I Am... Sasha Fierce is the third studio album by American singer Beyoncé. It was released on November 12, 2008 through Columbia Records and Music World Entertainment. In its initial release, the album was formatted as a double album, intending to market Beyoncé's contrasting facets of artistry. The first disc, I Am..., contains slow and midtempo pop and R&B ballads, while the second, Sasha Fierce , focuses on more uptempo beats that blend electropop and Europop genres. In composing the songs' lyrics, Beyoncé worked with writers, with each session accompanied by live orchestration. Beyoncé 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, while blending acoustic guitar elements into contemporary ballads, and its tracks were written and produced by Beyoncé, during collaborative efforts with Babyface, Tricky Stewart, The-Dream and Ryan Tedder. Sasha Fierce boasted production from Darkchild and Sean Garrett. I Am... Sasha Fierce debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart with first-week sales of 482,000 units, earning Beyoncé her third consecutive US number-one solo album. The album earned over thirty platinum and one diamond certifications in separate worldwide markets, being certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America on January 16, 2009, selling over three million copies in the United States. As of 2015, I Am... Sasha Fierce has sold over eight million copies worldwide. The album garnered seven Grammy Award nominations at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards ceremony , including a nomination for Album of the Year, winning five and eventually collecting a record setting six wins—the most awards won in one night by a female artist. To promote the album, Beyoncé made several award show and televised appearances across Europe and America, and embarking on the worldwide I Am... World Tour . The album spawned several singles; some served as international and stateside releases, while others were for purely promotional purposes. The two lead singles from I Am... Sasha Fierce, If I Were a Boy and Single Ladies , both charted highly internationally. The former topped the charts in over eight 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.
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