Heaven (Rebecca Ferguson album)

Heaven is the debut studio album by English singer-songwriter Rebecca Ferguson. The album was released on 5 December 2011 under the recordings of Syco Music and RCA Records. Recording sessions include: London, Los Angeles and Sweden. Eg White, who has worked with Adele and Duffy, serves as a major collaborator. Additional producers and songwriters include Steve Booker, Fraser T Smith, Xenomania, Paul Barry and Mark Taylor. Ferguson later revealed that she would be co-writing the whole of her album in order for her to "connect" with the songs. The main genre from the album features genres like soul, pop, blues and R&B. The lyrical content of the album mainly explores the subjects of betrayal, friendship and love found, lost and unrequited. The album's music was compared to Macy Gray, Aretha Franklin, Adele, Joss Stone and Duffy. Ferguson also wished to record with Franklin on the album. The album's title Heaven came around as Ferguson said she was in "heaven" while recording the album.

The album received universal acclaim, receiving no less than four out of five stars from all critics. The Daily Telegraph said that "reality television has finally turned out someone who not only has the hallmarks of a real star, but is also an artist in her own right." Upon the release of the album, the album charted at number-three on the UK Albums Chart selling 128,458 copies in its opening week. The most copies for a number three chart position in 2011. It was held off the number-one by Amy Winehouse's posthumous album Lioness: Hidden Treasures and Michael Bublé's album Christmas. After two weeks of the album being released, the British Phonographic Industry awarded Ferguson with a Platinum certification. As of August 2012 Heaven had sold 536,960 in the United Kingdom.

A deluxe edition of the album was released in the United Kingdom on 15 October 2012. It features three new tracks and two covers. "Backtrack" was released as the fourth single on 14 October. "Shoulder to Shoulder" was released as the album's fifth and final single in the United Kingdom, while "Teach Me How to be Loved" was released in Germany as the fifth and final single from Heaven.