Dangerous Woman

Untitled

Dangerous Woman is the third studio album by American singer Ariana Grande and was released on May 20, 2016, by Republic Records. The album is the follow-up to her second studio album My Everything (2014), and features guest appearances from Nicki Minaj, Lil Wayne, Macy Gray and Future. The album was originally titled Moonlight and had the song "Focus" as the intended lead single, however after finishing another track on the album she decided to change the album's name to Dangerous Woman and removed "Focus" from the album's tracklist, except in Japan, and the album's title track eventually replaced it as the lead single. Dangerous Woman is primarily a pop and R&B album, with influences of house and dance-pop. Lyrically, the album is about love and relationships and focuses on more mature content than her previous two albums, Yours Truly and My Everything. Grande served as an executive producer on the album, and worked with songwriters and producers such as Max Martin, Ilya and Tommy Brown to achieve her desired sound.

The album debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200, earning 175,000 equivalent album units in its first week, with 129,000 coming from pure sales. In the UK, the album debuted at the top slot, becoming her first number one in the country. It also reached the top 10 in Canada, Japan, Italy and Switzerland. The lead single "Dangerous Woman" was released on March 11, 2016. The second single, "Into You", was released on May 6, 2016. Two promotional singles were released for the album, "Be Alright" and "Let Me Love You," featuring rapper Lil Wayne.

The album received generally positive reviews from critics. Most of them praised Grande's vocals and the mature lyrical content, separating her from her teen-star peers. However, a few criticized the album for containing too many different styles, stating that the Grande should settle for one sound. Grande has promoted the album multiple times on television. She hosted and was a guest performer on Saturday Night Live. She also sang a medley of "Dangerous Woman" and "Into You" at the 2016 Billboard Music Awards. Grande will embark on her third concert tour to promote the album in late 2016 or early 2017.

Background

Grande began recording songs for the album soon after the completion of her sophomore album, My Everything (2014), and continued throughout the summer and fall of 2015, between stops on her Honeymoon Tour, with her friends Tommy Brown and Victoria Monet. "Focus", which was originally intended to be the lead single from the album, was released digitally on October 30, 2015. The song debuted and peaked at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100, selling 113,000 copies in its first week in the United States. It was subsequently certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. Grande finished work on the album on January 22, 2016.

The album was originally titled Moonlight. On Jimmy Kimmel Live! in January 2016, however, Grande revealed that she was no longer sure of the name, and that she might re-title the album after another song on the album. She announced the new title of the album, Dangerous Woman, on February 22, 2016, through her Snapchat and Twitter accounts. The following day, she posted a photo on Instagram with a caption quoting Egyptian feminist writer Nawal El Saadawi's 1975 novel, Woman at Point Zero as follows: "They said, 'You are a savage and dangerous woman.' I am speaking the truth. And the truth is savage and dangerous". As to why the album name was changed, Grande stated that it had to do with portraying herself as a stronger person and to empower fans, saying: "'Moonlight' is a lovely song, and it's a lovely title. It's really romantic, and it definitely ties together the old music and the new music, but 'Dangerous Woman' is a lot stronger. … To me, a dangerous woman is someone who’s not afraid to take a stand, be herself and to be honest."

Release and promotion

Grande announced the final title of the album on February 22, 2016, via her Snapchat. Two days later, Grande launched a website to promote her album (now merged with her original website), which features a "Tea" section in which the singer shares new information regarding the album, as well as a "Shop" section, in which album-related merchandise is sold. The official album cover was released on March 10 via Grande's social media accounts and on her official website. On March 12, 2016, Grande was both the host and musical guest on NBC's Saturday Night Live, where she performed "Dangerous Woman" and "Be Alright". In April, Grande debuted "Leave Me Lonely" live at the grand opening of the Las Vegas T-Mobile Arena and performed at the 2016 MTV Movie Awards. On May 13, 2016, Grande announced via her Instagram account that a new song from the album would be premiered exclusively on Apple Music every day until the release of the album. The song's released, in order of release, were "Everyday" featuring Future, "Greedy", "Side to Side", featuring Nicki Minaj, "Sometimes", "Leave Me Lonely", featuring Macy Gray, "Touch It", and "Bad Decisions". Grande promoted the album's release with televised performances at the 2016 Billboard Music Awards and on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and Good Morning America. On May 25, she sang "Into You" and duetted with Christina Aguilera on "Dangerous Woman" on The Voice season 10 finale. On May 24, 2016, Grande confirmed that she would embark on her third concert tour, under the working title The Dangerous Woman Tour, beginning in late 2016 or early 2017. At the Summertime Ball at London's Wembley Stadium in June, Grande performed "Dangerous Woman, "Into You", and "Greedy" from the album as part of her set.

Singles

The former lead single, "Focus", was released on October 30, 2015. Although originally intended to be the lead single, it was not included on the standard or US editions of Dangerous Woman. However, it was included as a bonus track on the Japanese edition of the album.

The album's lead single and title track, "Dangerous Woman", was released on March 11, 2016, along with the pre-order of the album on the iTunes Store. It was teased by Grande on March 1, 2016. A snippet of the song was released as background music to the Victoria's Secret Swim Special on March 9, 2016. It was sent to rhythmic radio on March 15, 2016. The song became Grande's seventh top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 as well as her fifth to debut in the top 10. As of June 2016, "Dangerous Woman" has been certified platinum by the RIAA.

The second single, "Into You", was released on May 6, 2016. It is set to impact rhythmic radio on June 28, 2016.

Promotional singles

The first promotional single, "Be Alright", was released on March 18, 2016. The second promotional single, "Let Me Love You", featuring Lil Wayne, was released on April 18, 2016.

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	76/100
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
The A.V. Club	B
Entertainment Weekly	B+
NME	4/5
The Observer
Pitchfork	7.6/10
Rolling Stone
Slant Magazine
Sputnikmusic
Spin	6/10

Dangerous Woman received generally positive reviews from music critics. According to Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to ratings and reviews from mainstream critics, critics gave Dangerous Woman a score of 76, based on 14 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote for AllMusic that "[t]rack by track, Dangerous Woman has sly, subtle distinctions - a little bit of torch gives way to some heavy hip only to have frothy pop surface again", and that "while some of these cuts work better than others, the range is impressive, as is Grande's measured, assured performance." In his review for Entertainment Weekly, Nolan Feeney commented that while Grande's previous album, 'My Everything', "suffered for trying to be everything", on Dangerous Woman, "[w]ith a streamlined team of hitmakers such as Max Martin, she pulls off pop, R&B, reggae, and house—all without overextending herself or pandering to trends". The A.V. Club's Annie Zaleski agreed, stating that the album "possesses more personality than 'My Everything'," and writes in conclusion that "'Dangerous Woman' is an effortless leap forward on which Grande comes into her own as a vocalist and performer." Lewis Corner from Digital Spy noted that Grande "ultimately pulled together a consistent collection that impressively manages to keep your attention over 15 tracks." Mikael Wood, writing for the Los Angeles Times, found it "impressive how fully she inhabits the emotional environment of each song" on the album.

Larry Bartleet of NME wrote that apart from the "consistent songwriting clout that elevates this album from recent efforts by Grande’s teen-star peers, Demi Lovato and Selena Gomez", the "modish message of empowerment feels honest coming from Grande." Michael Cragg from The Observer noted that during her successful previous album she had lost her identity in the process, but in comparison, he noted that the album is a "refinement of her sound", and concluded that "[h]eld together by Grande's skyscraping voice, Dangerous Woman throws a lot at the wall and, brilliantly, most of it sticks." Erik Ernst of Milwaukee Journal Sentinel opined that "[l]ike much of the disc, it's an unexpected, but remarkable, choice from a confident pop star ready to set her own path to the top." Maeve McDermott of USA Today summarized that Dangerous Woman, "like its title suggests", is "a mature portrait of an artist blessed with one of pop's strongest voices, brimming with potential hits." Quinn Moreland of Pitchfork viewed that "Grande does not need to force any sort of spirit, she is full of it already. She just needs to find the Dangerous Woman within herself and let her break free."

The Plain Dealer's Troy L. Smith wrote that the album "plays it safe and smart", explaining it "functions as 'My Everything 2.0' – a collection of pitch-perfect hooks and slick production built in the mold of Mariah Carey." For Theon Weber of Spin, "Grande is most complete on record when she’s playing a diva." Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine wrote that Grande "too often tries to look and sound more mature than she is,"observing that "the songs on the album's latter half are limited by their strict adherence to contemporary pop and R&B trends." In a mixed review, Christopher R. Weingarten of Rolling Stone opined that "as an album artist, she's prone to a schizophrenic sound and unfortunate sequencing," adding that "we're still no closer to figuring out who she wants to be." He also said that "her talents are wasted on meaningful-sounding but ultimately trite lyrics. However, her phrasing remains unique and powerful and pyrotechnic."

Commercial performance

In the United States, Dangerous Woman debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200. It earned 175,000 equivalent album units, with 129,000 coming from traditional album sales. In the second week, the album fell to No. 6, selling 50,000 equivalent units, while in the third week, it dropped to No. 7, with 33,000 equivalent units sold.

In Japan, the album debuted at No. 2 on the Oricon Albums Chart, selling 20,811 copies in its opening week, and becoming Grande's highest album ranking in that region. In the second week, the album dropped to No. 8, selling 11,950 copies. In the third week, it stayed at No. 8, with 7,022 copies sold. As of June 2016, Dangerous Woman has sold over 50,000 copies in Japan.

In the United Kingdom, the album debuted at No. 1 on the Official Albums Chart, becoming Grande's first No. 1 album in the UK. The album also reached the top of the charts in several other markets, including Australia, Brazil, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain and Taiwan.

Track listing

Dangerous Woman  – Standard edition

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Moonlight"	Ariana Grande Tommy Brown Victoria McCants Peter Lee Johnson	TB Hits	3:22
2.	"Dangerous Woman"	Johan Carlsson Ross Golan Max Martin	Martin Carlsson	3:56
3.	"Be Alright"	Grande Brown McCants Khaled Rohaim Nicholas Audino Lewis Hughes Willie Tafa	Twice as Nice TB Hits	2:57
4.	"Into You"	Grande Martin Savan Kotecha Alexander Kronlund Ilya Salmanzadeh	Martin Salmanzadeh	4:04
5.	"Side to Side" (featuring Nicki Minaj)	Grande Salmanzadeh Martin Onika Maraj Kronlund Kotecha	Martin Salmanzadeh	3:46
6.	"Let Me Love You" (featuring Lil Wayne)	Grande Brown McCants Steven Franks Dwayne Carter	TB Hits Mr. Franks	3:43
7.	"Greedy"	Martin Kotecha Kronlund Salmanzadeh	Martin Salmanzadeh	3:34
8.	"Leave Me Lonely" (featuring Macy Gray)	Brown Franks Thomas Parker Lumpkins McCants	TB Hits Mr. Franks Lumpkins	3:49
9.	"Everyday" (featuring Future)	Grande Kotecha Salmanzadeh Nayvadius Wilburn	Salmanzadeh	3:14
10.	"Bad Decisions"	Grande Martin Kotecha Salmanzadeh	Martin Salmanzadeh	3:46
11.	"Thinking Bout You"	Peter Svensson Chloe Angelides Jacob Kasher Hindlin Mathieu Jomphe-Lépine	Svensson Billboard	3:20
Total length:				39:31

Dangerous Woman  – Deluxe and North American edition

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
10.	"Sometimes"	Martin Kotecha Salmanzadeh Svensson	Martin Salmanzadeh	3:46
11.	"I Don't Care"	Grande Travis Sayles Franks Brown Michael Foster McCants	TB Hits Mr. Franks Travesty	2:58
12.	"Bad Decisions"	Grande Martin Kotecha Salmanzadeh	Martin Salmanzadeh	3:46
13.	"Touch It"	Martin Kotecha Svensson Ali Payami	Martin Payami	4:20
14.	"Knew Better / Forever Boy"	Grande Franks McCants Foster Ryan Matthew Tedder Brown	TB Hits Mr. Franks Tedder	4:59
15.	"Thinking Bout You"	Svensson Angelides Hindlin Lépine	Svensson Billboard	3:20
Total length:				55:34

Dangerous Woman  – Japanese edition (bonus track)

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
16.	"Focus"	Grande Kotecha Svensson Ilya	Ilya Martin	3:31
Total length:				59:05

Dangerous Woman  – Target edition and MediaWorld Special Edition (bonus tracks)

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
16.	"Step On Up"	Brown McCants Audino Shane Stevens Ryan Vojtesak Hughes Jamil Chammas	Vojtesak Twice as Nice Brown	3:01
17.	"Jason's Song (Gave It Away)"	Grande Jason Robert Brown	Jason Robert Brown Jeffrey Lesser	4:25
Total length:				63:00

Dangerous Woman  – Japanese Special Price edition (bonus tracks)

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
18.	"Focus"	Grande Kotecha Svensson Ilya	Ilya Martin	3:31
Total length:				66:31

Dangerous Woman  – Japanese deluxe edition (bonus DVD)

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Dangerous Woman" (Visual 1)
2.	"Dangerous Woman" (a cappella)
3.	"Focus" (music video)
4.	"Focus" (lyric video)

Credits and personnel

Adapted from album liner notes.

Vocal credits

• Ariana Grande – lead vocals, background vocals
• Macy Gray – featured artist, background vocals
• Future – featured artist, background vocals
• Lil Wayne – featured artist
• Nicki Minaj – featured artist
• Max Martin – background vocals
• Ilya Salmanzadeh – background vocals
• Savan Kotecha – background vocals
• Johan Carlsson – background vocals
• Victoria McCants – background vocals
• Chloe Angelides – background vocals
• Ross Golan – background vocals
• Alexander Kronlund – background vocals
• Joi Gilliam – background vocals
• Taura Stinson – background vocals
• Chonita Gillespie – background vocals
• Tommy Parker – background vocals
• Daye Jack – background vocals
• Sam Holland – background vocals (additional)
• Jenny Schwartz – background vocals (additional)
• Noah "Mailbox" Passovoy – background vocals (additional)
• Silke Lorenzen – background vocals (additional)
• Jeremy Lertola – background vocals (additional)
• Patrick Donovan – background vocals (additional)

Technical credits (not including songwriting and producer credits shown in the track listing above)

• Victoria McCants – vocal producer
• Tommy Brown – producer, programmer, engineer, keyboard, percussion, bass, drums, vocal producer
• Serban Ghenea – mixing
• Tom Coyne – mastering
• Aya Merrill – mastering
• Peter Lee Johnson – strings
• Christopher Truio – engineer
• Nicholas Audino – engineer, programmer, keyboard, bass, percussion, drums
• John Hanes – mixing engineer
• Steven Franks – guitar, programmer, percussion, drums, producer, keyboard
• Dernst Emile II – bass
• Johan Carlsson – vocal producer, guitar, acoustic guitar, piano, synths, tambourine, programmer
• Max Martin – vocal producer, programmer, keyboard, guitar, bass, percussion
• Peter Karlsson – engineer, vocal engineer, vocal recorder, vocal producer
• Sam Holland – engineer
• Cory Brice – engineer
• Khaled Rohaim – programmer, keyboard, bass, percussion
• Savan Kotecha – vocal recorder
• Ilya Salmanzadeh – programmer, keyboard, guitar, bass, percussion, vocal producer
• Aubry "Big Juice" Delaine – recorder
• Joel Metzler – engineer
• Jordon Silva – engineer
• Mattias Bylund – string arranger, strings, recorder
• Mattias Johansson – violin
• David Bukovinszky – cello
• Jonas Thander – horns arranger, recorder, saxophone
• Staffan Findin – trombone
• Karl Olandersson – trumpet
• Stefan Persson – trumpet
• Thomas Parker Lumpkins – programmer
• Mr. McClendon – producer
• Christopher Trujillo – engineer
• Jeremy Lertola – guitar
• Richard Madenfort – songwriter, programming, keyboard, guitar
• Peter Svensson – programming, keyboard, guitar, bass, percussion
• Travis Sayles – producer, programmer, keyboard, bass
• Michael Foster – programmer, percussion
• Ryan Matthew Tedder – programmer, keyboard, bass
• The Magi – producer
• Loren Mann II – drums (additional)
• Josh Connelly – guitar
• Ali Payami – programmer, keyboard, guitar, bass, percussion
• Mike Foster – songwriter
• Billboard – programmer, keyboard, bass, percussion

Managerial and creative credits

• Wendy Goldstein – A&R
• Scott "Scooter" Braun – A&R
• Maya Drexler – A&R coordinator
• Ariana Grande – executive producer
• Max Martin – executive producer
• Savan Kotecha – executive producer
• Rick Marty – talent liaison
• Jen Merlino – management
• Stephanie Simon – management
• Ken Hertz - legal representation
• Donna Gryn – marketing manager
• Jim Roppo – marketing manager
• Matt Barnes – photographer
• The Young Astronauts – photographer, art direction

Charts

Chart (2016)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)	1
Argentine Albums (CAPIF)	8
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)	5
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)	2
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)	6
Brazilian Albums (ABPD)	1
Canadian Albums (Billboard)	2
Czech Albums (ČNS IFPI)	10
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)	6
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)	1
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)	7
French Albums (SNEP)	8
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)	6
Greek Albums (IFPI)	4
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)	39
Irish Albums (IRMA)	1
Italian Albums (FIMI)	1
Japanese Albums (Oricon)	2
South Korean Albums (Circle)	1
South Korean Albums International (Gaon)	1
Mexican Albums (AMPROFON)	1
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)	1
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)	5
Polish Albums (ZPAV)	8
Portuguese Albums (AFP)	4
Scottish Albums (OCC)	3
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)	1
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)	6
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)	3
Taiwanese Albums (Five Music)	1
UK Albums (OCC)	1
US Billboard 200	2

Release history

List of release dates, formats, label and reference

Region	Date	Version	Format(s)	Label	Ref.
Worldwide	May 20, 2016	Standard edition Deluxe edition	CD digital download	Republic Universal

External links

• Official website