Alchemical: Volume 1 is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter and actress Dove Cameron released on December 1, 2023, through Disruptor and Columbia. It was preceded by the singles "Boyfriend", "Breakfast", "Lethal Woman" and "Sand".
Background and development
Alchemical was initially envisioned as an EP[3] and later changed to a two-part album due to the high popularity of its lead single, "Boyfriend", which released on February 11, 2022. The song instantly shot up the charts after it started trending all over social media even before its release, particularly on TikTok.[4]
The album has gotten a lot more vulnerable as I've allowed myself to be more honest with myself. You find yourself in more conversations like, 'What would the lyrics be here if I was just to say the most gut-wrenching truth that everybody's going to relate to?' Then you're face to face with your own stuff. A lot of stuff on the album is kind of ugly; things that I would've felt self-conscious sharing before, because it's incredibly human and vulnerable. Now those are the songs that are my favorite.
— Dove Cameron
On January 6, 2023, Cameron shared a photo on an Instagram story and tweet with the original album title and a few track titles.[6] On July 24, 2023, Dove told Variety that she was really close to finishing the record.[7]
I'm inches away. I have just narrowed it down from about 60 songs that I have written. I'm trying to get the number of songs on the album really high, but Columbia is being reasonable. I'm being unreasonable. I've got all my favorites and most of them have been sent to the mixer and finished and the ones that aren't I just left the studio last night at midnight while I'm in L.A.
— Dove Cameron
Release and promotion
Alchemical: Volume 1 yielded four singles. Its lead single, "Boyfriend", was released on February 11, 2022, and became a massive commercial success.[8] It was followed by "Breakfast" in June 2022, "Lethal Woman" in October 2023, and "Sand" in November 2023. To support the album, Cameron will embark on The Alchemical Tour sometime in 2024.[9]
