love”, which became the fastest-selling single of 2009 in the UK, peaking at number one in Ireland, Denmark, Norway, Hungary and the UK. The album also debuted in pole position on the UK Albums Chart and has since been certified 3× Platinum by the British Phonographic Industry for having over 900,000 copies distributed. 3 Words has also spawned two other top five singles including the title song and “Parachute”. As of June 2012, the album has sold 995,209 copies in the UK.