Joanne by Lady Gaga

Joanne is the fifth studio album by American singer Lady Gaga. It was released on October 21, 2016, by Streamline and Interscope Records. Gaga, Mark Ronson and BloodPop handled its production with a variety of collaborators including Kevin Parker, Emile Haynie, Jeff Bhasker and Josh Homme. Musically, Joanne features "stripped-down" country, soft rock and dance-pop genres, which emphasize the singer's vocal abilities. Lyrically, the album delves into the theme of family and life's emotions; the death of Gaga's aunt Joanne Stefani Germanotta deeply influenced the record. The album's art marked a change in Gaga's visual appearance which now embodied a country-oriented look, consisting mainly of a pink, wide-brimmed hat and pastel colors, evoking the 1970s. The singer's experience working on the television series American Horror Story influenced Joanne's creative process. Gaga returned to an authentic and simple presentation. To promote the album, three singles were released: "Perfect Illusion", "Million Reasons" and the title track. "Perfect Illusion" was released as the album's lead single on September 9, 2016, and reached number one in France, while "Million Reasons" reached number four in the United States. A piano version of the title track was released to radio in selected territories as the album's third single. Gaga promoted the album with her Joanne World Tour which began in August 2017 and ended in February 2018. Joanne received generally favorable reviews from critics and became Gaga's fourth album to reach number one in the United States. It also topped the charts in Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, the international charts of Japan and Korea, as well as reached the top ten in over 25 countries. It earned certifications in some of them. Joanne was nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards. Two of its singles, "Million Reasons" and "Joanne" were nominated for Best Pop Solo Performance; "Joanne" won the award. Many articles noted the impact of the album on the musical endeavors of artists like Kylie Minogue, Miley Cyrus, Kesha, and Justin Timberlake, who all employed the stripped-down approach of Joanne, and featured their vocals in the forefront.