Heartbreak on a Full Moon (2017)

Heartbreak on a Full Moon is the eighth studio album by the American singer Chris Brown. The album was released digitally on Halloween 2017, and three days later it was released by RCA Records as a double-disc package, consisting of 45 tracks. Brown worked with several producers, including Prince Chrishan, A1, Amadeus, Boi-1da, D. A. Doman, and Scott Storch. The album also features guest appearances by Jhené Aiko, R. Kelly, Dej Loaf, Lil Yachty, Usher, Gucci Mane, Yo Gotti, A Boogie wit da Hoodie, Kodak Black, Future, Young Thug, Ty Dolla Sign, and Verse Simmonds, with the deluxe edition having additional features from Agnez Mo, Trippie Redd, Ella Mai, and Solo Lucci. Recording sessions for Heartbreak on a Full Moon took place between the end of 2015 and August 2017.

Heartbreak on a Full Moon is an R&B and hip-hop album that also incorporates genres such as alternative R&B, trap, pop and dancehall. The album features a darker sound compared to Brown’s other work, with heavy lyrical emphasis on the pain of breakup and escaping sorrows through a hedonistic lifestyle. Its lyrics are thought to have been inspired by Brown's breakup with Karrueche Tran. Although Brown was able to convince RCA Records of the album's length, they were initially hesitant. Heartbreak on a Full Moon received polarizing reviews from music critics, that praised Brown's performances, but expressed divided opinions relating to the album's unorthodox length.

One week after its release Heartbreak on a Full Moon was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for combined sales and album-equivalent units of over 500,000 units in the United States, and became the first album by an R&B male artist since Jamie Foxx's Unpredictable (2005) to be certified gold within a week. It has since been certified double platinum by the RIAA. The album was anticipated with multiple snippets, which built anticipation for its release since early 2016. Six official singles were released from Heartbreak on a Full Moon: "Grass Ain't Greener", "Party", "Privacy", "Pills & Automobiles", "Questions", and "Tempo".

Heartbreak on a Full Moon is credited with pioneering lengthier albums in the music streaming era, paving the way for urban artists, such as Drake, Kanye West and SZA, to make albums with over 20 songs.

Background and recording

Brown started recording tracks for Heartbreak on a Full Moon a few weeks before the release of Royalty in late 2015. He continued working on the album during 2016 and 2017 in between the European leg of the One Hell of a Nite Tour and The Party Tour. Brown also built a home recording studio to record songs for the album. The recording sessions mostly took place in Los Angeles and New York City. One track, "Bite My Tongue", was left over from the sessions for Royalty.

During the album's creation, Brown believed he had made too many songs to fit on a single album, so he decided to make a 40-track album. He said in a 2017 interview with Nessa, that with Heartbreak on a Full Moon’s unorthodox length he wanted to "outdo expectations" and "push the boundaries on artistry". RCA Records initially did not want to release an album of such length, thinking this would damage its commercial performance, but the singer ended up convincing them otherwise. Brown involved over 50 producers, including A1, Amadeus, Prince Chrishan, Scott Storch, D.A. Got That Dope, Hitmaka and OG Parker, in the recording sessions. Recording eventually ended in August 2017, with "Rock Your Body" being the last track completed. According to an investigative article published by Billboard in February 2017, the period during which the album was created was marked by Brown's heavy drug use.

The singer explained the concept for the album in August 2017 during an interview for Complex, saying, "I thought Heartbreak on a Full Moon was a depiction of what my soul wanted to say. It's funny because we're doing a double album. I've done so many records, but all of the records, to me, are personal favorites and I feel like it gets what I want to say across." Regarding the content of Heartbreak on a Full Moon, Brown explained that it's “about everything that I went through. (...) I wanted to do songs with substance, R&B, Hip Hop. And you get every facet of who I am at this age.” When discussing its musicality, he added that he “wanted to capture all basis of who my audience liked. What songs they could actually identify with”.

Music and lyrics

Heartbreak on a Full Moon is an R&B album, that also incorporates hip hop, alternative R&B, trap, pop and dancehall. Brown's performances on the album often switch from his R&B singing to his rapping.