Sweetener (album)

Sweetener
Studio album by Ariana Grande
Released	August 17, 2018 (2018-08-17)
Recorded	July 2016 – May 2018[1][2]
Studio	MXM The Lunchtable (Los Angeles) Chalice Conway EastWest (Hollywood) Glenwood Place (Burbank) Jungle City Germano (New York City) Midnight Blue South Beach (Miami) Wolf Cousins MXM (Stockholm) District 4–12 (Northridge)
Genre	Pop R&B trap
Length	47:25
Label	Republic
Producer	Charles Anderson Brian Malik Baptiste Tommy Brown Michael Foster Hit-Boy Ilya Max Martin Pharrell Williams
Ariana Grande chronology
The Best (2017) Sweetener (2018) Thank U, Next (2019)
Singles from Sweetener
"No Tears Left to Cry" Released: April 20, 2018 "God Is a Woman" Released: July 13, 2018 "Breathin" Released: September 18, 2018

Sweetener is the fourth studio album by American singer-songwriter Ariana Grande. It was released on August 17, 2018, through Republic Records. Grande co-wrote all the songs on the album except for the first track, and its production was handled by Pharrell Williams, Charles Anderson, Hit-Boy, Ilya Salmanzadeh, and Max Martin, with guest features from Williams, Nicki Minaj and Missy Elliott.

The album explores themes of romance, sexual intimacy, unhealthy relationships, womanhood, anxiety, and perseverance through hardships. Primarily a pop, R&B and trap record, it also incorporates elements of house, funk, neo soul and hip hop music, mainly consisting of uptempo tunes and downtempo ballads, which heavily incorporate harmonies. Sweetener received critical acclaim upon its release, favoring the experimental nature of its production. Some critics considered it a vital record in Grande's career due to its subject matter. It won Best Pop Vocal Album at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards, scoring Grande her first Grammy Award. Sweetener featured in numerous publications' year-end music lists of the best albums of 2018, and was subsequently inducted in decade-end lists of the 2010s.

Three singles were released from Sweetener, all of which reached the top-fifteen of the US Billboard Hot 100. The lead single, "No Tears Left to Cry", debuted and peaked at number three, while the second and third singles, "God Is a Woman" and "Breathin", reached numbers eight and twelve, respectively. Sweetener debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, making it Grande's third album to reach the summit. It was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and topped charts in many other countries, including in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Grande ventured on a four-show promotional tour, entitled The Sweetener Sessions, after the album's release. Launched in further support of both Sweetener and its successor, Thank U, Next (2019), Grande embarked on the Sweetener World Tour in 2019.