Hard Candy (Madonna album)

Hard Candy is the eleventh studio album by American singer Madonna, released on April 18, 2008, by Warner Bros. Records. In October 2007, Madonna announced her departure from the label after 25 years and signed a $120 million, ten-year 360 deal with entertainment company Live Nation, covering her future music-related ventures including touring, merchandising, and sponsorships. Following the release of her tenth studio album, 2005's Confessions on a Dance Floor, Madonna became interested in the work of singer Justin Timberlake, and enlisted him to collaborate on what would become her final studio album for Warner Bros. Other key collaborators included rapper Timbaland, producer Nate "Danja" Hills, and production duo The Neptunes, composed of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, with guest vocals from rapper Kanye West.

Musically, Hard Candy is a dance-pop record infused with urban, hip hop, and R&B elements. Thematically, Madonna described its songs as largely autobiographical, with lyrics centered around love, revenge, sex, and music, often laced with innuendo. The title references the contrast between "toughness and sweetness," reflected visually in the cover artwork, which depicts the singer as a boxer. Amidst speculation and leaks, Hard Candy became one of the first major albums to be distributed through mobile technology; several telecommunications companies pre-loaded its songs and singles onto mobile phones prior to release.

Critical reception was mixed. While many praised its danceable sound, others criticized it for being too similar to past works by other female artists such as Britney Spears, Nelly Furtado, and Gwen Stefani, whose own albums had been shaped by the same team of producers. Some argued that Hard Candy reflected a moment in Madonna's career where she began following trends rather than setting them. Despite the divided critical response, the album was a commercial triumph, topping the charts in 37 countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Brazil, and Japan. It was the eleventh best-selling album worldwide in 2008, with over four million copies sold to date.

Three singles were released from the album. Lead single "4 Minutes", a duet with Timberlake and Timbaland, topped charts in 21 countries and peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Madonna's 37th top ten in the United States. Follow-up single "Give It 2 Me" reached number one on Billboard's Dance Club Songs chart, marking her 39th chart-topper in that category. To promote the album, Madonna performed small showcase concerts at New York's Roseland Ballroom, Paris' Olympia, and headlined the BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend. She also embarked on the Sticky & Sweet Tour, her eighth concert tour, which began in Cardiff in August 2008 and concluded in Tel Aviv in 2009. Grossing over US$411 million ($602.38 in 2024 dollars), the tour became the second highest-grossing tour in history at the time.