Blackout (Britney Spears album)

Blackout
Studio album by Britney Spears
Released	October 25, 2007 (2007-10-25)
Recorded	March 2006 – June 2007
Studio	Sony[a] (New York City) Silent Sound[b] (Atlanta) South Beach[c] (Miami) Studio at the Palms[d] (Las Vegas) Chalice[e] Conway[f] Record Plant[g] (Los Angeles) Bloodshy & Avant[h] (Stockholm)
Genre	Dance-pop electropop techno avant-disco
Length	43:37
Label	Jive
Producer	Bloodshy & Avant The Clutch Danja Kara DioGuardi Freescha Fredwreck The Neptunes J.R. Rotem
Britney Spears chronology
B in the Mix: The Remixes (2005) Blackout (2007) Circus (2008)
Singles from Blackout
"Gimme More" Released: August 31, 2007 "Piece of Me" Released: November 27, 2007 "Break the Ice" Released: March 3, 2008

Blackout is the fifth studio album by American singer Britney Spears. It was released on October 25, 2007, by Jive Records. Its production and release occurred as Spears' personal struggles were highly publicized and overshadowed her professional projects. She executive-produced the album, working with producers Danja, Bloodshy & Avant, Sean Garrett, and the Neptunes, among others; it is the only album on which Spears is credited as the executive producer. The final result was primarily a dance-pop and electropop record with Euro disco and dubstep influences, with lyrical themes revolving around love, fame, media scrutiny, sex, and clubbing.

Blackout was originally slated for November 13, 2007, but was rush-released after leaking online. Contemporary reviews were polarized: some critics described it as Spears' most progressive and consistent album to date, while others dismissed it due to Spears' controversial public image. Although it was expected to debut atop the US Billboard 200, it entered at number two due to a last-minute change in Billboard's rules, with first-week sales of 290,000 copies; it became Spears' first studio effort not to debut at the summit. The album was later certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It won Best Album at the 2008 MTV Europe Music Awards. By the end of 2008, it had sold 3.1 million copies worldwide, but was deemed commercially disappointing compared to its predecessors.

Blackout produced three singles. "Gimme More" peaked at number three on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming her highest-peaking single on the chart since "...Baby One More Time" (1998), and reached the top ten in additional 16 countries. "Piece of Me" peaked at number 18 on the Billboard Hot 100, but replicated the international commercial success of its predecessor. Its accompanying music video won Spears her first MTV Video Music Award, winning Video of the Year, Best Female Video and Best Pop Video in 2008. "Break the Ice" did not fare as well as its predecessors, peaking at number 43 on the Billboard Hot 100. Originally intended as the fourth single, "Radar" was later included on Spears' following studio album Circus and was released as its fourth and final single in June 2009.

Unlike her previous albums, Spears did not heavily promote Blackout; her only televised appearance for the album was a universally panned performance of "Gimme More" at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards. However, a number of its songs were performed on her subsequent tour the Circus Starring Britney Spears (2009) and later on her concert residency Britney: Piece of Me (2013–2017). In retrospect, the album has been cited as a career highlight for Spears and has been praised for its significant impact on the ensuing 2010s decade of pop music, being credited for bringing the electropop and avant-disco genres to mainstream prominence. Blackout has been listed among the best albums of all time by multiple publications.
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