He then wanted to release two different versions of the album, an urban one for the US market, and a worldwide version with pop- funk songs, but he ended up releasing most of the pop-funk songs on an EP called Royalty International - EP, keeping for the album mostly urban records. That happening made him change the idea for the project, ending up doing mostly R&B songs that he described as "a screenshot of my emotional state at that point". During the progression of the album he discovered that he had a daughter and simultaneously broke up with his ex-girlfriend Karrueche Tran. In February 2015, Brown said, during an interview for The Breakfast Club, that he started working on the album going for a funky direction inspired by "overseas" music. Brown directed and released eight music videos for the songs of album, serializing them to construct a linear story. Its third single "Back to Sleep" became the album's biggest success, peaking at number 20 on the US Billboard Hot 100. Royalty was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), for combined equivalent units of 1,000,000 units.įour singles preceded the album's release: " Liquor", " Zero", " Back to Sleep", and " Fine by Me". It also became his seventh solo album consecutive top ten debut in the United States. The album debuted at number three on the US Billboard 200, selling 184,000 units in its first week, marking an improvement over Brown's last three studio albums. The album received mixed to positive reviews from music critics, who celebrated Brown's overall performances and most of the record's production, but questioned its consistency, calling it a qualitative step back from his previous solo album X. For the album Brown collaborated chiefly with underground artists and producers, being Brown's record with fewer featurings as well. Its lyrical content was described by Brown as a "representation of where i was in my life at that point". Royalty is mainly an R&B and alternative R&B album, also containing songs with influences of funk, pop and trap music. The album is named after the singer's daughter, Royalty Brown, whom the album is dedicated to. The album was anticipated by the mixtape Before the Party, released as its prelude, and serves as the follow-up to his sixth album X (2014). It was released on December 18, 2015, by CBE and RCA Records. Royalty is the seventh studio album by American singer Chris Brown.