Ivy is the debut studio album by German singer Ivy Quainoo. It was released by Warner Music on 2 March 2012 in German-speaking Europe following her win of the first series of The Voice of Germany. The album was chiefly produced by Marek Pompetzki, Paul NZA, Cecil Remmler as well as André "Brix" Buchmann and Mathias Ramson, with additional contribution from Ivo Moring, Thorsten Brötzmann, and Roland Spremberg. The BossHoss, Mousse T., and Stanfour are credited as guest vocalists.
The album was generally well received by critics, who praised Ivy Quainoo’s voice and considered it a strong and authentic casting-show debut despite some criticism of its lyrics and production. It also achieved solid commercial success, peaking at number five in Germany and earning a Gold certification for over 100,000 units shipped. Ivy was promoted by three singles, "Do You Like What You See", "You Got Me" and "Who You Are," and supported by The Ivy Quainoo Tour in 2012.
Promotion The album was promoted through three singles. The lead single, "Do You Like What You See," was released on 3 February 2012 and became a major hit, reaching number two in Germany, number eight in Austria, and number twelve in Switzerland. The song was later certified Gold in Germany for shipments figures of more than 150,000 copies. It was followed by "You Got Me", released on 7 June 2012, which peaked at number 31 in Germany and entered the charts in Austria and Switzerland at numbers 61 in both countries, while a third single, "Who You Are," a collaboration with Stanfour that was issued on released on 16 November 2012, peaked at number 49 in Germany. In further support of the album, Quainoo embarked on The Ivy Quainoo Tour from May to June 2012.
Critical reception
Uli Brechtold from laut.de rated the album three out of five stars. He described Ivy as a surprisingly accomplished pop-soul debut that exceeds the low expectations often associated with casting-show winners. Praising Quainoo's "soulful voice" and the album's rich instrumentation, he highlighted several songs for their orchestral arrangements and upbeat atmosphere. Although he criticized the lyrics as "flat and predictable," Brechtold concluded that the producers successfully tailored the 14 tracks to Quainoo's talent, calling the final result "surprisingly good" for a cast artist.
Similarly, Plattentestss Mark Read praised Ivy as an unusually authentic and accomplished casting-show debut. While acknowledging the album's rapid production process, he highlighted Quainoo's "smoky and powerful voice" and particularly commended the album's blend of soul, indie, and pop influences, as well as Quainoo's individuality and emotional delivery, concluding that Ivy was "probably the best album by a German casting-show winner" because it feels "authentic" and artist-driven. Marcus Becker from Beatblogger praised Ivy as a soulful and varied debut that rises above typical casting-show releases, also highlighting Quainoo's distinctive voice and the album's strong collection of catchy pop songs.
Commercial performance Ivy achieved solid commercial success in the German-speaking market. The album peaked at number five on the German Albums Chart, while also reaching number ten in Switzerland and number eleven in Austria. In Germany, it additionally placed at number 41 on the year-end albums chart for 2012, and was later certified Gold by the Bundesverband Musikindustrie for shipments exceeding 100,000 units.
Track listing
Charts
Weekly charts + Weekly chart performance for Ivy Chart (2012) Peakposition
Year-end charts + Year-end chart performance for Ivy Chart (2012) Position German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) 41
Certifications
Release history + Ivy release history Region Date Format Label Ref. Various 2 March 2012 Universal Music iTunes - Musik - Ivy (Special Version) von Ivy QuainooIvy: Ivy Quainoo (from The Voice of Germany 2012): Amazon.de: Musik
References