"Bittersweet" is a song performed by American singer Fantasia from her third studio album, '' Back to Me''. The song was released on May 11, 2010 as the lead single from the album. Fantasia's work on "Bittersweet" won her the Grammy Award for

Best Female R&B Vocal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance (previously called Best Rhythm and Blues Solo Vocal Performance, Female) was an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards ...

at the 2011 Grammy Awards, the last song to win this category. "Bittersweet" was also nominated for

Best R&B Song The Grammy Award for Best R&B Song (sometimes known as the R&B Songwriter's Award) has been awarded since 1969. From 1969 to 2000, it was known as the Grammy Award for Best Rhythm and Blues Song. Beyoncé has won it a record four times, while Bab ...

. The song also won the 2011 NAACP Image Award for Best Song.

Composition and critical reception

"Bittersweet" is a down-tempo R&B song which also derives from

soul music Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in the African American community throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It has its roots in African-American gospel music and rhythm and blues. Soul music became ...

. According to Margaret Wappler of the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...

'', its introduction is composed of "anguished" piano notes and "gut-socking" moans. The song lyrically sees its protagonist reminiscing on a past love. Margaret Wappler of the ''Los Angeles Times'' said Fantasia's best moment on ''Back to Me'' was "Bittersweet", stating that it was "smartly chosen as the album’s first single." Mikael Wood of ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cu ...

'' recommended the song as a download from the album, calling it an "old-school slow jam." On songs such as "Bittersweet", Mariel Concepcion of '' Billboard'' said "her distinct voice is most enjoyable when singing heartfelt ballads." Jonathan Keefe of Slant Magazine was less enthusiastic of the song, commenting that it "barely has a melodic line" and that it "just lets Fantasia do what she can with its bathetic series of clichés."

Promotion

To promote the track, Fantasia has appeared on shows such as ''

American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to Ap ...

'', ''

Lopez Tonight ''Lopez Tonight'' is an American late-night television talk show that was hosted by the comedian George Lopez. The hour-long program premiered on November 9, 2009, on cable network TBS. Lopez was the first Mexican-American to host a late-nig ...

'' and '' Good Morning America''.

Music video

The music video for Bittersweet has been shot and premiered Friday June 25 on

Vevo Vevo ( , an abbreviation for "Video Evolution", stylized as VEVO until 2013) is an American multinational video hosting service, best known for providing music videos to YouTube. The service is also available as an app on selected smart TVs, ...

. The video was directed by Lenny Bass and features professional football player

Devin Thomas Devin Thomas (born November 15, 1986) is a former American football wide receiver. After playing college football for Michigan State, he was drafted by the Washington Redskins in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played for the Redskins ...

as Fantasia's love interest.

Track listing

* Digital download # "Bittersweet" – 4:02

Charts

"Bittersweet" has peaked at number 7 on the U.S. ''Billboard''

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

and number 74 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart. It has sold 90,000 copies in the U.S.

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bittersweet (Fantasia Song) 2010s ballads 2010 singles Fantasia Barrino songs Songs written by Claude Kelly Songs written by Chuck Harmony Song recordings produced by Chuck Harmony 2010 songs J Records singles Contemporary R&B ballads Soul ballads Torch songs