Dangerous Woman is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Ariana Grande. It was released through Republic Records on May 20, 2016. Serving as the album's executive producer alongside Max Martin and Savan Kotecha, Grande began work on Dangerous Woman shortly after the release of her second studio album, My Everything (2014). Guest vocals on the album are provided by Nicki Minaj, Lil Wayne, Macy Gray and Future.
Lyrically, Dangerous Woman revolves around love, tumultuous relationships and empowerment, with Grande exploring more mature and explicit subject matter. Primarily a pop and R&B record, it also incorporates a wide variety of subgenres, including dance-pop, disco, soul, house, trap, reggae and electropop. It was met with critical acclaim, receiving praise for Grande's vocal performance, the matured lyrical content and its versatility across different musical styles. Dangerous Woman was included in several year-end best music lists for 2016. The album and its singles were nominated for various accolades, including two Grammy Awards. Its success led to Grande winning Artist of the Year at the American Music Awards in 2016, and won International Album of the Year at the Japan Gold Disc Awards in 2017. The album has sold 20 million units worldwide, becoming Grande's best-selling album and one of the best-selling albums of all time.
Dangerous Woman was supported by four singles, including the US Billboard Hot 100 top-ten hits "Side to Side" and "Dangerous Woman", as well as international top-ten hit "Into You". It debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 and remains Grande's only album not to debut at number one to date. Despite this, it ultimately became her best-performing album in the country at that point in her career. Internationally, the album topped record charts in Australia, Brazil, Italy, Ireland, New Zealand, Spain and the United Kingdom, where it became Grande's first chart-topper. To support the album, Grande embarked on the Dangerous Woman Tour in 2017, which grossed over $71 million upon completion.
Background and conception On August 25, 2014, Grande released her second studio album, My Everything, which debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 and sold 169,000 copies in its first week. Months after its release, she revealed that her third studio album could be titled Moonlight, making reference to the title on her Twitter account. Following rumors about the album's release date, Grande announced the lead single of Moonlight, called "Focus", during her appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on September 15, 2015. The song was released digitally on October 30; it debuted and peaked at number seven on the US Billboard Hot 100, selling 113,000 copies in its first week. The song was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and had sold 425,000 copies as of May 2016. In an interview to UK station KISS-FM, Grande described the song as stylistically distinct from the rest of the album, stating that it was "the only one that sort of sounds like that". She also expressed excitement about dedicating uninterrupted time to completing Moonlight and focusing on its music.
However, after months of speculation, while discussing the album's direction in interview with Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Grande revealed that she had reconsidered the title Moonlight despite initially intending to name the project after one of her favorite songs from the record. She explained that another track created during the final stages of production had "changed everything", which led her to consider renaming the album. The new title of the album was revealed to be Dangerous Woman; she posted a photo on Instagram with a caption quoting Egyptian feminist writer Nawal El Saadawi's 1975 novel, Woman at Point Zero: "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."
The cover artwork of Dangerous Woman features Grande wearing a latex bunny mask while portraying a seductive image in contrast to the covers of her previous albums. In an interview with Chris Martins for Billboard, Grande explained that the cover was inspired by her alter ego, "Super Bunny", stating: "The Super Bunny is my superhero, or supervillain—whatever I'm feeling on the day. Whenever I doubt myself or question choices I know in my gut are right—because other people are telling me other things—I'm like, 'What would that bad bitch Super Bunny do?' She helps me call the shots." Grande finished work on the album in January 2016.
Recording and production
For Dangerous Womans production, Grande worked with several music producers, including Max Martin and Savan Kotecha, who she worked with as executive producers. She began recording songs for the album soon after the completion of My Everything; Grande continued it throughout the summer and fall of 2015, between stops on the Honeymoon Tour, with her friends Tommy Brown and Victoria Monét. Commenting on the album's direction, Grande described it as a more "mature" and "evolved" version of her sound, combining R&B and pop influences with a comparatively darker and "sexier" tone. She also praised Martin for his approach to songwriting and production, describing his understanding of music as resembling "math". The musician Ilya Salmanzadeh likewise contributed to the album, producing and writing songs with Martin, Grande, Kotecha and Alexander Kronlund. They developed several tracks present in the album, including "Into You", "Side to Side", "Greedy", "Everyday", "Bad Decisions" and "Touch It", while the title track was produced by Johan Carlsson and Martin. All songs were recorded at MXM Studios in Los Angeles, California, and also at Wolf Cousins Studios located in Stockholm, Sweden, and mixed by Serban Ghenea at MixStar Studios in Virginia Beach. Grande wrote the song "Moonlight" with Monét, who also sang backing vocals.
Dangerous Woman features guest appearances by several artists such as Lil Wayne, Future and Nicki Minaj; About the choice of collaborators, Grande said: "I love working with artists people don't expect me to work with." During the recording sessions for "Everyday", Grande wanted to work with Future despite initially being uncertain whether their contrasting musical styles would be compatible. She later stated that they ultimately "found a dope vibe" for the song together. Grande also included Minaj on "Side to Side", stating: "I love working with her". Singer Macy Gray was invited to record "Leave Me Lonely" after she met with Republic Records's A&R, Wendy Goldstein. In an interview with Fuse, Grande explained that Gray became involved with the song while the album was nearing completion, and stated that the song initially existed as a demo sung by its songwriter before Gray was approached and recorded her vocals shortly afterward.
Music and lyrics Dangerous Woman is mainly rooted in pop and R&B, expanding on the contemporary R&B of My Everything while incorporating a more sophisticated interpretation of 1990s pop music. The album further encompasses sounds of dance-pop, contemporary pop, orchestral pop, house, and electro. Critics highlighted the contrast between the jazzy elements of "Moonlight", the electronic production of "Into You" and "Everyday", the disco influences of "Greedy", and the 1990s house-inspired "Be Alright".
Dangerous Woman opens with the doo wop throwback track "Moonlight", which was originally intended as the title track. Lewis Corner from Digital Spy described the song as a "50s-inspired sway", which blossoms with its dainty string plucks and romantic violins. Critics noted that the song's sound was reminiscent of Grande's debut studio album, Yours Truly (2013). The reviewer from Sputnikmusic described it as "oozing with 1950s vibes and allowing Ariana's gorgeous vocals to do all the heavy lifting." The writer compared the song to the Yours Truly song "Tattooed Heart", commenting that "although it functions as a serviceable opener, it lacks that addictingly sweet chorus to elevate it beyond being just a pretty introduction to the record." An R&B track combining elements of bubblegum and rock and roll, "Dangerous Woman" has a time signature. The third track, "Be Alright", is heavily inspired by 1990's R&B and house, featuring Chicago house and dance-pop influences. Christopher R. Weingarten of Rolling Stone called the track a "tropical house swagger-jack". In the 1990s dance-pop "Be Alright", Grande sings during the first line: "Midnight shadows / When finding love is a battle / But daylight, is so close / So don't you worry 'bout a thing." "Into You" is a dance-pop track, featuring "a thudding club beat, lurking synths and sharp clicks", according to Corner. The track starts with "a minimal club beat" before "crescendoing into [a] thumping chorus", where "an uptempo disco backline explodes into a monstrous club-ready hook", as noted by Bustles S. Atkinson and Complex Jessie Morris. Jessica Goodman of Entertainment Weekly added that the song also has "new-age disco beats". Lyrically, the song features Grande singing of "waiting for her love interest to stop the conversation and finally make a move".
"Side to Side" is a reggae-pop song that features guest vocals by Nicki Minaj. Lyrically, it talks about soreness after sex. In an interview with MTV News reporter Gaby Wilson, Grande explained that it "is about riding leading to soreness". According to Sean Fitz-Gerald of Vulture, "Let Me Love You"—a duet with rapper Lil Wayne—is "a slow-paced sultry jam", having a laid back R&B melody, delicate piano chords, electro-beats, smooth, deep bass, a steady beat, trap-lite sound, hip hop beats, and interspersed vocals. Lyrically, "Let Me Love You" talks about getting over an ex and laying on the chest of someone new. Corner observed that "[Grande]'s just chilling and 'looking for love' while she's lying on some hunk's chest", which he concluded as "a one-night stand". The disco-pop, funk and R&B song "Greedy" received positive comments by music critics, who praised its production comparing to Mark Ronson's "Uptown Funk" featuring Bruno Mars (2014). Billboards Katie Atkinson described the song as a "throwback trifle, which casts Grande as a lady Bruno Mars". "Leave Me Lonely" featuring Macy Gray is an R&B track with soul influences. Describing the song, Brittany Spanos from Rolling Stone wrote: "If you combined these songs with similarly retro material from her debut record ('Honeymoon Avenue', 'Tattooed Heart') you could probably make a good case for Grande as a rock-friendly voice that could be critically adored like Adele or Amy Winehouse." "Everyday" featuring Future is a woozy electropop and trap song, built around a grinding, tinned dance beat and a thrumming bassline. The song's explicit lyrics are a paean to sexual satisfaction; Grande illustrates a steamy love affair and lathers on flirtation. During his verse, Future raps about lavish vacations and late-night endeavors, describing himself as a bad guy ideally suited to Grande's needs.