A Million Lights is the third studio album by English singer Cheryl, released on 15 June 2012 through Fascination Records.

As the executive producer of the album, Cheryl enlisted a variety of producers such as Alex da Kid, Calvin Harris, will.i.am, Pantha, Agent X, HyGrade, Dada Life, Jim Beanz, Taio Cruz, Mathias Wollo, The Beamer Boyz, Billy Wes, Electric, Bibi Jones and Dave Munday.

Sonically, A Million Lights is a pop, dance and R&B album that draws influence from other genres such as dubstep, house and electronic music in its production.

With only three days of release, "Call My Name" sold a total of 97,000 in the United Kingdom alone, debuting at number one with first week sales of 152,001 and becoming the second fastest selling single of 2012.

[7] Cowell said that the reason why Cheryl left was because he gave her the option to be a judge on the 2011 series of the UK show as he felt that she would have been more comfortable there.

"[12] She then added that it was important for her to work with new producers: "It’s always amazing to have experience there but I like giving people a shot when I believe they’re talented.

I was hearing these songs that were really fresh to my ear and amazing and I asked the guy who she was and he said, 'Watch out for her, it's a girl called Lana Del Rey'.

"[15] In May 2012, it was reported that British rapper Wretch 32 was approached to feature on the song 'Screw You' because Cheryl was a fan of his album Black and White.

I’m not a big drinker but I was still drunk when I woke up"[17] and revealed that she believed the inspiration for the song came for a picture of Cheryl giving the middle finger.

"[12] Like her previous albums 3 Words (2009) and Messy Little Raindrops (2010), A Million Lights draws from pop as well as dance and R&B sub-genres such as dubstep, house and electronic music.

[25] The fourth track "Girl in the Mirror" is a dance and R&B song that was written by Justin Abraham Gray and Sophie Stern and was produced by Panther.

[12][26] The title track "A Million Lights" is a ballad which was written by Daniel James, Leah Haywood and Lindz and produced by Dreamlab.

"Screw You" is an urban song, produced by Hy-Grade and written by Megan Nicolle Thomaston, Kingsley Brown, Daniel Traynor and Jermaine Scott, that starts off as a ballad, but changes into electro-synths.

"Sexy Den a Mutha" is a dance song and is described as a "dancefloor hit"[26] The tenth track from the album "Mechanics of the Heart" is a ballad which was both produced and written by British singer Taio Cruz.

[12][26] The eleventh and final track from the standard edition of the album "All is Fair" which was described as a "dark song" and was produced and written by Beanz.

[26][32] The lead single from the album, "Call My Name" featuring Calvin Harris was uploaded on 19 April onto Cheryl's YouTube account.

[4][5] The accompanying music video was released on 26 July 2012, and it sees Cheryl travel back to the '50s to perform the track while strutting down the street.

Further scenes see the singer draped on the bonnet of a classic car and performing a choreographed dance sequence with a handful of businessmen.

It was also reported that The Voice executives always edit the vocals for every artist on the show, and they would "provide some finishing touches to her singing prior to it being broadcast.

[46] In an interview with BBC News, Cheryl addressed the negative comments, and said that "if you think my live vocal sounds so good it must be mimed, I'm happy, I take it as a compliment.

[48] Cheryl also performed "Call My Name" at Capital FM Summertime Ball on 9 June 2012 in front of 80,000 fans at the Wembley Stadium, she was a surprise artist.

[1] Al Fox of BBC Music described it as a "scrapbook of 2012 trends" and wrote that "it's the most sincere moments that prove standouts on Cheryl's new album.

[60] Laurence Green from musicOMH rated it 3.5 out of 5 stars, commenting: "On A Million Lights, it feels like this is the logical culmination of everything Cheryl has been fine-tweaking ever since she first donned that military outfit for "Fight for This Love".

It's been a long old war of attrition in Camp Cole, but on A Million Lights, it's a resolute mission accomplished; an end-product that both the casual fan and most die-hard 'soldier' will enjoy.

"[62] David Smith of Evening Standard rated it 3 out of 5 stars, commenting: "It could be sung by anybody, but it is a buzzing collection of the latest sharp pop sounds, bursting with potential hits.

"[63] Stephen Thomas Erlewine from Allmusic rated the album 3 out of 5 stars, commenting: "Even if A Million Lights winds up not generating a big single, there is no denying that it captures much of the style and sound of 2012; it's a pop scrapbook, perhaps one that will be more interesting in the future than it is in the present.

[20] Alexis Petridis from The Guardian gave the album 3 out of 5 stars, writing that "You can't fault its box-ticking efficiency, but it's hard to ignore the variable standards.

"[59] Robert Copsey of Digital Spy gave the album three out of five stars writing: "Those looking for answers or indeed any indication of the real Cheryl will be disappointed with A Million Lights, which boasts an exceptional lineup of today's best and brightest producers.

"[57] John Balfe from Entertainment.ie gave the album 2.5 out of 5 stars, expressing a mixed opinion, writing: "A Million Lights will sell the majority of its units based on Cheryl's persona and perceived charisma more than its songwriting nous.

It's almost like Cheryl and her team have entered the entire contents of the top 40 over the past 10 years and come up with an equation for achieving chart success.