I Am... Sasha Fierce (2008)

I Am... Sasha Fierce is the third studio album by American singer Beyoncé. It was released on November 12, 2008, by Columbia Records and Music World Entertainment. The album was recorded from November 2007 to August 2008, with production handled by Darkchild, Toby Gad, Jim Jonsin, Rico Love, Stargate, Tricky Stewart, Ryan Tedder of OneRepublic, and The-Dream, among others. Although there are no featured artists on the album's main track listing, fellow American singers Lady Gaga and Kanye West appear on deluxe editions of the album.

Upon its original release, I Am... Sasha Fierce was structured as a double album and intended to present Beyoncé's dichotomous artistic persona. The first disc I Am... contains slow and midtempo pop and R&B ballads, while the second, Sasha Fierce—titled after Beyoncé's onstage alter ego—focuses on more up-tempo beats that blend electropop and Europop elements. When writing the songs' lyrics, Beyoncé worked with writers in sessions accompanied by live orchestration. She credited both her husband, rapper Jay-Z, and jazz singer Etta James for inspiring her to push the limits of her songwriting and artistry. Musically, I Am... drew inspiration from folk and alternative rock, blended acoustic guitar elements into contemporary ballads, and was written and produced by Beyoncé in collaboration with Babyface, Tricky Stewart, The-Dream and Ryan Tedder. Meanwhile, Sasha Fierce featured production from Darkchild and Sean Garrett.

I Am... Sasha Fierce received mixed-to-positive reviews from music critics and was a commercial success, debuting at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart after selling 482,000 units and earning Beyoncé her third consecutive U.S. number-one solo album. The album has earned one diamond certification and more than 30 platinum certifications in separate worldwide markets, and has been certified seven-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for more than seven million units in the United States. I Am... Sasha Fierce has sold 10 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling albums of the 21st century. The album garnered seven Grammy Award nominations at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards ceremony (2010), including a nomination for Album of the Year, and won five. With a sixth win during the ceremony, Beyoncé broke the record for most awards won in one night by a female artist.

The album was marketed with the release of several singles, including "If I Were a Boy" and "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)", both of which charted highly worldwide. The former topped charts in nine countries and reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100, with the latter becoming her fifth number-one single on the Hot 100 chart. "Diva" and "Ego" were released exclusively in the United States, while "Halo" and "Sweet Dreams" were promoted internationally as the third and fourth singles, respectively. "Broken-Hearted Girl" was released internationally as the fifth single, while "Video Phone" was released in September 2009 as the overall eighth, and "Why Don't You Love Me" was released in July 2010 as the ninth and final single. To further promote the album, Beyoncé made several award-show and television appearances across Europe and North America, and embarked on the worldwide I Am... Tour (2009–10).