Hurts 2B Human is the eighth studio album by American singer-songwriter Pink. Released on April 26, 2019, by RCA Records, the album was initially planned as a standalone extended play (EP). Pursuing a sound that would be a departure from her previous albums, Pink enlisted the assistance of collaborators such as Greg Kurstin, Max Martin, and Ryan Tedder. The album features guest appearances by Cash Cash, Khalid, Chris Stapleton, and Wrabel. Musically, Hurts 2B Human is a pop record whose lyrics delve into themes of love, family, introspection, life, and self-worth.
Pink officially announced Hurts 2B Human during her interview on The Ellen DeGeneres Show broadcast in February 2019. "Walk Me Home" was released as the lead single to commercial success, peaking within the top-ten charts of several countries, including Ireland, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. The second single "Can We Pretend" followed it, while the title track and "Love Me Anyway" had a limited release. To promote the album, she added it to her Beautiful Trauma World Tour for the 2019 shows.
Hurts 2B Human received generally favorable reviews from music critics, many of whom praised its production and cohesiveness; others felt it was too calculated and formulaic. The album reached number one in eight countries including The UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Switzerland. In the United States, Hurts 2B Human became Pink's third consecutive album to debut at number one on the Billboard 200 chart. The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) awarded it a platinum certification.
Background
Pink released her seventh studio album Beautiful Trauma in October 2017 to positive reviews. In 2017, it was the third global best-selling album, and as of 2018 it had sold over three million units worldwide. Beautiful Trauma earned Pink two Grammy nominations, one in 2018 and another in the 2019 ceremony. Pink embarked on the Beautiful Trauma World Tour, which began in March 2018 and ended in November 2019, to further promote the album. On January 26, 2019, Pink appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show for an interview. When asked about new music, Pink announced that a song titled "Walk Me Home" would be released in two weeks, while the album, titled Hurts 2B Human, was expected to be released in April 2019.
The album's cover was unveiled on February 28, after Pink uploaded three teasers on her social media. Photographed by Andrew Macpherson and designed by Hueman, the image features an artistic and colorful representation of the left side of Pink's face. It includes an array of warm and bright colors, giving the sense of a watercolor-like painting. During an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the singer said that she chose to name the album Hurts 2B Human because the title track "hit a string in [her] that just resonates" and it felt "the most true to what's going on right now".
Development and composition
Recording sessions for Hurts 2B Human coincided with the Beautiful Trauma World Tour, with up to twenty songs being composed and considered for inclusion. Pink explained that the creative process was different in comparison to that of her previous albums. She added, "I usually go on tour and stop writing altogether, but we just never stopped". Initially planned as a standalone extended play (EP), the recorded material turned into a full body of work as the sessions continued to progress. Pink recalled that "it came together without me knowing that I was making an album". Sessions took place at: The Village Studios, MXM Studios, Echo Studio in Los Angeles, Earthstar Creation Center in Venice, Grand Central South in Brentwood, Wolf Cousins Studios in Stockholm, and Roundhead Studios in Auckland. The development process was described by the singer as "a pebble that rolled downhill and became [a] boulder".
Musically, Pink claimed that Hurts 2B Human is a departure from the "angsty and marital" nature of her previous albums, and compared the songs to group therapy. Inspiration for the songwriting came from the melancholy and pressure of current society as well as pain, the latter being considered a motivator and "something worth talking about". The singer also revealed that motherhood had a positive impact on her music and life, helping her to become more open, confident, and thoughtful. Many prominent musicians made guest appearances on the album. Pink invited Wrabel at her home studio, and the pair wrote "90 Days" together with Steve Robson. Wrabel later said during an interview for Get Out! Magazine that the song talks about "having to fall out of love with someone to someone becoming sober", adding that it was incredibly special for him. Khalid was approached by Pink for the title track, "Hurts 2B Human", because she enjoyed his voice and the idea behind the song. The singer said in an interview for Zane Lowe's Beats 1 radio show that the lyrics discuss the human experience and "the circle you create around you" to overcome rough times. Another collaboration included on Hurts 2B Human is with the electronic group Cash Cash on "Can We Pretend", a song Pink said she had a fun experience making. Influenced by Lee Ann Womack and her 2000 single, "I Hope You Dance", Pink contacted Chris Stapleton for a collaboration. After he responded positively, Pink traveled to Nashville and wrote "Love Me Anyway" with Allen Shamblin and Tom Douglas.
Music and lyrical interpretation
Hurts 2B Human is primarily a pop album that integrates elements of dance and country music. Most critics felt that the record consists mainly of radio-friendly power ballads. The album opens with "Hustle", an upbeat pop song with country influences. Chris DeVille of Stereogum described it as "jazzy, bluesy retro" and "finger-snapper". Thematically, it delves into a relationship gone wrong, with the singer warning her partner that he will not be able to take advantage of her again. The second track, "(Hey Why) Miss You Sometime", is a dance-pop track. The song finds Pink missing a person who hurt her in the past. She sings a heavily Auto-Tuned vocal. "Walk Me Home" is a pop song with country elements and "flourishes of digitised vocal production", considered a "fresh touch" in Pink's discography by Aimee Cliff of The Guardian. "My Attic", the fourth track, is an introspective ballad. It contains "raspy" vocals and "poetic" lyrics about storing memories and secrets. Wrabel is a featured guest the next song, "90 Days", which is a minimalist electronica ballad accompanied by a piano and "Vocoder-enhanced harmonies". It depicts a relationship turned sour in which a partner has doubts and fears that their love will end. Both Alexa Camp of Slant Magazine and Amy O'Connor of The Irish Times compared "90 Days" with Imogen Heap's song "Hide and Seek" (2005).
The title track features Khalid. Its composition consists of an "EDM beat, plucky electric guitar chord" and synths, while lyrically the song finds the singers acknowledging the struggles that individuals face everyday and celebrating the power of bringing people together. The seventh track, "Can We Pretend", is an EDM and dance-pop song featuring Cash Cash. Its lyrics emphasize using nostalgia as a way of escapism from the "less than ideal" present reality, with Pink singing: "Hell yeah/Can we pretend? 'Cause honestly, reality, it bores me". "Courage" is an acoustic "slow-build" power ballad with "nervy" vocals. Thom Murphy of the Washington Blade compared the song's hook with Katy Perry's "Chained to the Rhythm" (2017). "Happy", the ninth song, describes Pink's fear of opening up and her insecurities while growing up, as she sings: "Since I was 17, I've always hated my body, and it feels like my body hated me". Pink revealed that this line was inspired by a miscarriage she suffered at the age of seventeen, saying that "when [it] happens to a woman or a young girl, you feel like your body hates you and like your body is broken, and it's not doing what it's supposed to do".
"We Could Have It All" is a "groove-heavy" pop rock song. According to Mike Wass of Idolator, it "captures the feeling of defeat when you have ruined a good thing and don't know quite how". The album's eleventh track is "Love Me Anyway", a country ballad which features Chris Stapleton. It portrays the act of commitment in a relationship and the obstacles which may occur, with lyrics such as the opening lines, "Even if you see my scars, even if I break your heart/ If we're a million miles apart, do you think you'd walk away?" Maura Johnston of Entertainment Weekly called Pink's vocals "roughhewn", while Sean Maunier of Metro Weekly felt the duet worked because Stapleton's voice is "fading into the background". For the penultimate song, "Circle Game", Pink reflects upon motherhood, mortality and "growing up to become the parental figure she once looked up to". A piano-driven ballad, deemed as a "very personal offering", it also focuses on topics like her relationship with her daughter, and childhood vulnerabilities that Pink has carried into adulthood. The singer said that the track was inspired by her dad, saying: "He was my first hero. He was my God when I was a little girl. He's who taught me to fight for what I believe in. He's a big part of me." The album concludes with "The Last Song of Your Life", an acoustic folk ballad with melancholic undertones and "a devastating appeal for honesty and authenticity".
Release and promotion
Hurts 2B Human was released eighteen months after Beautiful Trauma and marked the shortest period of time between studio albums in Pink's career. The album's release was preceded by several singles and promotional singles. "Walk Me Home" was released on February 20 as the lead single from Hurts 2B Human. On the same day, Pink performed the song as part of a medley at the 2019 Brit Awards. "Walk Me Home" received positive reviews from music critics, who commended its anthemic approach and production. The song achieved commercial success and reached top-ten positions on the charts of several countries, including Finland, Ireland, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.Chart history for Pink: In the United States, it peaked within the top fifty of the Billboard Hot 100 chart and topped the Billboard Dance Club Songs, Adult Contemporary and Adult Pop Songs charts, becoming her tenth number-one single on the latter and extending her record as the solo artist with the most number-ones on the chart. The song's accompanying music video was directed by Michael Gracey and released a month later; it portrays Pink dancing with multiple shadows in an empty city. "Walk Me Home" received a nomination in the category of Best Song at the 2020 Global Awards.